Page 18 of Sour Layer

“I’m not feeling any energy in here,” I said, gesturing to the stairs. “Do you mind if I go up?”

“Have at it,” Clark said, following behind me as I climbed the stairs slowly.

The steps creaked and groaned beneath my feet as I climbed. When I hit the landing, I turned and slowly walked down the hallway. I made my way past the other doors to the master bedroom, wanting to start with the parents’ room.

It was as pristine as it was downstairs, and yet the energy in this room was different and set me on edge. The hair on my neck prickled even as I moved farther into the space.

“Was this how you found the room?”

“Yep,” he answered from the doorway. “Looks like they just up and left.”

Only he was wrong. So very wrong. The energy in the room was some of the darkest I’d ever felt, and dealing with domestic abusers, I’d felt my share of truly bad individuals, but this one took the cake.

Fear slithered up my spine. The need to turn tail and flee rattled my bones as I stood in the space, letting my eyes roam over everything in the room. I touched the wall behind the bed and was met with darkness in its rawest form.

I closed my eyes and touched the bed. The face of the dark energy kept changing but stayed in the shadows, surrounding me, making it difficult to breathe. Darkness held me in his clutches.

These people had met madness and looked it in the eye.

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