Free Sample
Preview from chapter one
The night was as black as coal, and the silence of the town was only pierced by the occasional distant hoot of an owl. The strong-armed burglar, cloaked in shadows, approached the house with the precision of a panther stalking its prey. He'd been watching it for days, noting the patterns of its inhabitants. Tonight, it was his turn to make his move. The moonless sky was his ally as he deftly picked the lock and slipped inside. His heart thudded in his chest, adrenaline a potent cocktail in his veins. He could feel the thrill of the hunt, the anticipation of a successful score. The house was eerily quiet, save for the faint ticking of a grandfather clock somewhere in the depths of the home. The soft glow of a nightlight cast a spectral glow on the dusty floorboards, guiding his way deeper into the unknown.
The mother and her 18-year-old son, Jason, are nestled in their beds, deep in slumber. The soft hum of the air conditioner and the occasional snore from Jason's room are the only sounds that fill the upper floor. The mother's cat, Whiskers, jumps off her bed with a gentle thump and pads softly down the stairs, sensing the intrusion. Her eyes widen in the dark.
The burglar's steps are as silent as a whisper on the dusty staircase. He's done this a hundred times before, his movements rehearsed to perfection. His eyes, accustomed to the dark, pick out the glint of a picture frame and the shadow of a vase in the dim light from the streetlamp outside. He knows the layout of the house like the back of his hand, having studied it meticulously for days. As he reaches the top of the stairs, a floorboard creaks. He freezes, listening intently. Hearing nothing but the distant hum of the air conditioner, he breathes a sigh of relief and continues down the hallway, the crowbar at the ready.
Jason stirs in his sleep, a nightmare of being chased playing out in his subconscious. The cat's sudden appearance at the doorway of his room wakes him with a start. He rubs his eyes, noticing the feline's agitated state. "Whiskers, what's gotten into you?" he murmurs groggily. The cat's ears perk up, and it stares intently downstairs, its tail swishing.
The burglar's instincts are on high alert as he reaches the end of the hallway. He can feel the weight of the crowbar in his grip, his knuckles white from the tension. As he's about to turn the doorknob to what he suspects is the master bedroom, a sudden movement from Jason's room catches his eye. He ducks back into the shadows, watching as the door slowly creaks open. Through the crack, he sees the silhouette of a figure standing in the doorway. The figure, Jason, steps into the hall, his eyes adjusting to the darkness. The burglar's heart races as he sees the potential for an encounter. He decides to act swiftly and decisively, reaching out with a lightning-quick grab, his hand clamping over Jason's mouth and pulling him back into the room before he can make a sound.