six-inch stuffed black bear
called TR. He must have been there since last Friday night when she
had baby-sat for Little Katie. He was one of the girl's favorite
toys.
She pulled the bear
out and stuffed him into Little Katie's hands. The child took him
eagerly. She immediately began sucking on the bear's ear. He was as
good as a bottle to the toddler. That way Katie kept herself occupied
while Bianca tried to make her way through the morass of tombstones
and underbrush.
Most of the graves
dated back centuries. Tombstones had fallen over and were lying flat
on the ground, crumbled into bits. Others had partially collapsed and
stood as sharp, jagged ruins to snag the clothes of the unwary. Still
others lay flat on the ground, half sunken into the earth. Their
surfaces were slick with the night mists. Bianca slipped and nearly
fell when she skidded over them.
The child was lying
in her arms, calmly sucking on her toy. The two-year-old trusted
Bianca to get her safely back to her crib. Bianca couldn't give up
for Little Katie's sake. She couldn't give up though she wandered
until daybreak, not even if the darkness made her lose her mind with
fear.
A white mist hung
around the back fence of the cemetery. Her subdivision was on the
other side. She had only to crawl over the fence then she'd be in
somebody's backyard. Once she found one backyard, she could find
others. The Shipleys had the biggest backyard, the one closest to the
cemetery. Their house was probably located just on the other side of
that fence.
Bianca stumbled and
fell. She rolled over a bulging live oak tree root and nearly tumbled
into a gaping black hole in the ground.
What on earth could
that be? It was far too deep to be a hole dug by a squirrel or a dog.
It was too geometric to be a hole left by the roots of a tree that
had been pulled up from the ground after falling over during a
violent thunderstorm or hurricane.
She drew back from
the edge. This had to be a hole dug for a grave for an upcoming
funeral. She'd almost fallen headfirst into it. She could have
broken her neck and gotten killed.
Bianca peered down
into it as mists floated over the top, sometimes revealing its
blackness, sometimes concealing it. There was a quality to its
blackness that was darker than anything she'd seen — darker than
midnight, darker than a room with no light, darker than fear itself.
Cold beads of sweat
formed on Bianca's forehead. She shook. She couldn't make her
arms and legs obey her. She couldn't run away. She couldn't move.
"Help me!" Bianca
pleaded. "Somebody help me!" Tears rolled down her cheeks. "If
only I could see! If only there was a light somewhere!"
Maybe Doc was right.
Maybe her case was getting more serious.
Katie started to
fuss. The toddler sensed that something was wrong.
Bianca heard
footsteps approaching.
"Harry?" She
asked hopefully, spinning around.
A big, lumbering form
lunged at her out of the darkness. "Where in the hell did you go,
bitch? Trying to give me a run for my money, huh?"
She screamed and
tried to escape, but he leaped on her first. She couldn't get away.
"What — what have
you done to Harry?" Bianca gasped.
"Let's just say
that he won't bother us any more tonight." Mike pinned Bianca
down on all fours.
Little Katie rolled
out of Bianca's arms. The child sat there, fussing a little but
mostly sucking on her bear.
"I took what I
needed out of his wallet. He owes it to me. After all, he's got a
job and gets paid. I don't." Mike flashed some cash as he sat on
top of her and stuffed it back into his pocket again.
"But — but you
didn't hurt him, did you?" Bianca pleaded. "You know, he
doesn't have a job any more. He got fired tonight. The manager told
him to turn in his uniform."
"I didn't hurt
Harry as much as I'm going to hurt you and that bratty baby if you
keep on yapping about him!" Mike growled. "You've already
caused me enough trouble snitching to the police so they're hot on
my trail." He reached into her pocket
called TR. He must have been there since last Friday night when she
had baby-sat for Little Katie. He was one of the girl's favorite
toys.
She pulled the bear
out and stuffed him into Little Katie's hands. The child took him
eagerly. She immediately began sucking on the bear's ear. He was as
good as a bottle to the toddler. That way Katie kept herself occupied
while Bianca tried to make her way through the morass of tombstones
and underbrush.
Most of the graves
dated back centuries. Tombstones had fallen over and were lying flat
on the ground, crumbled into bits. Others had partially collapsed and
stood as sharp, jagged ruins to snag the clothes of the unwary. Still
others lay flat on the ground, half sunken into the earth. Their
surfaces were slick with the night mists. Bianca slipped and nearly
fell when she skidded over them.
The child was lying
in her arms, calmly sucking on her toy. The two-year-old trusted
Bianca to get her safely back to her crib. Bianca couldn't give up
for Little Katie's sake. She couldn't give up though she wandered
until daybreak, not even if the darkness made her lose her mind with
fear.
A white mist hung
around the back fence of the cemetery. Her subdivision was on the
other side. She had only to crawl over the fence then she'd be in
somebody's backyard. Once she found one backyard, she could find
others. The Shipleys had the biggest backyard, the one closest to the
cemetery. Their house was probably located just on the other side of
that fence.
Bianca stumbled and
fell. She rolled over a bulging live oak tree root and nearly tumbled
into a gaping black hole in the ground.
What on earth could
that be? It was far too deep to be a hole dug by a squirrel or a dog.
It was too geometric to be a hole left by the roots of a tree that
had been pulled up from the ground after falling over during a
violent thunderstorm or hurricane.
She drew back from
the edge. This had to be a hole dug for a grave for an upcoming
funeral. She'd almost fallen headfirst into it. She could have
broken her neck and gotten killed.
Bianca peered down
into it as mists floated over the top, sometimes revealing its
blackness, sometimes concealing it. There was a quality to its
blackness that was darker than anything she'd seen — darker than
midnight, darker than a room with no light, darker than fear itself.
Cold beads of sweat
formed on Bianca's forehead. She shook. She couldn't make her
arms and legs obey her. She couldn't run away. She couldn't move.
"Help me!" Bianca
pleaded. "Somebody help me!" Tears rolled down her cheeks. "If
only I could see! If only there was a light somewhere!"
Maybe Doc was right.
Maybe her case was getting more serious.
Katie started to
fuss. The toddler sensed that something was wrong.
Bianca heard
footsteps approaching.
"Harry?" She
asked hopefully, spinning around.
A big, lumbering form
lunged at her out of the darkness. "Where in the hell did you go,
bitch? Trying to give me a run for my money, huh?"
She screamed and
tried to escape, but he leaped on her first. She couldn't get away.
"What — what have
you done to Harry?" Bianca gasped.
"Let's just say
that he won't bother us any more tonight." Mike pinned Bianca
down on all fours.
Little Katie rolled
out of Bianca's arms. The child sat there, fussing a little but
mostly sucking on her bear.
"I took what I
needed out of his wallet. He owes it to me. After all, he's got a
job and gets paid. I don't." Mike flashed some cash as he sat on
top of her and stuffed it back into his pocket again.
"But — but you
didn't hurt him, did you?" Bianca pleaded. "You know, he
doesn't have a job any more. He got fired tonight. The manager told
him to turn in his uniform."
"I didn't hurt
Harry as much as I'm going to hurt you and that bratty baby if you
keep on yapping about him!" Mike growled. "You've already
caused me enough trouble snitching to the police so they're hot on
my trail." He reached into her pocket
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