Chapter 1 - The Shadow in the Room
I stood frozen in the hallway as the whispering abruptly stopped.
My hand hovered over the brass doorknob of Bennett's bedroom.
I pushed the door open, the hinges screaming into the unnatural silence.
The room was completely empty.
Bennett's bed was neatly made, and his toys were perfectly organized.
But the heavy oak wardrobe in the corner was slightly ajar.
I took a slow step forward, my pulse pounding in my ears.
A piece of torn fabric was caught in the wardrobe door.
It was a shred of the green silk blouse my sister Lauren had been wearing that morning.
I yanked the wooden doors open, fully expecting to find her inside.
Instead, the wardrobe was empty except for a large, gaping hole cut perfectly into the drywall behind it.
It led into the dark, unfinished crawlspace of our old Victorian home.
I reached inside and my fingers brushed against a cold, metallic object.
It was Lauren's cell phone, the screen cracked and smeared with a fresh drop of blood.
The phone suddenly vibrated in my palm, illuminating the darkness.
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A new text message appeared on the locked screen from an unknown number.
The message simply read, "She is home early, execute the contingency plan immediately."
