Chapter 4

Hours passed. Maybe a day. The pain was a constant, throbbing thing. I drifted in and out of consciousness. At some point, I heard a sound at the door. Not Caleb' s heavy tread, but a lighter footstep. The bolt slid back.

The door creaked open, and Chloe stood there, silhouetted by a single lantern she held. She had a triumphant smirk on her face.

"Poor Sarah," she cooed, stepping into the basement. "It really didn' t have to be this way."

I just stared at her, too weak to speak.

"You see, I had it all planned out," she continued, walking around me in a slow circle. "I knew you' d be trouble. So, I made a deal with Joe. He gets you, I get Caleb. Simple. But you had to fight back. You had to ruin everything."

She knelt beside me, her face close to mine.

"And Mary," she sighed dramatically. "She was always going to be a problem. So sentimental. So attached to you, her little servant. I found out about her allergy weeks ago. A little bit in her tea every day... it was just supposed to weaken her, make her more dependent. But you, with that poker... you gave me the perfect ending to that story. Now everyone thinks you' re a monster."

She stood up, her smile widening.

"Caleb is devastated. But don' t worry, I' m taking very good care of him. And now, I have to take care of the last loose end."

She held up a glass bottle filled with a clear liquid and a rag stuffed in the top. The sharp, sickening smell of gasoline filled the small room.

"Goodbye, Sarah."

She lit the rag with a match. The flame leaped up. She threw the burning bottle into the corner of the basement, where a pile of old newspapers and wooden furniture sat. The fire caught instantly, roaring to life.

Chloe didn' t wait to watch. She ran out, slamming the heavy door behind me. I heard the bolt slide home, followed by the key turning in the new lock.

The fire spread with terrifying speed. Smoke filled my lungs, thick and black. The heat was intense, blistering my skin. This was it. This was the end. I was going to burn to death in the Millers' basement.

From outside, I heard Chloe screaming.

"Fire! Fire! Oh God, Caleb, the basement is on fire!"

I heard Caleb' s frantic shouts, the sound of him pounding on the door.

"Sarah! Sarah!"

His voice was strange. Not just angry, but... panicked. A flicker of something I couldn' t name.

"Caleb, get away from there!" Chloe shrieked. "It' s too late! She' s a murderer! Let her burn!"

I heard a struggle, the sound of her holding him back.

"She killed my mother! She deserves it!" Chloe' s voice was hysterical, but it was a performance. I knew it.

The roar of the flames was deafening now. The wooden stairs caught fire, turning into a blazing inferno. There was no escape. I closed my eyes, waiting for the end.