Read Online Cades Cove 01 - Cades Cove: A Novel of Terror by Aiden James - Free Book Online
Authors: Aiden James
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her dresser, and each one resonated from inside the Queen Anne styled antique, an heirloom from her mother’s side of the family.
She let out a frightened yelp and dropped the pencil on the floor, where it rolled under her bed. The dresser began to shake, growing steadily more violent until the dresser’s legs lifted into the air. It slammed heavily upon the floor with a deafening crash. Unable to move at first, Jillian stumbled past the possessed antique and back out into the hallway. Screaming.
Chapter Eight
David arrived home shortly after six o’clock. The autumn sun had already dipped below the foothills, and darkness shrouded the metropolitan sprawl that includes Littleton. The porch and security lights were on, and the fact Tyler had already taken the past week’s bagged garbage out to the curb brought a smile to his face. The large green trash container barely held the extra Chinese take-out and pizza boxes his kids had subsisted on since the past Thursday when he and Miriam flew to Tennessee.
Then he thought about his latest conversation with Miriam, and his daughter’s pleas in the background for him to come home right away, which compelled him to do just that. Jillian preferred her mom when it came to seeking comfort. But she always came to him when she wanted protection, and that worried him. After promising Ned his work would be caught up by tomorrow night at the latest, he grabbed his coat, laptop, briefcase and left.
“ I’m glad you’re here,” said Miriam, right after he stepped through the front door. “Sorry about this.”
Jillian’s head rested on her mom’s lap as they sat together on the sofa, her eyes red from tears. Tyler sat in the recliner, his attention completely absorbed by the PSP he held in his lap. Christopher, drawn to the same diversion, stood next to the chair and looked over his brother’s shoulder. Only Janice seemed as upset as Miriam and Jillian, seated in the loveseat.
“ It’s okay, babe,” said David. He hung his coat on the hall tree and joined everyone in the living room.
“ Everything’s going to be fine, sweetie,” he assured Jillian, pausing to kiss Miriam and massage his daughter’s shoulder. “Your mom told me you heard something up in your room. Would you like to tell me about it?”
Jillian sniffed and nodded ‘yes’.
“ Nothing happened, Dad,” said Tyler, looking up from his game player. Christopher nodded an emphatic agreement to his brother’s assessment.
“ You weren’t there!” Outraged, Jillian sat up, pointing meanly at her brothers. Miriam restrained her from going after them.
“ That’ll be enough, Ty!” scolded David. “I asked Jillian what happened— not you. As soon as I get her story, you and Chris can fill me in on other details.”
“ Yes sir,” said Tyler, sullenly.
“ All right, Jill,” said David. “Tell me what happened.”
“ Someone was in my room today.” She cleared her throat before going on. “They knocked on my door and then got mad and slammed something against it that shook the entire wall!”
She looked up into his face, imploring him with glistening green eyes to believe her.
“ I couldn’t see who it was….like they were invisible!”
First the dog, then me last night, now my baby girl.... Dismayed, he wondered again about the taunting voice he heard last night. Maybe he didn’t imagine it after all. He nodded and looked up at the ceiling while picturing what happened upstairs that afternoon.
“ Are you done, Jill?” Tyler looked up again from the PSP, turning it off and retracting the recliner in one fluid movement. “If you are, I’d like to give Dad some valuable information before he wastes most of tonight looking for someone he’ll never find!”
Jillian’s face flushed with anger, ready to lash out at him again.
“ It’ll be all right, Jill,” Miriam whispered in her ear. “Daddy will take care of this. Trust him.”
“ Go ahead, Ty,” said
She let out a frightened yelp and dropped the pencil on the floor, where it rolled under her bed. The dresser began to shake, growing steadily more violent until the dresser’s legs lifted into the air. It slammed heavily upon the floor with a deafening crash. Unable to move at first, Jillian stumbled past the possessed antique and back out into the hallway. Screaming.
Chapter Eight
David arrived home shortly after six o’clock. The autumn sun had already dipped below the foothills, and darkness shrouded the metropolitan sprawl that includes Littleton. The porch and security lights were on, and the fact Tyler had already taken the past week’s bagged garbage out to the curb brought a smile to his face. The large green trash container barely held the extra Chinese take-out and pizza boxes his kids had subsisted on since the past Thursday when he and Miriam flew to Tennessee.
Then he thought about his latest conversation with Miriam, and his daughter’s pleas in the background for him to come home right away, which compelled him to do just that. Jillian preferred her mom when it came to seeking comfort. But she always came to him when she wanted protection, and that worried him. After promising Ned his work would be caught up by tomorrow night at the latest, he grabbed his coat, laptop, briefcase and left.
“ I’m glad you’re here,” said Miriam, right after he stepped through the front door. “Sorry about this.”
Jillian’s head rested on her mom’s lap as they sat together on the sofa, her eyes red from tears. Tyler sat in the recliner, his attention completely absorbed by the PSP he held in his lap. Christopher, drawn to the same diversion, stood next to the chair and looked over his brother’s shoulder. Only Janice seemed as upset as Miriam and Jillian, seated in the loveseat.
“ It’s okay, babe,” said David. He hung his coat on the hall tree and joined everyone in the living room.
“ Everything’s going to be fine, sweetie,” he assured Jillian, pausing to kiss Miriam and massage his daughter’s shoulder. “Your mom told me you heard something up in your room. Would you like to tell me about it?”
Jillian sniffed and nodded ‘yes’.
“ Nothing happened, Dad,” said Tyler, looking up from his game player. Christopher nodded an emphatic agreement to his brother’s assessment.
“ You weren’t there!” Outraged, Jillian sat up, pointing meanly at her brothers. Miriam restrained her from going after them.
“ That’ll be enough, Ty!” scolded David. “I asked Jillian what happened— not you. As soon as I get her story, you and Chris can fill me in on other details.”
“ Yes sir,” said Tyler, sullenly.
“ All right, Jill,” said David. “Tell me what happened.”
“ Someone was in my room today.” She cleared her throat before going on. “They knocked on my door and then got mad and slammed something against it that shook the entire wall!”
She looked up into his face, imploring him with glistening green eyes to believe her.
“ I couldn’t see who it was….like they were invisible!”
First the dog, then me last night, now my baby girl.... Dismayed, he wondered again about the taunting voice he heard last night. Maybe he didn’t imagine it after all. He nodded and looked up at the ceiling while picturing what happened upstairs that afternoon.
“ Are you done, Jill?” Tyler looked up again from the PSP, turning it off and retracting the recliner in one fluid movement. “If you are, I’d like to give Dad some valuable information before he wastes most of tonight looking for someone he’ll never find!”
Jillian’s face flushed with anger, ready to lash out at him again.
“ It’ll be all right, Jill,” Miriam whispered in her ear. “Daddy will take care of this. Trust him.”
“ Go ahead, Ty,” said
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