Page 12 of Echo
Animals couldn’t open the doors, but Mark could.
I flipped the lock, and a deep growl on the other side rattled my bones. It set every nerve on alarm. Goosebumps coated my skin and made me shiver.
Ranger ran to the glass door, snarling and growling in warning.
Great whatever animal was there was probably going to bust that door to get to him. Maybe this was why there was no evidence of a dog on the property. Why the hell would someone even put in a glass door?
I shut the thick curtain, suddenly remembering what Hilda said. Out of sight, out of mind.
Once the dishes were cleaned and put away, I went into the empty pantry again, huffing. Hopefully, tomorrow I could move faster with what I taught myself today.
The pantry was the size of a walk-in closet. The left and right walls were lined with shelves, and I found it interesting that the back didn’t, it seemed like a waste.
I pressed my hand on the back wall, thinking of what could go in the empty space, and the distinct snick of a latch releasing, echoed in the empty space.
I removed my hand, and a door opened inwards towards me. The light from the pantry illuminated the top two steps of the wooden stairs, but the space below was pitch black, as if the room ate any light that touched it.
I reached into the room, feeling along the wall for a light switch, hoping that I didn’t stick my hand in a spider nest or worse. Once I found it, I flipped the little lever, but nothing happened.
I wasn’t going any further without a light. Up overhead in the pantry, there was a flashlight, casually sitting on the top shelf. I had to climb up the shelves to reach it, but it was safe to assume that it was here because of the electrical issues.
When I jumped down, light in hand, I turned it on.
I slowly scanned the area with the glow, mentally prepared for a dusty room filled with rats and other grossness. There weren't any obvious signs of neglect or skittering, so I looked at the light switch, and found the electrical wires were disconnected from the rudimentary switch. Perhaps there was an electrical issue down here, and it was disconnected for safety reasons.
I made a mental note to hire an electrician to check it out, and made my way down the stairs. Each board creaked under my weight, but it was sturdy enough. As I went deeper, I flashed the light over the room, and found shelves full of preserved food. The pantry must have just been for what Pearl intended to use that day or week. Burlap sacks were full of potatoes and squash.
This would keep me fed for a long minute while I figured out how to make it out here. I let out a breath of relief. There was room for error.
I even found a standing freezer full of meat. I thought about the disconnected light again. Maybe it was that one light that was the problem. That was probably why they never bothered to hire someone to fix it.
I went back up the stairs with a couple of potatoes and a pack of beef in my hands for the morning and the flashlight in my mouth. Three steps down from the pantry, I felt something under my foot just in time to pull back. I aimed my face down to find a nail standing straight up, like it was proud to be there.
It was lucky that no one else hurt themselves on it.
I stepped around it and watched the boards closer until I was back in the pantry. I put the potatoes down on a shelf by the doorand put the meat in the fridge to thaw, adding the nail as a high priority thing to fix as soon as I found tools.
Ranger was laying on the floor in front of the covered glass door, glowering and his hackles still standing on edge.
“Calm.” I walked up to him and he woofed at me in warning.
I could practically hear him yelling at me to stay the fuck away from the door. When I approached I realized there was a tiny hallway going behind the kitchen.
“Is that the utility room?” I had a load of laundry that absolutely needed a run.
I’d stumbled across the food stores. This felt different as I left the main area of the house. Like I was going into spaces of Pearl’s house that weren't meant for guests.
It’s not Pearl’s house anymore. It’s yours.
I followed the short hallway to a singular door that was hidden away, as if it was ashamed to be there. A thick, sturdy board was slid into brackets as if to keep something contained inside.
I removed the bar and turned the knob only to find it locked. “What the hell?”
The door had three different deadbolts on it. Mary Ellen’s words echoed in my mind,“You’ll know what it’s for when you find it.”
This screamed that vibe.
I pulled the wad of keys out of my pocket, with shaky hands. A sudden nervousness ate at my insides and made my hands tremble.
