Chapter Seven
Freddie slammed the door behind us and my whole body shuddered along with it. My phone buzzed but if I was afraid to look. It wouldn’t be the first time Freddie would grab it from me and break it into pieces.
“What was that all about?” Freddie asked sounding as though he were out of breath.
“There’s something going on,” I said.
“There’s something going on,” Freddie mocked in a high-pitched voice. “You keep saying that over and over.”
My eyebrows squeezed together. “I’d tell you more but I just don’t know. There’s some kind of emergency. A crisis. They’re having people stay indoors. Some kind of contagious virus or something.”
“Sounds like a science fiction movie,” Freddie chuckled.
“Except that it’s not a movie. This is our life, Freddie!” I crossed my arms. “Polly’s trapped in New York. Mom’s dead.”
I bit my lip before I could tell him that Maddie was still out there, stuck in some random guy’s apartment. Freddie would have gone ballistic.
“I knew that was a waste of money,” Freddie said.
“It’s spreading quickly,” I said doing my best to ignore him.
“This is a bunch of nonsense.” Freddie grabbed the remote and tried to turn on the TV. “What’s wrong with the TV?”
I exhaled slowly to keep my pulse steady. “The power went out a few hours ago.”
“Because of the storm,” Freddie said jerking his chin toward the window.
“Not because of the storm.”
Freddie tossed the remote on the sofa and flapped his hand. “This is just a bunch of nonsense. You’ll see, everything will be back to normal in the morning when the utility crew can get out there. None of this explains what that guy was doing at our front door though.”
“He was just offering us a place to go to wait out whatever is happening,” I said with a shrug. “I’ve never even met him before tonight.”
Freddie studied me. “Well, it was stupid of him to come over in the middle of the night like that. It’s not like we’re going to go sit with a bunch of strangers during a thunderstorm. He’s never invited us over before today, don’t you think that’s weird.”
I wasn’t getting anywhere. Freddie wasn’t going to believe anything was going on until he saw it with his own eyes.
“We need to get some sleep,” Freddie said placing his hand on my back. “I really didn’t like how that guy was looking at you.”
“Yeah,” I said with a nervous chuckle.
Freddie started guiding me toward the kitchen instead of to the bedroom. He glanced at me and smiled.
“You know, it’s kind of weird,” Freddie said.
“What’s weird?”
“I saw the look in your eye.”
I shook my head. “What look?”
“When that asshole tried to convince you to go over to his house,” Freddie said.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I think you do.” Freddie released a long breath filled with unwarranted disappointment. “I can’t trust you, Kit. Never could. That was always one of the biggest problems in this relationship.”
The biggest problem in our relationship was Freddie and second to that was his drinking problem. It wasn’t like I was perfect but I knew I wasn’t the problem.
“I’m not going to be able to get any sleep with you up here flirting with our neighbors at all hours of the night,” Freddie said.
“Flirting? Oh, my God, Freddie! I wasn’t flirting!” I took a step to the side to get away from him but he quickly pulled me back. “You are crazy.”
“I’m just so damn tired of dealing with your shit, Kit,” Freddie said as he tightened his grip on me.
I struggled against him. Trying to get away. I knew what he was going to do with me and it was about the worst thing he could do with everything that was going on.
“Please, Freddie, don’t,” I begged.
“It’s the only way I’ll be able to get some sleep,” Freddie said opening the basement door. “Try to get some sleep, okay?”
I grabbed the front of his shirt. “I won’t be able to get any sleep locked down here. Please,” I begged with wide eyes, “don’t do this.”
Freddie wrapped his fingers around mine and squeezed my hand until I was forced to let go. A tear threatened to leak out of the corner of my eye but I refused to let it fall.
“Shh,” Freddie said in a voice he’d intended to be comforting but it was anything but comforting. He roughly closed the door with a sharp bang. “See you in the morning.”
I listened as he moved around the kitchen. The familiar sounds of bottles clanking together didn’t surprise me. Without my judging eyes on him, he could take whatever bottle he wanted to bed. Which I supposed was better than if he would have taken me.
His footsteps softened as he made his way to the bedroom. I tried the knob hoping he forgot to lock the door but of course, he hadn’t.
“Shit,” I said turning on my phone’s flashlight to safely make my way down the stairs.
The power bar on my phone was just slightly above the place where it would soon turn orange. I knew that after that, it wouldn’t be long before it turned red.
There was a message on my phone which must have been what had made it buzz. It was a short message from Maddie checking in, telling me that she’d woken but that she and Elias were fine.
I sent a message to Polly and even though I hoped there would be an immediate response… there wasn’t. I hadn’t even thought it was possible to feel more alone but being trapped in the basement made me realize exactly how alone I really was.
After I’d gotten back from the store earlier, I’d brought a ton of extra groceries to the basement. Even though I didn’t feel hungry, I grabbed a bag of cheesy puffs and sat down on the floor.
I leaned back against the wall and crunched as I stared up toward the small window that was only letting light into the basement when there was a flash of lightning.
It wasn’t the first time I’d been locked in the basement but that didn’t make it any less scary. But it was worse than usual because there was no electricity.
Freddie would have his fill of booze and pass out. All I had to do was survive long enough with the ghosts and the basement shadow goblins before I could try to find a way out of the basement.
The other times I’d been in the basement I’d had light and even though it was still scary, it was different. If I hadn’t already been terrified about Maddie being gone and whatever was happening with Polly, it would have been worse. Luckily it was enough of a distraction.
Of course, I didn’t want to be stuck in the basement all night if something was going on in our small town. Freddie would open the door to the first contaminated person that came knocking. He’d shout at them for a while for disturbing him but it wouldn’t matter, he’d already catch the virus that was spreading. There wouldn’t be anything I could do to stop him from coming into the basement and contaminating me.
My mind might have been over-reacting but then again, maybe it wasn’t. Either way, I couldn’t let that happen. I had to protect myself so that I could get out there and get to Maddie.
I powered on my phone to check the time. Two hours had passed since Blake had come to the door and even though I’d powered down my phone, it wouldn’t be long before the power bar would turn red.
I quickly tapped in a message to Maddie, demanding that no matter what, she doesn’t leave Elias’s apartment until I gets there. The second message I sent was to tell her about the battery on my phone and that I loved her.
A few seconds after I’d clicked send my phone buzzed. Tears filled my eyes at her message. She promised she’d wait. And she loved me too.
I looked at the small window again and drew in a breath. I straightened my spine as I picked up the hammer.
Chapter Eight
I stood on an old chair and peered out of the dirty window. Light
ning lit the neighbor’s house. The windows had been boarded up and even though I couldn’t see any light inside, I knew Blake was in his home.
“Stupid Freddie,” I muttered.
I climbed back down to the concrete, almost falling when lightning cracked and thunder violently shook the earth. In the basement, alone, it felt like the storm was raging inside my body and really, in a way, it was.
There had been enough light that I’d been able to spot Freddie’s flashlight sitting on the edge of the sink. He must have used it the last time he fixed the washing machine refusing to pay a professional to come and take a look.
I grabbed it and clicked it on. It flickered several times. After I gave it a hard shake, the beam of light stayed mostly steady.
I carefully placed my foot down on the first step. It creaked as I shifted my weight forward. There was a good chance that Freddie was passed out and if he was, the small noises coming from the stairs wouldn’t be enough to wake him.
At the top of the stairs, I jiggled the handle and pulled backward with all of my weight. The door rattled inside the frame but there was no way I was going to be able to get it open.
I had two options. To wait until morning or to try to squeeze out of one of the small windows.
I sighed as I went back to the window. The latch that kept the small window locked was rusted. I tried as hard as I could but it wouldn’t move.
On the other wall, there was a second window which would be my last hope. Our house was built in such a way that the basement only had two basement windows, the rest was entirely underground.
I dragged the chair over to the other window and climbed up. The latch was tight but it was moving a little. I had to take several breaks because it felt like the plastic-covered metal was pressing deep into my skin and pressing on my bone. My fingertips were numb but I wasn’t going to give up.
After a few minutes, the latch was far enough to the side that I could push the window outward.
“Dammit!” I said when it wouldn’t go any further. It was stuck at a forty-five-degree angle which of course, I wouldn’t have ever been able to fit out of.
There was only one thing I could do and that was to break the glass.
I climbed back down the chair and grabbed a dishtowel from the dryer and wrapped it around the flashlight. My hope was that it would somehow muffle the sounds of the window shattering.
I pulled the window closed and smacked the wrapped flashlight against the window. It didn’t break. It didn’t even crack.
“You can do this,” I said knowing I was going to have to put more energy behind my swing. It was going to take a fair amount of force to break the window.
I steadied my feet and swung like a baseball player stepping up to the plate desperation needing to hit one out of the park. The window cracked as the flashlight hit the glass. The beam of light flickered several times before it became steady again.
I paused, listening for sounds of Freddie coming to see what I’d done. Five minutes had probably gone by before I took another swing.
Bits of glass sprinkled out onto the lawn. I smiled even though I still wasn’t entirely sure I was going to be able to fit out of the window.
I stood on my tiptoes and reached my arms out of the window. It was an awkward stretch but I was able to pull myself up and wiggled my head and one shoulder out. The other shoulder was next and for a split second, I was worried I was going to get stuck.
My legs were dangling below and my hips were touching the sides of the window. I’d apparently missed a few pieces of glass and they were poking through my jeans and into my skin.
“Ouch, ouch, ouch,” I repeated as I wiggled out onto the wet grass.
I laid there for a few minutes, taking in several deep breaths. If anyone would have seen me, they would have thought I’d passed out on the lawn.
I pushed myself to my feet and stepped closer to the house. I pressed my back to the siding to keep myself hidden in the shadows.
It was hard to tell what time of night it was with the storm overhead but it seemed as though the sky was brightening to a lighter shade of gray.
I couldn’t go into the house. There was a chance that it would wake Freddie. He was going to lose his shit when he saw the broken window.
I could try to blame it on a teenager or a kid but sooner or later he’d figure it out. He’d probably figure it out when he’d go to let me out before leaving for work. If he remembered which of course he usually did. There was only one time I had to wait until he got back from work. Thankfully Maddie was at a friend’s house that night or it would have crushed her more than she already was.
None of it mattered because as soon as I could, I was going to get in my car and drive to Chicago to find Maddie. Things were going to be different because this time Maddie and I wouldn’t come back home.
We’d figure something out. With Polly gone and my mom likely dead, it wasn’t like I had any reason to stay in our stupid little town. I didn’t have a job. The only thing I had was my daughter and it was long past time to leave Freddie and this shitty town behind.
The front door squeaked loudly as it opened. I slid to the side, hiding behind a large shrub with branches that desperately needed to be trimmed. They poked at my body through my clothing. It felt like I had to itch everywhere but I was too afraid to move.
Freddie jumped into his truck and started the engine. He flicked the lights on and I shrunk back, making myself even smaller.
Why wasn’t he angry? Shouting for me? He must not have gone to the basement.
He put the truck in reverse and backed out of the driveway much too fast. The tires squealed as he shifted into drive before he’d fully stopped.
“Idiot,” I muttered as he swerved to avoid a car parked in front of Mrs. Wheaton’s house.
It was less than two months ago when Freddie had gone to work still toasted. His boss had told him if it ever happened again, he was going to have to let him go.
Freddie would blame me somehow. When I no longer could see the lights of the truck, I ran to the front door and opened it. Freddie was terrible about locking the door drunk or sober. He always claimed that a burglar would be stupid to try to rob him. Also, we didn’t have anything worth taking anyway.
Before I closed the door, there was a strange sound I could hear in the distance. It was like painful mutterings similar to a disappointed crowd at a sporting event.
The noises seemed to grow louder with each passing second. Groaning. Shouting.
“Help!” It sounded like I heard the word mixed into the sounds.
I looked down the road just as a large group of people turned the corner. It was like a massive parade. Or maybe more like a mob. No one looked happy.
I stepped back inside and closed the door. After everything Polly had told me, I was beyond frightened.
I locked the door and ran from window to window checking to make sure everything was locked. I couldn’t resist peeking out at the crowd moving down the street.
It wasn’t until they were almost to the house that I could hear their voices and see their faces. One of them had green bile dripping down their chin. Their eyes bulged and the whites were a bright shade of red.
Their faces were stretched into frowns. They were begging for help.
Chapter Nine
The people came closer to the house. I stood away from the window but I could still see out between a small space between the curtains.
There were at least ten people on our front lawn. If Freddie had been home, he would have brought out his old shotgun that had no ammunition. Even if he would have had bullets, he didn’t know the first thing about guns. It had been a gift passed down from his father. While there was a chance it worked, it had only been used for decoration between the two for the past fifty-plus years. Well, and for making a few empty threats over the years to door-to-door salesmen and the like. Probably the same thing Freddie’s father had used it for too.
A shadow moved passed t
he window, hesitating for a moment as if trying to look inside. My heart paused at the exact same moment as the person on the other side and didn’t start until the shadow began to move again.
“Please, help me,” a woman’s voice called. It sounded as if she were close. Someone pounded on the door hard. “Please, I beg you. I know your mother. I’m not like them, you have to help me. Just open the door.”
“I know you’re in there,” someone else said.
“You can’t just leave us out here like this, can you?” a third, much younger voice asked.
All I could hear in the back of my mind was Polly’s fear-filled voice when she was telling me about the people that were at her door. Had they been saying the same things to her? Begging and pleading for help.
I couldn’t move. I was afraid if I shifted my weight even slightly, the floorboards would creak and they’d tear down the thin walls to get to me.
It was a terrible feeling to sit there doing nothing while people begged for help. I had to remind myself over and over there wasn’t anything I could do for them anyway. Attempting to help wouldn’t do any good and I needed to do whatever it took to make sure I could get Maddie when this all died down. She was all that mattered.
But ignoring people in need wasn’t how I’d been raised. It was hard to fight the urge to help people who were begging to be saved.
I covered my mouth with my shaking hand mostly to hold my mouth closed. I was on the verge of breaking down into uncontrollable sobbing and I couldn’t let that happen. I had to do something I wasn’t used to doing… I needed to be strong.
It felt like it took forever but their voices started to fade. The faint light gray shadows in the windows disappeared but still, I couldn’t move. At least I hadn’t been able to move my feet until I’d heard Freddie’s truck noisily coming down the road.
“Dammit, Freddie,” I muttered.
I carefully peeled back the curtain as he pulled into the driveway. I wasn’t exactly sure what was worse… the contagious people who were going door to door or Freddie back from work early.
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