Read Online The Haunting of Blackwood House by Darcy Coates - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Darcy Coates
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getting murdered by the boiled-cabbage stalker.”
Mara squinted at her partner. “You’re really fixated on that metaphor, aren’t you? Okay, you can come with me if you want.”
“ Or , consider this.” Neil seemed to be trying to keep his voice light, but the sheen of sweat over his forehead betrayed him. “We could get in my car and leave right now and not die horrifically.”
“No one’s going to die horrifically. Ten to one, it’s a homeless guy who thought this was an abandoned building he could sleep in, or a kid here on a dare. You can stay downstairs if you want, but I’m going to have a talk with them.”
“I am not letting you go up there alone.”
“Then come with me. I don’t get why this is such a big deal for you.”
The creaking fell silent then, and both Neil and Mara raised their eyes to the spot, not far above their heads, where the intruder rested.
“Please,” Neil began, still keeping his voice to a whisper.
“Nope.” Mara pulled towards the bathroom door, and Neil, unwilling to release her hand, followed. “At least let’s bring a knife.”
“Yeah, that would be smart. But don’t charge in there waving it like a madman. I want to de -escalate this situation, okay?”
Neil retrieved the small paring knife he’d used to prepare dinner and wiped it clean on his jeans. He looked as though he wished he’d brought a butcher’s blade instead. Mara waited in the hallway and kept an eye on the staircase at the end of the passage in case the intruder tried to come down, but the footsteps didn’t resume.
“Ready?” she asked as Neil joined her.
The house was pitch-black. Neil had picked up his own torch, and their two beams brought small patches of the dark-wood walls into relief. “This is crazy,” was all he said before leading her to the stairs. He evidently didn’t want her entering the attic first.
The stairs started at the end of the hallway and rose up the side of the wall. They were narrow and rickety, and it was impossible for Mara and Neil to keep them quiet as they climbed towards the hatch that opened into the attic.
“It’s bolted on this side with a padlock,” Neil whispered. “Whoever’s up there can’t get down to us.”
“Can you break it?”
A sigh. “Probably. It looks rusty.”
Neil used the back of his torch to beat at the lock. On the third strike, it came free and clattered to the floor below them. With a final pleading look at Mara, which she refused to acknowledge, Neil took a fortifying breath and pushed the trapdoor up.
The metal hinges wailed as the hatch flipped over. Neil climbed an extra stair, so that his head and shoulders were in the attic, and swivelled. After a moment’s pause, he continued climbing. Mara followed.
The attic stretched the length of the house. At the roof’s peak, the ceiling was high enough that Mara could have stretched her arm up and still not touched it.
Streams of cold moonlight fell through the holes in the ceiling and painted strange mottles of light over the attic’s contents. More than a hundred boxes were stacked around the room. White cloths covered large, hulking shapes like shrouds, and the floor was coated in dry leaves. Mara panned her torch across the space but couldn’t see any movement. “Hello?”
When no reply came, she nudged Neil and indicated that they should start searching. Neil swallowed thickly, shifted the knife in his fist, and moved towards the closest stack of boxes.
“We know you’re here,” Mara said as she began moving along the other side of the house, parallel to Neil. “We could hear you walking. I’m not angry, but I want you to leave. This is private property.”
The only sounds she could make out were the crunches of their boots on the dried leaves and their shallow breathing. Neil stopped beside the first shrouded shape and whisked its cloth off. Underneath was a full-length mirror.
“If you make yourself known, we’ll let you leave peacefully.” She
Mara squinted at her partner. “You’re really fixated on that metaphor, aren’t you? Okay, you can come with me if you want.”
“ Or , consider this.” Neil seemed to be trying to keep his voice light, but the sheen of sweat over his forehead betrayed him. “We could get in my car and leave right now and not die horrifically.”
“No one’s going to die horrifically. Ten to one, it’s a homeless guy who thought this was an abandoned building he could sleep in, or a kid here on a dare. You can stay downstairs if you want, but I’m going to have a talk with them.”
“I am not letting you go up there alone.”
“Then come with me. I don’t get why this is such a big deal for you.”
The creaking fell silent then, and both Neil and Mara raised their eyes to the spot, not far above their heads, where the intruder rested.
“Please,” Neil began, still keeping his voice to a whisper.
“Nope.” Mara pulled towards the bathroom door, and Neil, unwilling to release her hand, followed. “At least let’s bring a knife.”
“Yeah, that would be smart. But don’t charge in there waving it like a madman. I want to de -escalate this situation, okay?”
Neil retrieved the small paring knife he’d used to prepare dinner and wiped it clean on his jeans. He looked as though he wished he’d brought a butcher’s blade instead. Mara waited in the hallway and kept an eye on the staircase at the end of the passage in case the intruder tried to come down, but the footsteps didn’t resume.
“Ready?” she asked as Neil joined her.
The house was pitch-black. Neil had picked up his own torch, and their two beams brought small patches of the dark-wood walls into relief. “This is crazy,” was all he said before leading her to the stairs. He evidently didn’t want her entering the attic first.
The stairs started at the end of the hallway and rose up the side of the wall. They were narrow and rickety, and it was impossible for Mara and Neil to keep them quiet as they climbed towards the hatch that opened into the attic.
“It’s bolted on this side with a padlock,” Neil whispered. “Whoever’s up there can’t get down to us.”
“Can you break it?”
A sigh. “Probably. It looks rusty.”
Neil used the back of his torch to beat at the lock. On the third strike, it came free and clattered to the floor below them. With a final pleading look at Mara, which she refused to acknowledge, Neil took a fortifying breath and pushed the trapdoor up.
The metal hinges wailed as the hatch flipped over. Neil climbed an extra stair, so that his head and shoulders were in the attic, and swivelled. After a moment’s pause, he continued climbing. Mara followed.
The attic stretched the length of the house. At the roof’s peak, the ceiling was high enough that Mara could have stretched her arm up and still not touched it.
Streams of cold moonlight fell through the holes in the ceiling and painted strange mottles of light over the attic’s contents. More than a hundred boxes were stacked around the room. White cloths covered large, hulking shapes like shrouds, and the floor was coated in dry leaves. Mara panned her torch across the space but couldn’t see any movement. “Hello?”
When no reply came, she nudged Neil and indicated that they should start searching. Neil swallowed thickly, shifted the knife in his fist, and moved towards the closest stack of boxes.
“We know you’re here,” Mara said as she began moving along the other side of the house, parallel to Neil. “We could hear you walking. I’m not angry, but I want you to leave. This is private property.”
The only sounds she could make out were the crunches of their boots on the dried leaves and their shallow breathing. Neil stopped beside the first shrouded shape and whisked its cloth off. Underneath was a full-length mirror.
“If you make yourself known, we’ll let you leave peacefully.” She
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