Part 16 (2/2)
”Yes,” Dez agreed, ”but I'm scared of it for a different reason than you are. Like everyone else, you've been scared of the darkness since you were a baby. But you don't know why. Not really. I do. I'm scared of the dark because I know what it is. That's why I wrote the words. I used up twelve whole cans of salt, too. It doesn't like salt.”
He pointed at the symbol in the dirt.
”You made those?” Russ grunted. ”Did you spray paint the ones out on the highway, too?”
I started to speak but then remembered that Russ hadn't overheard Dez tell me that earlier. He'd been farther ahead with the rest of the group.
Dez nodded. ”And behind the gas station and up on the hill above the high school. Four of them. That kept it out. Then I put little ones between them, at different places. I used a lot of salt.”
”You didn't happen to take all the shaving cream, too, did you?” Cranston asked.
Dez frowned. ”No. That's just silly.”
”So,” Clevon said, ”why did you do this again?”
”Because,” Dez answered impatiently, ”when the lines connect, they form a barrier. It keeps the dark out.”
”It keeps the dark out,” I repeated. ”But does it keep us in? Can we go out?”
”Sure. But you'll die if you do.”
”Why? What's out there, Dez? Do you know?”
”The dark.”
”Yes, but I mean in in the dark. What's in it?” the dark. What's in it?”
”There's nothing in it. It's just the darkness. That's enough. That's always been enough. The things we fear spring from the darkness. It gives birth to them. It knows what we're afraid of and what we want most in life, and it makes us see those things. It is the oldest and most powerful of the Thirteen. It is He Who Shall Not Be Named.”
”Listen,” Russ said. ”Either start making sense or shut the h.e.l.l up.”
”There's no need to speak to him like that,” Olivia protested. ”Can't you see he needs our help?”
Ignoring her, Russ continued. ”If you want to help us, Dez, then you can hold the end of the rope and pull us back out if something happens. How's that sound?”
Dez glanced down at the rope around our waists, then out into the black void, and then at each of us. He seemed to be studying our faces. He shuffled closer, knelt, and patted the dogs. All three of them seemed to like him. They whined softly and licked his face. Their tails, though still cowed, wagged.
”Okay,” Dez agreed. ”I will help.”
And then we were unlucky thirteen again.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
”Drew and Clay should go first,” Cranston pointed out. ”After all, they've got the dogs, and we said we wanted the dogs to lead us, right?”
”The dogs won't enter,” Dez said. ”The dark has already tried showing them its visions. It wants them to come in, just like us. But they're too afraid.”
”Bulls.h.i.+t.” Clay spat tobacco juice and scratched his black-and-tan behind the ears. ”Steakhouse ain't never run from anything in his life.”
Olivia frowned. ”You named your dog Steakhouse?”
”Sure did. It's his favorite thing in the world. Mine too. Ain't been to a steak-house yet that I wouldn't eat at.”
”He'll run away,” Dez said. ”You'll see.”
Ignoring him, I turned to Drew and Clay. ”You guys okay with this? If not, we need to know now.”
”I'm fine with it,” Drew said. ”I've never been afraid of the dark, not even as a little kid. I don't see any reason to start now. Right, Clay?”
Swallowing hard, Clay nodded.
”I'll take one of the walkie-talkies with me,” Drew said. ”We'll give the other one to whoever's on the end.”
”What order are the rest of us going in?” I asked the group.
”How about the order we're already tied in,” Olivia suggested. ”That would be a lot easier than untying everyone again and rearranging ourselves.”
”True that,” Mad Mike said.
”Sorry,” I apologized. ”I wasn't thinking. Just nervous, I guess.”
”I think we all are,” Russ said. ”The sooner we get it over with, the sooner we can go home.”
Drew handed the other walkie-talkie to Cranston. They turned both units on and made sure they were working.
”Testing, testing, one, two, three.” Cranston grinned, then continued. ”Breaker one-nine...”
”Stop it,” Russ told him. ”You'll run the battery down.”
”Dez,” I said, ”you stay on the end and pull us out if we need you to.”
He nodded but didn't respond. His eyes seemed sad and frightened.
”You better recognize,” T told him. ”Don't leave our a.s.ses hanging out there, yo. Know what I'm saying?”
Dez nodded again and stared at the ground. ”I think so.”
”Well, that makes one of us,” Russ said.
With that, we turned toward the darkness. Drew and Clay prodded the dogs forward. Clay held Steakhouse's lead, and Drew held the leashes of the two beagles. Tails between their legs, the dogs lowered their noses to the ground and skulked toward the blackness. They made it past Dez's symbol and sniffed. Steakhouse snorted as if he'd inhaled pepper. Then, as one, they locked their haunches, lowered their heads, and whined. One of the bea gles cast a mournful glance back at Drew.
”Go on,” he urged. ”Get up after that rabbit. Mind me, now! Go.”
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