Chapter 1 - The Door Beneath the Stairs
The pounding echoed through the silent house like a heartbeat.
Every head in the living room turned toward the hallway leading to the basement.
James froze, his face completely drained of all color.
The investigator immediately drew his firearm, his training taking over.
“Nobody move,” he ordered, his voice cutting through the heavy air.
Laura stared at the door, her hands trembling violently.
“That’s impossible,” she whispered, stepping backward.
“James, who is down there?” I demanded, my voice shaking.
He didn’t answer me.
Instead, he lunged for the front door, shoving his own mother out of the way.
The reporter was faster, tackling James onto the hardwood floor with a heavy thud.
The investigator stepped over them, moving cautiously toward the basement door.
“Police!” he shouted, though technically he was with the state. “Step away from the door!”
The pounding stopped, replaced by a weak, raspy voice crying for help.
The investigator tried the knob, but it was secured with a heavy deadbolt.
“Where is the key, James?” I yelled, my heart hammering against my ribs.
James was pinned beneath the reporter, refusing to speak.
I ran to the kitchen, grabbed the heavy fire extinguisher from under the sink, and handed it to the investigator.
He smashed it against the deadbolt once, twice, three times, until the wood splintered.
The door swung open, revealing the dark, narrow staircase.
A terrible, chemical smell wafted up from the darkness below.
The investigator clicked on his flashlight, descending the stairs with his gun raised.
Laura and I stood at the top, terrified of what we were about to see.
“We need paramedics immediately!” the investigator shouted from the dark.
I flipped the basement light switch, illuminating a nightmare.
There, chained to a structural beam, was a woman who looked like a ghost.
She was frail, covered in dirt, and wearing a hospital gown.
Laura let out a blood-curdling scream and collapsed to her knees.
“Chloe?” Laura sobbed, tears streaming down her face. “Oh my god, Chloe!”
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It was the missing sister.
She had been in my house this entire time.
