Hollow

Chapter 43

~ ~ ~

I crept into the house, keeping my ears open for any sound. It was completely quiet. That alone set off all kinds of alarms in my head.

There was no television playing in the living room. No thumping of my father as he rummaged through the hallway closet. No singing in the kitchen as my mother made dinner.

I moved past the living room, but didn't see anything. I stopped outside of the kitchen, resting my back against the wall. Cecelia was ruthless. I couldn't help but feel completely terrified at the thought of what she might have done to my family. I didn't know what I was going to see when I found them.

I took in a quiet breath and forced myself to move around the corner. My heart dropped into my stomach when I saw my parents both of my parents huddled on the floor of the kitchen. Forgetting all of my previous cautions, I rushed toward them. Their hands were bound in front of them and their mouths taped. My mother's blue eyes were wide in panic as she struggled to loosen the binding.

I crouched in front of my her and gripped the ties on her wrists. They were tight; it'd take time to undo them. I gently reached up and pulled the tape from her mouth before doing the same for my father.

"Are you alright?" I asked them softly. My heart pounded in my chest.

"Oh, honey, I'm so glad you're okay." My mother's voice rasped out.

"She's still in the house, Bella, we need to call the police." My father said quietly.

"I'll handle it." I told them. "I won't let her hurt you."

"Bella-"

I stood up and walked over to the counter to look out of the kitchen window. The bad feeling in my gut worsened when I didn't see anyone outside. There were meant to be agents watching the house- watching me- but I didn't see anything.

"Who are you looking for, prodigii?" I froze and slowly turned to face Cecelia. She stood in the doorway with a sly smirk on her lips. She moved into the kitchen, just inches away from my parents. "Certainly not those FBI agents that were monitoring your house. I went ahead and took care of them on my way here."

I glared at her, pressing my lips together. She seemed to calm and relaxed, like she had nothing to lose and everything to gain. Her eyes were wild and the look she gave me was unsettling. I knew what she was capable of, I'd seen it with my own eyes. Now she was out for revenge and I knew nothing I did or said would change her mind.

"The FBI will know that something's happened to them." I said, trying to keep my voice from shaking.

"They check in every hour, and according to my time I have about," she glanced at the black watch on her wrist. "Thirty-eight minutes until they realize their agents are not responding. Not to worry, Bella, we will be done with plenty of time to spare."

She reached behind her and pulled a gun from the waistband of her pants.

"Now, who should we dispose of first?" Cecelia glanced back and forth between my parents and my stomach twisted. "Mommy, or Daddy? Or maybe I should lure the boyfriend back here and kill him just as he barges in here to save you."

"Leave them alone." I narrowed my eyes on her.

"I could just kill you now and end this all." She glared angrily at me. "But I want to see the look on your face when I take away what you care about most."

"Cecelia." I ground her name out. My helplessness built with frustration as I tried to figure out a way out of this. She wasn't just going to hurt me, she wanted to break me. She would kill all of them if I didn't do something.