Page 40 (1/2)

"I’o fetch Coop Anyone else shows up, turn ’e to pick him up His bike’s in ot run off the road by soed up a bit"

"I’m okay," Mike said bravely

Crow said, "Busted a rib or two and cracked his head on a rock No, don’t look like that, he’s not going to die on you His folks are going to take him over to the hospital for soed Carefully

Crow said, "Look, Barney, there’s so on There are three assholes fro out sos in town back in town, and all the kids at home"

"What? That’s it?"

"That’s it, as far as I know"

"Well, that’s not so much"

"Yeah, but you kno Terry Wolfe is"

"Yeah He’s scared of his own shadow Ithe day"

"Mr Wolfe’s okay, Barney He’s just a busy guy He owns a lot of things He’s always busy That’s why he pays e to Crow’s voice, and Barney caught it

"Cool, man"

"Anyway, if you see anyone you don’t know--any adults Iweird happens, call me on my cell"

"Weird? Dude…this is a haunted hayride, you know"

Crow sear "You know," he said thoughtfully, nodding to the knife handle, "you ought to have that looked at"

"Yeah," said Barney, "this thing is killingforward into darkness, racing toward the dead hours that are forgotten by the light All across Pine Deep, hearts were beginning to beat just a bit faster,it out In just a few hours the pitch and pulse of the night had changed, accelerated, jumped toward haste and action and frenzy

There was the scent of blood on the dark winds, and the promise of much, much more; a perfume of destruction and pain carried to every part of the town, even to the darkest and most remote of places The scent see out those who craved that aroma

Deep in the darkness, someone became aware of that perfume; someone laid bare his senses and absorbed the scent of death, the energy of fear, the electricity of hate He filled himself with the essence of hurt and dread, and he s caked orrin that betrayed the pernicious delight of the smiler Above and around hier’s tiny auto flashes and thunderstor rooh on the top panel of the door and cordite burned the air Val screa to his feet, knocking the rocking chair over, and with a ferocious sweep of his ar back into her father’s ar down hard on top of hirunted in pain and the breath whooshed out of him for the second tier: she just sat there on the couch covering her face with both hands and screarabbed the knob and with a violent jerk whipped the door open, bringing his gun up high and steady as he did so Outside, on the wide plank porch, Mark Guthrie stood in a frozen posture of absolute and unco shock: half crouched, stock-​still, wide-​eyed, and staring with dinner-​plate eyes at the gun in the hand of a man he didn’t know The bullets must have missed his face by inches and there were tiny splinters on his cheek, standing up like needles in a pincushion

"Welcorabbed a handful of Mark’s shirt, pulled hiely in the crotch Mark let loose with a high whistling shriek and folded in half at the waist Connie and Val screaed therooony and he caromed off the wall and collapsed onto an occasional table that splintered under him Mark, table, a vase of dried flowers, and soed up again and Ruger backhanded her down onto the couch; again she sprawled across her father’s lap and he caught her as she started to roll off onto the floor Ruger turned to Val’s brother and kicked hih and as Mark opened his er ja lie there" The screa as soon as Ruger had fired his gun and was still screaer spun and leveled the gun at her "Shut your mouth, you stupid cunt!"

Like her husband’s, Connie’s screams turned to ice in her throat, but as if the desperate forces in her needed to escape in some way her body snapped into action and she hurled herself off the couch and flew like a bird to Mark, as shaking his head stupidly, brushing at dried roses and baby’s breath and bits of broken crockery Ruger stepped back and let her go, allowing her to flutter around her husband like a flight of nervous sparrows, touching and probing and kissing and stroking with darting nervous hands All of it aled larynx could e, he said, "Now, everyone just shut the fuck up!" He spaced the words out to give theht and effect