The Smoky Corridor

64

“McNulty! Come!”

The ghost of Horace Pettimore roused his zombie from his after-dinner nap. The creature was sprawled out on the padded lining torn from a cracked-open coffin. All that remained of the corpse he had been feasting on were a chauffeur’s cap and a pair of wire-rimmed glasses.

“Prepare to move beyond the maze to your killing pit!”

“Yes, master.”

“When the sun rises, my soul shall slip into its new body. I shall venture deep into the tunnels to reclaim my gold. Though you do not recognize me, you will obey me, the one who holds your soul, the one who carries the mark!”

“Yes, master.”

“Move to your sentry post. Should any uninvited mortals follow the new me into the tunnels, destroy them!”

“Yes, master.”

“Destroy and devour them!”