House at the End of the Street by Lily Blake, David Loucka, Jonathan Mostow Read Free Book Online

she’d even seen it. It smelled dank and musty, cut with the scent of bleach. The couch was a strange polyester print, like something out of
That ’70s Show
, and yellowed drawings were taped to the fridge in the kitchen. On the counter, by the sink, there were three loaves of bread, a stack of frozen dinners, and nearly twenty cans of soup, among other things.
    “Stocking the old fallout shelter?” Elissa asked.
    Ryan blushed with embarrassment. “I don’t like to go into town more than I have to.” Elissa noticed the thin metal bars on the windows. She’d heard murmurings at school—vandals sometimes came by Ryan’s house, throwing rocks through the windows. At one point someone had literally tried to burn it to the ground. Part of her understood what that was like. Maybe their old apartment outside Chicago hadn’t been targeted by vandals, but there were always robberies and shootings on her block. They had security bars too, and barbed wire coiled around the fire escape.
    Elissa held up the CD. “I want to play you something.”She started into the living room, where an ancient stereo was sitting on a bookshelf. The bookshelf was filled with hardcover novels, and there were stacks of more books around it, piles of tattered paperbacks and worn copies of old plays. Elissa grabbed one off the top of a stack— ”Arcadia” by Tom Stoppard.
    “I see you like to read.” Elissa studied him, starting to piece together what it was Ryan did in his spare time. He must be one of those guys who spent days reading, studying, content to be alone. Who could he really connect with in this town anyway? Nearly every single person had heard about the murders, had been convinced they knew exactly who Ryan was before they’d spoken two words to him. He never really had a chance.
    Ryan just ran his hand through his hair, brushing a few strands off his forehead. He blushed, as if getting so much attention embarrassed him. “Let’s hear it,” he said, nodding to the stereo. “The CD.”
    Elissa fiddled with the buttons, and a low, crackly voice filled the room. She’d been obsessed with the band Continuum since her dad played her their first album. She loved the lead singer’s raspy vocals and the way the piano music swelled in the background. She stood there, just inches away from Ryan, watching him take it all in.
    Ryan smiled up at her. “You like it?” she asked, studying his face.
    “I do,” he said. He did that thing again where his eyes traced over her lips, her cheekbones, down her throat to the plunge of her V-neck T-shirt. “Very much.”
    She turned away, feeling the stirrings of nervousness. What was it about Ryan Jacobsen that made her so self-conscious? As Ryan stood there, listening to the next song, she glided around the room, taking in the framed photos on the wall. There was one that must’ve been Ryan’s parents. The young couple was in wedding garb, the bride staring into the camera with brilliant blue eyes. Elissa turned back, waiting for Ryan to say something, but he was still by the bookcase, lost in thought.
    She walked down a narrow hallway off the living room, where another shelf of books was. She studied some of the titles, letting the music drift in from the other room. There was a door just a few feet away. She tried the handle without thinking, imagining it was the first-floor bathroom. Instead, it was a tiny bedroom. The walls were covered in bright circles—teal, pink, and purple. The bed was still covered with a musty quilt. She took a few steps in, noticing the wooden chest of toys that sat in the corner.
    Elissa heard Ryan behind her. She turned, immediately regretting what she’d done. “I’m sorry…I shouldn’t have come in here.”
    She took a few steps, trying to get around him, but he blocked her way. “You don’t have to go. I haven’t been here in a long time.” He was strangely calm as he moved pasther, going deeper into the room. He picked a teddy bear off the bed