Hope (Knights of Av'lor - Book 1)

Chapter 1

Kathryn Merlangton stared at the vase cradling the dying roses. Two red blooms bowed over the white sympathy card like mourners looking down upon a casket. She drew in the cloying smell of the flowers and let her gaze fall to the eyes of the bear hugging the vase. Its accusing regard made her tighten her grip on the countertop to remain standing.

The thumping of a tail against the hardwood floor saved her from the downward spiral and brought the ache of her shoulders to the forefront of her mind. Groaning from the weight, she lowered her laptop backpack to the floor with painful hands. Her carpal tunnel forced her to carry around her livelihood like a teenager. Dargo, her mother's—her—timid Doberman remained on his pillow. His lack of a proper greeting made her suspicious, but the trail of mail leading the way confirmed his guilt.

Stepping closer, Kathryn followed her mortgage and electric bill. The trunk of Rachel's purple elephant reached for air from beneath Dargo's paw. Kathryn rescued Ella with a shaking hand. The tempo of Dargo's tail increased, but he cringed into his pillow. Ella stared at her with only one eye. A crash from outside saved Dargo from her wrath as he jumped to his feet with a whine.

Damn raccoons. Or with her luck, it would be a bear this time. She welcomed the distraction. Dargo trembled against her thigh and she leaned over him to grab the flashlight off the counter and placed Ella out of his reach. With the sound of breaking glass just outside the garage door, Dargo bolted from the kitchen toward the living room.

Kathryn sucked in a breath and thrust the flashlight out like a weapon. When she heard Dargo's nails slide across the floor and then the rumble of his retreat up the stairs, she shook her head and lowered her pathetic weapon.

"My hero."

She grabbed the cordless phone from its cradle and pressed the speakerphone button. After dialing 911 and leaving it on the counter, she withdrew a French knife from the block of wood her father claimed was a homemade knife holder. With the flashlight in one hand and the knife in the other, she walked over and cracked open the door, shining the flashlight into the garage.

"911. What is your emergency?"

The beam of the flashlight stopped as if against a black wall. Angling the light away, she aimed it back outside the door to make sure she hadn't imagined things. The round beam of light, originally the size of a softball, shrank to the size of a baseball. The black wall moved toward her.

"What the hell?" She slammed the door and backed away, trembling as her shoes squeaked along the floor.

"Hello? 911. What is your emergency?"

Little by little, the grains of the wooden door turned from deep brown to gray. Streaks of black spread from the edges, joining in the center and spreading until the black void engulfed it. Blackness seeped from the door and spread to the walls and floors of the kitchen. Kathryn turned and tried to scramble over the counter, dropping the flashlight in her haste.

"Help! There's a giant...thing...eating my kitchen!" she screamed toward the phone.

Before she reached the other side, something warm grabbed her feet. She looked behind her and shrieked. An extension of the void stretched beyond it and held onto her. Blackness engulfed her shoes and gray tendrils stretched from her ankles to her knees. Mesmerized, she watched her calves disappear into blackness as it tried to swallow her. Her stomach churned at seeing her legs end at her knees. Tingling heat moved up toward her thighs.

"Somebody, help me!" Her heart pulsed in her ears.

She reached around behind her and slashed the void with her knife. Unsure what to expect, her eyes widened with surprise at the resistance. Slicing the void was like using a butter knife to cut through a cold stick of butter. Before she could recover, the void pulled the knife from her hand and she watched her weapon disappear into it.