House of Dark Shadows by Robert Liparulo Page B

finished.
    THURSDAY, 10:49 P.M.
    The flashlight beams pushed away the inky blackness of the basement. The walls and floor were stone. Cobwebs and spider-webs everywhere. David pointed out that he heard the squeaking of rodents and the click of their claws on the stone. “I don’t like this,” he said.
    â€œNo kidding,” Xander said.
    Dad said, “We’ll just take a walk around. See if there’s anything obvious. We don’t have to move things around, or anything.”
    What they had seen so far was a basement full of wooden crates, loose lumber, and cardboard boxes that had mostly rotted away, spilling their contents of old clothes, dishes, and record albums onto the floor. The electricity was supposed to have been turned on, but it hadn’t been when Dad last checked. It was impossible to tell how large the basement was. Their lights did not go far, and the area was divided by stone walls that seemed to Xander to be haphazardly placed. If it occupied the same square footage as the first floor, it would be big enough to install an Olympic-sized pool or maybe a couple bowling alleys.
    â€œSo what are we looking for?” David asked.
    Dad said, “Evidence that someone is squatting down here.”
    â€œSquatting? Gross,” David said.
    Xander laughed.
    â€œIt means living somewhere you’re not supposed to,” Dad explained.
    â€œOr doing something you’re not supposed to,” David said.
    This time they all laughed. Their voices seemed to cut away some of the gloom. It made the search less creepy.
    Their flashlights came upon a wood-plank door. Xander and David looked to Dad.
    â€œLet’s check all the rooms. Keep your eyes open for doors or recesses that might lead to a sub-basement or root cellar or to the outside.”
    â€œThis is like a video game,” David said.
    â€œIt’s like And Then There Were None ,” Xander corrected. “That’s where all these people are stuck in a house and they’re-”
    â€œThat’s enough, Xander,” Dad said.
    They stood with their flashlights on the door. No one moved. If Xander were directing this, he would have a camera approaching them from behind while they weren’t looking. He spun around, panning the light back and forth.
    â€œWhat?” David said, a little too shrill.
    â€œNothing. Thought I heard something.”
    No one moved toward the door. Xander said, “Dad?”
    â€œAll right.” He moved to the door. Xander’s heart leaped as a black figure sprung up in front of Dad. Then he realized it was Dad’s shadow. Xander’s and David’s flashlights had created it. Dad pulled open the door. Its hinges squealed like a rat caught in a trap.
    â€œAnd don’t scare us,” David said in a loud whisper.
    Dad’s light moved around the room, then he stepped back. He shut the door. “Nothing,” he said. “And how about this . . .” He used his finger to draw a big cartoon face in the dust on the door. the figure’s name was “Bob,” and Dad had been drawing him since he’d been a kid. Bob was the family’s unofficial mascot.
    When he finished, Dad smiled and nodded. “There. Now we’ve marked this area as ours.”
    â€œI can think of another way to mark our territory,” Xander said.
    â€œHey,” Dad said. “None of that.”
    Together they moved through the basement, checking rooms and corners. They saw lots of spiders and rat poop, dust and dirt, but no people or indications that someone had ever lived down there. When the stairs came back around, Xander sighed with relief.
    â€œWhat do the cops say?” Dad asked.
    â€œClear!” Xander called.
    â€œAll right, then,” Dad said. “Onward and upward.” He climbed the stairs, clicking his flashlight off as he neared the open door at the top.
    â€œNo squatters ,” Xander said, making the word sound as