Read Online JACK KILBORN ~ TRAPPED by J.A. Konrath, Jack Kilborn - Free Book Online

Timmy’s room, because he kept it on his desk on a little stand and it scared her to see it.
    For the first few days of Sara’s visit, everything had gone well. She had fun playing with her cousins, the food was terrific, and creepy Timmy was told not to handle any knives around Sara.
    On the morning of her fourth day there, the girls were gathering wildflowers by the old barn when Timmy came over, his scary knife in his belt, and asked if they wanted to play truth or dare.
    Mostly, it was just dare, without any truth. Timmy, being the oldest, tried to show off by performing unimpressive feats of heroism like climbing trees, jumping down hills, and standing on the roof of the old barn.
    The barn had a hayloft, which Aunt Alison used for storage. Among boxes of clothes and baby toys was an antique trunk. Made of leather and wood, with a rusty latch and tarnished brass corners and edges.
    Timmy dared Sara to get inside and close the lid.
    Sara didn’t like how the trunk looked, all old and beaten up, and she didn’t like how it stunk when Timmy opened it. Musty and moldy.
    “ That’s what a coffin smells like,” Timmy said.
    “ Is not,” Sara answered, even though she’d never smelled a coffin before.
    “ You too chicken to get in?”
    “ No. But I’m sick of truth or dare.”
    “ This will be the last one. Then we can play something else.”
    “ Let’s play something else now.”
    “ Chicken. Bock bock bock.”
    Sara knew she wasn’t a chicken, but she didn’t want to get in the trunk. Especially since her other cousins had also gotten tired of the game and were leaving the barn.
    “ It’s a dare,” Timmy said. “You have to.”
    He had his hand resting on the hilt of that scary knife when he said it.
    “ For how long?” Sara asked.
    “ Ten seconds. Then you can come out.”
    Sara decided she was brave enough to do anything for ten seconds, so she got in the trunk, tucking her knees up into her chest so she could fit, and Timmy closed the lid.
    It was dark. Dark as the darkest night. It was also tight and stinky and uncomfortably warm.
    Sara counted to ten in her head as fast as she could then reached up to open the lid.
    The lid wouldn’t open.
    “ Timmy! Open up!”
    Timmy didn’t answer.
    Sara pushed with all of her might. She heaved. She strained. Then she screamed.
    The screaming went on for a long time.
    Sara had no idea how long she was in that trunk. So long she’d wet her pants. So long she became tired enough to go to sleep, if the fear would have allowed it. But the fear didn’t leave. It kept building, and building, each passing minute worse than the last. And in the silence, the darkness whispered to her. Taunted her. Promised her that she would never get out, that she would die here.
    Until Sara reached the point where she wanted to die rather than spend one more second in that horrible trunk.
    That’s when Timmy came back.
    “ Sara?” he whispered through the side of the trunk.
    “ Timmy…” Sara’s voice was hoarse, raw, from the hours of screaming.
    “ Sara, I didn’t mean to leave you in there. The latch got stuck. It wasn’t my fault.”
    “ Please let me out, Timmy.”
    “ Mom and Dad will whup me if they find out I did this.”
    The air was so hot and heavy, Sara felt like she was drowning.
    “ Let me out.”
    “ If I let you out, you have to promise you won’t tell.”
    Sara would have promised him anything. “I promise, Timmy.”
    “ You have to swear.”
    “ I swear.”
    Then the trunk opened, and Timmy was standing there, pointing that awful hunting knife in Sara’s face. He looked meaner and scarier than anyone Sara had ever seen.
    “ If you tell anyone, I’ll get you, Sara. I’ll cut you into little tiny pieces and bury you in this trunk. I swear I will.”
    And then Timmy pressed the knife right up to the tip of her nose, and Sara passed out from fear.
    Aunt Alison did find out, because when Sara fainted Timmy got scared and told her. And, as