The scratching sound stayed with Autumn all through the morning, circling through her thoughts like a bird trapped in a cage, never settling, never leaving, never giving her a moment of peace.
She sat on the living room couch pretending to read while Gabriel made coffee in the kitchen, but her eyes weren't moving across the words. Her mind wasn't on the story. Her mind was somewhere else entirely, down below in the basement. Underground.
Autumn kept wondering what could have made that sound, if someone else was down there, if she'd imagined it in the darkness, or if it had been real.
Had someone been down there? Had that really happened or was she losing her mind? Was this part of his plan too? Was he trying to drive her crazy?
Then Gabriel came out of the kitchen with two mugs. He h
