'Wait,' Maria said.
'We're better able to deal with a threat,' Max said.
'You know, alien powers and all that,' Michael added.
'Liz, you and Maria will have our backs,' Max added. Liz nodded, and he knew she understood.
'Okay, we'll check out the top, make sure he doesn't get by us,' Max said.
The girls nodded as Max and Michael took the last few steps. Leaning down, they peered over the top of the hill, which was actually a peak of some sort. The hill on the other side looked steep.
'Careful, we don't know how far down it is,' Max warned.
'Max?' Liz whispered from behind them.
'Nothing yet,' Max said, getting up slowly as Michael did the same. He took a few steps forward, scanning the area for any sign of the figure. He took a few steps down the other side of the hill, when he felt Michael grab his arm. Then Michael pointed down the hill with one hand while he grabbed a tree with the other hand.
Max immediately saw what Michael was pointing to. This side of the hill was much steeper, more of a cliff than a hill, leading down to a good-sized stream at least a hundred yards down.
'What is it?' Maria said from behind them.
'Don't come up here, it's very steep,' Michael said.
'Yes, it's very dangerous,' a voice said from Max's right.
His head immediately pivoted to see the figure they had been chasing standing less than twenty yards from them. In the dim light, Max couldn't make out any of its features, especially with the hood partly covering his face. But it was a he… Max could tell that much from his voice.
'We want our friends, right now,' Max said, his voice firm.
'Max?' Liz called, as the girls came close enough to see the figure. Max waved his hand and they stopped, just on the other side of the hill's peak.
Then the figure took a few steps toward Max and Michael.
'We don't want any trouble,' Max said. 'We just want to take our friends and go.'
'You shouldn't have come,' the figure said.
'In a minute you're going to wish we hadn't,' Michael said. He was about to explode, Max realized. They couldn't afford that now, not until they had Isabel and Kyle safe. After that, all bets would be off.
The figure laughed, the sound high-pitched and unpleasant. Then it began to cough. When it was finished, it pulled back its hood to reveal its ruined face.
He's sick, Max thought. No, not sick, it looks like he's… dead. With his peripheral vision, Max saw Michael jump slightly at the sight and heard both Liz and Maria gasp. He felt a crawling revulsion himself. Was this person dead? Was he seeing a ghost? Or something worse?
'Hey, freak show,' Michael said. 'How about you tell us where our friends are and we don't hurt you.' The creature just stared at them. 'We're not impressed by your tricks or your scary mask. We're not afraid of you,' Michael continued, taking a step forward and raising his right hand.
The creature was silent for a moment and seemed to be sizing them up. 'Too bad,' it finally said. 'You should be.'
The creature raised its own hand, and Max felt something grab him, something he couldn't see. Then he was
stumbling forward, down the side of the hill. He heard Liz scream, and then he was flying through space.
Liz felt something touch her and shove her backward. Her arms went pinwheeling behind her, and she knew she was going down. Then Liz hit the ground and rolled to a stop, her face pressing down in the wet leaves and mud. Turning her head, she saw Maria close by in the same position.
'Maria,' she said. Her friend immediately turned in her direction and nodded. She seemed okay. 'Michael!' she cried, starting to get up. Then something caught Maria's eye, and she looked forward and screamed. Liz pivoted her head and saw the creature heading toward them.
Liz thought that whatever it was, it looked too real to be a ghost… but it didn't look alive, either, since its gray flesh was literally falling off its face and hands. The hood and cape just made it look creepier. About five paces away, the creature stood, looming over them.
'What did you do to Michael?' Maria said. Liz was surprised to hear anger in her voice, not fear. Liz felt the same thing. She saw Maria starting to get up, and did the same.
'Don't worry, you will be joining him soon,' the figure said.
There was a flash of movement, and a rock hit the creature on the forehead with a thud, then dropped to the ground. It was immediately followed by a good-sized piece of the creature's forehead.
The creature howled, and its hand immediately went to its head. Liz grabbed for a stick, took two steps forward, and swung at the creature. It turned at the last instant and tried to duck, but it was too late.
The stick struck it in the side of the head, bouncing up
and off the skull and… Liz noted… taking a chunk of hair and scalp with it. The creature fell onto its back and gave another howl of surprise and fear. Liz didn't hesitate; she turned and grabbed Maria's hand. 'Come on,' she said, pulling her friend away from the creature and toward the house.
'What about Michael and Max?' Maria said, resisting.
'I think they're okay,' Liz said. She was nearly sure of it. Once before, when Max had died, she had felt that event as certainly as she would had it happened to her. Now, she thought Max was all right. He was probably hurt after his tumble down the hill, but he was alive.
She saw the dazed figure behind them start to struggle to get up. 'Come on, we need to lead it away from the guys.'
They ran down the hill. Liz turned around only once to make sure the creature was behind them. He was, and she was glad to see that he was moving slowly. They had hurt him.
What kind of ghost gets hurt when you hit him in the head? Liz wondered. It didn't make sense, but there was no time to think about it. She and Maria were on the open ground and sprinting for the house. She didn't have a plan, except to give Max and Michael time to get their bearings. If they were hurt, Max could heal them. Then they could come and deal with the creature and find Isabel and Kyle.
As they reached the back of the house, Liz spared another glance behind her. The creature was following, more quickly than before. They had less than half a minute's lead now. Liz considered heading around the house and leading the creature away entirely, but she
didn't like the way he was gaining. She felt their best chance lay inside. There, they could move around and try to hide in one of the mansion's many rooms. The creature would waste valuable time looking for them… time that Max and Michael could use.
So when she hit the back door, she flung it open and pulled Maria inside. Then she turned an ancient deadbolt to lock the door, and the two girls headed for the kitchen. They stopped for a moment to catch their breath, and Liz realized the house was deathly quiet.
'What's the plan?' Maria asked. Her friend was scared, but Maria was keeping it together. She had come a long way since the day Liz had first told her the truth about Max, Isabel, and Michael. That made sense, because Liz had come a long way too.
'We stay away from him,' Liz said.
'What, like hide?' Maria said.
'We need to buy the guys time,' Liz said.
Liz could see fear on her friend's face, but this wasn't fear for herself… it was for Michael. And this fear didn't make Maria weaker, it made her stronger. Liz could see that in Maria's eyes, along with the worry.
'I really think they're okay,' Liz said, praying she was right. 'Come on, we'll hide upstairs. It's too open down here. We only have to give the guys a few minutes. If that thing searches the house for us, it will take a while. And if he comes upstairs, we'll run down the opposite stairway.'
'You call that a plan? Run and hide?' Maria said.
'Best I could do on short notice,' Liz said.
'Okay, but this way, I want to get something.' Liz nodded and followed Maria through the house. When they
reached the fireplace, Maria went to the small rack nearby and picked up an iron poker. She handed it to Liz.
