Chapter 1 - THE FLOOR
Emily Carter had been inside the house less than ten minutes when she shoved Vanessa into the wall.
“Where is Mom?!”
Vanessa’s head snapped sideways from the slap.
She stared at Emily in disbelief.
Six years.
That was how long Emily had lived overseas.
Six years of video calls that got shorter.
Six years of birthday packages.
Six years of messages from Vanessa:
Mom’s tired.
Mom doesn’t want to talk.
Mom’s having a bad day.
Mom says stop worrying.
Now Emily was home.
The house smelled wrong.
Closed.
Stale.
And their mother was nowhere.
Vanessa grabbed Emily’s wrist.
“You don’t get to walk in here after six years and act like—”
A sound rose beneath them.
Weak.
Human.
Emily stopped.
Another sound.
A sob.
She dropped to her knees.
Pressed both hands to the wooden floor.
“Mom?!”
Behind her, Vanessa went white.
Emily looked back.
That face answered before Vanessa spoke.
Near the staircase sat a heavy hammer.
Emily lunged for it.
Vanessa grabbed her arm.
“Stop! Don’t break that floor!”
Emily froze.
Then slowly turned.
“You know what’s under there.”
Vanessa’s mouth opened.
Nothing came out.
Emily shoved her away.
Raised the hammer.
Brought it down.
Wood cracked.
Again.
Vanessa rushed her.
Emily broke free.
“Get away from me!”
Another strike.
Then Emily dropped the hammer, seized the split boards, and ripped one upward.
A dark opening appeared.
A pale hand reached through.
Emily stopped breathing.
“Mom?”
Margaret Carter slowly lifted her face from the darkness.
Her hair was loose.
Her blouse wrinkled.
Her cheeks wet.
“Emily…”
Emily covered her mouth.
Tears came instantly.
Behind her, Vanessa stood several feet away.
Still wearing Margaret’s gold bracelet.
May you like
For the first time since Emily arrived, Vanessa no longer looked angry.
She looked terrified.
