Daniel: Sarah, did you have contractors work on this room before we moved in?[span_27](start_span)[span_27](end_span)
Sarah: No... no, of course not. The sellers said the house was completely renovated[span_28](start_span)[span_28](end_span).
Daniel: Then why is there fresh plaster right where our daughter sleeps?[span_29](start_span)[span_29](end_span)
Lily: She said she can't breathe, Daddy. Please help her[span_30](start_span)[span_30](end_span).
Daniel felt a wave of nausea hit him[span_31](start_span)[span_31](end_span). He walked over to his tool box in the hallway and pulled out a heavy steel hammer[span_32](start_span)[span_32](end_span). He returned to the room, his eyes locked on the rough plaster patch[span_33](start_span)[span_33](end_span).
Sarah: Daniel, what are you doing? Put that down[span_34](start_span)[span_34](end_span)!
Daniel: I'm going to find out what's behind this wall, Sarah. Something isn't right[span_35](start_span)[span_35](end_span).
Sarah: You can't just smash open the house! Call an inspector! Call someone else[span_36](start_span)[span_36](end_span)!
Daniel: We've been living here for three months. I'm not waiting another day while Lily is terrified[span_37](start_span)[span_37](end_span).
Sarah: DANIEL, STOP[span_38](start_span)[span_38](end_span)!
Sarah panicked, stepping forward frantically with her eyes wide with shock[span_39](start_span)[span_39](end_span). She reached out to grab his arm, her voice shrill and laced with an unexplainable fear[span_40](start_span)[span_40](end_span). Daniel paused for a second, surprised by the extreme intensity in his wife's voice[span_41](start_span)[span_41](end_span).
Daniel: Why are you acting like this? You look like you're about to faint[span_42](start_span)[span_42](end_span).
Sarah: I just... I don't want you destroying the property. What if there are electrical wires?[span_43](start_span)[span_43](end_span)
Daniel: The breaker is off in this wing. I know what I'm doing[span_44](start_span)[span_44](end_span).
He pulled back the hammer and struck the center of the plastered section[span_45](start_span)[span_45](end_span). The crack broke through with a loud, deafening shatter[span_46](start_span)[span_46](end_span). Chunks of dry plaster and dust rained down onto the floor, exposing a hollow, dark cavity concealed within the thick foundation wall[span_47](start_span)[span_47](end_span).
Lily: Daddy, look[span_48](start_span)[span_48](end_span)!
Daniel used the claw end of the hammer to pry away the larger pieces of drywall[span_49](start_span)[span_49](end_span). The room filled with the dusty scent of old concrete, damp insulation, and something faint... something decaying[span_50](start_span)[span_50](end_span). He pointed his phone flashlight directly into the opening[span_51](start_span)[span_51](end_span).
Daniel: CAN YOU HEAR ME? WHO IS THIS?[span_52](start_span)[span_52](end_span)
Sarah: DANIEL?[span_53](start_span)[span_53](end_span)
Sarah stood petrified in the doorway, her hands trembling over her mouth as she watched him peer into the dark void[span_54](start_span)[span_54](end_span).
Leave a Comment