Page 249 of Bound By Crimson
The word sank into Lyric’s skin.
Feral.
Like an animal.
Editha sighed.
“I brought granola bars and bottled water. That’s it. No silverware to throw. No soup to stain the walls.”
Lyric didn’t respond.
She just folded her arms and stared through the wood.
“Are you coming down or not?”
Still nothing.
A beat of silence.
Then the sound of something tumbling onto the bottom stair.
Plastic wrappers.
The clunk of bottles.
“Suit yourself,” Editha muttered.
Click.
The door locked again.
Lyric waited.
She listened for the retreating footsteps.
Then slowly, she opened the attic door and looked down the stairs.
Three granola bars. Two bottles of water.
She hesitated.
Her eyes scanned the dark stairwell, searching for movement, shadows, a trick.
But the stairwell stayed quiet. Still, she didn’t trust it.
She took a breath, bolted down the stairs, snatched the items and turned—
Creeeak.
A floorboard.
On the other side of the door, leading into her bedroom.
She let out a quick gasp—every hair on her body standing on end.
She didn’t wait to see if it opened.
She flew back up the stairs two at a time.
