Page 6 of Blood Illusions

I wore my long hair in a ponytail on hunts. So far, nothing had ever pulled my hair.

At least not yet.

Damon threw open the closet doors, revealing an immaculate interior. My sweaters hung in straight rows from hangers. My shirts and pants, folded into neat squares, filled the shelves above. Shoes of every color were lined up perfectly on the floor, and no mysterious creature lurked inside.

I exhaled a sigh of relief that nothing had stained my room.

He lowered his sword. “Your room’s back to Toy Story Central. Time for the man cave.”

Because I kept stuffed animals, Damon thought my room was like Andy’s in Toy Story, except my toys didn’t come to life.

I followed Damon, and the hair on the back of my neck stood up as we reached the top of the stairs. Basements always scared me, even ours. Scary things hid in the dark. Things that wanted to kill you.

I braced my shoulders and slowly followed Damon downstairs. Each time the hardwood stairs creaked, I cringed. It was like a bugle announcing we were here. Thin stripes of light fought through the slats of the blinds.

As we made our way into the basement den, a soft blue glow from my phone lit up the leather couches and two recliners, but nothing sinister lurked around them. In the far corner of the room, one of the blinds was rolled up, and moonlight drifted through the high window onto Dad’s pool table. Once again, there were no unwelcome guests.

Damon scanned his and Dad’s man cave. “Great, the den’s clear, and the pool table’s only a pool table. Now, onto the creepy hallway special. Because what’s a thriller without a dark, ominous hallway, right?”

He turned and headed down the small hallway leading to the laundry room, Damon’s bedroom, and an office. His strides were long and determined as he marched forward, while my heart pounded due to the low light. The only source came from the flickering blue glow of the phone I held close to me, my arm trembling with fear.

A faint whisper of air floated around us, and each breath I took became shorter and shallower. As we advanced, a chill ran through me when something skittered in the shadows. Goosebumps covered my skin, my lips dry and cracked from my tight-mouthed fear. In one swift motion, I shone the phone into the darkness.

Something lunged at us.

I dropped the phone and screamed. Something soft jumped in my arms and hissed.

“Oh, my God. Purrlock!’

My black cat snuggled into my face, clearly on a mission to calm my racing heart.

Damon flashed me the teasing smile he always gave when he was trying to ease the tension. “Well, looks like Purrlock here saved you from a heart attack. Next time, let’s stick to regular jump scares, huh?”

I held Purrlock close. “I guess if the bogeyman’s down here, he knows we’re here.”

Damon shrugged. “Yeah, let’s finish playing hide-and-seek.”

I picked up my phone and flashed it around again. We crept farther into the hallway, our shoulders hunched as we headed to Damon’s bedroom. Unlike mine, it was sparsely decorated. A queen-sized bed covered with a blue quilt like Dad’s, a lone television hanging on the wall, and a desk with a laptop computer. Damon had always kept things tidy and minimalist. No room for clutter or monsters here.

Damon lowered his sword. “Strike three. Bedroom’s clear. No monster. No dad. No blood.”

I put Purrlock down. “Then where is he?”

Damon sheathed his sword. “I don’t know. I’m going to check the fuse box. Stay here.” He held up a finger. “Don’t try to be a hero.”

I wanted to argue, but I didn’t want to run around the house in the dark. Dad always taught us that scary things lurked in the dark, ready to rip us apart.

I held my blade in one hand while I sat on Damon’s bed, petting Purrlock with the other.

The lights flickered on, and I exhaled a pent-up breath.

Then, something caught my eye. There was an envelope on the floor next to Damon’s desk. I put Purrlock down beside me and picked up the envelope.

Damon came back into the room. “What’s that?”

“I don’t know. It was lying next to your desk. And it’s addressed to you.”

Damon’s brows knitted into a deep frown as he opened it and read the letter inside.

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