Stepfather: Sins Of The Past

Chapter 3

IT WAS AFTER MIDNIGHT that she had heard the scream. Emily almost thought she was dreaming because the cry was really faint. Almost. But she knew that she was wide awake. Emily kept mulling over George's words at the doorstep yesterday and every time she thought about it, chills ran down her spine. 'You must also remember that in those movies, unimportant characters always die first....' What did he mean by that? Was that a threat of some sort? He had definitely referred to her as an unimportant character in his life. Was she overthinking everything? He definitely laughed after saying that, maybe he was just joking. But who knows what he is capable of doing? She had heard and read about all those rumors of him potentially murdering one of his employees because he leaked some of his confidential business documents to one of his rivals and how only some unidentifiable remains of that person were found in the car accident that happened.

Thoughts like these had been plaguing Emily's mind since she had met George Stephan. Sleep seemed like a distant notion because her brain refused to shut down and let her rest in peace. Was she scared? Was that fear that she had felt earlier? No, Emily thought, I cannot be scared of such little things, I am a sheriff's daughter after all. George was nothing like her father. Her father was always warm and loving. His embrace was a shelter for her where she felt safe and protected from all the evils of the world. His presence would light up her world. She would always find his lame jokes funny, even if they were repeated numerous times. George was straight up dark and mysterious, even his jokes were eerie and weird that would leave one feeling disturbed and uncomfortable, like his last joke did — if it even was a joke. The howling gale outside pushed open Emily's window, startling her. Emily removed the bed covers off of her and stood up to close the window that brought in the freezing wind.

Just as she clicked the window latch shut, it was at that moment she heard it. A woman's scream filled with agony and pain. It was faint but vivid at the same time. Had someone broken in the house? Shouldn't the security alarm be ringing if someone had broken in? Didn't Mr. Stephan say that the area was one of the safest in town and the house security was immaculate? Was that her mother's scream? But wasn't her mother sleeping? Did Mr. Stephan do something to her? Emily shook her head at the last thought. She had seen that Mr. Stephan genuinely cared for her mother and how long he had waited for her, he wouldn't do anything to harm her. But then whose scream was that? After contemplating for a few more minutes, she grabbed a flashlight and her metal baseball bat that was placed near her study table, and slowly crept out of her room. Her mother's room was opposite and a couple feet away from her own. Dwelling on opening that closed door of her mother and Mr. Stephan's room, Emily decided against it. If her mother was up or if she woke up and saw Emily with a baseball bat in her hands at this hour of night, she would surely bombard Emily with questions and ship her off for therapy first thing. That was the last thing that Emily wanted to happen.

Emily tiptoed down the spiral marble staircase into the dark hallway. The situation made the atmosphere menacing and ominous, making it seem as though there were nightmarish shadows lurking in every corner. Was the sound really from inside the house? Maybe it was someone outside. Some hooligans looking for trouble maybe. But she had heard it clearly. It was a woman's cry and it seemed to have come from somewhere inside the house. It could've been the wind playing tricks. Why would a woman be here screaming here and that too in the middle of the night? Emily let out a surprised yelp as a mouse scrambled around her feet before quickly scurrying away, in the midst of which her flashlight fell from her hands. In pitch-black darkness with only the little bit of the moonlight filtering through the large glass window of hallway, Emily knelt to the ground and searched for the flashlight that had switched off as it fell. As she neared one corner of the hallway, her foot caught up with the floor rug while reaching for her flashlight and she stumbled, tumbling down an opening that was covered by the rug and falling with a loud thud in a disoriented heap.

The first thing to hit her was that awful stench, like something was rotting away. Emily hit her flashlight with her hands a couple of times to switch it on again. On examining it, the place looked like an old basement of some sort where all kind of junk was stored away. There were many pieces of broken glass shards lying around on the floor. As Emily neared a corner of the basement where light from a flickering bulb filled the space, she saw a chair with ropes tied to its arms and around the backrest. Someone was surely kept hostage here. As she looked around, Emily spotted a trail of blood drops that looked fresh. Goosebumps rose on her skin as she started following the trail of blood that led her to an open door after climbing a bunch of stairs. The door opened in the backyard of the house which she had seen this morning when George gave her and Claire a tour around the house. But he had never mentioned the basement or this door or even that secret door in the hallway. Of course he wouldn't. After all if he is keeping someone hostage and torturing that person, why would he want anyone to find out about that, Emily mulled as her mind raced with thoughts.

Emily searched every corner of the backyard but she couldn't find a sign of anyone there. The strong winds had also died down quite a notch and everything looked normal. But nothing was normal. Someone had been tortured in this house and they might still be going through that. What if they had been killed and buried already? Suddenly all those articles she read about George Stephan possibly murdering that man flashed through her mind, filling her body with dread as chills ran down her spine. She quickly rushed back inside and climbed back through that opening she fell in that basement from. Leaving the square opening uncovered, she rose to her feet, rushing out of there and towards her room. As she passed by the entrance door, Emily could swore she saw a shadow flash by outside. Ignoring everything, Emily tried to push everything she saw at the back of her mind as fear took over her in a vice-like grip. Just as she was about to climb the first step of the staircase, Emily heard a sharp tapping sound of metal behind her. Don't look behind, just don't. Hearing a noise from behind you is never a good sign. Dumb characters from movies who are going to die do that. Don't do it Emily. Going against her thoughts and rational fear, Emily did look behind.

And then it was her who screamed. Loud.

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