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Back The Midnight Man Save as PDF
Chapters (70)
  1. Title Page
  2. Contents
  3. Copyright
  4. Praise for Caroline Mitchell
  5. Also by Caroline Mitchell
  6. Dedication
  7. Epigraph
  8. Prologue
  9. 1
  10. 2
  11. 3
  12. 4
  13. 5
  14. 6
  15. 7
  16. 8
  17. 9
  18. 10
  19. 11
  20. 12
  21. 13
  22. 14
  23. 15
  24. 16
  25. 17
  26. 18
  27. 19
  28. 20
  29. 21
  30. 22
  31. 23
  32. 24
  33. 25
  34. 26
  35. 27
  36. 28
  37. 29
  38. 30
  39. 31
  40. 32
  41. 33
  42. 34
  43. 35
  44. 36
  45. 37
  46. 38
  47. 39
  48. 40
  49. 41
  50. 42
  51. 43
  52. 44
  53. 45
  54. 46
  55. 47
  56. 48
  57. 49
  58. 50
  59. 51
  60. 52
  61. 53
  62. 54
  63. 55
  64. 56
  65. 57
  66. 58
  67. Epilogue
  68. Acknowledgements
  69. About Caroline Mitchell
  70. About Embla Books

‘That we slept in the tent with Bethany and Isobel, and you all left at nine this morning.’

‘Then stick to that. Have you spoken to Bethany and Isobel?’

‘They’re pooping their pants,’ Jahmelia said. ‘Remember the back of the card?’

Libby could hardly forget the warning. If you tell, you’ll go to hell.

‘What if he comes for us next?’ Jahmelia’s voice reduced to a whine. ‘I … I can’t stop thinking about it. I read that he stays with you … watches you. I’m scared.’

Libby’s fingers tightened around the handset. ‘It’s not real. It’s just a stupid game.’ She didn’t like where the conversation was turning. It made her feel sick inside.

‘But last night … Isobel saw a man in one of the bedrooms …’

‘And when she blinked, he was gone.’ Libby finished her sentence for her. ‘It’s a trick of the light. It was dark. We had candles. We were bound to see stuff that wasn’t there.’

‘We can’t tell everyone when we go back to school on Monday,’ Jahmelia said, which was the whole point in going through with it.

‘We can. Just not until Angelica turns up.’ The warning on the back of the card flashed in Libby’s memory. If you tell, you’ll go to hell. But that referred to adults as far as she was concerned. Playing the Midnight Game gave you instant kudos in school. Now Angelica had gone and messed it all up. ‘She probably staged the whole thing for attention,’ she added for good measure.

‘I’m scared, Libs,’ Jahmelia whined. ‘What if Angelica’s mum calls the police?’

The mention of the police made Libby hug her teddy tighter. He smelled musty, but it was a comforting smell, and all she wanted was to stay in bed. Thoughts of school and parents and the police made her chest so tight it hurt. ‘It’ll be fine,’ she said, but she didn’t believe that any more than Jahmelia did. The words of the game rebounded in her mind. If you open your door to the Midnight Man, hide with a candle wherever you can. Try not to scream as he draws near. Because one of you won’t be leaving here …

The rhyme had come true. They hadn’t visited the house of their own accord. Someone invited them to Blackhall Manor – and one of them hadn’t left.

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