When The Roles Reverse

Chapter 19

I stood at the top of the steps to the basement, staring down fearfully. My heart beat rapidly in my chest as I hesitated to go in.

                Light fell down half way to the stairs before succumbing to the darkness that filled the rest of the room. I could make out the silhouettes of the stairs that managed to avoid the light just barely. My ears perked up, listening for any sounds at all.

                The house was eerily silence.

                I took a cautious step forward.  My foot landed softly on the top step. Both hands were braced on the walls on either side of me tightly. I took another step forward, just as quiet as the next.

                I wasn’t sure why I was trying so hard to remain silent, but it felt appropriate given the situation I was in.

                I took slow, silent steps until I found myself at the edge of the light’s beam. My shadow extended far into the darkness, disappearing with most everything else. If Cassie was down there, my legs would be visible to her.

                The speed of my heart palpitations increased slightly with anticipation.

                With a spurt of energy, I forced myself down the rest of the stairs, landing with a soft ‘thud’ on the cool ground. Black covered my vision. I paused for a moment as I waited for my eyes to adjust to the little light in the room.

                A few minutes later, I could just barely make out silhouettes in the basement. I held my breath as I scanned the room, searching as best as I could without moving for her small figure.

                Nothing.

                This wasn’t going to work this way.

                With a hand brushing the side of the wall, I made my way against one side, staring forward. My eyes searched the space before me for her figure. I crossed my fingers with high hopes that she was still down here.

                I had a bad feeling about that though.

                I cleared the room in roughly two minutes.

                With absolutely no sign of Cassie.

                “Cassie?” I called out quietly.

                I waited a few minutes without a response.

                “Cassie!” I raised my voice with each call, “Cassie! Cassie, answer me! Where are you? Cassie! Come out!”

                It took me a minute before I realized that she wasn’t here.

                It took me another before I started to sprint up the stairs, full speed. Sofia may have been traumatized by having to kill two people today, but with Cassie on the loose, she would have to wait to wallow in self pity.

                “Sofia!” I yelled, breaking the silence in the empty house. I took the longer route to the stairs, avoiding the bodies in the room next door.

                I took the stairs two at a time, racing up to her room. I yelled her name the entire time that I moved.

                “What?!” She snarled, opening her bedroom door, “What, Clayton, what? I just killed two people? Can’t you let me have some damn alone time?”