Dark Corners READY FOR PRC by Liz Schulte Read Free Book Online

and shrugged.
    “The door was locked when I got here. It must have been a dream.”
    “It wasn’t a dream. I woke up.” Seeing the disbelief in his eyes I defended my position. “Piper started barking.”
    “No one is here. Nothing is missing. It had to be a dream.”
    “It wasn’t—I’m a hundred percent certain.”
    “Then what happened?”
    “I don’t know.”
     
    I opened my eyes, staring at the ceiling of my silent house. Even with just Danny and Piper here the house had so much more energy to it. I should have insisted, made him listen to me. It was too late now, I sat up with a crick in my neck. It was dark outside and I had spilled my glass of vodka on the floor and myself. I was rubbing my neck, trying to soften the knot when a strange feeling hit me like a ton of bricks. Something was wrong, horribly wrong. I looked up quickly.
    Bang! Something hit the house with tremendous force. It brought me to my feet. Through the window, I saw the porch swing rocking madly back and forth.  My heart thudded wildly in my chest; I stood frozen, unsure what to do. There was a knock on the door. My heart continued beating so loudly I was surprised I could hear anything. Cautiously I walked towards the door. I didn't want to open it.  My stomach fluttered.   I licked my lips, though my mouth was dry like it had been packed with cotton. I reached slowly for the knob, trying to find courage where none existed. With a deep breath I pulled the handle towards me.
    “Susan!” I exhaled in relief.
    “Yes . . .” she said, giving a weird look.  “Can we talk?”
    “Were you just on the porch swing?”
    “No . . .”
    “Did you see someone leaving as you walked up?”
    “No,” she shifted and looked over her shoulder. “The porch swing is moving.”
    “Someone was here.”
    “It was probably a cat.”
    I looked at her with annoyance.  “Why are you here?”
    “I came see if you’re all right.”
    “I wish people would quit asking me that.”
    “You reek of alcohol.” She sniffed the air in front of me.
    I self-consciously wiped my hand over my shirt where I had spilled my drink, but gave her a defiant look.
    “When’s the last time you ate?”
    “Breakfast,” I lied.
    “You should probably eat more than once a day. I’ll make you dinner.”
    “I haven’t been to the store in a while. I doubt you could find anything to make.”
    “I figured. I brought groceries.”
    Susan picked up the bags sitting by the door and pushed past me, not waiting for an invitation. I followed her sluggishly as she walked to the kitchen. I saw her looking around the house and I knew she was judging me for not keeping it together. In the kitchen, she immediately started searching for pans and rummaging through her bags. I sat on one of the stools along the counter and watched. My mind drifted back to how it used to be.
     
    Danny and I pulled up in front of the Daniels’ home.
    Game night—my favorite part of the week. It was the only night we escaped the house and all that we needed to do. Danny and I stopped working early to head over to Doug and Susan’s every Thursday for an evening of fun and entertainment.
    It was a good stress reliever and kept us from killing one another. Constant exhaustion and unending home repairs was making the little things the other one did, like smacking their gum, not changing the toilet paper roll, and the constant humming, unbearable. It was nice to have one night every week that we could relax.
    Loud music blared from their house as we walked up to the door. Danny rang the doorbell and Doug opened it immediately as if he’d been waiting by the door. They lived in a new house in a new subdivision. It had a wonderful, open floor plan and a lot of natural light. I greeted Doug, then made my way to find Susan. Doug and Danny trailed behind me as I walked to the kitchen where Susan was dancing as she assembled pizzas. She grinned widely when she saw me.
    “Hey, lady! How was your