Queen of Diamonds

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

We all stopped dead in our tracks and Kara shrieked as if leather face was standing at the top of the staircase.

I didn't need any other warnings to get out of that house; open doors, flickering chandeliers, fresh flowers, and now a sudden thunderstorm when it was a clear day outside just ten minutes ago. Nope. No thanks.

Kara was the first one to run down the stairs, of course, but I wasn't too far behind. Nicki followed after me with Derek trailing behind him. Kara led the way out the door running at top speed, but I was on her heels. Once we were outside the sky was opaque and growling. The rain was falling steady, but felt refreshing on my burning skin.

"When should I stop?" she yelled.

"When we get to the bottom!" I called back. As I panted and squeezed myself through the gate, I scraped my shoulder on the old wrought iron. I whipped my head down to the right to see the gashed red line. Lovely, as if I don't have enough scars. As I swiveled my head back to keep moving, I caught a glimpse of a sign hanging on the far gate hidden by overgrown bush. The sign reading, "Bolderdash Construction." Interesting. Maybe someone had been in the house recently.

We ran down the little path, the trees cooling us with their shadows but also disguising anything that may be lurking beyond them like a psycho murderer or a creepy spirit. I just kept running kicking up dirt behind me, hopefully in Nicki's face for causing the storm by waking up a ghost.

As we approached the bottom of the path opening into the clearing of the woods that we had entered from, Kara came to a halting stop.

"What's wrong?" I asked gasping with my hot hands burning palm sized holes into my hips.

"Nothing. I just can't breathe anymore so I stopped," Kara explained simply and logically. "Cardio really isn't my thing."

"Oh, same girl," I nodded bending over in between breaths. I for one could not agree more with that statement. I was the girl that quit soccer after 2 practices because I was over the laps. Yet low and behold here I was participating in a run-for-your-life-athon.

"Come on. Ladies," Nicki started in, just as out of breath as the two of us. "If you can't handle that little sprint then we are going to have to start training before we can come back again," he finished by slinging his sweat slick arm over Kara's shoulders to keep from falling over. But no worries, Kara just finished the job and let him slide right off of her landing him in a pile of dirt and twigs to catch his overly macho breath. Kara was 2 for 2 today with butt bruising.

"Uh, we are not coming back here," Kara replied with a verbal eye dagger. Before Nicki could even protest, I interjected, "Kara's right." Kara by my side silently agreeing with a haughty "told you so" chin raise.

"I think a construction company owns the house and property anyway so we would be trespassing," I maturely explained to not come off spooked. Even though I most definitely was.

Just as Nicki was about to protest again now Derek chimed in. "How do you know a construction company owns it?"

"I saw a covered sign on our way out that said 'Bolderdash Construction'," I matter a factly replied.

"But-" Nicki attempted to get a word in again but was shot down like a clay bird.

"Do you know who that company is?" Derek asked the group but kept his eyes focused on me.

"No! But who cares!" Nicki yelled barreling back into the conversation we kicked him out of.

"Okay, good," Derek replied softly with a nod. But I think I was the only one that picked up on the potentially ominous response raising my eyebrows in curiosity.