Chapter 4 - What Lies Beneath the FloorboardsMy heart pounded against my ribs like a sledgehammer. On the smartphone screen, the gloved hand lowered a thin, flexible tube toward the pillow where Anna usually slept. A pale vapor began to pour out, settling like heavy smoke over the bed.
"Oh my God..." Anna choked back a scream, burying her face in her hands. "That's where my head rests every night!"
"If Luna hadn't hit you, dragged you, and forced you onto the living room couch," I whispered, "you would have died of an apparent heart attack months ago."
Suddenly, the screen went black. The feed was cut.
Above us, heavy, deliberate footsteps began echoing across the floorboards of the master bedroom. Whoever was upstairs realized the bed was empty.
"We need to call the police right now!" I grabbed Anna's arm and pulled her toward the front door. But as I reached for the brass doorknob, the deadbolt snapped shut on its own with a loud CLICK.
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The home automated security system had locked us in.
CHAPTER HOOK: A distorted, synthesized voice boomed through the house intercom: "You shouldn't have brought a veterinarian, Anna. He's far too observant."
