“So much for all that sacramental mumbo jumbo then?” Steve asked. “They saved themselves?”
“Once they were absolved,” Father Chuck said.
“Just face it, Father,” Steve said. “You don’t know what happened to them. Any more than the rest of us do.”
“They got out,” Linda insisted. “They’re free. And that means we can get out too.”
“So all we’ve got to do is contrive ways to sacrifice ourselves,” Steve laughed. “How do you go about deliberately putting yourself in a situation like that?”
“Good question,” Gary said. “But while we’re waiting for the answer-what should we do in the meantime?”
“Try and head north again,” Max replied.
“After all this, head
“Can’t go south,” Max said. “We can’t stay put. Not when they’ve found such a nifty place to drown folks
“There might be a place-” Steve paused. “Of course, the guns might not be working.”
“Where?”
“Not far. Just south of the Mobley Canal. My parent’s old summer home.”
Sally gasped. “Steve, you’re crazy! We can’t-”
“Sure we can, honey,” Steve answered. “A lot of time’s passed.”
“But what if-”
“Look. I’m sure any… bad memories we left there have long since gone away.”
She fell silent.
“My parents sold the house to this NRA-type from North Jersey,” Steve told the others. “We had dinner over there once after Ginger died. Big gun rack down the basement. He used to come down from Scotch Plains on summer weekends. Real paranoid.”
“What kind of guns?” Max asked.
“All kinds. And ammo.”
Max looked at him suspiciously. “Why didn’t you tell us about this before?”
Steve shrugged. “Just forgot, I guess. We weren’t real close to the guy.”
Max turned to Sally. “Why don’t you want to go back there?” he asked.
“It’s nothing,” she said, looking away.
“It’s personal,” Steve said. “You know about personal, Max? They teach you about that in the Corps?”
“Are we going to stay here all day?” Gary asked. “We’ll get mighty cold.”
“I was thinking we might go up into the pavilion,” Max said.
“Look,” Steve said, “why don’t we just head off to that house now? We could stay under the boardwalk just about all the way. The house is only half a block from the beach. We could be there in forty-five minutes.”
“Let’s do it, Max,” Linda said, shivering.
Max looked suspiciously at Steve, but nodded.
The journey under the boards was uneventful. Walking where they had the headroom, going on all fours where the sand was high, they made their way north, stopping finally where Murchison Street abutted on the walk. The street was empty, flanked by rows of splendid old houses, which had been the style before the bungalows began to go up.
“It’s that tan one,” Steve said. “Three down on the left.”
They waited a few minutes, watching and listening, then slipped from under the boardwalk to make their way through the backyards of the homes on the left.
“Hope he didn’t change the locks,” he said as they came up behind the house. Producing a keyring, he had the cellar door open in moments. Wooden steps led downward, but Steve remained at the top with Sally as the others descended…Gary heard them whispering. What on earth was the problem?
Gary looked around. The basement was spacious and well furnished. Steel posts supported the ceiling, rising up out of a carpeted floor. Rippled glass-block windows admitted the ruddy sunlight.
The gun-rack was on the far side of the cellar, between a bookcase and what Gary guessed was the door of a utility room.
Steve finally managed to get Sally down the steps, but she balked after that, pointing to the utility-room door.
“It’s still closed,” she said. “Steve…”
“Yeah,” he answered in a flat voice. “I see it.”
“Would you mind telling me what’s going on with you two?” Max demanded.
“Don’t worry about it,” Steve answered.
“What’s behind that door?” Max asked.
“Nothing.”
Max took the rifle from Gary. “You mind if I look for myself?”
Steve shook his head, but Gary could see he was agitated. Sally whispered something in Steve’s ear as Max headed for the door.
“Maybe it just swung shut by itself,” Steve said.
Max put an ear up against the door. He listened for a few moments, then looked back at Steve.
“If there’s something in there I should know about,” he said, “You’d better tell me now. Because I’m going to get real pissed if something happens.”
Sally opened her mouth, but closed it again after a glare from Steve.
“Actually, now that I think of it,” Max said, stepping back, “Why don’t
Steve shrugged. Crossing the room, he smiled at Max.
Max smiled back, thinly. “I’ll cover you.”
All in one quick motion, Steve turned the knob and tossed the door open. After a moment’s hesitation, he went inside and laughed. Max went in beside him.
“What did I tell you?” Steve asked.
Max came back out. “Nothing,” he told the others. “Water-heater, gas-furnace.”
Steve reappeared, shut the door behind him.
“Let’s get some guns,” he said quickly, as if to preclude any further discussion about the utility-room.
They went to the rack, broke the glass with an ashtray. The actions on most of the weapons proved frozen. But that still left a Mossberg 590 shotgun, a Marlin lever action rifle, and three automatic pistols, all copies of Colt.45’s put out by various lesser-known arms companies.
“Guy really liked Colt autos, huh?” Max said.
Steve took one; so did Father Chuck and Sally.
“Sally…” Steve groaned as his wife grabbed her pistol.
“I’m not taking it from someone else,” she answered hotly.
Gary got the shotgun, Linda the rifle. Max used his machete to pry open the rack’s drawers, and found all the ammo they needed.
And all the while, Gary noticed, Steve and Sally kept glancing toward the utility room door. Gary started shoving cartridges into his shotgun.
“You
“I’ll stick with the H and K for a while,” Max answered. “I’m sick of tangling with ‘em so close up. Think I’ll just stand off and kneecap them.” Gary had already given him the remaining magazines.
“Suit yourself,” Gary said. The Mossberg’s magazine took nine shells. Chambering a tenth, he looked at Sally, who seemed more jittery than ever.
“I think I’ll go wait on the steps,” she announced, and started for the back door.
“The
