Playing possum, Roy thought.
The lack of movement seems to calm them back down, Winn thought, or at least allow for other distractions to take their interest. But if they’re really focused on you, it won’t stop them.
I’ll have to remember that, Roy thought.
At least the one in the building with us is out of the picture, Deem thought. You guys can start digging faster.
They heard Steven resume in the other room. Almost there, Eliza thought.
How long before it comes back? Roy thought to Winn.
Depends on the ghost, Winn thought. The stronger ones can manifest again in twenty minutes. Come on Deem, let’s clean those scrapes. Deem followed Winn back to the room where they were digging, and Roy returned to his post at the front of the shop.
Shit! Roy thought as he got his first glimpse of the hotel. They’re coming out! As he watched, ghost after ghost filed out of the front doors of the hotel and began to stream down the street.
Shit shit shit! Roy thought. We’re gonna be surrounded by them. You gotta hurry with the digging!
We haven’t found the body yet, Steven thought.
Switch back to quiet digging, Roy said. In a second there’ll be a dozen of them passing by the front!
Steven slowed down and made sure his shovel was as silent as it could be, sliding it carefully into the dirt in the hole and lifting it to pour its contents quietly on the pile that had accumulated next to it. Winn finished tending to Deem’s back, and picked up the other shovel.
Shit! Roy thought. They’re right outside the window!
Roy moved to the left side of the windows that faced the street so he could observe the ghosts passing from the back, rather than looking into their faces as they approached. He watched as dozens of ghosts passed. He saw several turn into the space between the building he was in and the building next door. They’re filing throughout the whole town, he thought. Watch out back there, guys, some went down the side of this building.
Steven paused his digging and looked up at the windows in the room they were in. He and Winn were standing in the hole, and could duck if spotted, but Eliza and Deem were out in the open.
Eliza, Deem, you two should move under that window, quickly! he thought. Deem walked over to the window and shrunk down under it. Eliza quickly followed.
They’re mindlessly walking home, Winn thought. As long as we don’t catch their attention, we should be OK.
Steven crouched down in the hole and watched the window. Several ghosts passed by, not stopping to turn and look. He thought they might be in the clear, when a slow-moving ghost appeared. It looked like an old woman, taking slow steps. She stopped, perfectly framed by the window, and turned to look into it.
Steven ducked into the hole. Winn ducked with him.
Shit! I hope she didn’t see us, Steven thought.
At the front of the store, Roy occasionally saw one or two of the ghosts peel off from the crowd and enter a building further down the street. Roy realized the shop he was in might be home to more of the ghosts. Another might come through the door at any moment.
I’m coming back where you are, Roy thought as he rounded the corner into the back room. There’s no point to being out here anymore. They’re everywhere.
Not now, Winn thought. We’re being watched.
But it was too late. Roy rounded the corner. He saw Steven and Winn ducked down in the hole, and Deem and Eliza huddled under the window. In the window was the ghost of the old woman. When it spotted Roy, it snarled and came through the wall.
Roy fumbled for the EM gun. He aimed it at the woman and fired, the sound of the hum and pop sounding loud in the small room. The woman increased her speed, raising her arms toward him and drifting quickly through the room. Roy’s eyes went wide and he turned to bolt back into the front of the shop.
Steven and Winn struggled to get out of the hole. They ran into the front, watching as the woman bore down on Roy, hissing and snapping at him. Roy was lying on the ground face down, mimicking the possum pose.
Winn yelled. Hey bitch! Over here!
The woman turned, her face angry. She drifted back towards Winn. Before she could reach Winn the effect of the EM gun kicked in and she began to fade.
Steven rushed to Roy’s side. Are you OK? he asked.
Roy picked himself up from the floor. I am forever grateful for that trick, he thought. I’m fine.
Steven and Winn walked with Roy to the back room and resumed digging. Roy began a watch on the windows in that room, ready to alert the group if any more came down the alley between the buildings.
After several minutes, the hole they were in was deeper than they were tall. Found something, Steven thought. He pulled up a femur and placed it upon an open tarp spread out next to the hole.
I don’t suppose one bone would be good enough, Winn thought, continuing to dig.
We’ve gone through too much to take that chance, Steven thought. We’ve got to get as many bones as we can.
They dug as silently as possible. One by one bones came up out of the hole and onto the tarp. Eliza watched as the parts of the skeleton slowly took shape.
Winn checked his watch. 12:30 guys, he thought. The ghosts will be completely spread out around town by the time we leave.
Maybe we should stay here for the night? Eliza thought. Although I can’t believe I just suggested that.
The ghosts don’t go back to the hotel until sundown, Winn thought, continuing to dig in the hole, looking for any remaining bones. It’ll be just as hard to leave during the daytime. The ghosts are harder to see, and there will be tourists.
Can you imagine how we’d look to tourists in the daytime? Deem said. Popping in and out of the River? They’d think we’re crazy!
Why couldn’t we pass as tourists? Eliza thought. They don’t attack the tourists, do they? They’re not in the River.
That’s exactly what we’re going to try and do, Winn thought, as we carry the body out of here. We’ll stay out of the River as we leave. These bones will be the only thing that might arouse their suspicion.
I think that’s it, Steven said, examining the last rib he’d extracted from the ground.
Looks pretty complete to me, Eliza thought, looking at the bones on the tarp. All the major bones are here.
Let’s roll up that tarp to be sure nothing will fall out, Winn said. Deem stepped over to the tarp and began to prepare it as Winn and Steven climbed out of the hole.
They picked up their backpacks and lanterns. Deem carried the tarp. Let’s head out, Winn thought. Follow me. I’m going to head straight out of town the fastest way, which will be to the east. Then we’ll circle around back to the car. We’ve got to be careful. Let’s avoid talking if we can, and stay out of the River. We may still run into a ghost or two; if we do, we’ll deal with them. But if you go into the River, you’ll be turning on a giant beacon to them, so don’t do it.
They all dropped out of the River and Winn began to walk. They fell into line behind him.
It was a silent march. Steven looked down as they walked around the empty foundations. We’re just tourists, he thought, out looking at the ruins of this town. Crazy tourists, out in the middle of the night. I wonder how many walk among these foundations every day, not realizing how many ghosts are all around them? He stopped himself from thinking about the ghosts, afraid it might attract them. He focused instead on his steps, the dry lakebed cracking under his feet.
After a couple of minutes, Winn changed direction and they began to circle back. It would take longer to get back to the car, but Winn wasn’t taking any chances. They were now outside of the town boundaries, and intended to stay that way.
Chapter Twelve
Winn’s Jeep and Deem’s truck pulled up to the same spot off-road next to the entrance to Devil’s Throat. They emptied out of the vehicles. Deem retrieved the tarp containing – what they believed to be – the remains of Ira Bohnert.
They made their way through the da
rk landscape of the desert to the cave’s entrance, using the light from the moon to guide their steps. It was the middle of the night, and the heat from the day had finally reduced to a comfortable eighty degrees.
They crawled through the cave opening, Deem passing the tarp through to Eliza on the other side. Then the group made their way around the Throat and to the hidden entrance of the ritual area.
“What a horrible smell!” Eliza said, following closely behind Deem.
They passed the stack of bodies and entered the room containing Michael’s grave and the graves of the other Callers.
“Damn, I am tired of digging graves,” Steven said as he placed his shovel in the earth next to the grave of Michael. He stopped and tapped his shovel on the ground over Michael’s grave. It had already started to harden into stone.
He dug, trading off with Winn and Roy. Once they’d reach four feet down, they stopped.
“Four feet is enough to stop coyotes and wolves,” Steven said.
“If they’d even come in here,” Deem said, taking the tarp and placing it into the open grave. Steven and Winn began shoveling dirt on top of it. Within five minutes they had covered it over and were smoothing the dirt on top.
Steven stepped back and examined the work. Ira was buried.
He glanced over at Michael’s grave again. It had changed. It didn’t look like it had a rock covering anymore – it looked exactly as it had when Jason had finished burying him.
Roy had walked back to the other graves, and was examining them. “Oh, look!” Roy said. “My knife!” He picked up his hunting knife, showing it to the group. “Jason must have removed it before he buried Michael.” He slipped the knife into his belt, behind him.
“Did you hear that?” Deem asked the others. She cocked her head, listening.
“Came from back there,” Eliza said, pointing back to the ritual area.
Deem turned to investigate. She walked to the opening between the two areas, and looked inside. “Guys,” she said, “we’ve got a problem.” She slipped her backpack off her back and removed a hatchet.
Eliza joined her, looking into the ritual area. A corpse on the top of the pile had raised its head, and was pressing its arms into the pile of bodies beneath it in an attempt to push itself up.
“We need to get out of here!” Eliza said, turning to look at the group behind her. Her eyes widened as she saw the figures behind the group.
Steven noticed her reaction and turned to look behind him. There were a dozen people, all standing on top of their graves – resurrected. Most were decomposed beyond recognition, but one was still very recognizable – Michael. The others were not moving, as though they were trying to understand what had just happened to them. Michael understood immediately what had happened.
Michael lunged at Steven, hitting him squarely in the chest and rolling on top of him. Steven sucked in air, trying to push Michael away, but Michael was moving quickly and crawled on top of him, his hands wrapping around Steven’s throat. The fingers felt mushy on his skin, as though part of Michael was coming off as he pressed against his neck.
He looked up at Michael, sitting on top of him. His flesh had putrefied, and his features were bloated and grotesque. The knife wound in his stomach had festered and was oozing a dark substance. Steven kicked with his feet, attempting to dislodge Michael, but Michael seemed to have the upper hand, tightening his grip on Steven’s throat.
Michael began to lean his head down towards Steven’s face. Steven could see where the flesh had begun to rot, and the smell was overpowering. The worms had found Michael, even under stone – they had cleaned out his left eye socket, leaving only mucus, which dripped down onto Steven’s face. The flesh that remained on Michael’s skull shifted like Emmett’s, transforming back and forth, making his entire face look alive. Michael curled his lips up, revealing his teeth, and he spoke: “This one’s for Lukas,” the words half-catching in his recently dead throat. Steven felt the grip around his neck tighten even more. He knew he was about to pass out.
Then Michael’s face plunged toward his. Horrified, Steven turned his face to the right as he saw Michael approach, and he felt Michael’s face hit his left cheek, then roll to the side. The grip around his neck loosened. Trembling, Steven turned his head back – and saw the neck of Michael, exposed, sliced. He’d been decapitated.
Standing behind Michael was Roy, holding a shovel.
Standing behind Roy was a dozen reanimated Callers, watching.
Steven pushed Michael’s body off his, and pulled Michael’s lifeless hands from around his neck. “Behind you!” he tried to say to Roy.
Roy stepped forward and grabbed Steven’s arm, pulling him up. “Come on, we’ve got to get out of here!” he said.
The Callers began moving off their graves. Seeing one of their own decapitated had galvanized a purpose for them. They were coming after Roy and Steven, who were ten feet ahead of them.
The group moved quickly back to the ritual area. Several of the corpses had successfully removed themselves from the pile, and were shambling towards them.
“We make a run for it!” Winn said. “The Callers behind us are much more dangerous than these corpses.”
“Alright,” Steven said. “I’ll go first!”
Steven ran through the ritual area, past the pile of bodies. Several of the corpses turned to chase him as he passed through the hidden entrance, but they were moving too slow to catch him, and became confused when he disappeared through the entrance and into the cave proper.
Deem took advantage of their confusion. She grabbed Eliza’s hand and the two of them ran through the area, dodging the bodies. One corpse landed a hand on Eliza’s shirt. Eliza’s momentum pulled the corpse along for a few feet, but it broke Eliza’s hold of Deem’s hand. The corpse grabbed at Eliza’s back, landing its other hand on her neck and pulling Eliza toward it. She fell.
Deem turned when she lost Eliza’s grasp, and saw Eliza dragged to the ground by the corpse. She raised her hatchet and sliced into the corpse’s head. Its arms grasped for Eliza. One had a handful of her shirt, and the other was scratching at Eliza’s neck. Deem swung at the arms, severing them. The one around Eliza’s neck released and fell to the ground, but the one attached to Eliza’s back maintained its grip.
Other corpses were now converging on them. “We’ve got to go!” Deem said, dragging Eliza to her feet and bolting for the hidden entrance. They passed through it together and found Steven on the other side, waiting. The arm was still attached to Eliza’s shirt, and Deem pulled the fingers of the corpse one by one until it released its grip – then she threw the arm back through the opening.
Roy and Winn had seen how close it had been for Eliza. Roy turned to look at the Callers behind them. They were close.
“We both go now,” Roy said, looking at Winn, who nodded back.
Winn bolted, and Roy followed. Winn chose a course that appeared to be open. As Roy passed a body lying still on the ground, it reached out for his feet and Roy fell. He felt the hands of the corpse grabbing at his legs, pulling itself up along his body. He kicked at the corpse as hard as he could. His leg went completely through the corpse’s midsection.
Horrified, Roy looked at the corpse impaled on his leg, facing him. He shook his leg but it didn’t dislodge. The corpse looked at him and moaned, reaching forward with its arms. Its hands landed on Roy’s thigh. They tugged into the cloth of his pants and pulled, sliding its body along his leg past the knee. It reached forward again and grabbed Roy’s shirt at his waist, and pulled. It slid the rest of the length of Roy’s leg, stopping at his torso. Then it leaned forward, bringing its face toward Roy’s.
Roy raised his other leg and kicked at the corpse. His foot connected with the corpse’s head, and kept it from lowering any further, but he wasn’t able to push hard enough to slide the corpse back off his other leg. The corpse reached up with its hands, trying to push Roy’s leg away.
Winn thought Roy was behind him, but as
he reached the hidden entrance he realized Roy wasn’t there. He turned and saw Roy fifteen feet back, lying on the ground, trying to free himself. He looked past Roy and saw that the Callers were coming, and would descend upon Roy in seconds.
Winn ran back to Roy. He grabbed the corpse from behind and pulled. It slid off Roy’s leg, leaving a trail of gore. Once it was clear of Roy, he flung the corpse through the air, sending it sailing.
A Caller grabbed at Winn’s back, wrapping its hands around his neck from behind. Winn raised his hands to try and stop the Caller, but he couldn’t turn around and he couldn’t get a grip on the fingers to loosen the Caller’s hold. Roy got to his feet and pulled his hunting knife from behind him. He walked forward to Winn, knife drawn, and sunk the knife into the Caller’s skull. The Caller fell, and they both ran for the hidden entrance.
When Winn and Roy emerged, Winn yelled, “Come on! They’re right behind us!”
The group ran from the entrance, stopping to turn and look before entering the narrow passageway. Nothing emerged from the hidden entrance behind them.
“They’re not coming,” Winn said.
“Why not?” Steven asked.
“That hidden entrance’s purpose has been reversed by Ira’s curse,” Eliza said. “It was placed there to keep people out, now it’s keeping people in. Either they don’t know there’s an entrance there, or they can’t detect it. They’re trapped.”
“I assume that’s why the Callers resurrected?” Steven said. “The opposite of the reason for burying them there?”
“That’s consistent with the curse,” Eliza said.
“Same with the dead bodies in the pile,” Deem said.
“I’ve changed my mind about involving the cops with this,” Steven said. “That area needs to stay hidden. Anyone who goes in there is risking their life, the cops included.”
“Come on, I want to get out of this cave,” Winn said, heading towards the entrance. The group followed.
“What happened to you, Roy?” Eliza asked, seeing the gore on Roy’s pants.
“Corpse slid up my leg,” he said. “Winn saved me. I need a shower.”
Devil's Throat (The River Book 6) Page 15
