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If I’m insane, a Freudian psychiatrist will be of no help to h analysis, he would be in an asyluh this part of the yard on my approach to the house, I hadn’t until now seen the circular gazebo, which stood about ten yards tothe Talkabout from my utility belt

All white, about twelve feet in diaerbread around the eaves of the fanciful scalloped roof, it seeical place in Fairyland Occasionally, with so et overwhel, must start to feel, you know, like a job, and not an easy one So and conjuring and endless scheood, take a break and chill out in a less dour athten the spirit azebo on a sunny day, with the scent of spring lilacs in the air, birds chirruping all around, while you co hate poeazebo, crouched below the railing that capped its lattice wall, I switched on the Talkabout, made sure the volume was turned low, and said, "Are you there, Mrs Fischer? Over"

After a mild crackle of static, she said, "Where else would I want to be, dear? Over"

"I was just afraid e Be ready, the kids are on their way to you Over"

"I moved the car out of that funky fire road and closer to your position Over"

"Good That’s good They’re being led to you by a dog,You’ll see theood to know you’re alive Over"

"Thank you, ma’am You’re fun, too Over and out"

As I returned the Talkabout to azebo, clouds claimed the moon once more

Before I could continue on the kids’ trail, I heard voices When I looked back, a few people were exiting the house, onto the patio I could see thehted, but I didn’t think they would see me in the dark of the moon Three other people appeared around the north end of the house, and more voices arose to the south

Somebody had been sent to the third floor to see why the Kens hadn’t answered the gong The tere found dead with their sweaters pulled over their heads; and now there would be hell to pay, perhaps literally

Thirty-six

NO ONE SHOUTED "GET HIM" OR ANYTHING SIMILAR, which seemed to indicate that they had not yet seenbut open yard between here and there The h I wore dark clothes, they would see me when the lunar lamp returned, and I didn’t want to lead theone

Between the gazebo and the stable, isolated trees stood here and there, as well as a few shrubs I drew a Glock and headed that way, as uns They would have knives God alone knehat all they ht have My swift execution, however, was not what they intended If they took e, either here or at another of their secure locations They would peel me alive, head to foot, until I spilled every secret that I possessed, which would probably occur even as they were laying out their skinning instru with one another fond ether

I felt like Frodo in Mordor, but without good SasideWhen Gollu or not, just for the hell of it If you’ve never read The Lord of the Rings, th

Huddled under the first tree along my planned route, I scoped the way ahead and couldn’t detect any cultists in azebo, I saw three people with flashlights, the bearound ahead of theun in earnest

Before the clouds stopped conspiring with me and the moon became a traitor, I ran in a crouch to a tall pine and sheltered against its trunk long enough to scan the night I almost bolted for the next bit of cover, but three entle slope frohts I pulled back, putting the pine between us a moment before one of the beams painted the curve of the trunk where I had just been standing

Because I didn’t have a ghost dog to lead h the woods to the road where Mrs Fischer waited Psychic netism would reliably pull me to her, and there were most likely deer trails that I could follow rather than blunder noisily through the brush, but I would have to use ht, which was out of the question

I intended to leave via the long driveway by which I’d entered earlier A crew of cultists would already have taken up position there, guarding the exit To leave by that route, I would have to be reckless, and I would have to kill everyone I encountered before any of theo out to the end of the private lane and discover the li the state route No doubt Mrs Fischer was expert with a handgun, smoothed out and fully blue, but she couldn’t hold off an army while she loaded the kids in the superstretch

As the three hts past that building, probing along the tree line They would soon find the sleeping Doberht was a box of dyna the house, I’d operated under the assu for; but that wasn’t necessarily true Rob Burkett, Jinx, and the two Kens were too dead to describe me to anyone The senoculus knew my face, which was exactly like its face with a more reasonable number of eyes, but just because that demon and all of these devil-worshippers were on the sa one another