Free The Rattler (Rattler Trilogy Book 1) by P. A. Fielding Page B

Ellwood guided her to
find the newspaper? What was he trying to say? Did he have a message for her?
    Zoe
sat and thought about her discoveries for a good ten minutes. As a former
A-Level history student she knew that the question to every good story always
started with WHY? It was whilst Zoe was considering this that she became
aware of thumps on the ceiling. She plucked-up the courage, got out of bed,
turned on her video recording, and went out of the room. She turned on the
landing light. OK, peeps. Another video. It’s 4.15
am, and well, you’ll never guess what – I’ve just found out that my house has
history! Fill you all in on it later, but for now – there’s movement in the
attic.

13 : The second floor
    1
    The
second floor was pitch-black. The only light, that from Zoe’s iPhone, led her across the landing and towards the stairs to the
attic. Floorboards creaked with every footstep. The atmosphere was not, by any
means, normal or perfect. Was that all in Zoe’s imagination, though, after what
she’d just discovered about the place?
    As
she reached the stairs, her heart started to beat a little faster. With one
hand on the handrail, and the other filming, she slowly made her ascent. The wind outside shook the windows in their frames. She
pushed open the door, tentatively. It was completely dark. This is where a
man called Sydney stayed, and where he was arrested as the Manor Murderer. Zoe slowly moved the phone around the room, the light cascading from it gently
illuminated every particle of dust. “Hello? Sydney, what do you ask of me?” she
asked, sitting down on the floor in the middle of the attic. Then she had a
strange sensation, as if someone had run a cold ice-lolly down her spine. She
turned the phone towards the door.
    The
girl sensed she wasn’t alone. She heard the stairs creaking. “Hello? Sydney
Ellwood? Is that you?” The sounds stopped. Silence. The cold sensation disappeared. “How spooky was that?” She waited. Nothing. Well, folks, it looks like that’s all there is
for tonight – I don’t want this to get boring so, it’s back to bed. Alone!
    2
    Zoe
was walking towards a popular supermarket when her mobile started to ring. Vana
was displayed as the caller. “Hello you! How’s it going?
Is it still alright to come round tonight, hun?” Vana was on her bed,
surrounded by text books and paperwork. The room was small and cluttered, with
clothes, a rucksack, and A4 folders stacked neatly on the floor.
    “Hey, Vana. Course it is. Just getting the supplies in. Want anything special?”
    “Just
the usual, crisps and chocolate,” giggled her friend. “Vana, you’re so
predictable – and easily pleased.”
    “Only when it comes to food,
yes!”
    “See
you later then.”
    Inside,
the supermarket wasn’t busy – just a few old-aged pensioners, and a couple of
young mums, with toddlers in tow, plodding along the aisles. Zoe pushed her
trolley, thoughtfully, down the well-stocked aisles, picking up favourite
items, along with the normal essentials such as bread and milk. She noticed an
old lady, with tangled black and white hair, who seemed to be following her.
“No, it can’t be, it’s just my mind playing tricks,” murmured Zoe; “must be
getting paranoid.”
    After
Zoe got the crisps and chocolate as requested by Vana, and helped an elderly
lady to get a box of Cornflakes off the top shelf, she was almost done. She was
just about to head off for the checkout when she was aware of the wonderful
aroma of freshly baked bread and cakes. “These managers certainly know what they’re
doing. If they don’t get you with their tasty samples, they get you with a
whiff of freshly made cakes. We’re all just suckers.”
    She
followed the tantalising smell to the area of the supermarket (situated at the
back of the store so that customers had to walk past all the other goodies on
sale, and be tempted to buy what they didn’t need – more psychology!) that was
a dieter’s