Stolen Secrets

Stolen Secrets- Chapter 26

~Natalie~

In the morning, we packed up the car again and set out early. Brandon drove us to a different part of the neighbourhood than we had been at yesterday.

Our day commenced the same as it had as well. Brandon broke into the houses, and sometimes it wasn’t necessary, then Brandon and Jeff would search the house to see if anyone had been in there in a while. If the answer was no, we left and moved to the next.

Jeff kept a tight hold on me as always. I felt had after last night’s decision to ditch him as soon as I have somewhere to go. But it’s easier to disappear from his life by choice than anything terrible happening.

Maybe that’s why Dad left me.

I was preparing myself for another day of failed searches, when Brandon noticed that there was no dust on the window sills. We were still outside and hadn’t entered yet.

“Someone has been here,” Brandon whispered as we crouched at the house next to the one we thought was occupied. “They might not still be here, or they are waiting for us.”

Jeff and I nodded. “Natalie, I’m sorry,” Brandon said sliding a knife from his belt. It wasn’t a kitchen knife. This one was made to hurt. Where had he got that? Had he had that the whole time?

At the sight of the blade, the injuries I had received from a similar one started throbbing, a terrible reminder of what had happened. I was okay with kitchen knives, but this one…

“What are you doing with that?” I choked out.

“I’m not going to hurt you with it,” Brandon said slowly. Jeff must of told him how I had received my many injuries. “I’m going to use it against whoever is in there if we need it,” he said.

“Angel, it’s only for protection,” Jeff told me giving me a squeeze.

I closed my eyes and a vision of Scary Man charging towards me with a blade in hand filled my thoughts. My breath caught in my throat, he had wanted to hurt me. Brandon and Jeff didn’t. I was safe with them.

I was safe with them.

I opened my eyes again. “Okay. I’m good.”

“Are you sure Angel? You don’t have to come in,” Jeff said.

“I’m okay, I’m coming in,” I told him.

The brothers both nodded slowly, like they were expecting me to change my mind. But I wasn’t backing down now.

“Okay, I’ll go in first, Jeff, you and Natalie behind me, got it?” Brandon said in a low, quick voice. “We’ll look for clues of where the people could be, if we don’t find any we search the house like we did with the others, got it?”

We nodded. Brandon stood up and walked low to the ground until he was in front of the door. He pressed his ear to the rotten wood and listened intently. After a moment he looked back at us and beckoned for us to go to him.

Jeff folded me over at the waist, and then we crept across the small opening between houses so that we were at the front door of the occupied one.

Brandon unlocked the door and opened it a crack, slow enough that unless you were watching, you wouldn’t notice it moving. He peeked in and Jeff and I made sure to stay silent so Brandon could listen.

When he deemed it safe we entered the house, making sure to keep the door open a crack in case we needed to make a quick getaway. We didn’t leave the door wide open because the cold coming in, or the sounds of the outdoor would tip off the people that they had company.