All I need to do is ... press...

A change. change.

The creature's eyes were open.

He tensed in order to drive the knife in all the way, and then his temple exploded.

The Cube creaked when one of the corners smashed into the guy's head and it was wrenched from Oskar's hand. The guy fell to one side, landing on a plastic jug that gave way, hitting the side of the tub with a thundering noise like a ba.s.s drum.

Eli sat up.

From the bathroom doorway Oskar could only see the back of his body. The hair was plastered against the back of his head and his back was one big open wound.

The guy tried to get back on his feet but Eli didn't so much jump as fall out of the bathtub, landed in his lap: a child seeking comfort from his father. Eli wrapped his arms around the guy's neck and pulled his head to him to whisper tender words.

Oskar backed away from the bathroom as Eli bit the guy's neck. Eli hadn't seen him. But the guy saw him. His gaze locked with Oskar's, held him fast as Oskar moved backward toward the hall.

"Sorry."

Oskar didn't manage to get any sound out, but his lips formed the word before he turned the corner and the eye contact was broken.

He stood with his hand on the door handle as the guy screamed. Then the sound stopped abruptly as if a hand had been clamped over his mouth.

Oskar hesitated. Then he closed the door. And locked it.

Without looking to the right he walked down the hall to the living room. Sat down in the armchair.

Started to hum in order to drown out the noise from the bathroom.

Part Five

LET THE RIGHT ONE SLIP IN.

These days this is my only chance to say my piece...

-bob hund, "Struggling Against the Current"

Let the right one in Let the old dreams die Let the wrong ones go They cannot do What you want them to do cannot do What you want them to do -Morrissey, "Let the Right One Slip In"

From The Daily Update The Daily Update 16:45, Monday, 9 November, 1981 16:45, Monday, 9 November, 1981 The so-called Ritual Killer was apprehended by police on Monday morning. He was tracked down in a bas.e.m.e.nt office in Blackeberg, in west Stockholm.

Police spokesman Bengt Larn: "A person has been apprehended. That is correct."

"Are you sure that it is the same man you have been looking for?"

"Quite sure. Certain factors, however, complicate a positive identification at this time."

"What kind of factors?"

"Unfortunately I can't go into further details at the moment." After the man was apprehended he was transported to the hospital. His state was described as critical.

Together with the suspect, the police also found a sixteen-year-old boy. The boy was physically unharmed but is said to be in a state of severe shock and has been taken to the hospital for further monitoring. The police are searching the area in order to gather further information regarding the chain of events.

His Royal Highness Carl Gustaf today opened the new bridge over the Almo sound in Bohuslan. During the opening speech . ..

From diagnostic notes made by the surgeon Professor T. Hallberg, copied for police files copied for police files ... preliminary investiga-erto un.o.bserved ... severely tion complicated by... spasmodic muscle action ... unlocalized stimulation of central nervous system ... heart function suspended ... Muscle movement stops at 14:25 . .. autopsy yields. .h.i.th-deformed inner organs... Like the eel that dead and butchered jumps in the frying pan ... never before observed in human tissue ... ask ask to retain the cadaver ... sincerely to retain the cadaver ... sincerely ...

From the newspaper Western Suburbs, Western Suburbs, week 46 week 46 WHO KILLED OUR CATS?.

"The only thing I have left is her collar," says Svea Nordstrom, pointing to the slushy field where her pet and eight others belonging to neighboring homeowners were found...

From the television news program Current Events, Current Events, Monday, 9 Monday, 9 November, 21:00 Earlier this evening police occupied, although there are entered the apartment believed to belong to the so-called Ritual Killer, who was apprehended this morning.

A call from a member of the public helped police to finally locate the apartment in Blackeberg, some fifty meters from the place where the man was apprehended.

We have our reporter Folke Ahlmarker at the scene: "Emergency technicians are right now carrying out the body of a man found in the apartment. The man's ident.i.ty is not known at this time. It appears the apartment is un-certain indications that people have been in the apartment recently."

"What are the police doing right now?"

"They have been going door to door all day but if they have gained any further information in the process they have made no announcement to that effect."

"Thank you, Folke."

The Tjorn bridge, which was finished six six weeks before the estimated completion date, was opened today by His Royal Highness, Carl Gustaf... weeks before the estimated completion date, was opened today by His Royal Highness, Carl Gustaf...

Monday 9 NOVEMBER.

Pulses of blue light across the bedroom ceiling.

Oskar is lying in bed with his hands behind his head.

Under his bed there are two cardboard boxes. There is money in one, ma.s.ses of bills, and two bottles of T-Rod; the other is filled with puzzles.

The box of clothes was left behind.

In order to conceal the boxes Oskar has placed his hockey game at an angle in front of them. Tomorrow he'll carry them down into the bas.e.m.e.nt, if he has the energy. His mom is watching TV, shouting out something about how their building is on the screen. But he only has to get up and go to the window to see the same thing, from another angle.

He threw the boxes from Eli's balcony over to his own while it was still light, while Eli was washing himself. When he came out of the bathroom the wounds on his back had healed and he was slightly intoxicated from the alcohol in the blood.

They lay in bed together, held each other. Oskar told him what had happened in the subway. Eli said: "I'm sorry. About starting this."

"No, it's alright."

Silence. For a long time. Then Eli asked, hesitantly: "Would you want to ... become like me?"

"... no. I would like to be with you, but..."

"No, of course you don't. I understand."

In the evening they finally stood up, put their clothes on. They were standing with their arms around each other in the living room when they heard the saw. The lock was being removed.

They ran to the balcony, jumped over the railing, landing fairly softly in the bushes below.

From inside the apartment they heard someone say: "What in the world .. ."

They curled up under the balcony. There was no time.

Eli turned his face to Oskar's, said: Closed his mouth. Then pressed a kiss on Oskar's lips.

For a few seconds Oskar saw through Eli's eyes. And what he saw was ... himself. Only much better, more handsome, stronger than what he thought of himself. Seen with love.

For a few seconds.

Voices in the apartment next door.

The last thing Eli had done before they got up was remove the piece of paper with the Morse code. Now strange feet are clomping around in the room where Eli once lay and tapped on the wall to him.

Oskar holds his hand up against the wall.

"Eli..."

TUESDAY.

10 NOVEMBER.

Oskar did not go to school on Tuesday. He lay in his bed and listened to the sounds through the wall, wondered if they would find anything that would lead them to him. In the afternoon it grew quiet and they had still not come by.

At that point he got up, put his clothes on, and walked over to Eli's building. The door to the apartment was sealed. No one was allowed in. While he stood there looking a police officer walked by on the stairs. But Oskar was only a curious boy from the neighborhood.

When the sun went down he carried the boxes into the bas.e.m.e.nt and put an old rug over them. Would decide later what he would do with them. If some thief decided to break into their storage unit he would hit the jackpot.

He sat in the darkness of the bas.e.m.e.nt for a long time, thought about Eli, Tommy, the old guy. Eli had told him everything; that he hadn't meant for things to turn out the way they did.

But Tommy was alive and would be fine. That's what his mom had told Oskar's mom. He was going to be coming home tomorrow.

Tomorrow.

Tomorrow Oskar would go back to school.

To Jonny, Tomas, to ... We'll have to start training him again. Jonny's cold hard fingers across his cheeks. Pressing the soft flesh against his jaws until the corners of his mouth were unwillingly forced up. Squeal like a pig.

Oskar interlaced his fingers, leaned his face against them, looked at the little hill that the rug over the boxes made. He got up, pulled the rug away and opened the box of money.

One thousand kronor notes, one hundred kronor notes, all mixed up, a few bundles of bank notes. He dug around with his hand among the bank notes until he found one of the plastic bottles. Then he went up to the apartment and got some matches.

A lone spotlight cast a cold, white glow onto the schoolyard. Outside its circle of light you could see the outlines of playground structures. The Ping-Pong tables that were so cracked you couldn't play on them with anything other than a tennis ball, were covered in slush.

A few rows of school windows were illuminated. Evening cla.s.ses. For this reason one of the side doors was unlocked.

He made his way through the darkened corridors to his homeroom. Stood for a while looking at the desks. The cla.s.sroom looked unreal at night like this, as if ghosts silently whispering were using it for their school, whatever that would look like.

He walked over to Jonny's desk, opened the lid, and sprayed a few quarts of T-Rod onto it. Tomas' desk, same thing. He stood without moving for a second in front of Micke's desk. Decided not to. Then he went and sat at his own desk. Letting it soak in, like you do with charcoal. I'm a ghost. Booo . I'm a ghost. Booo . . . . . booo ... booo ...

He opened the lid and took out his copy of Firestarter, Firestarter, smiled at the t.i.tle and slipped it into his bag. The exercise book where he had written a story he liked. His favorite pen. They all went into the bag. Then he stood up, made a final round of the cla.s.sroom and enjoyed simply being there. In peace. smiled at the t.i.tle and slipped it into his bag. The exercise book where he had written a story he liked. His favorite pen. They all went into the bag. Then he stood up, made a final round of the cla.s.sroom and enjoyed simply being there. In peace.

Jonny's desk gave off a chemical smell when he raised the lid again, took out the matches. No, wait... No, wait...

He went and got two rough-hewn wooden rulers from a shelf at the back of the cla.s.sroom. Rigged up Jonny's desk with one so it would stay open, Tomas' with the other. Otherwise they would stop burning the moment he let the lids drop. Two hungry prehistoric animals gaping for food. Dragons.

He lit one match, held it in his hand until the flame was large and clear. Then dropped it. It fell from his hand, a yellow drop, and-

WHOOSH.

d.a.m.n...

His eyes stung when a purple comet's tail shot up out of the desk, licked his face. He sprung back; had expected it to burn like ... charcoal, but the desk was fully lit, one big bonfire reaching up to the ceiling. It was burning too much.

The fire danced, flickered across the cla.s.sroom walls, and a garland of large letters made of paper, hanging over Jonny's desk, broke off and fell to the floor, the P and Q burning. The other half of the garland swung in a large arc and fell onto Tomas' desk which immediately burst into flames with the same

WHOOSH.

a searing explosion while Oskar ran from the cla.s.sroom with his schoolbag bouncing on his hip.

What if the whole school...

When he reached the end of the corridor the bells started to ring. A metallic clatter that filled the building and it was only when he was a good ways down the stairs that he realized it was the fire alarm. Out in the schoolyard the large bell rang fiercely to a.s.semble students who were not there, gathered up the school's ghosts, and followed Oskar halfway home.

Only when he reached the old Konsum grocery store and he no longer heard the bell did he relax. He walked calmly the rest of the way. In the bathroom mirror he saw that the tops of his eyelashes were rolled up, singed. When he touched them with his finger they broke off.

Wednesday 11 NOVEMBER.

H ome from school. Headache. The phone rang around nine. He didn't answer. In the middle of the day he saw Tommy and his mom walk past outside the window. Tommy walked bent over, slowly. Like an old person. Oskar ducked down under the windowsill as they went by. The phone rang every hour. Finally, at twelve o'clock, he picked it up.

"This is Oskar."