You hesitantly back away from the car, slowing spinning to face Michelle and Dennis. Nodding your head, you inspect the exterior of the darkened house from the back corner of the yard. There is a porch on the back, screened in with sagging mesh. The porch itself is filled with clutter and at least three appliances. It is a two-story house and you notice one window upstairs on the side. Directly below the window, propped against the house is a shovel. From this viewpoint, there is no garage or any sign of a car.
“_____, are you coming?” Michelle repeats. You look at her, then past her to where Dennis had been standing. He is gone, presumably inside the house. You begin to pull a cigarette out of your pack, and then quickly return it. You toss the pack inside the car, knowing that it will provide you with a reason to come back outside if necessary.
You begin moving toward Michelle, motioning for her to wait for you. When you reach her, you lean in and whisper in her ear. “We’re going in only so I can check these wounds. We’re leaving right after that. Okay?”
She nods, her eyes focused on your face and the dried blood. Becoming conscious of what you must look like, you raise a hand to your brow and feel the blood crack and flake away. You pass her and walk to the front porch. As you round the corner, you see light coming from the front door. You climb the steps, and see a red tricycle. Kids? This guy? You open the screen door and hold it open for Michelle. She walks into the house. Something next to the door catches your eye. It is a sign, one of the polished wood varieties with the family name carved or burned into it. The Meinheits. Dennis Meinheit?
Stepping into the house, Dennis is nowhere to be found. A single lamp illuminates the front room and part of the hallway straight ahead. There are stairs that connect with the hallway and a dining room to your right. Light suddenly floods the hallway as a door opens and Dennis exits. He walks down the hall, rubbing his hands on his jeans and grinning at both of you. “Come in, come in!”
“Dennis, where’s your bathroom? I really need to look at these cuts,” You ask.
He points down the hall, "It's that door down there. You should be able to find some bandages and peroxide in there. The lady and I will wait for you to come back."
Michelle appears bothered by this and quickly offers to assist you in cleaning up. You pass him and go for the door he just closed. "Not that one," he says and you note a tone of alarm in his voice. "That's the basement. It's the next one down. On your right."
Fumbling in the darkness, you feel a doorknob and open the door. You reach in for the switch; flick it, and a fluorescent light over the sink sputters to life. You let Michelle walk in first and you look back at Dennis. He's not grinning this time, just staring at you. You nod and walk in behind her, closing the door.
Once inside, you put a hand over Michelle's mouth, placing a finger from the opposite hand over your lips. You listen and for a few seconds there is silence. Then you hear Dennis go upstairs. You look in the mirror while Michelle wets a washcloth. You have blood all over your t-shirt, face and arms. You turn the water on and cautiously stick your hands in, awaiting the sting of water on open wounds. There is none and the blood comes off easily. You move your forearms through the water with the same result. She hands you the washcloth, you wet and begin wiping your face. With all of the dried blood gone, you can clearly see there are no cuts. You turn to her and she looks confused. "Michelle, this is not my blood."
"What do you mean, it's not your blood? Whose blood is it then?"
You pause, looking around the bathroom as if the walls will provide the answer. "Look, Michelle, I may need to go outside for a minute. If I do that, I need you to stay inside with Dennis to keep him occupied. Just trust me, okay?"
She nods and as you start turning the doorknob, a loud thud comes from overhead. You freeze. WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! Three more thuds echo through the house. You open the door, pulling Michelle out and pushing her down the hallway. You pause at the basement door. Floorboards creak above. You try the doorknob and it's not locked. You contemplate it. You really want to see what is down there, but Dennis could come downstairs at any moment. You could turn the light back on in the bathroom and close the door, have Michelle say you were still in there and then sneak into the basement. But what if Dennis tried to find you. Or what if you snuck into the basement and he came down? You're also curious about the sound upstairs, but that will need to wait. Checking that out now may jeopardize your plan for outside.
If you check out the basement, turn to page 31.
If you return with Michelle and wait for Dennis to come downstairs, turn to page 34.
If you tell Michelle to cover for you and proceed outside, turn to page 29.
