Part 31 (2/2)
”But ... you were with him, right?”
Krissi nodded. She looked straight ahead, searching the road.
”I just don't remember. The Ascension Lady says with that type of memory lapse, I'm probably repressing something.”
”I'm sorry, what?”
Philip explained, ”There are about ten hours of time that neither Krissi nor I can account for. One minute it was 8:20 at night, the next minute it was 6:30 in the morning.”
”So how do you know you weren't dreaming?” Philip tried to smile. ”What I saw last night - the lights, the field, the burning trees - it was no dream.” Ryan frowned. ”How can you be so sure?” He turned to Krissi. ”And you don't remember any of it?”
”Not yet,” Krissi said. ”But I talked to the Ascension Lady, and she's going to hypnotize me and help me remember all the forgotten stuff.”
Ryan and Becka exchanged uneasy glances. They remembered all too well what had happened when Becka had been hypnotized ... and the way she'd almost been killed because of it.
Becka leaned forward. She had promised herself not to talk during the trip, and definitely not to preach, but this was important. ”Krissi?”
The girl turned, giving her half an ear.
”Hypnotism is kind of tricky. Are you sure that's something you want to go through with?”
Krissi's expression hardened. ”Please - ” But before she could continue, Philip hit the brakes and brought the Jeep to a sliding stop. ”What in the world?”
”What's wrong?” Ryan asked.
”Up ahead ... lying in the road.”
Ryan and Becka craned their necks to see what looked like a cow.
”Is it dead?” Krissi asked.
”Looks like.” Philip opened his door and stepped out.
Krissi followed. ”See, I told you I saw a cow.” Ryan and Becka traded looks and climbed out after them.
”What's a cow doing all the way out here?” Ryan asked.
”That was my question,” Philip said as he and Krissi continued in the lead. ”In fact, that's exactly what I asked Krissi just before I saw the lights.” They arrived at the cow and came to a stop. ”Will you look at that.” Ryan and Becka approached as Philip kneeled down to examine the carca.s.s. ”It's been gutted.”
”What?” Ryan asked.
”See for yourself.” Philip picked up a nearby stick and pushed a flap of skin aside. ”All of its organs, they've been removed.” The four stared in silence.
”And look at those incisions,” Ryan said, kneeling down to join him. He motioned to the cut sections in the hide. ”Look how clean they are.”
Philip nodded. ”They've been burned in, like with a laser or something.”
Becka tried her best to stay calm, but once again she could feel an icy chill grip her shoulders. She looked up, searching the woods, peering down the road. Something was there. She knew it.
”You think someone, like, butchered it?” Krissi asked. ”For the meat?”
”That's a possibility,” Philip said.
Ryan shook his head. ”I don't think so.”
”Why not?”
”There's no blood. Do you see any blood around?” The question brought Becka's attention back to the carca.s.s.
She searched the ground. Ryan was right. There wasn't a drop of blood to be found anywhere.
”Guys ...” It was Krissi. Her voice sounded very thin, very frightened. Becka saw she was trembling and looking down the road. ”I, uh, I don't ... I don't think we should go any farther. I don't think we should go in there at all.” The other three looked at Krissi, exchanged glances, then followed her gaze down the road.
Chapter 4.
BEAM ME UP, SCOTTY, BEAM ME UP! SQUAWK. BEAM.
ME UP!”
Scott reached over and stroked Cornelius with the eraser tip of his pencil. The parrot craned his neck this way and that, making sure Scott hit all the right spots.
Ah, ecstasy ...
It was 5:30 p.m. Friday night. Scott didn't have to be at Hubert's for the next campaign of Crypts and Wizards until 7:00. On his desk was a tablet of carefully planned characteristics for the new and improved Ttocs. It had taken him most of the afternoon to create this new character, and for the most part he was happy.
For the most part.
Still ... something was gnawing at him. He couldn't put his finger on it, but he was pretty sure it had something to do with the game. And with the way he had acted toward Bonnie Eagleman in geometry cla.s.s.
He reached over to flip on the computer. A moment later he was in the chat room. He was hoping to connect with Z, the mysterious figure who had taken him and Becka under his wing.
There seemed to be nothing Z didn't know - even in personal areas where he shouldn't know anything. That's what made him so interesting.
And, at times, so spooky.
Z didn't normally log on until 9:00 p.m., but from time to time he could be contacted earlier. Scott was hoping this would be one of those times. A moment later the screen came up, and he typed in his handle: This is New Kid. Z, are you there?
He waited. Finally the words formed: h.e.l.lo, New Kid. Are you enjoying the game?
Scott sucked in his breath. No matter how many times Z pulled stunts like that, it still gave him the w.i.l.l.i.e.s. He wanted to ask Z how he got his information, but he knew Z's response would be the same as always: silence.
Reluctantly, Scott plowed ahead with his next question: What do you know about role-playing games?
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