Chapter 4 - Three Hollow Beats
The man ripped his arm away.
The sudden movement sent the woman stumbling backward.
Her hip collided hard with the edge of the sofa.
She folded in half, grabbing the upholstery to keep from falling.
The baby watched her fall.
He tilted his head, his yellow overalls bunching up around his waist.
"Mommy fell down," the baby stated.
He patted the floorboard again.
"House is broken."
The room went dead silent.
Even the man stopped breathing, his hands hovering over the unnatural seam in the wood.
Then, it happened.
Thump.
The sound was muffled, distant, wrapped in layers of insulation and dirt.
But it was distinct.
It came from directly beneath the floorboards.
The man’s fingers twitched.
The woman clamped both hands over her own mouth.
Her teeth dug so deeply into the flesh of her own palms that tiny crescents of blood began to form.
Thump.
The wood actually vibrated.
The baby felt it.
He pulled his hand back from the floor, his eyes widening.
He looked down at his own knees, then up at the man.
Thump.
"Daddy."
The baby pointed straight down at the seam in the wood.
"Someone's down there."
The baby leaned his ear toward the dust.
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