Page 104 of Unmasked

“Okay. Here we go.” They walk to the front door and turn the handle, but it’s locked. “Shit.” He gestures to Mandy. “Stand back.”

He takes a few steps back, then kicks the door as hard as possible. It swings open, to my relief.

My heart beats frantically inside my chest. “Search every room.”

“We’re on it.” As Corey and Mandy search the first floor, they call Mallory’s name. They go upstairs to the second floor when they don’t find her.

Mandy’s voice shakes. “The l-last time I s-saw her, she was s-standing here.”

A sick feeling washes over me.If someone hurt her, I’m going to torture and kill them slowly.

They walk into the master bedroom. I don’t know why, but my gut is screaming at me. “Search everywhere. Under thebed, the closet….” My voice cracks, cutting off my words. Jaxson puts a reassuring hand on my shoulder, squeezing gently.

“Wait. Is that blood here? I don’t remember this being here.” Mandy squats down, dipping her finger in it. She holds it up to the camera Corey’s wearing.

“Yup, looks like it,” Corey says. “Wipe your finger on my shirt.”

Trembling, Mandy stands, wiping the blood from her finger.

Corey puts a hand on her arm. “I’ll search under the bed. Stay here.”

When he doesn’t find anything, he heads to the closet. Mandy joins him, opening the door.

A few seconds pass before Mandy yells, “There’s a door.”

They pull it open and go up the steep stairs. I’m sweating, my body shaking, somehow knowing she was up there.

They stand in an attic full of broken furniture, covered with dust and cobwebs. Mandy grabs her cell phone and turns on the flashlight.

“Check everywhere.”

My heart pounds as they carefully move through the attic. Time seems to stand still as they slowly traverse the dusty space.

“I see something. Near the window.” Mandy points. Corey grabs her hand and moves closer.

Mandy bends down. “It’s her sketchbook. She brought this with her. Said she wanted to sketch the house so Stryker could see what she saw.”

Jaxson meets my eyes. I turn away, breathing deeply, trying to keep my shit together, even though I feel like crying, screaming, and passing out.

“Wait a minute. I see something else.” Corey crouches down and picks up a purge mask.

My heart stops as I stare at it.Either she took the mask off, or someone else did.

The sketchbook slips from Mandy’s hands, and Corey jumps when it hits the floor. “Sorry.” She scoops it up, one of the pages hanging open.

“Wait. Is that writing on the page?”

Mandy holds it in front of the camera. It’s a rough sketch of a man in a purge mask, jeans, and a hoodie. Beside him, she wrote,“Come out, come out, little girl.”

“I’ve never said that to her.” A sick feeling floats through me. “Whoever was chasing her must have said that.”

“Let’s check the other rooms.” Corey grabs Mandy’s hand, and they take off. Mandy carries the sketchbook while Corey has the mask.

They search the rest of the rooms but find nothing.

Both look dejected as they exit the house.

I run my hands through my hair, aggravated by everything. Frustration oozes from my pores, rage pounding through my body like angry ocean waves.