The Ghost Files

Chapter Twenty Eight

The door is an obstacle. My head is fuzzy and I blink rapidly as I skid to a halt in front of it. I yank off the blindfold with the palms of my hands and then grasp the knob and attempt to open it. Pain nearly knocks me to my knees. My fingers are useless, but I have to get the door open!

"Hurry, Mattie," Emma says. "She's getting up!"

Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath and then turn the knob as hard as I can. It pulls open and I say a short prayer to the Man Above. Definitely owe Him at least a month of Sundays for this.

"RUN!" That was everybody.

I don't have to be told twice, so I dodge out the door and turn left. Definitely, I'm in the basement and I take a second to orient myself. I've been here before. This was one of my foster homes before they closed it. There's only one entrance to the basement level.

Heavy sounds, thumping, heavy breathing. Yep, I can hear Mrs. O in the room behind me. I duck into the first room I see, leaving the door open and stuffing myself behind it. If I close the thing, she'll know. Maybe this will buy me just a few minutes.

"Mathilda Louise Hathaway, you get back here right now!"

I flinch at the fury in her voice, but try to be quiet. She's running but in the opposite direction which tells me she's heading for the stairs. I turned wrong, dang it! Now she's upstairs. And I have to try to get up and past her. Right. I need a weapon, but what can I use that doesn't need my hands? Nothing comes to mind and I groan.

Nope. I'm not done. I made it this far, I can make it out.

"She's upstairs looking for you," someone said.

I let out a strangled shout and jump at the sound of Eric's voice. He nearly scared me to death! I turn to glare at him and then stop. My mouth falls open just a bit before I catch myself. Whoa. He looks normal, not mangled. I'd forgotten what he looked like. I don't know how, considering I'd stared at his picture for hours on end. I haven't been able to really shake his image since Dan showed me the picture. It's his eyes. The vibrant blue is the darkest, but clearest color I've ever seen.

"I have the kids looking so when she goes up to the second floor we'll get you out of here," he tells me.

The head wound must be doing some serious things to me if I can stop and ogle a ghost right in the middle of my escape plan. So not good. I sigh. At least he's here and didn't leave me.

"Are you okay?" The concern in Eric's voice is... odd.

"Yes," I answer him silently. "Just really, really tired."

"Mattie, I will get you out of here, I promise."

I smile and try to believe him. He sounds fierce like a warrior, but as sincere as my old Sunday school teacher. I wouldn't have gotten away without him. Mrs. Olson got just a little terrified when I said his name. I frown. Why? There's something to that. I remember thinking Eric was the key to all this and I think that is why she's afraid of him.

"Eric, why is Mrs. Olson afraid of you?"

He sighs just as heavily as I had. "I got away once and tried to find help. It was before they moved us to this place. I'm the reason they had to move their playhouse. They found me before I could get help. But that is when I learned their secret."

"Their secret?" My heart thumps wildly.

"Yes..."

"She's upstairs!" Ricky screamed in my ear and I jumped. I pushed away from the wall and hobbled down the hall as fast as I could. My ankle is on fire and only gets worse with each step. I've probably done a lot more damage to it. The stairs loom ahead of me and I press my shoulder to the wall for support as I drag my legs up them one at a time. I come out into the hallway right off the kitchen. There is a kitchen door and all I have to do is get there.