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  “Hell, no!” Bullfrog said. “But after what Carl done tole us what happened in town last night, it don’t seem to me there is any safe place in this county.”

  Before Jim could reply, Daly returned from answering a call on his tach frequency.

  “Skyline Drive through the county had been shut down. Orders of the governor. Unsafe driving conditions is the official word. Traffic on the other arteries running through the county has been diverted due to much-needed bridge repairs.”

  “So he’s sealin’ us in—is that it?”

  “In a nutshell. I’ve been expecting it, Jim. Hell, it’s what I’d do if I was in his shoes.”

  “Well, it’s a pretty damned cold-blooded thing for them to do!” Dee said.

  “That’s what the Federal Government did in Ruger,” Carl said. “Actually, it’s the only sensible thing for those in power to do. Five will get you ten the governor has been chatting back and forth with Washington.”

  “You don’t sound like it bothers you much, Carl.”

  He shrugged. “As a matter of fact, it’s a good thing for us. That means we can start terminating the coven members without having to worry about Federal agents looking over our shoulders.”

  “Terminating them?” Rodale said. “Exactly what does that mean, son?”

  “Just think of yourself as working for a pest-control company, Sheriff. The county has been infested with fleas. We’ve been hired to clean them out.”

  “Hired by whom?” Daly asked.

  Chris Speed walked over to Rodale’s unit and took a riot gun from off the rack mounted on the cage. He answered Daly’s question with a firmness to his voice. “God.”

  * * *

  Anya and Pet knew the attack against Carl Garrett had failed long before the survivors began trickling back into the safety of the timber. It had been mounted too soon anyway. Really, it made no difference whether they won any battles. If they were all destroyed, the movement would continue to grow. Just as surely as the demon babies were growing in the wombs of dozens of women all over the town. The seeds of Satan had been planted deep.

  And Janet was now safe, grabbed almost as soon as she had left the clinic and hidden deep in the timber and closely guarded. Of them all, the girl was the most important, for she, unknowingly, had been impregnated by the Master himself. That was why no real attack could have been launched as long as she was at the Conners home.

  Pet purred and Anya smiled. All things considered, matters were progressing quite nicely Soon the town would be destroyed and the Devil’s own would birth. Who could ask for more?

  As for those few on the “other side,” as they all had begun to think of themselves, it was one thing to talk of terminating the enemy, quite another to put that plan into action.

  As Carl had known it would be.

  He stood by the house as the funeral pyre burned down and waited for someone in authority to take charge.

  No one volunteered.

  Carl’s smile was both sad and knowing.

  “Good Lord!” Pastor Speed said, pointing down the road. “Look at that.”

  Hundreds of dogs and cats were walking up the road and just beginning to pass the Conners house. It was a strange and silent passing. Max Bancroft’s setter, Beau, was pointed out by Jim, as were the mayor’s cats.

  “That’s my dog!” Rodale said. He called for the animal to come to him.

  The dog walked on past after only a quick wag of his tail and a turn of his head.

  “What the hell’s going on?” Daly asked.

  “They’re getting out of town,” Carl said. “They did the same thing in Ruger. They’ve put aside their natural dislike for each other and have banded together, sensing there is strength in numbers.”

  “There’s my cocker, Jenny,” Lib said.

  She called to the spaniel. The dog looked at her, wagged its tail in acknowledgment, and kept on walking.

  Dingo sat in silence, watching the canine and feline parade.

  A big German shepherd left the group and trotted to the fence. He and Dingo stood and looked at each other, messages passing between them that were understood only by the dogs. Then Dingo started barking furiously and the shepherd responded in kind.

  The parade stopped. The humans stood in silence, not understanding what was taking place but sensing that a lot of communication between Dingo and the dogs and cats on the road was taking place.

  The chilling wavering howl of a wolf cut the warm air as it floated out of the woods.

  En masse, both humans and animals turned toward the sound.

  Other wolves joined in, filling the air with their calls.

  Slowly, the shepherd left the fence and took his place at the head of the column. He turned the column and led it toward the timber, toward the sounds of the calling wolves. Dingo left the fence and walked to Dee’s side, plopping down on the ground by her feet.

  “Now, what the hell does all this mean?” Tolson asked.

  “It might mean we have some allies,” Pastor Speed said, as Sonya continued taking pictures of the march of the animals. “I certainly hope so. I don’t understand it, but we must all remember that God works in strange and mysterious ways. And these animals are God’s children just as surely as we humans are.”

  Some of the most savage lightning that anyone among them could ever remember seeing began lashing the clear blue sky. There was no accompanying thunder.

  “The Dark One is very angry,” Carl said. “And he’s sending messages.”

  Sonya was taking pictures of the savage silent storm.

  The dogs and cats had disappeared into the timber, oblivious to the lightning. Carl looked at Dingo; he was paying no attention to it.

  The Stinson boys were gathered together. To a man they were trembling in fear.

  The sounds of a fast-moving vehicle reached the small gathering. The vehicle did not attempt to slow when it reached the still-blocked gravel road. It slammed into the back of Mike’s unit with a grinding crunch. Steam began hissing from the overheated radiator. The passenger-side door slowly opened and a man fell out onto the gravel. The driver of the car was crumpled over the steering wheel. From inside the car, a pain-filled and hideous screaming reached the group.

  The gathering began running toward the car, Carl leading the way, Tolson by his side. They both pulled up short at the sight that greeted them and held up their hands, halting the others.

  “Holy Mother of God!” Tolson said, struggling to keep the contents of his stomach from spewing past his lips.

  Sonya dropped her camera and began screaming.

  Rodale threw up on the ground.

  The inside of the car was crawling with huge maggots, the thumb-sized creatures working their way through fresh blood that covered the interior of the car.

  The left arm of the driver of the car was nothing more than whiteness of bone, all the flesh having been eaten away. Maggots were covering his head, chomping and munching away at the flesh, the hair, and his eyes.

  In the back seat, the screaming had stopped as the maggots began eating at the woman from the inside out, having bored deep into her belly.

  “Get the flamethrower,” Carl told Tommy. “Move, Tommy!”

  The boy took off, Susie right with him, glad for any excuse to get away from the terrible sight.

  The man who had fallen out of the car stood up and screamed, the yowl chilling them all. He lifted a flesh-eaten hand, the fingers nothing but white bone.

  His eyes had been eaten away and huge maggots were dining on his tongue, the blood pouring out of his mouth.

  “Forgive me, Lord,” Pastor Speed spoke softly. “But as is written, there is a time for all things.” He lifted the shotgun he was holding and blew the man’s brains out, ending the torment.

  Chapter 29

  The cars and pickups that could run were quickly moved out of the way, the men being very careful to avoid the maggots that covered the ground around the death car.

  Carl stoo
d the maximum distance away and sprayed the ground around the car with napalm, frying Satan’s creatures. Then he turned the nozzle on the car, setting it blazing. He ran back to the silent group behind the fence.

  “Back up!” Jim ordered. “That thing’s gonna blow hard, people.”

  The gasoline fumes ignited and the car exploded, the ground trembling when it did. When the last piece of hot and smoking debris hit the ground, Carl moved forward and sprayed the area again, making certain all the flesh-eating maggots were destroyed.

  “Stretch out some garden hoses,” Carl called. “Let’s cool down this wreckage so we can shove it out of the way.”

  While the teenagers sprayed down the smoking wreckage, Carl took Dee to one side. “This might be the last chance for you to get out of this mess, Dee. The governor is keeping people from entering the area, but not preventing anyone from leaving.”

  Her eyes searched his face for a moment. “I’ll make some coffee and sandwiches. I think we’d all better eat while we can. We might not get too many chances over the next couple of days.”

  She turned and walked into the house.

  “That’s a brave young lady,” Jim remarked. “Was I you, I’d be careful not to let her slip through my fingers.”

  Carl chose not to respond to that. “How about your wife, Jim? Have you leveled with her about what’s going on?”

  “All the way. She’s a strong-willed and tough woman. Gentle most of the time but tough as wang leather when she has to be. Max Bancroft’s wife, Doreen, and Tom and Chuck’s wives, Liza and Carol, have moved in with us until this mess is straightened out. They’re all country gals and know something about guns. They’ll be all right.”

  Carl nodded in agreement. “I think Sonya and Jesse are going to stay out here along with the kids. With all these dogs and cats surrounding the place, I don’t believe there is much chance of any more attacks out here. At least not until those against us begin to sense we’re winning.”

  Jim shook his head. “You got more brass on your ass than Dick Tracy, boy. We must be outnumbered a hundred to one, the governor has sealed us in here, we’re human beings”—he glanced at the Stinson brothers—“ more or less, up against supernatural powers, and you’re as calm and cool as that often-spoke-of cucumber.”

  Carl smiled and patted the chief deputy’s shoulder. “Call it the power of positive thinking, Jim.”

  “Right,” the man replied dryly.

  “You’ve done what?” Jim hollered at the sheriff.

  Rodale sat behind his desk and grinned at his chief deputy. “I said I have deputized Father Vincent, Brother Speed, Tom Malone, and all those folks out at the Conners place.”

  “I heard that. I approve. It’s that last bit that I hope I misunderstood. You wanna say it again?”

  “I said I have deputized the Stinson boys.”

  “Lord have mercy! That’s what I thought you said.”

  “We need all the help we can get, Jim.”

  “I understand that and certainly agree.”

  “For some reason—and I assume God alone knows the answer—the Stinson boys have resisted Satan’s call.”

  “Hell, Rodale, they’re so stupid not even the Devil wants them! Those boys are unstable. Ever’one of them is about four bricks shy of a load. Sonny is the smartest one, and his momma had to tie a pork chop around his neck so’s the dogs would play games with him. And they outsmarted him ever’ time.”

  Rodale could not hide his smile. Lord knows there was little enough to smile about. He handed Jim a thick file-folder.

  “What’s this?”

  “A hand-wrote confession detailin’ everything I’ve done over the years. All the kickbacks and graft and payoffs I’ve been involved in. I sat down with Betty May this morning and told her everything. Then we prayed together and then we cried together. Later on, I opened my soul to Brother Speed. I ain’t lookin’ for no cozy spot in Heaven, Jim. I ain’t gonna make it there. But I do feel like a great burden has been lifted from my shoulders. I actually feel like I’ve been borned again.” He pointed to the folder. “In there, I’ve detailed all the places where I’ve got money buried around the county. It ain’t stole money, but it’s still dirty money. When this is over, take that money and use it to help rebuild this town. I spoke to Mayor Purdy just ’fore you come back to the office. He’s just as dirty as I am, but he went about it in a different way, is the only thing. He agrees that it’s time we bared our souls and set the record straight. I called Brother Speed and he went right over to Wilber’s house; he’s there right now. Me and Wilber been pals for many, many years. So, he asked me and Betty May to move in with him and Meg so’s we’ll all go down together. We’ll go down fightin’ for the Lord. And there ain’t no better way to leave this old world.” He smiled. “You’re a good man, Jim.” He stood up and stuck out his hand.

  Jim took the hand and gripped it. “Have faith, Ned. It’s a long way from bein’ over. I believe we can whip this thing.”

  The sheriff shook his head. “You and that young warrior, Carl Garrett, will whip it, Jim. My string’s done run out and I know it. It’s past time for it. Wilber feels the same way and for once, our wives agree with us. I may be a crook, but I always feared the Lord and I guess that’s why the Devil didn’t want me.” He squared his shoulders. “All right, Jim. You handle the outside. I’ll handle the inside.”

  “That’s ten-four, Sheriff.”

  Rodale smiled and then laughed out loud. “Them Stinson boys may fool you, Jim. I give ’em all a good talkin’ to and I believe I got through to them ’bout the seriousness of this situation. I know there ain’t no hope for Keith. There ain’t nothin’ goin’ on between his ears. There ain’t nothin’ ’cept a pot patch up there. But Sonny said he’d stay with him all the time. One thing ’bout it, Jim: Them boys is all crack shots and they know they got their backs to the wall this time.”

  “I think I’ll assign them to Max Bancroft. Between the four of them and Benny Carter, they might pool their brains and come up with enough sense to do some good.”

  Rodale laughed. “I thought you and Max was buddies. That’s a hell of a thing to do to a friend, Jim.”

  Jim smiled. “It was just a thought.”

  * * *

  Marie Hunt looked out her living room window. “Girls,” she said. “Come over here and take a look at this.”

  The women moved to the window and looked out. The house directly across the street was covered with cats. The cats sat quietly, all of them staring at the Hunt house. The women could feel the evil from the unblinking eyes of the silent cats.

  Liza Malone shivered under the malevolent stares.

  Carol yelled as something bit savagely at her ankle. Doreen looked down at the floor and screamed.

  Ugly mottled maggots, as big as a man’s thumb, were slithering and hunching all over the floor. Carol tore the biting maggot from her ankle and stomped the blood-sucking creature into a messy glob. Her own blood left a stain on the carpet.

  Marie looked toward the rear of the house, her eyes widening in shock and horror as what appeared to be hundreds of the hideous-looking things were pouring in from the back porch.

  Liza took her eyes off the savage advance to glance across the street. If cats could laugh, the felines who were glaring at the Hunt house were laughing, their heads turning from one side to the other, and their mouths opening and closing in silent deadly humor.

  “Damn you!” she hissed, then turned to look at the slowly advancing maggots. “Let’s go, ladies!” she called. “No way we can stay here and fight all this. Grab what you can and head for the cars.”

  The women grabbed purses and light jackets and ran out the front door.

  “You ride with me, Doreen,” Marie said. “Liza can ride with Carol.”

  “Where are we going?” Liza shouted, over the sudden and very frightening yowling of hundreds of cats.

  “I don’t know. Just follow me.”

  The ladies jumped
into the cars and took off, just as the cats began leaving the house across the street and running toward the Hunt house.

  In that just-abandoned house, what was left of a man and woman lay sprawled in their own blood on the living room floor. They had been clawed to death, their throats torn open from sharp claws and their faces ripped down to the bone by claws and fangs.

  The maggots began oozing under the back door of the death house, the blood-scent bringing them to the house. Soon the lifeless bodies of the man and woman were covered with the creatures from Hell. The room filled with the sounds of chomping and sucking as hundreds of maggots moved in waves over the bodies. The mottled white bugs soon became slick and red from the blood, and those who had gorged themselves swollen began falling fat from the bodies, to land on the bloody floor with dull plops.

  * * *

  On the top floor of the high school, what had once been Ralph and Roseanne gnawed on the bones of an unlucky janitor who had ventured into the school building that morning and walked right into the arms of the pair. His fright had been very brief. The pair dined leisurely, cracking open the bones and sucking the marrow from them. After lunch, they mated, and then slept.

  * * *

  “It’s time to move,” Josh told the other escaped cons.

  “Move where?” Mark asked, keeping one eye on the farm couple who had changed before their eyes into horrible creatures.

  “And how do you know it’s time to leave?” Paul challenged. “I like it here.” He looked at the gruesomely grinning man and wife, who were looking at him, evil shining from their eyes. “Sort of.”

  “I just know.” He picked up a riot gun taken from the jail. “Let’s go.”

  “I’m gettin’ the hell gone from this crazy place,” Mark said. “You guys can do whatever you want to do. Maybe we did make a deal with the Devil. But we been hedgin’ out of deals all our lives—all of us. Fuck the Devil!”

  He stood up and picked up his rifle, moving toward the door. The others stood or sat quietly, watching to see what, if anything, was about to happen.