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…

the stone wall. The sound made me flinch so hard I slammed my elbow into the wood crate.

A sharp creak echoed from my hiding spot.

Verónica froze. She turned slowly, her flashlight beam cutting through the dark, inching closer and closer to the crates where I crouched, completely trapped.

“Who is there?” she hissed. “Come out, or I swear to God I will continue reading …