[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
. Meredith began Bonnie, and then she screamed, too. What is it? She s grabbing me! She can t be!She s grabbingme ! Nobody has arms that long! Or that strong! Bonnie!I can t make her let go! Neither can I! And then any words were drowned in screaming.After dropping Tami off with the police, driving Elena around the woods known as the Fell s State Parkwas& well, a walk in the park.Every so often they would stop.Elena would go a few steps into the treesand stand, Calling however you did that.Then she came back to the Jaguar, looking discouraged. I m not sure that Bonnie wouldn t be better at this, she said to Matt. If we can brace ourselves to goout at night. Matt shuddered involuntarily. Two nights were enough. Do you know, you never told me your story from that first night.Or at least, not when I couldunderstand words, spoken words. Well, I was driving around like this, except almost on the other side of the Old Wood near theLightning-Split Oak area& ? Page 122 Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html Right. When right in the middle of the road something appears. A fox? Well, it was red in the headlights, but it wasn t like any fox I ve ever seen.And I ve been driving thisroad since I could drive. A wolf? Like a werewolf, you mean? But, no I ve seen wolves by moonlight and they re bigger.This was rightin between. In other words, Elena said, narrowing her lapis lazuli eyes, a custom-made creature. Maybe.It sure was different from the malach that chewed my arm up. Elena nodded.Malach could take all sorts of different forms, from what she understood.But they weresiblings in one way: they all used Power and they all needed a diet of Power to live.And they could bemanipulated by a stronger Power than they had.And they were venomous enemies of humans. So all we really know is that we don t know anything. Right.That was the place back there, where we saw it.It just suddenly appeared in the middle of thehey! Go right! Righthere ! Just like that! It was just like that! The Jaguar screeched almost to a stop, turning right, not into a ditch but into a small lane that no onewould notice unless they were looking directly at it.When the car stopped, they both stared up the lane, breathing hard.Neither had to ask whether theother had seen a reddish creature zip across the road, bigger than a fox but smaller than a wolf.They looked up at the narrow lane. The million-dollar question: should we go in? Matt asked. NoKEEP OUT signs and hardly any houses on this side of the wood.Across the street and down away there s the Dunstans. So we go in? We go in.Just go slowly.It s later than I thought. Page 123 Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.htmlMeredith, of course, was the one to calm down first. Allright , Bonnie, she said. Stop it! Now! It snot going to do any good here! Bonnie didn t think shecould stop it.But Meredith had that special look in her dark eyes; the one thatmeant she was serious.The look she d had before laying Caroline out on Stefan s floor.Bonnie made a supreme effort and found that somehow she was able to hold in the next shriek.Shelooked dumbly at Meredith, feeling her own body shake. Good.Good, Bonnie.Now. Meredith swallowed. Pulling doesn t do any good, either.So I m goingto try& peeling her fingers off.If anything happens to me; if I get pulled under the bed or anything, thenyourun , Bonnie.And if you can t run, then you call Elena and Matt.You call until you get an answer. Bonnie managed something almost heroic then.She refused to picture Meredith being pulled under thebed.She wouldn t let herself imagine how that would look as Meredith, struggling, disappeared, or howshe would feel, all alone, after that.They d both left their purses with their mobile phones in the entrywayto carry Mrs.Forbes, so Meredith wasn t saying to call them in any normal sense.She meant Call them.A sudden radical burst of indignation swept through Bonnie.Why did girls carry purses anyway? Eventhe efficient, reliable Meredith often did it.Of course Meredith s purses were usually designer handbagsthat enhanced her outfits and were full of useful things like small notebooks and keychain flashlights, butstill& a boy would have his mobile phone in his pocket.From now on, I m wearing a waist pouch, Bonnie thought, feeling as if she were raising a rebel flag forgirls everywhere, and for just a moment also feeling her panic recede.Then she saw Meredith stooping, a hunched figure in the dim light, and at the same moment she felt thegrip on her own ankle tighten.Despite herself she glanced down, and saw the outline of Caroline stanned fingers and long bronze nails against the creamy white of the rug.Panic burst out in her again, full force.She made a choked sound that was a strangled scream, and toher own astonishment she spontaneously hit trance and began to Call.It wasn t the fact that she was Calling that surprised her.It was what she was saying.Damon! Damon! We re trapped at Caroline s house and she s gone crazy! Help!It flowed out of her like an underwater well that had been suddenly tapped, releasing a geyser.Damon, she s got me by the ankle and she won t let go! If she pulls Meredith under, I don t knowwhat I ll do! Help me!Vaguely, because the trance was good and deep, she heard Meredith say, Ah-hah! It feels like fingers,but actually it s a vine.It must be one of those tentacles that Matt told us about.I m trying to breakone of the loops off& All at once there was a rustling from under the bed.And not just from one place, either, but a massivewhipping and shaking that actually bounced the mattress up and down, even with poor little Mrs.Forbeson it.Page 124 Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.htmlThere must be dozens of those insects under there.Damon, it s thosethings! Lots of them.Oh, God, I think I m going to faint.And if I faint and if Carolinepulls me under& Oh, please come and help! Damn! Meredith was saying. I don t know how Matt managed to do this.It s too tight, and and Ithink there s more than one tentacle here
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]