The Smoky Corridor

119

Judy, George, and Zipper raced around a corner and entered what looked and felt like a furnace room.

They saw a drooling man holding a revolver on Zack’s teacher, Ms. DuBois.

“Where’s my son?” George shouted.

“What are you two doing down here?” the teacher hissed.

“We’re looking for Zack!” said Judy.

“So am I,” the teacher said sweetly, batting her eyes. “But this brute took my pistol. Be a dear, Mr. Jennings, and help me retrieve it.”

“Your pistol?” said George, who wasn’t going anywhere near the drooling man, who looked like he was dead, even though he was standing up and holding a gun.

“Don’t listen to her,” said the younger of two ghosts who suddenly materialized in front of the furnace.

“You’re Seth Donnelly, right?” said Judy very tenderly.

The boy smiled. “Yes, ma’am. I sure am.”

“Knock it off, little brother. She’s a grown-up.”

“She’s a mom.”

“So? Moms are grown-ups, too.” Joseph turned to Judy. Puffed up his chest. “Do we know you, lady?”

“No.”

“Then how do you know us?”

“I went to the library.”

“Who the devil are you talking to?” demanded Ms. DuBois.

Judy and George pointed. “The two boys,” said Judy. “The Donnelly brothers.”

“You can see ghosts? Of course! Zack gets his special powers from you two! His parents! What’s on the other side of that door? The one in the small chamber there.”

“How should I know?”

“Ask your dead friends!”

George moved closer to the two ghost boys. “Where’s Zack?”

“He’s safe,” said Seth.

“Did he and Malik go through that door?”

“Yep,” said Joseph. “They sure did. Then they jumped down a rabbit hole. You should’ve seen ’em. Landed on their keisters! Guess they want that gold bad, huh?”

“I don’t care about the stupid gold!” said George, wildly flapping his arm toward the open door to the small chamber. “But if that’s where Zack and Malik went to find it …”

Ms. DuBois’s eyebrows shot up when she heard that.

“Get out of my way!” She shoved George aside, ran for the door, jumped into the chamber, and slammed the door tight behind her.

“Lock it!” Joseph shouted to the drooling man at the furnace, who didn’t budge. “Seth? Tell your slave to lock her in!”

The man looked to the young boy, who nodded sadly.

“Yes, master.”

Joseph cackled with laughter.

The man lumbered over to the door and dropped a heavy steel brace into a bracket.

“Pump in the smoke!” shouted Joseph, and once again Seth nodded.

“Yes, master.”

The zombie returned to the furnace and shoved a huge lever forward.

“What are you doing?” shouted George.

“What that no-good, two-faced teacher done to us!” Joseph shouted back.

And then one Donnelly brother sobbed while the other one just laughed and laughed and laughed.