You Can't Hide Theresa Sneed (top 10 non fiction books of all time .TXT) 📖

inside. She blindly felt for the next rung with a shaky foot. She couldn’t think. She felt dizzy, and her heart thudded deep in her chest. Suddenly, nothing made sense, as darkness swallowed her up and stifled what was left of her frail sanity. Black air hung like death everywhere she looked. She gripped the ladder as if it was the only tangible thing in her life.

“Elle, are you alright?”

Karen’s voice pulled her back to reality. She held the ladder tight and pulled the flashlight from her pants. Steadying herself against it, she turned the light on then swept it across the cellar. “Where are you?” she said, in a demanding voice. It couldn’t be Sally, otherwise, she would have come running to her. “I’m looking for my daughter—please, tell me if you know anything.”

“Hurry, Todd,” Karen voice trembled. “Shine the light up here.” With the rifle slung over her back, Karen swung herself onto the ladder. “I’m coming down, too.”

“Okay,” Elle whispered, holding the light on Karen until she was just above her. Stepping down another rung, Elle swept the light over the dark cellar, not knowing what would come out of the shadows, scared almost out of her wits. “For Sally,” she whispered, struggling to regain her composure.

“Yes, for Sally,” Karen said. “But, where’s Todd? Where is he, Elle?”

“I’m sure he’s okay,” Elle said. “He’s probably just fumbling with his suitcase.” She lowered the light to the floor, and it came to rest on a pile of clothes. “What’s that?” The outline of a small fairy wavered in the dimming light.

She drew in a breath. “Sally’s fairy!” She swung the flashlight from side to side, spanning the room. In the waning light, the outline of a child’s small leg stuck out from behind a bucket. “Sally!” she screamed and fell down the rest of the rungs.

The flashlight hit the floor and rolled to the side, making a dim light across the dirt floor. Scrambling to her feet, Elle scuttled toward the child.

Karen hopped off the bottom rung and grabbed the flashlight, shining it on the unmoving child.

“Sally!” Elle gently picked her up and held her to her chest. Stroking her face, she kissed her. “Sally.”

Karen knelt down beside them. “Is she okay?” The light flickered across Sally’s face. Blood seeped from a gash running across her forehead. Sally moaned. Karen tore off a piece of her shirt and pressed it against the wound. “Come on, let’s get her out of here.” She stood, and squirmed, brushing something off her shoulder. “Oh, it’s a pull chain.” She pulled on it, and light flooded the small room.

Sally’s eyes opened. “Mommy!” She wrapped her arms around Elle’s neck.

A sob stuck in Elle’s throat. “Yes, Sweet Pea, I’m here, and so is Aunt Karen.” Karen stood by the pile of dirt.

A light seeped over the opening in the trap door, and soon Todd descended the ladder. With obvious relief, Karen rushed to him. “What took you so long?”

“Broken lock on my suitcase, remember?”

“Oh, yeah,” Karen said, handing him the rifle. “Hey, come look at this.” She moved to the cellar door and ran her fingers through the pile of dirt. Her gaze rose to the small hole. “This is where the light that Elle saw came from.”

Todd stuck his finger in the hole in the cellar door, knocking more dirt onto the steps. “The top of the cellar door is covered with dirt.” He patted it and more dirt fell in.

Karen looked over at Elle, now standing with the child in her arms. “Sally, did you make this hole?”

“Uh-huh, Papa Joe says, it’s the little things—”

Karen grinned. “Such a smart girl.”

Todd ruffled her hair. “Are you ready to go?”

“Yes,” she said wide-eyed, “but not without her.” She pointed toward the fairy.

“Of course, sweetheart,” Karen cooed. “I’ll get it.”

Elle rocked Sally in her arms. She felt incredible joy, even though she was in a dungeon—Merrick’s dungeon. Sally had been locked down here, all by herself. She fought back the tears and held her close.

Karen came up beside Elle and nudged her gently. “Let’s go.” She handed Sally the fairy.

Sally’s eyes brightened. “Thank you.” She leaned up and kissed her on the cheek. Karen grinned and kissed her back.

All of a sudden, footsteps thumped against the ceiling. The trap door creaked on its hinges and closed with a thud, and long, eerie scrapes filled the cellar.

Twelve

The Fire

Todd’s eyes moved toward the pile of dirt. “Shh.” he whispered, reaching for Karen. “Whoever it is will see the light coming from the hole Sally dug.” He grabbed the string and turned the light off.

They clung to each other and waited. Soon, the sound of tires crunching on gravel became fainter. Determined to lessen Sally’s fear, Elle hummed a tune and moved cautiously toward the hole. A full moon now lit the outside giving some light through the hole. “He’s gone, maybe we could turn the light back on?”

“Let’s wait until we are absolutely sure.” Todd reached up and poked at the soft wood. Some of it broke away. “How’d you make the hole, Sally?”

“I wrapped my hand in a shirt and used the broken glass.”

Elle shuddered. A broken shard of glass glistened in the moonlight by the pile of dirt. “You are so brave.” She tried to act as if nothing was wrong, trapped in a cellar by some lunatic that wanted them dead.

Todd picked up the glass. He scraped it against the wood and a good-size piece crumbled off. “This wooden door is dry rotted.” He dug at the spot, until the dirt fell through to the steps. “Get the shovel, Karen.”

Karen retuned with the shovel, and Todd hit it against the dry rotted door. Shielding her eyes, Karen dug her fingers into the dirt helping release it to the steps. She spit the dirt from her mouth and kept digging. Suddenly, she stopped. She sniffed the air. “What’s that smell?”

Elle froze. She could smell it, too. “Smoke.” Suddenly, a loud crash sounded above