Now, it just made Timmy want to cry.
'Have you seen Doug down here? I can't leave without him.' The vines and roots around Deb' s wrists and ankles fell away. She still looked afraid. Trying to ease her fears, Timmy sat the pocketknife down and backed away from it, still crouched at eye level with the frightened woman.
'We haven't seen him,' Karen said. 'But why would he have been down here in the first place? Was he helping you?'
Before Timmy could respond, there was a rustling sound behind them. Deb screameda hoarse, wretched sound, like gargling with glass. She clawed at the dirt and stared over Timmy's shoulder. At the same time, Timmy became aware of a faint illumination spreading throughout the chamber. It wasn't much, but it was definitely noticeablea pale, flickering luminescence, much like the light cast by the slime. The foul stench that permeated the entire tunnel network suddenly became stronger. And then something hissed. It sounded like air rushing from a punctured tire. Karen shrieked. Deb pressed against the wall. The hairs on the back of Timmy' s neck prickled. He was afraid to turn around, afraid that if he did, he might pee his pants. But he did anyway, and came face to face with Doug.
His best friend's disembodied head swung back and forth like a pendulum, dangling from the ghoul's left hand. Its long, curved talons gripped Doug' s hair. The creature stood in the entranceway to the chamber, blocking their escape. It looked nothing like the monsters depicted in Timmy ' s comic books. Naked, its body was almost completely devoid of hair, except for between its legs and a few long strands along its body. It was thin, but its limbs were knotted with corded muscles and its stomach bulged considerably, as if it were pregnant.
Its white skin was covered in filth, and yet still shone with an eerie incandescence. It had yellow, baleful eyes, a pointed head, and thick black lips that resembled two pieces of raw liver. Its mouth and face were slicked with fresh blood. The ghoul ' s gray tongue flicked out and licked some away. Then it grinned, revealing pointed teeth. They looked very sharp.
'Are you looking for this, child?' Its voice was like sandpaper. Timmy couldn't speak.
The ghoul held Doug' s head aloft. 'A friend of yours, yes? He was succulent. A fine repast, indeed. The fat melted in my mouth. For too long I have fed on carrion. I wonder how you will taste.'
Timmy shouted at Karen to run, but even as he did, he realized there was nowhere to run to. His voice sounded very small and afraid. He couldn' t take his eyes off Doug 's head.
'You are trespassing in my home,' the ghoul said. 'Disturbing my mates, and threatening discord amongst my tribe. You should not have come here.' Growling, the ghoul flung Doug' s head at them and then leapt. Timmy flung his hands up in front of his face and dodged right. Karen jumped to the left. The head bounced off the wall, knocking soil loose, and then rolled across the floor. The ghoul followed behind it, landing in front of Deb. Teeth snapping, it whirled toward Timmy. With a frantic, shrill scream, Deb seized the pocketknife with both hands and plunged the blade into the creature' s groin. The ghoul shuddered, then howled. Its hands cradled its wounded testicles.
Blood spilled through its fingers. Timmy stared at it in horror, then glanced back down at Doug ' s head. His dead, sightless eyes seemed to be staring right at Timmy.
'Run!' Karen grabbed his arm and led him toward the exit. As they fled, Timmy glanced over his shoulder. Bellowing with pain and rage, the ghoul ripped the knife free. Still on her knees, Deb lashed out with her bare hands, striking at the creature. It struck back, knocking her to the floor with one swipe of its massive hand. Then it turned and faced them.
'I will kill you slowly, boy.'
Timmy ran.
The backhoe's front scoop gouged at the earth. The engine coughed, but kept running. Barry dropped the dirt to the side and then dug up another scoop full. A yawning crevice appeared beneath the soila tunnel, sloping downward at a sharp incline. He' d decided to use the front scoop rather than the back scoop to save time, and the results were worth it. Behind him, the cemetery looked like it had been infested with giant groundhogs. Holes and collapsed graves dotted the landscape. He drove on a few more yards, his progress slowed by weaving the big machine around the tombstones, and then started digging again.
Barry glanced at the sky and saw that it was getting brighter. The first true rays of sunlight crept over the horizon. But here on the ground, it was still dark. He tried to go faster. The backhoe ' s oversized tires ran overtop a small gravestone. He began digging again, dragging the scoop through the dirt, making trenches instead of holes. The back end lurched and Barry glanced around. The left rear tire had fallen into the earth. The dirt had collapsed beneath it, and Barry saw that he was sitting on top of a tunnel. Trying to maneuver away before the entire thing caved in, he gunned the engine. The motor thrummed.
When his father began shouting, Barry didn't hear him.
Timmy and Karen plunged through the darkness, running as fast as they could. The flashlight beam bounced off the walls and floor, jostled by the exertion. Timmy let Karen lead the way, but her captivity had left her weak, and she kept stumbling and slowing down. Timmy urged her on. Behind them, he heard the sounds of pursuit. The ghoul howled, sputtering curses and threats. Its feet pounded on the dirt floor. The tunnels echoed with its harsh, ragged breathing. Karen clambered over the splintered wood from a broken casket, and Timmy urged her to move faster. He cast a terrified glance over his shoulder and saw the ghoul narrowing the distance between them. It ran hunched over, one hand still cradling its wounded groin. It looked like a ghost, the phosphorescent slime glowing all around it as it neared them.
'Hurry.' Timmy pushed her legs.
'I'm trying.'
They cleared the barrier and kept running. Karen stumbled over a rock, but regained her balance. She gasped for air. Timmy was tiring as well. Despite days spent riding bikes and hiking through the woods, he was at the limits of his physical endurance. His lungs burned, and his leg muscles were beginning to cramp. A sharp pain jolted through his ribs. Clenching his teeth, he rubbed the sidestitch and tried to keep moving.
'Wife,' the ghoul screeched. 'Return to me, now. You cannot forsake me. My kind must live.'
Karen sobbed, but didn't look back. Behind them, they heard their pursuer crash into the pile of shattered timbers.
'Woman, I will not warn you again.'
Desperate to put more distance between themselves and the creature, Timmy and Karen pushed on while the ghoul clambered through the wreckage. They reached a crossroads, with side tunnels branching out in three different directions. Over the ghoul
's enraged shouts, Timmy heard a new soundthe muffled rumble of a diesel engine. It was the backhoe. It had to be. Sure enough, farther up the tunnel, dirt showered down from the surface. Confused by the falling debris, Karen weaved right and darted into one of the side tunnels.
'No,' Timmy shouted. 'That's the wrong way!' If she heard him, she gave no indication. She passed beyond the reach of his flashlight beam. He paused for just a moment, unsure of what to do. The ghoul growled, and then surged forward. It reached for him, talons clicking together. Timmy ran after Karen. Bones crunched under his feet. The tunnels began to shake. The first thing Clark Smeltzer was aware of was the noisea loud, steady rumble that made his head throb and his teeth ache. It thrummed through the very earth and cleaved the air around him. A machine, by the sound maybe a motor. The second thing he noticed was that the pain in his head was minor compared to the rest of him. Each breath brought fresh jabs of agony in his chest and sides. His face and throat felt like they ' d been burned. He tried to move and found he couldn 't. He' d been tied up with bungee cords. Clark took a few shallow breaths and then leaned forward, trying to loosen his bonds. His muscles screamed, and so did he. His voice was lost beneath the din of the machine. The bungee cords tightened, then went slack, tightened and slacked, as he slowly rocked back and forth. The rubber bands squeaked against the tombstone' s marble surface. Finally, they slipped down his body. He pulled his arms free and unfastened the cords. Clark squinted at his hands through crusted eyes, saw halfdried blood, and then touched his cheek. He shivered. The action brought more pain. His fingers came away red, fresh blood coating the already dried blood.
Fucked me up, he thought. Damn thing fucked me up good.
He shuddered. It was very cold. But that couldn't be right, could it? Coldin the middle of June? His teeth wouldn't stop chattering.
He forced his eyes open further. Only one of them obeyed. The other stayed shut. He turned his head slowly, seeking the source of the rumbling noise, and more pain ripped through him, causing his entire body to spasm. Clark clenched his hands into fists and forced his head to turn. His remaining good eye widened in surprise. Somehow,
