Ghost Walk

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

The line of traffic lessened as Maria, Levi, and Adam neared the Ghost Walk. Cars were still backed up, but at least they were moving now. The majority of attendees had already parked. All that was left now were the stragglers. Blowing the horn and flashing the lights, Maria raced past them and zipped toward the entrance. A volunteer in an orange safety vest waved his flashlight at her, making frantic motions and shouting at her to slow down. Ignoring his protests, Maria swerved around the man and barreled through the field. The car bounced on its shocks, jarring them all. Maria’s teeth clacked together and Levi held on to his hat. In the backseat, Adam squawked, pleading with her to slow down. Something scraped against the bottom of the vehicle.

“There.” Levi pointed at the entrance.

Maria drove toward it, weaving around angered pedestrians. People leapt out of her way, shaking their fists and hollering as she passed.

“Coming through!” she shouted out the window. “Sorry. We have an emergency!”

“All these people,” Levi said, staring at the midway. “There must be several hundred, easily. And who knows how many have already entered the woods?”

Two men wearing ball caps with “Ghost Walk Staff” emblazoned across the front ran toward them. They yelled at Maria to stop, but she gunned the engine, sending mud and grass flying out from beneath her back tires.

“There’s Ken,” she said, pointing to the entrance.

He stood just a foot from the start of the trail. He turned, blinking, as the car shot toward him.

The screams emanating from the woods were now joined by shouts of alarm from those standing in line. Ken cried out along with them, cringing as the car bore down on him. It slid to a stop about ten feet away from the entrance. Two people got out, but Ken couldn’t see who they were. The car’s headlights blinded him. Ken shielded his eyes with his hand. Then the shadowy figures stepped in front of the car.

“Maria?”

“Ken, don’t go into the woods!”

“What?”

She hurried toward him. With her was an Amish man. A third figure slowly got out of the car and trailed along behind them. Ken grunted in bewilderment. Despite the gloom, the second man wore sunglasses. Far behind them, Ken saw two of his security personnel running across the field. One of them seemed to be shouting into his cell phone. Ken briefly wondered if he was calling the police.

Maria stopped in front of him and bent over, holding her sides and gasping for breath. The Amish man stood next to her, seemingly unruffled. The man with the sunglasses approached them slowly, as if afraid.

“Maria,” Ken hollered, “what the hell is going on? You could have killed someone coming in here like that!”

“I’m sorry,” she panted. “We had to find you…talk to you…Jesus, I’m out of shape.”

“Well, I hope you had a good reason. My security guys are probably calling the cops right now.”

“Excellent,” the Amish man said. “They can help keep the crowd back. You mustn’t let anyone enter the forest.”

Ken flinched. “Excuse me?”

“Anyone who enters your Ghost Walk is damned, Mr. Ripple.”

Ken opened his mouth to speak, and found that he couldn’t. Behind him, the screams from the woods intensified.

“You were right, Levi,” the man with the sunglasses muttered. “I can feel it.”

He held his hands up, palms facing the forest, as if warming them over a campfire.

“Look,” Ken demanded. “You people better start making some goddamned sense. Maria, I thought you supported what I was doing here?”

“I do…”

“Then what the hell is this?”

“It’s very simple, Mr. Ripple. You can’t let anyone else go into that forest. If you do, their souls rest in your hands.”

“I’m sorry. You are who, exactly?”

“You can call him Levi,” Maria said.

Ignoring her, Ken glared at Levi. “You’re Amish. What is this, some sort of religious protest? You here to picket me or something?”

“No,” Levi explained. “This is beyond religious dogma. This is something else.”

More screams poured out of the forest.

“Screw this,” Ken said. “I want all three of you to get out of here, now.”

“Ken,” Maria pleaded, “please listen to us. I can explain everything. Something bad is happening.”

“Take a listen.” Ken nodded toward the forest. “You hear those screams? Those aren’t your normal I’m-having-fun-getting-scared screams. Somebody might be hurt. I need to get down there and find out what’s going on. What I don’t need is this bullshit. Now get out of here.”

“Those people are already dead, Mr. Ripple.” Levi stepped forward. “And if you go in there, you’ll only join them.”

Ken leaned toward him, so close their noses almost touched.

“Buddy, I don’t know who the hell you are, but after the day I’ve had, if you don’t get the fuck out of here right now, I will knock you flat on your ass. Do you understand me?”

Levi smiled. “You can try.”

The flashlight slipped from Ken’s grasp. His hands curled into fists. His jaw clenched. He glared at Levi through narrowed eyes.

“It’s true,” Maria interrupted, pulling Levi back. “It’s all true, Ken. Everything they said about LeHorn’s Hollow and these woods. The Goat Man. The murders. I know it doesn’t make any sense. I know it sounds crazy. We just talked about this the other day. But I’ve seen things—things you wouldn’t believe. And I’m telling you that you need to listen to us. Just five minutes, okay?”

Without giving him a chance to refuse, Maria plunged ahead, giving him an abbreviated account of what she’d learned.

“There’s something evil in the forest. It’s a force—a living darkness. It drains the energy from living things. If we don’t stop it before midnight, then it will expand all over the world. This man, Levi, knows how to stop it.”

“And who’s that guy?” Ken nodded toward Adam.

Maria sighed. “This is Adam Senft.”

“Now I know you’re full of shit.”

Maria exploded. “Don’t you take that tone with me, you son of a bitch. I interviewed you. We had dinner together. Now, I know you don’t know me very well, but you damn sure know I’m thorough and skeptical about everything. Everything. I know this sounds crazy, but it’s fucking true! You said yourself that something was wrong. Listen to those screams.”

Adam shuffled forward. “What screams?”

They paused, listening.

The forest was silent.

Ken paled. “What the hell is—”

The sudden silence terrified him more than the screaming had.

“We’ve got to act now.” Levi turned to Maria. “Give me your keys. I need to get my things out of your car. Adam, will you carry that bag of salt, please?”

The two security men finally reached them, breathing hard, their faces red and covered with sweat. Ken couldn’t remember either of their names.

“We’re sorry, Mr. Ripple,” one exclaimed. “She drove right by us.”

“We called the police,” the other one said. “They’re on the way.”

“Good.” Ken grasped at Levi, spinning him around. “Hold up. You’re not going anywhere.”

Levi’s voice was like stone. “Unhand me now.”

“Go fuck yourself.”

There was a commotion near the ticket booth. Ken turned to see what was happening and saw Sammi Horton, the woman in charge of tickets, running toward them.

“Ken, Terry’s wife just called.”

“What now?”

“He never came home last night. She said at first she just assumed he was here, but when he didn’t call today, she began to get worried. She’s left him several messages but he hasn’t called her back. She says she’s been calling your cell phone, as well.”

Ken’s temples began to throb.

“Goddamn it. I should have checked earlier…”

“There’s something else,” Sammi said.

“What?”

“There’s a woman over at the booth. She says her grandchildren went in with the first group and they’re still not back yet. She’s getting a little worried. What should I tell her?”

“Tell her we are looking into it. And hold off on calling Terry’s wife back.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. And don’t sell any more tickets until I tell you to. We’re closed.”

Maria gave Levi her car keys. Adam and Levi retrieved the salt and Levi’s bag from the car. The security guards moved to stop them, but Ken waved them off and retrieved his flashlight.

“Keep an eye on that line,” he said. “Don’t let anybody else through.”

“So you suddenly believe me?” Maria’s tone was skeptical.

“No,” Ken told her. “What you’re saying is ridiculous. But I do think something’s happened. Hell, something’s been happening. I was just too stupid and fucking prideful to notice. And now my best friend is missing, along with a whole bunch of other people. I’m going in there. You and your crazy friends are staying here.”

“The hell we are.”

“I’m not gonna argue with you, Maria. Stay put until the police get here. If that really is Adam Senft, then you’ve got a lot of explaining to do.”

“Somebody mention my name?”

Adam and Levi had returned from the car. Levi clutched his bag and Adam had the sack of salt thrown over one shoulder. Ken glanced at it and snorted.

“I don’t think ice on the trail is a problem right now.”

Ignoring him, Levi nodded at Maria and Adam. “Come on. We’re running out of time. I can feel it getting stronger.”

“What part of ‘stay here’ don’t you people understand?” Ken shouted.

“Ken, please!” Maria shook her head in frustration. “Listen to us.”

“Screw this. I don’t have time to argue with you. You guys want to follow me, fine. But stay the hell out of my way.”

He wheeled around and marched toward the entrance. Levi, Adam, and Maria followed along behind him, walking side by side.

“Are you sure about this?” Adam asked Levi. “I mean, maybe we should get a couple shotguns or something. Maybe some chainsaws. They worked okay when me and my friends did this.”

“They’ll do us no good this time.”

“Okay.” Adam shrugged. “It’s your funeral.”

“No,” Levi whispered, “it isn’t.”

The four of them stepped onto the trail and plunged into the forest. Ken stopped before he’d taken a dozen steps. The others halted behind him.

“Jesus,” he wheezed. “Look how dark it is in there. I can’t see shit. The flashlight doesn’t even penetrate.”

“That’s because it isn’t a normal darkness,” Levi said, hunkering down on his haunches and staring at the path.

“It’s so quiet,” Maria whispered. “What do you think is happening, Levi?”

He didn’t respond. Instead, he examined the ground closely, running his hands across it. “What are these white lines?”

Frowning, Ken glanced back at him. “It’s lime. We use it to line the trail, so people don’t wander off. It’s supposed to glow in the dark, but for some reason, it’s not doing a very good job tonight.”

Levi fell backward, landing on his ass. He began to laugh. The sudden outburst surprised the others.

“Are you okay?” Maria asked, concerned.

“What’s so funny?” Ken demanded.

“Lime! Oh, this is perfect. Better than I could have ever hoped for. This, my friends, is a testimony to the power of prayer.”

Ken glanced at Maria. “What’s he going on about?”

She shook her head.

Levi gazed upward. “Thank you, Lord! Thank you for this boon.”

“LeHorn used lime,” Adam said. “I remember, from his journal. He used lime in one of the banishing spells, when he tried to cleanse the hollow.”

“That is correct.” Levi stood up and brushed the dirt from his pants. “He did indeed. Although lime is not as powerful as salt, it can be used as a substitute. All you have to do is charge it properly.”

While Levi examined the lime, Ken turned back to the trail and took another tentative step forward. He thought he sensed movement in the darkness, but he couldn’t see anything. He stared harder, trying to peer beyond the black curtain. There it was again—movement, a slight tremor. But from what?

Then his eyes widened.

It was the darkness itself.

As he watched, it crept toward them, slowly, excruciatingly, as if it were a rubber band stretched to its limit.

Noticing his reaction, Maria and Adam followed Ken’s gaze. Maria gasped and Adam screamed, dropping the bag of salt. It split open, spilling onto the ground.

“That’s it!” Adam shrieked. “He Who Shall Not Be Named! It waits at the heart of the Labyrinth like a big tumor, infecting the universe. And now it’s here!”

Maria grabbed Ken’s shoulder and tried to pull him backward, but he remained rooted to the spot, staring as the darkness crept closer.

“Ken,” she urged, “come on!”

“It’s moving slowly,” Levi said.

“Not slow enough for me,” Maria replied.

Adam ran to the edge of the forest.

“It’s sluggish,” Levi insisted. “Which means that it’s extended to its limits. It won’t be able to go much farther until the barriers are down. We still have time. Maria, Mr. Ripple—get behind me. Adam, come here. I need your help.”

“No thanks,” Adam called. “I’m fine right here. You go ahead. Work your voodoo.”

“Adam,” Levi insisted, “you promised that you’d help me. You agreed that you owed it to your loved ones. Now I need you to honor that promise—and to honor their memories.”

“I can’t. I’m…afraid.”

“We’re all afraid, Adam. But this is what we’ve been called to do. Now please, come here. You have to trust me.”

“Trust you?”

“Yes. I’ve helped you so far, haven’t I?”

Adam slowly approached him, while Maria tried to drag Ken away. Ken shrugged free of her and pointed at the darkness.

“Look!”

The night rippled. Ken glanced over his shoulder to verify that Maria had seen it, too—but she was gone. They were all gone. Maria, Levi, and Adam. The woods. The trail. All of it. He floated in a sea of black. There was only him, adrift in an ebony void, completely alone.

His greatest fear. Ever since Deena’s death, Ken was afraid of being alone.

The darkness pressed in on all sides, and Ken screamed.

Maria tried to pull him away, but before she could, two figures stepped out of the darkness.

Maria …

“M-Mom? Dad?”

Her parents glided toward her. Their skin, hair, eyes, and clothes were black.

You have failed us, Maria. You are an embarrassment to this family. To your culture. Your heritage. Our standing in the community.

“No.” Maria closed her eyes. “You’re not real. Levi said you take the form of the things that haunt us. The things we fear.”

Maria, look at us!

“I’M NOT AFRAID OF YOU!”

Maria opened her eyes again. Her parents reached for her, and her resolve shattered. Maria screamed.

“Adam,” Levi shouted, “to me!”

The darkness swirled around Ken and Maria, poised to strike.

Levi scooped up a handful of salt and ran toward them.

“Ia Ishtari, ios daneri, ut nemo descendre fhatagn Shtar! God, guide my hand.”

He tossed the salt at the entity. The crystals sparked, turning blue as they soared through the air. They pelted the darkness, and it withdrew, shuddering.

“Grab Ripple before he falls,” Levi told Adam as he reached for Maria.

Stumbling, they guided Maria and Ken back to the beginning of the trail, out of reach of the darkness. Levi peered into Maria’s eyes.

“Are you okay?”

She nodded. “I think so.”

“Ripple, how about you?”

“I’ll live. The fuck just happened?”

“We’ve been trying to tell you,” Levi said, “but you would not listen. Now I’m afraid I’ll have to insist that you stay out of my way.”

“Fuck that,” Ken said. “I want to help. And for what it’s worth, I’m sorry.”

Levi knelt, picked up the bag of salt, and handed it to Ken.

“Be careful that you don’t spill it.”

Ken frowned. “What am I supposed to do with this?”

“If you’re being sincere and you really do want to help, then listen to me carefully. I saw an exit not far from the entrance. Am I correct in assuming that this trail loops around?”

“Yeah. So what?”

Levi placed one hand on Ken’s shoulder and his other hand on the ruptured bag. Then he repeated the same phrase he’d shouted before throwing the salt. For a second, Ken felt a slight charge go through him, like licking a battery. Then it faded. The air smelled of ozone.

“What did you just do?”

Levi shook his head. “I need you and Maria to take this salt to the exit. Pour a line of it all the way across the exit, connecting to the lime lines on either side. You don’t have to use a lot of it. In fact, try to conserve. But the line must completely touch both sides. Think of it as an invisible wall. Okay?”

Ken nodded. “Sure. What will that do?”

“Just what I said. It will create an invisible wall. Once you’ve done that, I want the two of you to stand on the far side of that line. Make absolutely sure you’re not standing on the trail or between the lines. Do you understand?”

“This is like before,” Maria said. “With the circle of protection?”

“Exactly. But this time, instead of keeping something out, we’re trying to keep something in.”

“A trap?”

Levi winked at her.

“Stay clear of the path,” he told them, “but be ready for me to call you. When I do, proceed into the woods—making absolutely sure you walk on the outside of the lines, avoiding the path—and sprinkle the salt onto the trail.”

Maria coughed. “But won’t the salt break the circle?”

“No. I’ve already prepared it. As long as neither of you cross the barriers, we’ll be fine. Be mindful of that as you sprinkle the salt. Don’t let your hands or fingers cross the lines. Just the salt. You won’t have to go very far. Probably only a few feet. A few yards at the most.”

“How will we know when to stop?”

“You’ll know.”

“You want us to go into the woods?” Ken asked.

“Correct.”

“And that thing—that dark stuff—is in the woods?”

“Yes.”

“Fuck that.”

“Then Maria can do it alone. Three is a better number than four, anyway. In certain Chinese dialects, the word for four is very similar to the word for death. I have no time to reassure you, Mr. Ripple. This is our last chance and we are out of time.”

Ken flinched, staring at him. Then he turned to Maria.

“Do you trust this guy?”

She nodded. “If you’d seen what I have, you’d trust him, too.”

Ken turned back to Levi. “You’re not like any Amish per son I’ve ever met.”

“I’m not Amish.”

“But you were talking about God. Don’t you believe in Him?”

“I do. But I am not Amish and I am not a Christian.”

“Well, what are you then?”

“I am something worse. I am a soldier. Now go, please.”

Ken and Maria hurried back into the field and over to the exit. Adam studied Levi closely. The man’s expression was grim but determined as he opened his bag and began removing items from it.

“Earlier,” Adam said, “after we found the book, you said there was one more thing I had to do to help you. I’m guessing this is where that comes in?”

Levi nodded.

“Well, for what it’s worth, I just want to say thanks.”

“There is no need to thank me. I’m just doing what I’m called upon to do.”

The darkness began to gather again, lapping at the forest floor just feet from where they stood. It trembled and quivered, but did not progress farther.

Levi spread the items out on the ground, just at the edge of the forest, on the other side of the entrance. Then he turned to Adam.

“I need you to stand here, just inside the trail.”

“But the darkness—”

“Cannot reach this far. Not yet. Look at it. I’ve weakened it, at least temporarily. It needs to recuperate.”

Cautiously, Adam stepped back onto the trail again. He watched the forest carefully, tensed and ready to flee, but the darkness remained where it was. Behind him, Levi picked up another handful of salt and recited the same words over it. Then he took one step backward, just outside of the entrance. Kneeling, he poured the salt out of his hand in a straight line, just as he’d instructed Ken and Maria to do—joining it to the Ghost Walk’s outline. For a brief moment, the lime lines seemed to glow blue. Then the light faded.

“Seriously,” Adam said, still watching the darkness. “I mean it. I want to thank you. It’s been a really long time since I’ve trusted anybody—or since anybody has trusted me. But you changed that, and I’m grateful.”

As Adam talked, Levi sat two candles on either side of the entrance and lit them. Under his breath, so that Adam wouldn’t hear him, he prayed.

“Lord forgive me, for I do this in Your name. Please have mercy upon all our souls. Thy will be done, Lord.”

“Levi?”

“Thy will be done…”

“Hey, man? Are you listening? I’m unburdening my soul here, dude.”

“Forgive me, Father.”

“Levi, didn’t you hear me? I said thank you.”

Levi glanced up. “For what?”

Adam smiled. “For believing in me. For letting me help. I appreciate it. All this time, I’ve wished there was some way I could redeem myself. Some way to make up for everything that’s happened. And you’re giving me that. So I’m saying thanks.”

“Redemption?” Levi smirked. “There is no redemption for you, Adam Senft. You murdered your wife in cold blood. You slaughtered her—the woman who you swore before God and your family to love and honor and cherish and respect. You made a sacred, holy vow and then you discarded it. You pushed your wife out of the attic window.”

“No! I was trying to save her. I just wanted to kill the baby. Hylinus had—”

“You killed Tara. She split open and spilled out all over the ground. By your hand, Adam. By your red right hand. The reasons don’t matter, only the results. You fancied yourself one of us—a magician. Yet you were nothing more than a child playing war with a loaded gun. And then, when things turned tragic—when things went wrong—you didn’t even accept responsibility for your actions. You blamed it on everyone else. On Hylinus. On Nelson LeHorn. And especially on God.”

Still standing on the path, Adam whirled around. “It wasn’t my fault.”

“Then whose fault was it?”

“It was God’s fault!”

“No!” Levi shouted. “It was your fault! How dare you blame Him? He gave you everything. Your wife. Your dog. Your friends and family. And how did you repay that kindness? By leading them to their deaths and then blaming Him. You disgust me.”

“Shut up, Levi. You just shut the hell up, right now!”

“God didn’t do this to you, Adam Senft. You did this to yourself. And now you’re damned.”

Adam snarled, clenching his fists. “You motherfucking son of a bitch! I’ll fucking kill you!”

He charged, running at Levi with his head down and fists raised. His lips were pulled back, revealing gritted teeth. Levi remained sitting, not moving from his spot on the other side of the entrance. When Adam’s foot came in contact with the line of salt, he screamed, flying backward through the air and crashing to the trail with a thud.

“Oh, no,” Levi whispered. “Not this time. You already broke one circle. You don’t get to break another one.”

Groaning, Adam sat up. “Let me out of here. You hear me, motherfucker? I said let me out of here.”

Levi shook his head. “I’m sorry, Adam, but I’m afraid that’s impossible. It’s too late. Look at the darkness.”

Stumbling to his feet, Adam turned and stared down the trail. The entity was moving again. It swirled like mist, coalescing into different shapes.

“You’re not a man,” Levi goaded, trying to stoke Adam’s fears higher. “You’re nothing. You failed as a writer, as a husband, as a father, and as a friend. You’re not a protector. You’re a joke. You couldn’t save your wife or your children. And now, you can’t even save yourself.

“Look at it, Adam! Everyone that you damned. Tara. Big Steve. Merle Laughman. Dale Haubner. Cliff Swanson. Cory Peters. Paul and Shannon Legerski. Shelly Carpenter. Leslie Vandercamp and her boyfriend, Michael Gitleson. Officer Al Uylik. All dead because of your arrogance. Because of your incompetence. Their families grieve while you shirk the blame. Look upon your works, magus. Go on! Look into the darkness and stare upon your ghosts.”

Adam’s screams echoed across the forest and field. He shrank away, pressing against the invisible barrier behind him. The darkness rushed forward, flowing along the trail.

Levi’s voice rose in pitch and drowned out Adam’s wails.

“Eloim shammanta. Barra, Gigum xul. Barra, Maskim xul. Ia idimmu, descente Shtar. Destrato Nud. Destrato Verminus. Destrato Nuada.”

“Get back!” Adam screamed. “Levi, help me! Let me out!”

“Destrato Lud. Destrato Shub-Niggurath. Destrato Pahad. Destrato Lilitu. Destrato Lamashtu. Destrato Othel. Sator opera verminni. Sator opera fhatagn.”

Levi paused, watching. Attracted by the magnitude of Adam’s fears and guilt, Nodens was focusing on the distraught man, attracted by his boiling emotional energies. As it narrowed the distance between them, stretching to the very limits of its current boundaries, the entity condensed its mass, shrinking down and thickening. Without taking his eyes off it, Levi reached down and grabbed a candle with each hand. Then he touched the flames to the lime. Immediately, the darkness solidified inside the lines, occupying the Ghost Walk and withdrawing from the surrounding woods. The portion of Nodens that was left in the gateway retreated inside the portal.

“Got you.” There was no glee in Levi’s voice.

Levi had effectively split the entity in two. The earthbound portion was trapped inside the Ghost Walk. The rest, he knew, was cowering on the other side of the doorway, weakened and—for the first time in eons, he hoped—afraid.

“Levi,” Adam begged, “please don’t do this. Don’t do this to me.”

“For what it’s worth, Mr. Senft. I am sorry.”

The darkness spoke.

Adam…

“Tara,” Adam whispered. “Baby, I’m so sorry…”

“Maria!” Levi yelled. “Ken! Do it now!”

He turned back to Adam and watched him writhe as the darkness slithered over him. Adam’s cries died in his throat.

The darkness hovered in front of him, savoring his emotions. Then, overcome with hunger, Nodens began to feed. Levi turned away.

“God forgive me,” he wept. “God, please forgive me…”

“It sounds like they’re fighting,” Ken said. “Maybe we should go back over there.”

“No.” Maria reached out and clasped his arm. “Let’s just do what Levi said, and wait for his signal.”

Privately, she was concerned as well. Standing where they were, in the field and near the trail’s exit, she couldn’t make out every word. Their voices were garbled. But Levi’s tone had taken on a distinctly ugly sound. It was mean. Spiteful. Full of hatred and disgust—not at all like the man she’d come to know over the last forty-eight hours.

Then Adam started screaming.

Ken started forward again, but Maria pulled him back.

“Wait.”

“Why?”

“Because we have to trust him. He’s a man of God, right?”

“I don’t know what the hell he is.”

Ken glanced around the field. The police still hadn’t arrived—or if they had, then they were having trouble making it through the surging crowds. Rather than running, the crowds had come closer, drawn like flies at the prospect of some human misfortune—an accident, a heart attack, a murder. Excited by the possibility of seeing someone dragged out of the woods on a stretcher, they waited. The Ghost Walk’s staff was holding them at bay, keeping them confined in a rough semicircle near the ticket booth. Beyond the midway, other people were leaving, perhaps anxious to escape the morbid curiosity of their fellow citizens. The upper half of the field was jammed with cars and a long line had formed on the road—another traffic jam, this time leading away from the Ghost Walk. Maybe that explained the cops’ tardiness.

Levi’s voice rose on the wind, drifting toward them.

“Eloim shammanta. Barra, Gigum xul. Barra, Maskim xul. Ia idimmu, descente Shtar. Destrato Nud. Destrato Verminus. Destrato Nuada.”

“Sounds like gibberish to me,” Ken grunted. “Maybe he’s having some kind of seizure.”

“Be quiet,” Maria whispered. “I’m trying to listen.”

Suddenly, Adam’s screams rose in intensity. Then they heard Levi call out to them.

“Maria! Ken! Do it now!”

“Come on,” Maria said. “You heard the man.”

“I still don’t understand any of this.”

They began sprinkling the salt as Levi had instructed, careful not to let their hands or toes breach the pathway’s boundary lines. Leaves and twigs crunched under their feet, and they had to duck beneath low-hanging branches. They’d gone about ten feet when the white line began to glow.

“Look,” Maria gasped.

A blue radiance filled the air. Sparks crackled across the surface of the lime. Then, the entire Ghost Walk began to glow, starting at the exit and racing into the woods.

Ken gazed in amazement. “It’s like pouring a line of gasoline on the ground and then lighting a match. Like a long fuse.”

As they watched, the blue glow spread deep into the forest, following the trail.

“Maybe we should get out of here,” Ken suggested. “Get back up to the field.”

“That’s not a bad idea,” Maria agreed breathlessly. “You’re right. It does look like a fuse. And who knows what’s gonna happen when it reaches the other end?”

Nodens swept over Adam, gorging itself on the man’s overwrought emotions.

Adam shivered in its cold caress. His body felt weak and weightless. He closed his eyes and moaned. When he opened his eyes again, all he saw was darkness. Something whispered in his ear. Then another. And another. His wife. His children. His friends and his dog. Each of them spoke to him, promising in detail the terrors and anguish that waited beyond.

Blinking the tears from his eyes, Levi watched.

Deep in the forest was a blue glow. It grew brighter and larger as it raced toward them, dispelling the darkness in its path. It reminded Levi of a freight train.

Nodens tried to flee the onrushing light, but was trapped by the lime. It tried to cross the barriers, tried to break free and return to the doorway and rejoin its other half—but it was too late. Already, the cold light had severed its link with the rest of its body, churning in the portal. Now the dazzling brilliance rolled forward. The darkness sizzled at its touch, dissipating like smoke.

Enraged, Nodens poured itself inside the man, Adam Senft. It was furious at this violation—angered that it would have to resort to seeking shelter inside one of the Creator’s toys, a bag of flesh and blood and pus. And all because of this little human with the beard. But it had no choice. The light devoured everything in its path, and Nodens grew weaker as it advanced.

Levi mouthed a silent prayer as the light bore down on them. He felt cold fingers dig through his mind, and knew that Nodens was aware of his presence. Sensing its rage and humiliation, Levi smiled.

“I bind and banish you according to the Law. You may not pass through the door. Go now and bother this Earth no more.”

Levi tensed.

The light crashed into them.

Nodens screamed with Adam’s mouth and then a blue sun burst to life and rose over the forest, before burning out. A few wisps of energy floated into the air, crackling in the silence that followed. Then they faded and the night returned.

The night returned—but the darkness was gone.

So was Adam Senft. Not a trace of either remained.

Still kneeling, Levi leaned forward and pressed his face into the ground. Twigs and stones dug at his flesh, but he didn’t care. Then, as tears rolled down his face, Levi slowly climbed to his feet and walked toward the gateway. He could feel its energies in the distance, pulling to him like a magnet.

Sobbing, he begged God and his father and Adam Senft for forgiveness.

And just like always, nobody answered.