The Attic (Completed)

Chapter 33

Miriam and Mae scanned the stone walkway between the shelter of the willow trees and the west side of the mansion, before taking gingerly steps toward it.

They reached the walkway and crossed it, glancing from side to side. Some birds flitted to and fro but there appeared to be no one around; at least, no one who was making their presence known. Miriam hoped against hope they wouldn't be spotted or followed.

She tried the knob of the scullery door and finding it unlocked, cracked the door open two inches; peering inside. A cold, stagnant breeze wafted out and goosebumps rose on her skin. Seeing nothing but a shadowy kitchen, she stepped in and shut the door once Mae had followed her in. Together, they passed through the room with feathery steps and peeked out into the dining room. Confident nothing of any great size could be hidden under the great table without being visible, she went past it and straight for a life-size gilded painting next to the China cabinet.

Something dark moved in her periphery and she spun around, heart pounding. But it was only Mae's shadow. Mae raised an eyebrow but said nothing. With a deep breath, Miriam pushed on the bottom corner of the painting, moving aside as it swung open. They dipped inside and pulled the frame shut behind them, blinking at one another in the darkness.

They then moved down the musty passageway, one in front of the other, palms outward and wings folded behind them. They turned right, went straight a distance; and stopped at what Miriam knew was the front entrance of the mansion.

A thump and growl sounded on the other side of the wall, and for a second, a pin-stripe of light from a minuscule hole in the wall vanished as something moved in front of it. When the stripe returned, she put an eye to the hole.

A gargoyle was rolling across the floor biting and clawing at a giant beetle that had jaws like a lamprey and was latched to his shoulder. She wished she could help the gargoyle, but couldn't risk drawing attention to herself.

She watched a moment longer as he managed to break free and bolt down the corridor on all fours with the beetle chasing after him. Feeling for a wooden ladder, she climbed to the next level, which was the bedroom of the handyman, Mike. Mae followed closely behind.

There was no way to access the attic except through Auguste's painting and they had no choice but to leave the passageway they were in and enter the hallway. After looking through a peephole and seeing no sign of life, the two Orealas stepped out from behind a tapestry and braced themselves for attack.

Mae let out a gasp.

Many of the paintings in the hall were shredded by claws and the wooden banisters were split and gnawed on as if by beavers. Trestle tables and potted plants were overturned, and blood and soil soaked the rug here and there, as well as clumps of fur. The hidden entrance to the attic was already open.

Without further delay, they scooted toward it—just as a crash sounded from below.

Stale air emanated from the dark opening. For all they knew, they'd be meeting their deaths on the winding staircase as some newly escaped beast descended, but it was the only possible way to reach the trunk.

They hurried inside, darting glances behind them lest anything should be on its way up to the second floor, and Miriam pressed the button to slide the door shut behind them; gambling there'd be nothing hiding in the darkness surrounding them.

The only sound in the stuffy room was their heavy breathing. Miriam took a deep breath to steady her nerves. If a creature was there behind the wooden stairs, surely they'd at least be able to smell it.

Miriam moved forward to the first stair and stepped onto it lightly, wincing as it let out a creak. She stiffened but forced herself to ascend. Mae followed two steps behind. At the bend in the stairs a full step was missing, leaving a gaping hole in its splintered wake. If not for the checkered light from the lattice window above, Miriam would have fallen through.