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Trying to sound casual, he said, "And who is that?"

"Me"

Arnie took two steps back and here it was, the big moment The moment at which Arnie would turn on his heels and run away, or plunge fully into the dark world

Arnie really looked like he would run I turned and sat cal up at hio

Would you?

He hesitated, ran a hand over hisrid of any muscle or skin, now a dried-up, ash-colored fraht of the squirots that had feasted on " nests where onna shove it through the portal, but by the tihost door So we debated for about half an hour, had a dozen beers, then finally decided to crao back ho moment, then said, "What, you didn’t worry about so it? Like the cops?"

"What crie h He turned away fro he could rewind his life to a time before he had seen it He walked to the opposite side of the roo Fine, there’s a body But that don’t hed and said, "Arnie, co but, really, what did you think you were gonna find here? Talk to me, buddy"

He shook his head "I don’t know I don’t--it’s a hobby of mine That’s all The paranor I waited He said, "And the thing with the shadows, I guess, kind of caughtaround now, on the Net, elsewhere, stories of the shadow people I think Dean Koontz wrote a novel about them, but you have to ask, did his book come first or did the stories co about them Everyone and no one Do you knohat I mean?"

Oh, I know, Arnie Trust me, I know

He continued, "And I would think back to what I saw, in my basement that day The shadow And after that, every now and then, maybe I saw them but maybe I didn’t, you know? It’s like once you see ait everywhere But there’s so else, too At certain tionna sound crazy as shit but considering what you’ve said I think I ht as well let it out--at those tili around a corner or running past my chair And I think, okay, that’s Fluffy That’s my cat, Fluffy But I’ve never owned a cat And then I think I can remember that maybe I did own a cat Or maybe I didn’t And I swear I can remember a life with it and one without it, and then I heard your story--"

"With Todd?" I said "You heard about the thing with Todd and thought ? That maybe the shadow people took your cat?"

He shook his head, but not in disagreenation He said, "I’ll never say the phrase ‘the shadow people took ot a life to live, you know But yeah, in my drunker moments I think that somehow I had a cat and that the cat was stolen from me, both in the present and the past And then I heard bits of your story and I think, here’s somebody who’s been down the saical disorder or et to the bottom of it So that’s why I’m here The short version, anyway"

And that’s true, Arnie I believe you But that isn’t the whole truth, is it? Why do you keep stopping short of the whole story?

I said, "There’s rave in the floor and said, "You say John helped you move the body?"

"Sure I couldn’t have done it alone It’s hard enough haulingto double the load"

"So after he knew about, you know After he knew the truth, you’re saying he stuck around?"

I shrugged "Well--"

"Because you guys killed a cop when you found out he was one of these things Why would it be different?"

"Well, that was only after he actually turned into the monster--"

"And what about Amy? Can I talk to her?"

"Uh, no"

"Is she still--"

alive

"--around?"