Part 47

Fenton's pronouncement brought a spasm of rebellion from Angela. Her shriek ended when Lowell Vern shook her hard enough to quiet her down. At his feet, the boy moaned.

"Get up!" David shouted at the boy.

"Didja hear that?" said Vern.

Startled, David stepped back and looked for a place to hide.

"Ya hear what Fenton said?" Lowell continued. "Another one dead. And this girl here soon ta follow. All your fault, boy. All your fault."

The boy's moan became a sigh. His fingers moved, clutching uselessly at the straw.

"How does it feel ta have all this blood on yer hands, eh boy? All these bodies with yer name on 'em? I guess the one good thing is... you won't be bothered by it for long. After tonight, nobody'll even remember them. Or you. Fenton! Catch!"

Lowell shoved the girl in Fenton's direction and grabbed the boy's wrists. He dragged the barely conscious child toward the open barn door.

Suddenly, the shapes that had seemed so real for the past few minutes began to fade. Darkness seeped into the barn as the spirits lost their solidity.

"Wait!" David shouted after them. He followed them to the front of the barn. "This can't be the end!"

"You have what you need."

The boy's eyes were open and fixed on David. He spoke calmly, as if he weren't being dragged through the dirt to his own death. The ghost had spoken directly to him again.

"But I don't have the name!"

"Then it's too late."

"I need the OTHER name! Thule said I need the name of-"

"Your friend is dead," the ghost-boy said flatly. "And soon you will be, too."

"That's a LIE!"

The ghost closed its eyes and gave one final moan as Lowell Vern dragged him out of the barn. Fenton followed a few steps behind.

Each figure vanished as it crossed the threshold. David's watched Lowell and the boy disappear first. Then Fenton Barney and Angela. David paused, then moved to follow them, hoping they would re-appear when he was outside.

But just as Fenton's back blinked out of view, another shape surged forward to replace it.

Lowell Vern towered over David, glaring down at him. Lowell stepped into the barn, forcing David back.

"What the hell are you doing in here, boy?"

David was confused for a moment before realizing that this was the REAL Lowell Vern, not a ghost. His father had found him.

"I-"

"Who are you talking to!" Lowell demanded. "I HEARD YOU TALKING! WHO ELSE IS IN HERE!"

"N-N-Nobody!" David squeaked as he backed away.

"Maybe he was talking to those ghosts." Oscar Bartleby's larger form loomed behind Lowell Vern. "But they're gone now."

"Who else! WHO helped you!"

"Nobody, I swear!" David answered without thinking.

"LIAR! We killed your friend with the magic, already!"

Shocked, David stopped backing away.

"You... you killed him?"

"Dead. Who else, eh? Who else is gonna die because of you? And WHERE are they?"

"I don't see anybody," said Oscar. "But it's dark in here."

Lowell grabbed David's shoulders and shook him violently.

"WHO ELSE!"

"NOBODY, NOBODY I SWEAR!"

"YOU SWORE TO A LIE ALREADY, BOY!"

"LEMME GO! LEMME GO!" David tried to pull away. "HELLLLLP!"

Lowell released him suddenly. Just as David stumbled backward, Lowell backhanded him.

The barn spun, and David was on the ground before he realized he was falling.

Rough hands seized him and hauled him up. The barn spun again, and David found himself slung over his father's shoulder.

"Looks like I was right again," Lowell spat.

Oscar nodded, but eyed the dark corners of the barn.

"Come on. Let's go get the other two before something ELSE goes wrong."