Endless Night Part 5

A hot night. If the windows were shut and the air conditioner running, n.o.body inside the house was likely to hear their shouts.

But maybe Dr. Youngman had heard them. Maybe he just wasn't turning on any lights. Maybe right now he was heading for his front door. Maybe he would swing it open wide just in the nick of time and say, "Hurry inside, kids. Quick!"

Oh G.o.d, if only.

"Forget it!" Jody gasped. "They'll kill us on the porch!"

Andy didn't hesitate. Maybe he'd already reached the same conclusion. "Porch" was coming out of Jody's mouth when Andy broke to the left.

Jody made her turn away from the porch as fast as she could, and yelped as her feet skated out from under her.

She seemed to take a long time going down.

An endless sideways glide, her body sinking closer and closer to the ground, finally touching down with her left hip, then a smooth slide over the soft wet gra.s.s.

Sliding in.

Stealing second.

Jesus! They're gonna get me now!

Chapter Four.

The slide through the gra.s.s shoved Jody's nights.h.i.+rt halfway up her back.

She sat up fast.

The guy came in grinning. He dropped and skidded on his knees. He didn't smell like the others, didn't stink of rot.

"Gotcha now, babe," he whispered. Grabbing the short hair on the back of her head, he jerked her backward. His face came down at her. "You're a real beaut."

She pounded the top of his head with the Louisville Slugger.

An upward swing from the ground, one-armed and without much power behind it.

She didn't wait to see its effect, but rolled hard to the left. She felt a tug at her hair. Then she was free, scuttling over the gra.s.s on knuckles and knees, hanging on to the bat.

The guy with the saber was running straight at her.

He was only a few strides away when Jody burst to her feet and took off. He twisted and slashed. The saber made a quick whewww as it whipped past her back.

Then he gasped.

Jody glanced around in time to see him slip and tangle his legs and land on his rump. The guy who'd caught her on the ground was on one knee, ready to stand. One hand was clamped to the top of his hairless head, the other pulling a knife from the sheath at his hip.

The man with the ax had done a lot of catching up.

Can't forget about him, Jody warned herself.

He was tall and broad and muscular. And he had that ax.

He looked unstoppable.

He'll just keep coming, no matter what.

But he sure wasn't fast. He was still in the middle of the lawn, jogging toward her, when Jody dashed onto the warm, dry pavement of the driveway.

Andy waited for her, bouncing, shaking his arms and legs like a relay runner anxious for the pa.s.s of the baton. The instant Jody reached his side, he pivoted and ran.

Side by side, they sprinted across the driveway.

They ran for the hedge. It stretched the length of the driveway, a wall of green squared off at the top. Higher than Jody's head.

"Under," Andy gasped.

A cinch we can't go through-or over.

Jody saw what he meant. Though the bushes appeared to be a solid ma.s.s, there were open s.p.a.ces near the ground, gaps between the trunks.

She took a glimpse back. The guy who'd caught her after the slide had again taken the lead. He was almost to the edge of the driveway.

She and Andy dropped to their knees.

She thrust her bat through the gap, flung herself flat and squirmed into the bushes. Squirmed in fast and frantic. Ready to feel a hand grab her ankle and drag her out.

Or maybe the guy with the ax would chop ...

It's taking forever!

The bushes and the ground itself seemed to be alive, clutching at her, clawing her, pus.h.i.+ng her back.

And then she scampered free.

Andy was beside her, pus.h.i.+ng himself up. He was whimpering and gasping.

"It'll be all right," Jody whispered. On elbows and knees, she turned herself around and peeked under the bushes.

She searched for feet and legs.

She saw only the driveway and the lawn beyond it. Pulling back, she s.n.a.t.c.hed up the bat and got to her feet. "Let's go."

"Where are they?"

"I don't know."

She guessed that the men must be on their way to the far end of the hedge. It would take them a while to get there. Ten or fifteen seconds, maybe.

If only we could disappear!

Crawl back through to the other side? Right. It wouldn't take a genius to leave the ax man behind, just in case.

Andy suddenly clutched her short sleeve and tugged at it. "I know! You go back and try and get Dr. Youngman to open up. I'll lead those guys on a wild-goose chase."

"That's nuts!" Jody blurted.

"It'll work! I'll circle around and meet you."

"No. We'll..."

"Go back through." He tugged her sleeve, stretching the neck of her nights.h.i.+rt down off her shoulder.

"Hey."

He kept pulling. "Get down. Go back through."

No time to argue. She sank to her knees.

"See ya." Andy whirled and sprinted off across the lawn.

The stupid jerk! she thought. He's acting like it's a cowboy movie!

She started to get up, intending to go after him.

He was already halfway to the next driveway.

She was on one knee, ready to stand, when the first of the pursuers raced past the end of the hedge. He slowed. He turned his body. Jody froze, knowing he was about to face her. But he spotted Andy first and lurched into a run.

Jody dropped flat on the gra.s.s just as the man with the saber appeared on the sidewalk and joined the chase. A moment later, he was followed by the ax man.

They all cut across the gra.s.s, going after Andy.

Just the way he'd figured.

They think I'm with him. Probably think I'm up ahead somewhere.

"Go, Andy, go," she whispered.

Then she turned herself around and squirmed back through the gap at the bottom of the hedge. At the other side, she sprang to her feet. She switched the bat to her left hand as she sprinted across the driveway. She wondered if anyone could hear the slap of her bare feet. They sounded even louder on the painted concrete of the walkway curving from the edge of the driveway to the porch. She leaped the porch stairs. She flung herself against the front door and crashed her fist against it.

She pounded on the door with all her might, eight times, nine, ten. Then thought, My G.o.d, what if they hear me knocking?

So she quit and slid herself across the cool wood and jabbed the doorbell b.u.t.ton again and again and again. Each time she poked it, she heard a faint chime from inside the house.

"Come on, come on, come on," she whispered.

Continuing to jab the b.u.t.ton, she twisted her head away from the door and peered over her shoulder. She saw no one. Just the broad lawn, the driveway and hedge, the empty street. Empty except for the vehicles in front of the Clark house. Five cars, one van.

"My goodness, hold your horses!"

Jody flinched. She dropped her hand from the doorbell. "Help! Please! There're men after me."

"I'm coming, now."

Jody pushed herself away from the door. She turned all the way around. Still okay. Facing the door again, she bent down and braced her elbows on her knees. An awkward stance, particularly with the bat in her hand, but it helped her breathing.

With a quiet squeak, a hatch in the door swung inward. It was just the size of the thin, wrinkled face behind it. A nose jutted out between two upright wooden bars. But the bars got in the way of the woman's eyes, so she tilted her head sideways. She wore gla.s.ses with bright red frames and lenses the size of hockey pucks.

"Now you tell me what's going on, young lady. What's this about being chased?" Her gaze roamed past Jody as if searching for pursuers.

"You've gotta let me in," Jody gasped.

"I've got to do nothing of the sort. Are you one of those loudies that was doing all the yelling a while back that woke me up?"

She had heard them. "Yes! It was me and Andy Clark."

"Andy Clark? That's a fine lad. What's he doing out and about this time of night?"

"He's with me!"

"I don't see him. You are a sight, girl. Whatever have you been up to?"

Jody stood up straight. She took a few quick breaths. "They murdered everyone. All the Clarks but Andy. I'm a friend of Evelyn's. She's been killed. They've all been killed. You've got to let me in. We've got to call the police before they get us, too! Please!"

The old lady blinked behind her enormous gla.s.ses. She shook her head. "This is all terribly confusing."

"It's simple!" Jody blurted. "It's simple as h.e.l.l! There are maniacs out here with swords and axes and knives and running around like a bunch of f.u.c.king refugees from Lord of the Flies and they want to kill me and Andy! What could be simpler than that? d.a.m.n it, open the door!"

"Young lady!"

"Don't you get it?" She whirled around. Still, n.o.body was coming. She turned to the old woman again. "Please. We're going to get killed."

"I can't just let any old stranger into the house," she said, continuing to shake her head. "I have responsibilities. It isn't my house, you understand."

"I don't care whose ... Where's Dr. Youngman? Who are you?"

"I'm Mrs. Youngman."

"Is your husband home?"

"My husband pa.s.sed on, I'm afraid."

"I'm sorry."