Chapter 3 - Dragged Away
Before Lily could strike the lock a third time, heavy footsteps rushed across the stone floor. Her mother, Sarah, sprinted over with a frantic, pale expression, grabbing Lily violently by the shoulders and jerking her away from the hatch.
"What do you think you're doing?! Let go of that right now, Lily, leave it!" Sarah screamed, her voice trembling with an edge of absolute panic that far exceeded a normal parent's reaction. Sarah dragged Lily backward across the floor, her eyes darting nervously toward the locked cellar doors as if a monster were about to break free.
