Read Online The Darkness Within by Taylor Henderson - Free Book Online Page B

labeled photography from the day Mom and I helped David move in instead, and if I still had time afterwards then I could try to find a way into the basement. Turning away, I walked into the living room and then made my way down the hall and into the first bedroom. The room was scarcely set up, only consisting of a large bed, a bedside table, and a huge wooden dresser. There was a pair of men’s jeans lying across the bed that made me aware that this was the room I was looking for—David’s bedroom.
    I was hell bent on finding the box of his photography. He had acted so strangely when I asked to see his work that I couldn’t shake the feeling something was off. Stepping into his room hesitantly, I walked slowly toward his bed. There were a few boxes on the ground near the door, but none of them were small enough to be the box I was searching for. My gaze went over everything before I crouched down to look under his bed. I had to take a deep breath before lifting up the dust ruffle because I feared that I would look under the bed and see David’s cold, emotionless eyes staring back at me. I shook the thought from my head and looked under, finding nothing but shoes and open space.
    When I stood back up on wobbly legs, I went to his bedside table. Pulling the top drawer open, I was excited to find the flat, rectangular box I was searching for sitting inside. I pulled it free of the drawer and placed it on top of the table, near the lamp that sat there. Sliding my finger inside, I opened the box, scrunching my face at what was inside—porn magazine after porn magazine. Gross, no wonder he was so jumpy when I asked to see his photography. I lifted up some of the magazines, making sure I wasn’t missing anything. I pulled out the first magazine, which featured a busty blonde on the cover, and jumped backward as something fell out of the pages and onto the ground. My heart jumped in my chest, trying to break through my rib cage. I let out a breathy laugh, feeling silly for being so tense and trying to calm my rapid heartbeat, before I reached down to pick up the picture that had fallen.
    I gripped the small, square polaroid, bringing it closer to my face to get a better look at it. What I saw made my stomach clench. I was surprised I didn’t lose my dinner right on his bedroom floor. My palms began to sweat as my eyes focused on the picture. It was a girl’s face. Her eyes were swollen shut and her face was badly bruised. Despite how horrific the girl looked, the most terrifying part was the number two sloppily carved into the center of her forehead.
    Hurriedly, I placed the magazine on the bed and began flipping through the pages. The first page featured another horrifying picture of a girl’s face. Her eyes were open wide, frozen in fear, and her tongue looked like it was swollen in her mouth. Bile rose in my throat. She had a large number one sliced into her pale forehead. Each page went on like that, ending on the number six. The girl on page six had long, blonde hair hanging over her shoulders, which was matted with blood, and large green eyes. Her small lips were twisted in agony as if she was holding back a scream. My body began to tremble in fear when I realized I had seen this girl before.
    The girl in the picture, with a deeply cut number six on her forehead, was the same girl from the school picture David had shown my mom and me of his daughter. I was also willing to bet that she was the same girl I’d seen that night trying to get away from David.
    Goosebumps rose along every inch of my skin. I didn’t know what was going on, but I did know that I needed to get the hell out of here before David came home and I became the next girl in his book. My blood rushed in my ears as I snapped photos of each girl’s picture before putting everything back as I found it. I didn’t hesitate for a second as I ran from his house, not stopping until I was back inside the safety of my own home with the door locked behind me. I