به خانه ارواح خوش آمديد فصل شانزدهم

chapter 16

“Get up, Josh,” I said, my voice a choked whisper. “We’ve got to get away from here.”

But we were too late.

A hand grabbed me firmly by the shoulder.

I spun around to see Mr. Dawes, his eyes narrowing as he read the inscription on his own gravestone.

“Mr. Dawes - you, too!” I cried, so disappointed, so confused, so scared.

“Me, too,” he said, almost sadly. “All of us.” His eyes burned into mine. “This was a normal town once. And we were normal people. Most of us worked in the plastics factory on the outskirts of town. Then there was an accident. Something escaped from the factory. A yellow gas. It floated over the town. So fast we didn’t see it didn’t realize. And then, it was too late, and Dark Falls wasn’t a normal town anymore. We were all dead, Amanda. Dead and buried. But we couldn’t rest. We couldn’t sleep. Dark Falls was a town of living dead.”

“What - what are you going to do to us?” I managed to ask. My knees were trembling so hard, I could barely stand. A dead man was squeezing my shoulder. A dead man was staring hard into my eyes.

Standing this close, I could smell his sour breath. I turned my head, but the smell already choked my nostrils.

“Where are Mom and Dad?” Josh asked, climbing to his feet and standing rigidly across from us, glaring accusingly at Mr. Dawes.

“Safe and sound,” Mr. Dawes said with a faint smile. “Come with me. It’s time for you to join them.”

I tried to pull away from him, but his hand was locked on my shoulder. “Let go!” I shouted.

His smile grew wider. “Amanda, it doesn’t hurt to die,” he said softly, almost soothingly. “Come with me.”

“No!” Josh shouted. And with sudden quickness, he dived to the ground and picked up his flashlight.

“Yes!” I cried. “Shine it on him, Josh!” The light could save us. The light could defeat Mr. Dawes, as it had Ray. The light could destroy him. “Quick - shine it on him!” I pleaded.

Josh fumbled with the flashlight, then pointed it toward Mr. Dawes’ startled face, and clicked it on.

Nothing.

No light.

“It - it’s broken,” Josh said. “I guess when it hit the gravestone .”

My heart pounding, I looked back at Mr. Dawes. The smile on his face was a smile of victory.