Chapter 4 - The Empty CasketThe basement stairs creaked beneath Arthur’s boots like dying bones. He held a screaming Leo in one arm while his free hand gripped a heavy iron flashlight. The air down here smelled damp, smelling faintly of old stone and something metallic—something sharp.
He reached the heavy iron door of the family vault. To his absolute horror, the deadbolt was unlocked.
Pushing it open, the beam of his flashlight cut through the absolute blackness, sweeping across stone walls, ancestral portraits, and finally, resting on the mahogany casket resting on the central dais.
The heavy velvet drape was slightly askew.
Arthur’s heart hammered against his ribs like a caged beast. He stepped forward, dropped the flashlight momentarily, and used both hands to heave the heavy lid of the casket open.
The beam of light spilled inside.
It was empty.
May you like
There was no body. No silk lining wrapped around a resting form. Just a damp, crumpled hospital gown, stained with dark, dried blood, and a handful of fresh, damp soil scattered across the base.
Arthur stumbled backward, crashing into a stone pillar. A gasp tore from his throat. She wasn't buried. If Elena wasn't in the ground... where was she? And who—or what—had been placed in that grave instead?
