Goblins Read Online Free

kitchen, waiting for her voice to break the silence so that he could feel the relief he so desperately needed. He called out again, his voice cracking. His pulse kicked up a few notches when she still didn’t answer. Her car was in the driveway. She was home. He’d talked to her last night. She had said she would be cleaning the house. Planned on staying in.
    He didn’t want to move, but willed himself forward nonetheless, and went deeper into the home. He called out again, his mouth parched. He needed to get a drink of water, but would do so after he found her. She was going to be okay. No, she isn’t , his mind said. He shook the thought from his head. His mother was a strong woman, a young eighty-five-year-old. “Fit as a woman twenty years younger,” her doctor had said during her last visit.
    Jared had searched the entire first floor before climbing the stairs to where her bedroom was located. “Mom,” he said, softer than he meant to.
    No answer.
    When he finally made it to her room, he found her in bed. He stared at her, his heart in his throat. He thought he saw her take a breath. For a moment, he knew she was just sleeping. She looked so peaceful. But then he noticed her pallid color, the way her mouth was open. It wasn’t peaceful. It was a body that had let loose because it had no life in it. His gut sank. He knew the truth, but still, he wouldn’t believe it. She was in a deep sleep, that’s all.
    He waited, unmoving, for the blanket to rise where her abdomen was located. He’d seen her breathe, or had he?
    No. She was as still as him.
    He stepped to her bedside. The wood floor creaked beneath him, the sound equivalent to an explosion. He reached out and laid his trembling hand on the back of hers, then yanked it away after feeling the chill on his mom’s flesh.
    He still didn’t believe the truth in front of him. He shook her gently at first, then more forcefully. Her head lolled to the side. It was then that he understood she was dead. He’d known it the moment he stepped inside the house.
    This was how he felt now, that something was very, very wrong. He was scared, too. For Jacob, yes, but immediately he was afraid for his own wellbeing. He hadn’t shaken the feeling of being watched, not since approaching the woods. His brain told him to turn tail and run. But he was the adult, the man in charge of all the players. He called out again for Jacob, but his voice fell flat. He mustered up a lungful of air and belted, “Where are you, Jacob?” His words died quickly, as if the forest gobbled them up.
    He had no idea what was going on. But even if this had nothing to do with his player, he knew the police needed to be involved. He reached in his pocket for his cell phone, but found the space empty. His phone was back in his car.
    Movement to his left, a blur.
    Michaels spun in that direction, heart pounding, sweat soaking his clothes. There was nothing there.
    Movement from his right.
    He looked there, saw nothing.
    A branched snapped somewhere to his left.
    Shit, it was like something or multiple somethings were moving all around him. Surrounding him? But when he looked, he only saw forest.
    He’d had enough. It was time to leave. He felt like a kid again, scared of the boogeyman. He didn’t walk but ran.
    Something was chasing him now. He just knew it. A presence, unseen. It was reaching for him, its claws inches from ripping into his flesh. The stench of rot was following him, too. It was from the beast. Fuck! He wanted to turn around, to see it, but dared not to.
    Branches poked and prodded him, gouging his cheeks and pulling at his uniform, slowing him down. Pain sparked across his flesh, but it only made him pump his legs faster. He cried out at seeing the thick wall of foliage in front of him. The flora grew denser as he approached. It tugged at him and sliced him up. The forest was working with the creature. He cried out again as