Haven [1] A Stranger Magic by D.C. Akers Page A

the dim light coming from the kitchen. He had been out much later than he expected, so late that he had missed dinner, and both Sarah and his mother were either in bed or asleep by now.
    The smell of homemade meatloaf from dinner lingered in the air, which made his stomach growl. For a brief moment his body wasn’t hurting, he wasn’t scared, he was just hungry. Really hungry. It felt good to be home.
    Sam slowly closed the front door and quietly walked into the living room. His mother’s self-help book Stretching a Dollar by Reginald Blum was lying on the couch, and a mug of decaffeinated green tea sat atop a silver coaster on the wooden coffee table.
    His mother had finished her nightly routine, which consisted of light reading followed by a hot cup of tea and bed. Sam looked up to the top of the stairs; her light was turned off now. He had missed her once again, and his apology would have to wait till tomorrow.
    Sam sighed and walked into the kitchen. On the counter top in all its edible glory was his favorite meal in the entire world—his mother’s meatloaf.
    The meatloaf was piled high and surround by fresh green beans and homemade mashed potatoes. A rich yummy tomato sauce covered the succulent meat. Sam thought it was almost too beautiful to eat.
    He opened the counter drawer, pulled out a fork, and began to eat. The meatloaf was still warm and moist. He shoveled his food in so fast that for a brief moment he forgot to breathe.
    Before Sam knew it, he had eaten the entire meal and his belly was full. He washed his plate and placed it in the dishwasher. Normally he would just leave it in the sink because dishes were Sarah’s chore, but for some reason he didn’t. Why was he feeling especially nice? Maybe it was the fact that he had triumphantly escaped the spiders in the cave, and now he was home, and had just eaten the best meal of his entire life. Despite all this comfort, Sam still felt uneasy about the events of the past few days. Then he remembered the spiders.
    “Spiders, oh no!” he said to himself.
    The spiders that were in the rosebushes were the same kind spiders that had attacked him tonight. Were they still out there? Were there more of them?
    He quickly rounded the kitchen counter and headed to the front door. He turned on the front porch light and made his way down the steps to the rosebushes.
    His eyes scanned every leaf, stem, and thorn on the twisted clump of bush, but he found nothing. There was not a single spider or trace of a web. Part of the bush was still mangled from where he had fallen in the day before. It was a sad-looking bush; there wasn’t even a single rose on it.
    After closely scanning the surrounding area he finally felt satisfied that the spiders were gone. He made his way back into the house, locked up, and went upstairs. Sarah’s light was off too. Apparently they both had gone to bed early.
    Sam was tired; the only thing he had on his mind now was a hot shower and a comfortable bed. His body was sore and it was getting worse. The smell of bat crap from his clothes was really starting to get to him now.
    He quietly walked into his room where the Mountain Mist air freshener scent still lingered. His room was so clean that it felt odd, almost like he was in someone else’s bedroom.
    Sam carefully took off his shirt and shorts, trying not to move any muscle faster than needed. He walked into his bathroom with his hand on his lower back, feeling as if he were a hundred years old. Gradually, Sam leaned over, turned on the shower and waited a few minutes before stepping in. Hot water stung his cuts and scrapes, making his muscles twitch as if they were being electrocuted. The water at the bottom of the tub drained steadily with a constant flow of dirt, blood, and bat feces. Warm jets of water streamed down from the shower head and massaged Sam’s body into a slow, peaceful trance. He felt himself sway just a bit as he began to doze off.
    The shower lasted a full thirty minutes,