نفس خون آشام فصل 03

Vampire Breath - Chapter 3

“A secret doorway!” I cried excitedly.

We stared at the door. It was made of smooth, dark wood. The doorknob was covered with a thick layer of dust.

I had no idea there was a door back there. And I was pretty sure that Mom and Dad didn’t know about it, either.

Cara and I stepped up to the doorway. I rubbed my hand over the doorknob, wiping away some of the dust.

“Where does this lead?” Cara asked, smoothing her black hair back off her face.

I shrugged. “Beats me. Maybe it’s a closet or something. Mom and Dad never mentioned another room down here.” I knocked on the door with my fist. “Anyone in there?” I called.

Cara laughed. “Wouldn’t you be surprised if someone answered you!” she exclaimed.

I laughed, too. It was a pretty funny idea.

“Why would someone hide the door behind a cabinet?” Cara asked. “It doesn’t make any sense.” “Maybe there’s pirate treasure hidden back there,” I said. “Maybe there’s a room filled with gold coins.” Cara rolled her eyes. “That’s really lame,” she muttered. “Pirates in the middle of Ohio?” Cara turned the knob and tried to tug open the door.

I guess some kids would hesitate. Some kids probably wouldn’t be so eager to pull open a mysterious, hidden door in their basement. Some kids might be a little afraid.

But not Cara and me.

We’re not wimps. We don’t think about danger.

We’re tough.

The door didn’t open.

“Is it locked?” I asked her.

She shook her head. “No. The cabinet is blocking the way.”

The cabinet lay on its side in front of the door. We both grabbed hold of it. Cara took the top. I took the bottom.

It was heavier than I thought. Mainly because of all the broken dishes inside. But we pushed it and pulled it, and slid it away from the doorway.

“Okay,” Cara said, wiping her hands off on the legs of her jeans.

“Okay,” I repeated. “Let’s check it out.”

The doorknob felt cool in my hand. I turned it and pulled open the wooden door.

The door moved slowly. It was heavy, and the rusted hinges made an eerie squeeeeeeak squeeeeeeak as I strained to open it.

Then, standing close together, Cara and I leaned into the doorway and peered inside.