The new maid heard weeping beneath the mansion. Opening the heavy basement door, she found the missing wife, starved and chained. As gasps filled the dark room, the wife grabbed her hand, whispering, “Run before he hears you, or he’ll make you my replacement.” Suddenly, footsteps echoed on the stairs…

stone and forgotten memories rising to meet me.

I reached the bottom of the stairs. The iron-bound door loomed at the end of the hall. Something stirred in the darkness on the other side. A whisper. A scrape of metal on stone.

I took a trembling step forward, raising my hand toward the wood, when a sudden, sharp sound behind me made my blood run cold.continue reading …