The first attack (On Hold)

Chapter 11: Secret Passage

I knocked again. Still, no answer. So I knocked a third time. Nothing happened so I slowly opened the door, fearing the worse. The door wasn't even locked.

I went inside and looked around me. The house was a mess and it looked like someone was searching for something. Maybe they found it, maybe not.

It looked like the attackers were here before us. There was no hope left: no answers, no grandma. My whole family was probably dead and we had no idea what to do next. Maybe we could find some answers elsewhere. I didn't think so though.

I noticed that I just froze, do I moved further into the house. Some rooms were messier than others. To my relief, there was no blood and it looked like there haven't been a fight. Maybe grandma was alive and she just went to the shop while some robbers searched her home for valuables. Not very likely but still possible.

I checked each room twice. I didn't find anything so I called out "Grandma! Are you there?!"

I didn't expect an answer so I jumped when I heard a muffled sound from beneath the floor. It sounded like here.

I checked all the rooms again, looking for a secret passage to the basement. As expected, I didn't find anything. Maybe my mind was plaing tricks on me and I didn't hear anything. Imagination can do just anything if you are desperate enough.

Just to be sure, I called out again "Grandma! I can't find you where are you?" And this time too, I got an answer.

I didn't quite hear what she said so I asked if she could repeat it and I put my ear against the floor to hear better.

"I'm downstairs in the basement. There is a secret passage under the sofa."

"I'm coming." I answered her. I went to the room that had probably been the living room though I could not be sure.

The sofa was partially destroyed but it still managed to cover the passage. With the help of Filippa, we managed to move it.

There was a metal ring in the floor and I pulled it. Light shone out of the hole and I saw a ladder leading down. I climbed the ladder first, Filippa right after me. Maybe we could soon fimd some answers. If ot really was my grandma and not a trap. I really hoped it wasn't a trap.

At the bottom, there was a tunnel leading to a lit room. It was far away on the other side of the tunnel, which was very dark. The voice came from the room. We did not see the person and there might have been something in the shadowed part of the tunnel, waiting for us to come close enough to attack us.

We didn't even have anything to do if it was a trap. That would mean grandma was caught and we wouldn't get any answers. We wouldn't have a clue what to do or where to go.

So we risked it.

I went first. At first I was walking slowly, watching my steps to see if something was there. Then, I started speeding up, until I ran. I couldn't wait any longer. I wanted answers and to see that grandma was ok.

I started getting a little claustrophobic, the tunnel was longer than I thought and it gave me the creeps.

Finally I ran into the lit room after what felt like forever of running in the dark tunnel. Grandma was sitting on a chair. With a book in hef hands. She looked miserable. She was thinner than last time I saw her and her hair and clothes were dirty. She had some blood and dirt mixture smeared on her chin. Grandma looked very fragile.

"Grandma, are you ok? What happened?" I asked her as I rushed to hug her. I felt her hug me back.

"Oh, I'm glad to see you Melissa. I didn't know if you would make it." She hugged me again "I was so worried. As for me, they came to my house looking for me. One managed to hurt me a little before I lost them. I ran out in the woods to loose them and as soon as I did, I came here and hid." Grandma told me.

"I'm glad you are ok grandma, we didn't know if you survived." I said, finally remembering that Filippa was here with me. I completely forgot about her.

"You look hungry." Filippa said and gave her some food she had.

"Thank you dear." Grandma said " I am starved. Let me just eat this and then I can give you some answers you need."

"Ok" we both agreed with her as we settled down on the ground. Now we just had to wait a while and we would get the answers we so desperately wanted.