Four Corners Dark: Horror Stories Read Online Free Page B

had shown him a secret apartment built for the founder of the bank. He searched for the entrance and located a small spiral staircase hidden behind marble columns. He climbed the stairs to the apartment then slipped in the door and locked it behind him.
    The furniture in the rooms was covered in white sheets and the air was stale. He found a window and squeezed through it onto a ledge. Police sirens wailed in front of the bank. He was able to jump onto the roof of a hotel next door and ran down a set of stairs into the building. He found an elevator and pushed the call button. The lift arrived and he was greeted by a smiling operator in a black suit.
    “What floor sir?” the operator asked.
    “Lobby.” Frank answered. “What’s all the commotion outside?”
    “The bank’s been robbed again,” the man answered. “Second time this year. Last time a fella got both his legs shot off. They sent him to Alcatraz for life.”
    The elevator bell rang when they reached the lobby. Frank walked through the hotel lobby and exited, glancing at the roadblock in front of the bank. Police were swarming everywhere and a crowd had gathered to watch. He walked around the corner and found the Ford parked along the curb. He pulled a parking ticket from under the windshield and climbed behind the wheel of the Ford, lit a cigarette and flinched as a police car raced past him. Once again things had become unmanageable. He turned onto Lombard Street and headed back to the bridge.
    Frank stared over the edge of the bridge, the wind whipped past the cables buffeting him as he held on. He finished his cigarette, climbed up on the wall and jumped head first. The wind blew him into a cement pier and he tumbled into the bay.
    Moments later he regained consciousness. The air was cold and damp and all around him were gray shadows. Seagulls cried and the air smelled of the sea. He sat up and tumbled onto a stone floor. Pain shot through his body. His eyes adjusted to the darkness and he realized he was in a prison cell. He reached for his legs but found only bandaged stumps. Suddenly Frank remembered everything, killing Charles Victor, the machine gun bullets and the life sentence. Beyond the cell window the bridge floated in an endless fog.



THE RAVEN
MOCKER
     
    CHAPTER ONE
     
    T erry James navigated the steep incline of the gravel driveway. The lodge loomed through ancient oaks with only moonlight illuminating the hulking shape of the building. He parked his truck in the circular drive and glanced over at his sleeping wife. The stress of the last two months had taken a toll on her. The loss of her sister in a car accident followed by a move from Denver to the Blue Ridge Mountains. He climbed out and tried not to wake her.
    His uncle Ted had left him the lodge and two hundred acres. The original structure had been a log building, but a collection of rooms had been added over the years. Ted had been an antiques dealer and travelled the world buying unusual pieces for private collectors. He kept many items for himself stored in this rustic palace.
    Terry grabbed an armload of clothes and walked to the front door of the lodge then searched his pocket for the key his uncle’s attorney had given him. He opened the door and stepped into the cool dark of the lodge. He pulled back curtains allowing the moonlight to spill through towering windows and then lit a fire to warm the room.
    He walked back to the truck and found Abby in a daze having just woken up.
    “Hey welcome home,” he said. “Ready to see the place?”
    “Sure,” she answered with a yawn.
    “What do you say we just bring in what we need for tonight?” Terry asked. “I can grab the rest in the morning.”
    She nodded and slowly stepped out of the truck then grabbed a suitcase from the back seat.
    “This is all I need.”
    Terry took Abby’s hand and led her down the path to the front door then stepped aside to let her enter.
    “After you,” he said with a sweeping gesture.