Darkside Read Online Free PDF Page A

volumes with long titles, missing pages and a strange fusty odour to them. Alain was happiest when he was lost in a book, legs sprawled over the side of an armchair. Apparently he had used to be an academic of some sort, though he didn’t teach now. Instead he spent most of his days locked up in his study – and Jonathan had no idea what he did there. He had never been allowed in, and it was the only room in the house with a working lock on the door.
    The wind had changed direction, sending the rain crashing against the kitchen window. Jonathan got up and pulled the blinds shut. As he did so, he thought he caught sight of something moving in the garden. It was difficult to be sure, amongst the tangle of the undergrowth. Probably just the cat from next door, Jonathan reassured himself. Nothing to be worried about. All the same, he double-checked that the back door was locked before he left the kitchen.
    He decided to go to his room and watch TV in bed. Even if there was only some boring documentary on, or a house makeover show, it was better than moping around down here. He went through all the rooms on the ground floor, drawing the curtains and checking that all the windows were closed. The weather was still filthy outside, but he couldn’t see any more movement. When he thought everything was secure, Jonathan went up the stairs.
    The landing was in a dishevelled state. The rug covering the floorboards had been crumpled and one of paintings had been knocked askew. Jonathan suddenly remembered that his dad had suffered a darkening here that day. The mess must have been caused by the paramedics as they tried to get him out. He straightened the painting and shook the rug flat, trying not to imagine the scene.
    He was cleaning his teeth when he heard a soft thud from somewhere near the back door. Whatever it was, it didn’t sound like a cat. Outside the bathroom window, it was so dark it was hard to see, but he was convinced that there was something out there, a shape hunched by the side of the house. Had they tried to open the back door?
    Jonathan reached for his mobile and called Mrs Elwood.
    â€œJonathan? Is everything all right?”
    â€œI know it sounds stupid but . . . I think that there’s someone prowling around outside. Should I phone the police?”
    â€œNot yet. It might be nothing. Stay where you are. I’ll be over as soon as I can.”
    She hung up. Jonathan raced around the first floor, checking all the windows. Now every sound, every creak of the floorboards and every splash of rain on the windows, had a menacing tone to it. A click from the downstairs stopped Jonathan in his tracks. It sounded like a door being quietly shut. The front door! He had forgotten to lock it! And now someone was in the house.
    Jonathan’s heart began to race wildly. He needed to find somewhere safe to hide until Mrs Elwood got here. His first thought was to go somewhere in his bedroom, but hiding under the bed was for little children. Instead, Jonathan moved to the opposite end of the landing. He was wondering about trying to get on to the roof through his dad’s bedroom window when he noticed that the door to the study was ajar. That must have been where Alain had experienced his darkening! For the first time in his life, Jonathan could enter the study.
    He crept inside, closed the door, and carefully twisted the key in the lock until it clicked. There was definitely someone in the house. Though they were trying not to be heard, Jonathan could make out a careful tread of footsteps on the stairs. He sat on the floor with his back to the door, and waited. It felt fairly sturdy, but would it be enough to keep out someone trying to get in? Around him everything was in darkness. Despite his situation, a voice in Jonathan’s head whispered to him to turn on the lights and explore the study. This might be his only chance.
    The footsteps began to explore the first floor, spending a couple of