Page 18 (1/2)

I stu on my bottom

And then I heard screams

Chapter 12

Chills ran down my scalp like an army of ants

"Mommy?" I yelled Fear slammed into s could carry me But round as a broken branch whizzed past me, sucked into the crawlspace All of a sudden I knew thoseto eat ust of wind caught me as I stood and pulled me toward the house I tried to slow er on ed from the broken s I let the wind taketoward the cable draped over the doorsill Closer to the door, the vacuuh to suck lowed froe black particles exploded and streamed frohan screa voice chanted in a language sounding so very faht I could almost understand it if only I listened a little harder But no rasp it And then I realized I was only helping theit would save everyone It had to

Squatting down, I reached for the cable Gripped it Jerked So the air with a fresh wave of burning electrical parts The chanting stopped I’d done it! I’d saved everyone! I raced to the front of the house And then I saw the red liquid splashed and streaked down the front sidewalk My eyes followed it and found a wohan’s mom I ran to her

"What happened? Where’s Mommy?" I asked her

"They must be stopped," she said "But the others don’t want to stop thelazed over and the last bit of color left her face along with her life As the light left her eyes, I heardback the acidic vo up my throat, I rushed in as Moht at an oily green creature with a gaping er than the rest of its shark-like body The wooden floor was a splintered h it What at first I thought were little red bu the monster’s snout blinked and rotated, and I realized they were eyes, two of thelowing dark particles, but they only seehan had pressed herself tight into a corner, her face white and panicked She screa ht

Then the creature’s two big eyes swiveled towardin the strange language I wanted to say soo away and leave us alone But another part of ain to o hoainst its will Deep inBut I didn’t knohat to do or how to do it

Its eyes hardened and glared at , unable to speak to it or o ho at me "Run, Justin! Run!"

"Under the house, Mom! A piece of plywood It needs electricity"

Her eyes narrowed She turned and looked through the hole blasted in the wooden floor I think she saw the plywood because she waved her staff at a nearby electrical socket, then said a word and aiht arced fro doard A dark vortex formed The monster’s scarlet eyes seemed to soften It looked atinto a cloud of green s into the vortex

Mom jerked her staff up and the electricity stopped She sluolden locks to her face Then she turned on her knees and threw up A lot I ran over to her and patted her back,

"Mommy? Are you okay?"

She sood boy You’re so brave I will never let anything bad happen to you I pro happen to you because I’han in the corner and the trail of blood leading out the door "Oh no God, no" A tear trickled down her cheek "Stay here for Mohan a hug She buried her face in my shirt and soaked it with tears I noticed a piece of blood-soaked paper clutched in her hand The writing was all but illegible All but the last few characters: ance 4311

Mohan’s mom with her Then she ca boy, sweetie Now Mommy wants you to sit still so I can ood"

"Little boys shouldn’t see certain things And neither should little girls" She pressed a bloody hand to Meghan’s forehead and said sohan slumped and went to sleep Before I could ask what she’d done, I felt Moainst my forehead and darkness followed

I jerked and yelled as Meghan’s older face appeared before rabbing a bottle of hand sanitizer off the floor and applying it liberally

"Did that really happen?" I asked My heart thudded like a mallet and sweat dripped down my face My muscles and joints ached with every little twitch, but I pushedposition

"Justin, roaned with every et " She got up and strode gracefully for the kitchen, all the while giving Ryland a glare He smiled at her innocently--at least as han," I said, "where did that green monster come from?"

"Hell"

"I may be demon spawn and all, but does a place like Hell really exist?"

"Think of it as a dark evil plane of existence where such creatures live" She shuddered

"Did you see everything through my eyes?"