Head for the Next Room

With the drone gone, the house fell into an eerie silence again. Katie climbed to her feet and smoothed down her clothes.

“Roxanne! Come down here. I want to meet you.”

No answer. She was beginning to grasp how this was. It was probably a game with a silly nine-year-old whose dad had bought her a drone for Christmas. She’d play along for now, but that wasn’t going to last for long.

Katie decided the best thing was to begin exploring the rest of the house. She spied a closed door on the other side of the TV room. Her ears were still pricked for the sound of that drone coming back.

She pulled at the door and saw a glimpse of a spotless, gleaming white kitchen. But she didn’t get a chance to see it for long as a bulky punching bag piece of leather came flying up from the floor, clocking her in the jaw.

Katie went down immediately, holding her face. “Owwww.”

The sting of the red leather had stung her but hadn’t caused any damage. Once again, her hat had flown off her head. She turned over, searching for it, and saw the booby trap Roxanne had left for her. A floor trap that was triggered by someone opening the door.

She imagined the child giggling to herself. She was only a child, so she couldn’t be far away. Katie figured out that she must be hiding in a cupboard or a closet or something. This was just a game of hide and seek. Once she found her hiding place, it would be over, and they could have a normal evening.

Replacing her hat for the second time, she wished she’d taken the time to ask her father some questions so that she knew what she was getting into.