Gone (Gone #1) Read Online Free PDF Page B

cracking. Maybe she could pull the boards off piece by piece, if only she could reach them.
    The dirt walls were dry, but not crumbling. Maybe she could find a way to make a ladder or steps in them if she could find something to dig the holes. It wasn't likely, but at least it was an idea.
    Something squeaked. A rodent. How did it stay alive? Was there something to eat? Not that she wanted to eat mouse food, but it might come to that. She shuddered at the thought.
    How much worse was this going to get? Macy didn't want to know. She jumped off the hay and climbed up the ladder as fast as she could. It swung every time she moved.
    Holding on as tight as she could, she managed to get to the top without losing her footing. She pushed her foot into a corner of the walls, steadying herself once the ladder held still. Letting go of one hand, she pushed on the trap door. It didn't budge, so she pushed a few more times. She may as well have tried to rip off the whole ceiling.
    Macy wrapped her leg in the ladder and braced with her other foot. Letting go of the rope, she pushed with both hands and all of her might. She ignored the rope as it swung again, but on her third push she lost her balance. As she fell upside down, her foot caught in the rope and anchored her in place.
    Macy breathed a sigh of relief, glad to have not broken her neck. She grabbed onto the rope, grateful no one could see her as she hung upside down, feeling ridiculous. She was probably stupid for thinking she could get the door open.
    Holding on, still upside down, she tried to pull her foot loose. It was stuck. Making sure not to let go, she pulled herself up little by little until she could reach her foot. With one hand, she pulled her foot free. It slid loose, and she maneuvered herself back into an upright position before climbing down.
    Once on the ground, she looked around the room again. The rodents stayed out of sight. All she had left were the boards near the ceiling. They were well out of reach, but she had to try. She had to do something.
    She went to one of the bales of hay, bent down, and pushed. It moved, but not much. It was a lot heavier than it looked. But what else was she going to do? Watch TV?
    Sweat beaded on her skin as she pushed the bale again and again. Finally, it reached the wall, and she sat down on the hay to rest. It felt good to get a little exercise. Her muscles burned a little.
    She was thirsty. When was the last time she had anything to drink? Not wanting to stop for long, she picked another bale, and pushed it toward the first one.
    By the time she had the two bales against each other, she was wiping sweat from her eyes. How was she going to lift the second one on top of the first? She would have to wait; she didn't have the energy to try yet. She lay down on top of the two bales, imagining she was on a bed.
    Something poked into her back. Macy sat up and saw something shiny in the bale. She pulled out what appeared to be a tube of lipstick. She pulled the top off to find exactly that.
    Why was there makeup in the hay? She tossed it on the floor and lay down again.
    Macy shivered, starting to get cold. As she readjusted her position, she noticed that the hay below her had grown warm. Maybe she could use it to hold heat. She sat up and dug her fingers into the hay, pulling out as much as she could, earning several scratches. That didn't matter. When she had a nice pile, she lay back down, and pulled as much of it over herself as possible, using it like a blanket.
    It didn't take long to warm up. She closed her eyes, allowing herself to rest. She could hear hooves moving around above her. She hoped the ceiling was strong. The last thing she wanted to deal with was a cow or horse falling on top of her.

 
     
    Guilt
     
     
    Zoey Carter closed her laptop in frustration. She had spent the last two hours searching for anything she could find on that Jared guy. It was as if he had ceased to exist. That wasn't possible—she had