The Gathering Darkness Read Online Free

tonight, aren’t you, Sammy?”
    I’d totally forgotten about my first night at the Inn.
    “Yup, me and Brooke.”
    His eyes lit up when she said my name. “I’ll see you there then.”
    “Huh?” I asked, confused.
    “Oh, Evan and Marcus are painting some old rooms in the Inn. Maggie’s restoring the second floor.”
    Marcus would be there.
“I guess I’ll see you tonight then,” I said, smiling at the thought.
    Sammy watched like a love-sick puppy as he drove off.
    “You still like him don’t you?” I asked her as we headed up the front steps.
    “He likes you now.”
    I got the feeling she was giving me her blessing.
    “But I’m not really interested in him.”
    Now she looked absolutely shocked.
    “Seriously?”
    “Yeah. I admit he’s cute and nice I guess, but I’m not attracted to him that way.”
    “Weird,” she said, gawking at me like I suddenly sprouted another head.
    The conversation ended and we went inside.
    While waiting for supper, I made a few phone calls to my old friends, which put me in a bad mood; I missed them so much, and it felt like I’d never see them again. After we’d eaten, Sammy and I walked to the Inn for my first day on the job. I was already nervous, but the closer to the Inn I got, the more scared I became.



Chapter Three
    B eth met us at the front door and gave us our instructions. At the top of the stairs, the scent of fresh paint hung heavily in the air. One wing was almost completed. It was there we would be making up guest rooms.
    Sammy and I were working away, and everything was fine until Beth sent me into a room by myself while she and Sammy went for more sheets. The room was light enough, having two windows. I told myself there was nothing to be afraid of and got straight to work.
    The room was furnished in antiques, same as the others in the Inn. On a desk sat a pile of bed linens. I picked up a sheet and shook it open. The sharp snap of the crisp fabric echoed louder than it should have.
    A new awareness crept over me. Except for my movements, the room was deathly silent. The sound of my hand smoothing over the sheet sounded like sandpaper on wood. My light footsteps and shallow breathing seemed amplified. The creak of a floorboard beneath my sneaker seemed to echo all the way down the hall. All of these sounds seemed intensely loud. There was no doubt, I was paranoid. And to add to my terror, I couldn’t shake the feeling that unseen eyes watched me.
    Where the hell was Sammy?
    I grabbed the next sheet and shook it open over the bed. The touch of a frail hand shot icy tendrils up my arm and around my shoulder. I didn’t hear anyone behind me, when I really should have, given the perfect stillness of the room. I jumped a foot and spun around, falling back against my elbows on the bed. A shriek of terror passed through my lips, cutting the silence like the scrape of a chair leg on the floor of a classroom during exams.
    Maggie stood where I’d just stood, still as a stone statue. Her only movement came from the twitch of a grin that touched the corners of her mouth. She glared down on me through narrowly-slitted eyes. Her once blue irises were now black. Evil emanated from her. Cold stung my flesh, making the hairs on the back of my neck prickle. Terror seized every cell in my body, and I froze. When I realized I wasn’t breathing, I sucked in a sharp, frigid breath.
    The sound of voices in the hallway made my heart accelerate. In the same instant as Sammy entered the room, Maggie came to life.
    “I’m so sorry I scared you. Are you alright dear?” She reached a frail hand out to me, but instinct made me cringe away.
    “What happened?” Sammy asked.
    “I’m afraid I scared the life out of Brooke, poor dear.”
    “Geez, you’re as white as that sheet. Are you alright?” Sammy asked.
    When I was finally able to peel my eyes from Maggie, I nodded nervously and said, “Yeah.”
    Standing was difficult. The upper half of my legs felt as if they were