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"I don't knohat you're talking about!"

"Don't lie to us!" And his grip on her shoulders got tighter

Well, they weren't the only ones who could use flesh to their advantage Pain was a tay street She lifted her knee sharply, nailing the "businessman" where it counts His cold eyes ide, and he doubled over in pain, yowling Then, as the "gas station attendant" reached for her, she grabbed the gas hose, and swung the nozzle at his head It connected with his jaw, spinning hi no ti to Everlost The two round now, and Allie could see the skinjackers inside the to squir on her the other day when she juirl If they had been there to watch her skinjack, and saw her peel out, too, it would be easy to follow Allie all the way here, jacking these two men as soon as she took over Wanda

Well, Wanda and those poor men would have to sort this out for themselves, because Allie wasn't about to stand there and wait to be attacked again She turned and ran to the dock, where Mikey aiting

Mikey, however, was having his own probleht after Allie had left, and as soon as she was out of view, he began to practice changing again

It took a h focus to do it-- especially with the rain, which was an unpleasant distraction Just as before, he trained all of his attention on his right hand--this tier It worked! The finger sprouted right between his thu as his pinky-- but then kept on growing Soon it was as long as his index finger--and still it didn't stop No big deal, he thought He just needed to regain his focus He started this, so he could stop it But then a seventh finger began to grow next to his pinky--and an eighth sprouted fro hi easier and easier The proble it

Now the knuckles of his fingers were growing fingers of their own, like branches of a tree There were tooto panic, he put all of his focus into reining it in He looked at his hand, i across his rowth finally slowed and stopped He sent forth his will in a second wave, hoping--praying--that the extra fingers would shrivel and disappear, for how could he face Allie like this? Slowly the an to shrink

So focused was Mikey on his current plight that he never noticed the sudden absence of the horse

Shiloh the Faent, anier than its loyalty: its desire to perforh dive This was the creature's grand purpose It had perfor crowds for most of its life on Atlantic City's Steel Pier, and had continued to do so in Everlost, until the day Mikey McGill cli mob

The steel pier was far away nowhowever, the dock that extended into the lake looked very ht of it filled the horse's spirit True, there was no highdive platform True, there was no tank to land in--but there certainly ater! Although Shiloh's ti, when the chance to perform one final leap presented itself, how could any self-respecting high-diving horse resist?

And so, by the tiotten his hand back down to the usual nuallop down the dock

Mikey ran after it the moment he saw it, but it was no use By the ti the end, and showed no signs of slowing down Still, Mikey raced after it, hoping that the creature would co itself into oblivion

The horse, however, was of a single mind It reached the end of the dock, released a whinny of pure joy, and launched itself gleefully off the end It hit the water, passed into the lake, and kept plu doard In a moment it hit lake botto journey toward the center of the Earth

Deep down in its equine mind, the horse knew that there was no return, but that was all right, for it also knew that this was the greatest high dive of all!

Far above, Mikey McGill finally reached the end of the dock, sto a tantruh the wood of the pier The horse was gone without leaving as e

"Mikey!"

And of course this would be the moment Allie would choose to return! Mikey knew she had seen the whole thing--it was there in the panicked look on her face

"I'll go after it!" Mikey told her "I'll dive down after it and bring it back!" But even as he said it, he kneouldn't work Yes, he had ridden the horse out of the earth once before, but such a feat required a certain passion he no longer had The monster within him had been tamed, but domestication came with a cost Surely he still had the power to pull himself out of the depths, but he doubted he could do it on horseback

Mikey had no way of knowing that Allie's troubled look had little to do with the horse She had run froas station so quickly, she actually felt out of breath--a sensation that was technically iht, and yet still she felt it When she saw the horse go off the dock, her heart sank First for the loss of Shiloh, and second, because with him went their only chance for a quick escape

She tried to get Mikey's attention, but he still blustered like the storet about that! We've got a bigger problerabbed him and forced him to look at her "Skinjackers"

"Huh?"

"Two of theet out of here!" But as she turned, she realized it was too late The two skinjackers were at the foot of the dock, stalking toward them Allie had not seen them in their true form--she had only seen the hosts they had inhabited In a way it was easier to face the was limited by the sih she had never actually seen their faces, she knehich hich The skinjacker to the right was tall and thin, with a puffy, rodentlike face He had knobby knees and elbows--too knobby, actually--exaggerated like his skewed grin, which practically stretched all the way to his right ear

"Well, well," he said "Jackin' Jill has a friend!"

The other skinjacker was in a blue and white football uniform, and his face was little more than a pair of unpleasant eyes in a football hel--the kind of kid as destined to be a linebacker whether he was good at the sport or not Now, after what ame for him, he was stuck as a permanent linebacker in Everlost When he spoke, his words came out slurred and slobbery, due to the fact that he also had a uard stuck perpetually between his teeth

"Wait a shecond," he said "That'sh not Jackin' Jill!"

"It is! It is!" said the skinny one "She just made herself look different, that's all!"