Page 15 of Destined Chaos
“Why are you helping me? And don’t say you’re scared your sister is going to give you hell,” I said. “This isn’t your mess.”
“That’s what friends do,” Hugh answered before disappearing again.
I’d wanted to correct him and tell him we weren’t friends. That being my friend would be harmful to his health, but he hadn’t stuck around long enough to hear me.
With the bed done, I grabbed my crutch and hobbled up the stairs toward the linen closet, hoping there might be something to use besides just my sleeping bag.
The closet was empty. Nothing with this house would ever be easy. I checked the rest of the closets—no luck.
Stopping in the hallway, I stared at the stairs that led to the third-floor attic where Joseph Slaughter’s personal belongings were stored and out of the way from the construction crews.
Dinky had made the arrangements to help hurry things along. It was the exact type of place that ghosts might hide out.
“Get a grip,” I growled beneath my breath. No ghost would scare me. I was older now and educated. The girl appeared on the top step. She smiled at me and then vanished into the door.
Just as I’d thought. I’d found their hideout.
Grabbing the railing, I left my crutch against the wall and flicked the light switch.
I was met with darkness, nothing to help me see.
“It’s not going to stop me,” I growled beneath my breath.
One step after the next, I crept up the staircase and kept looking back toward the bottom to make sure nothing was going to attack me from behind.
I reached for the knob and twisted, only to find the door locked.
“Damn.” It looked like not only had the ghost won this point but that I’d be using a sleeping bag until morning.
I spun to head back downstairs. A scream ripped from my lips and my heart threatened to beat out of my chest to find Hugh standing right behind me. “You scared me.”
“Sorry,” he answered. “I’m draining the water and wanted to tell you that it’s going slow, so I might be here a while if that’s okay with you.”
“Thanks.” I sighed.
“What were you looking for?” he asked.
“Blankets or sheets, but the door is locked. I think Dinky still has the key from when he had Joseph’s stuff moved up here.”
“You call your grandfather Joseph?” Hugh asked as I eased back down the stairs with him walking in front of me to catch me should I fall.
“I remember little about the guy. It’s not like he was a grandfather to me.”
“Right,” Hugh said. “Well, if it’s blankets you need, I keep some in the truck.”
“That’s odd,” I said, grabbing my crutches at the bottom of the stairs.
“Not really. You have to be prepared up here. They’re a part of my emergency kit. In these mountains, the weather can turn on a dime. If my truck breaks down in a blizzard, I won’t freeze to death. I have some waters and granola bars too.”
“I couldn’t take your blankets. Like you said, they’re in your emergency kit.”
He grinned and took my elbow, helping me back into the den. “This is an emergency. I can’t have you dying of hypothermia before you decide I’m the right buyer for Slaughter House.”
A smile split my lips. Ulterior motives. Now that was something I understood well. With the halls and rooms empty, there was nothing to absorb the loud pump noise coming from the basement. A headache was forming behind my eyes.
“Sorry it’s so loud. The water was already flowing when we got here. You’re going to have some damage to the drywall,” he yelled over the noise while I plopped down on the air mattress.
“I’ll add it to my list of junk to fix.”
