Chapter 2 - The Hidden Trapdoor
My fingers trembled as they pressed against the cold object underneath Lily’s bed. I pulled back the edge of the mattress further, shining my phone’s flashlight directly into the space below.
It wasn’t a monster, nor was it a stray object.
It was metal. A heavy, rectangular iron handle set flat into the hardwood floor, almost entirely seamlessly hidden between two wooden planks.
I stared at it in disbelief. Daniel and I had bought this suburban house three years ago. It was a historic home built in the late 1920s, but during our renovations, we had laid down heavy area rugs and refinished the original pine floors. We had never noticed a seam beneath where Lily’s bed now sat.
I reached down and gripped the metal ring. It was freezing to the touch. With a slow, firm pull, the hidden section of the floor lifted with a muted, oiled creak.
A rush of cold, damp air immediately spilled into the room, carrying the pungent scent of aged earth, rust, and something faintly chemical. Beneath the floorboards was a narrow, vertical shaft lined with old brickwork, dropping roughly eight feet down into darkness.
My heart thundered against my ribs. Something had pushed against Lily’s mattress from inside this shaft.
Suddenly, a floorboard in the hallway creaked. I whipped around, my flashlight beam cutting through the dark. Daniel stood in the doorway, rubbing his eyes, wearing an oversized t-shirt.
"Honey? What are you doing on the floor?" he asked, blinking against the harsh light. "Is Lily okay?"
"Daniel, look at this," I whispered, my voice shaking so hard it barely sounded like my own.
He walked over, confused, but as he leaned down and saw the square opening cut directly into our daughter's bedroom floor, his face drained of all color.
"What... what is that?" he stuttered, kneeling beside me. "There wasn't a basement access here. The cellar is on the complete opposite side of the house."
"Something pushed up against her mattress, Dan," I said, holding his arm tight. "I saw it on the camera. Something raised the floor hatch just enough to press against her bed."
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Daniel immediately grabbed Lily, gently scooping our sleeping daughter out of her bed. She stirred, let out a soft sigh, and nestled her head into his shoulder, blissfully unaware of the gaping void inches from where she had been lying.
"Take her to our room," I said firmness returning to my voice. "Lock the door. I'm calling the police."
