Remnants — Episode 31

Bobby turned the hammer around and slammed its claw onto the thick wood. It bounced off, but the claw mark on the door was evident.

Bobby circled around the cellar and stopped behind to listen intently. He heard nothing to make him believe the space below was inhabited. Still, he was cautious as stepped up onto the raised surface of the flat concrete that topped the cellar. It was just high enough so that the inset wooden door was slanted. There would be concrete steps just inside the door to lead down into that space of expected safety from the elements, such as a tornado.

He knelt, stuck out his arm, and tapped the heavy wooden door with his hammer. The quiet became even quieter, and Bobby felt the fine hair on the back of his neck rise. He knew it, someone was inside.

“Hello in there,” he said.

There was no answer, and Bobby wondered if he’d be wrong, that the cellar was empty after all.

Then a frail voice answered. He couldn’t catch what it said through the door, but it was a woman’s voice.

“What? Who’s there?” he asked. “Are you alone? If you are, come on out.”

The voice was louder this time, but he still couldn’t make out the meaning of her words.