Chapter 9

The 20 minute ride to the hospital was long and silent. Luke and Marie held hands in the back of Aunt Sassy's minivan as the flashing lights of the ambulance they followed cast eery shadows on their faces.

 

They rushed through the hospital emergency doors and met Shell and Marie's parents, and Uncle Ed, who'd ridden in the ambulance with Fisher. He wrapped his arms around Aunt Sassy and she buried her face in his flannel shirt.

 

The fluorescent lights hummed and flickered. Uncle Ed dropped a quarter into the coffee machine coin slot and punched a button. He handed the cup of watery hot cocoa to Marie and fished for another quarter for Luke.

 

"I just can't believe this is happening again," Aunt Sassy said weakly, stirring powdered creamer into her coffee.

 

"Again? What do you mean?" Luke asked taking his cocoa from Ed's hands. Ed and Sassy looked at each other.

 

"They need to know, Sassy," Ed whispered. Aunt Sassy nodded and motioned the kids over to the little round table where she sat. They pulled up chairs and sat down.

 

"When we were young, your Uncle Ed and I," she started, "and your dad, Luke... and your parents too, Marie... the legends of Uncle Al had already been around for a long time. Kids used to sneak into those woods to get spooked, and we all thought that's all it was. Just stories."

 

"There was one summer, though," Ed interrupted. "I remember it was so hot that summer. Record temperatures." He sipped his coffee and continued. "I was 15. A boy a few years younger than me went into the woods alone for a night on a dare. The next day when he didn't come home the whole town went looking for him. They found him in the middle of that old stone foundation. He was burnt up. There was no saving him."

 

"The state police investigated, even the FBI got involved. It was on the national news and everything," Sassy said. "They didn't find so much as one clue what had happened."

 

A nurse in purple blue scrubs appeared in the doorway. "Fisher is stable now," she said with a smile. The family breathed a sigh of relief. "Follow me."

 

"Mom!" whimpered Fisher. Sassy ran to him and gently kissed his head, the one thing not blistered or covered in bandages.

 

"He's got some pretty serious burns. We'll have to keep him for at least a few days to monitor the healing and make sure there is no infection," the nurse said, her hand on Ed's shoulder. Ed nodded.

 

"You kids ok," he asked Danny and Shell, who were perched on the edge of the other bed. They nodded.

 

"Just some minor scrapes and burns," Danny said.

 

Shell and Marie's parents entered and the girls ran to them.

 

"How did this happen?" Shell and Marie's mother, Francine, asked.

 

Ed looked at the kids and back at Francine and her husband. "Maybe we should talk in the hall. Just the adults," he answered.

 

The four adults exited the room, partially closing the door behind them. The children huddled near the door to eavesdrop.

 

"...No, it can't be..."

 

"...But we banished this thing years ago..."

 

"...He's back... somehow, he's back..."

 

Luke stepped out into the hall. "WHO is back? What is going on?" he demanded.