To escape the dangers of wartime London, Millie has been sent away to Wickford Hall, but what lurks there is far more sinister than anything war might bring.
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THERE'S SOMETHING WICKED STALKING WICKFORD HALL...
As war rages on, Mildred Cunningham...
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Ash and dust were all around, filtering down through the air like fine snow. It blanketed Millie's body, mixing with the blood that ran over her face. Every part of her hurt. Her ears rang, and her head throbbed, and she tried to think of where she was, and why she was there, and what good reason she might have not to burrow deeper into the ash and let the darkness take her.
Olivia.
Olivia had been with her, in those final moments on the street...
A deafening boom rattled in her memory.
They had been on the street when a bomb had hit.
Her eyes flicked open. She had to blink hard to fight off the dust. The grit and the salt in her blood stung her eyes. She swiped at her face, her palm coming away red and grey.
Where was Olivia?
Despite the thick of the dust, she could see another figure lying next to her in the debris. Millie tried to pull herself closer, but she couldn't move. Her legs were pinned beneath something heavy. She reached out, scrabbling through the wreckage, hoping to find some part she could hold.
"Oli...via..."
She found a hand. She took hold and heaved with all her remaining strength, pulling the hand closer.
Her sister came into view. For a moment, Millie was relieved, until she got a better look at her sister's face. Her sister's perfect, pretty face was stained red to match the lipstick that was smeared across her mouth. Her dark curls were wet and matted, clinging to her scalp...
Or, at least, what was left of it.
A deep dent had been left in her right temple, and her eyes were hollow.
The last of her strength failed Millie, and she sank back into the ash.
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A woman in a white apron hurried past her curtained room, and Millie realised she had awoken in a hospital. The stench of astringents and burnt matches hung heavy in the air. She turned her aching head to look at the little space. Between the curtains, it was a simple, plain space with only a small table and an empty chair.
