The torch beam jolted and slashed at the darkness. It bounced and dipped ahead of me.
I pursued it up the stairs and along the landing towards the front of the house. As I ran, part of my mind was preoccupied with thoughts of Sam, wondering where he’d gone, what he might do next.
Sam had shoved me into the basement and locked the door behind me. He couldn’t have imagined I’d get out.
And he set the house on fire with you in it. He didn’t want you to escape.
I streaked on into the darkness, the alarm system screeching and flashing around me, then veered up the staircase to the attic, crashing off the walls.
It was only as I neared the top that I could hear shouts over the noise of the alarm.
Bethany.
‘HELP ME! HELP!’
I lurched into the attic room, running towards the eaves, lighting up the cupboard door with my torch.
I pressed against the push catch and the cupboard door popped open. But when I grabbed it and swung it fully back, Bethany reared away from me, covering her eyes from the torch glare with her bound and crossed arms.
‘It’s OK,’ I told her. ‘Bethany, it’s me.’
Bethany peered at me, bleary, dazed.
‘What happened?’ she shrieked.
‘We have to go,’ I told her.
‘I heard the alarm.’
I nodded. It was loud up here in the attic. I guessed perhaps it had roused her earlier than Donovan had intended.
‘There’s a fire. Please, Bethany, we need to move quickly. Can you walk?’
‘A fire?’
She tried to get up but toppled forwards, her legs rag-dolling beneath her.
I reached for her arm and lifted her up, helping her out of the cupboard as she slumped against me.
‘Don’t feel good,’ she drawled.
I dragged her towards the doorway. It wasn’t easy. Her legs betrayed her again and we slanted sideways, but I held her up.
When we reached the upper landing, I fitted her bound hands around the banister rail and rushed her down, using the torch to light the way ahead of us.
‘It was Donovan,’ she panted. ‘He did this to me.’
‘I know.’
‘Should have listened to you.’
I shook my head. Now wasn’t the time for that.
When we reached the first-floor landing, I cast the light of my torch ahead of us into the darkness and the gloaming.
Sam was standing there.