The only sounds that came from the woods were those of the wind shaking the trees and bushes.

Then came another outcry from Rhonda.

Hunter winced. His throat tightened and his eyes went hot.

They'll pay! I'll make them pay for this!

Still, no response from Bret.

"Okay, kid," Eleanor shouted. "We're taking everyone over to the graveyard. That's where you can find us. You come on over and give yourself up, or we'll kill them all. You understand? Be there in ten minutes or we'll kill your sister and your dad and Rhonda and everyone else!"

No response.

Eleanor again faced Hunter. "The belt."

He unbuckled the belt and let it fall.

"Now move back so I can get my things."

Why not grab the sword instead? Take her apart with it!

"If I have to ask again, Rhonda gets another dose."

"No, please." Hunter backed away, Mandy staying by his side.

Eleanor walked forward.

Crouching, she lifted the belt out of the leaves. She swung it around her waist, fastened the buckle, and adjusted the sheathed knife at her right hip. Then she crouched again and picked up her sword. "That's better," she said. "Felt a little naked without my weapons." She swung her sword, slashing the air in front of her.

"Do you really have my dad?" Mandy asked.

"Yep."

"What about Phyllis?"

"Her, too. It'll be a regular reunion. Too bad your little shit of a brother had to ruin everything."

"Don't call him that."

"Yeah, right." She stepped to the side of the path. With a swing of the sword, she motioned them forward. "You two take the lead. Follow the path till I say different."

As Hunter began to walk, Mandy came up and took hold of his hand. The path was too narrow for them to walk side by side, but she kept his hand and walked slightly behind him.

She gave his hand a squeeze. "It'll be okay," she said.

"No talking."

"Sorry," Mandy said.

"Fain!" shouted Eleanor. "We're on our way. The kid has ten minutes to give himself up, or we kill 'em all."

"You bet!" came a voice from the woods to their rear.

"Meet you there!" Eleanor yelled.

"We'll be along soon."

Eleanor laughed softly.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN.

"Something's coming," Laura said.

"What?" Shannon asked.

"A van?"

Shannon thought she could hear it - an engine sound in there with the rushing hisses of the wind. "Let me see."

Tight against each other's backs, they twisted their torsos Then Shannon turned her head as far as she could and gazed over her left shoulder.

The vehicle appeared to be a van, all right. Still a distance away it was moving in their general direction without any headlights on.

"Maybe it's a night watchman or something," Laura said, "The main entrance is over that way. The cemetery office."

"Have they got a night watchman?"

"Not that I know of. But they might."

"If it is," Shannon said, "you'd think he'd drive with his headlights on."

She looked over at the three robed guards. They were staring toward the van, heads turned away from Shannon and Laura.

"This might be a fine time to skedaddle," Shannon said.

"Oh, God. "

"Before the van gets here."

"It's gonna hurt."

"I know. Ready?"

"No."

The van, apparently following one of the cemetery's service roads, began to veer away.

It isn't coming here?

"Wait," Laura said.

"I see."

She now had a full sideview of the van. It was a pale color that seemed to glow in the moonlight. The shadows sweeping over it looked black.

"It's going away," Laura whispered.

"Looks that..."

It cut hard to the right and sped toward the group, swooping down a slope, swerving to avoid a headstone, swerving again to miss a tree.

"Now!" Shannon gasped.

Laura moaned.

Shannon brought up her knees and braced her feet against the ground. Feeling the push of Laura's back, she shoved with her feet.

No longer felt the grass under her buttocks.

Rose higher, higher, Laura's back and buttocks against her own, rising.

Shannon looked to the side. The guards were still turned away and watching the van.

"Here goes," she said. Gritting her teeth, she bent over quickly at the waist. The ropes around her shoulders and arms and crisscrossing her chest seemed to dig into her skin as Laura's weight dragged at them. Laura made sounds like a tortured mouse - high and full of pain, but quiet.

Then the ropes eased, the pain faded. Shannon had Laura on her back.

So far, nobody had yelled.

She turned toward the embankment and tried to run.

More of a trudge. Bent over, arms stretched out straight to both sides as if she'd been crucified on the cross of Laura, she forced one leg up and forward, put the foot down, then brought up the other and moved it forward. Her entire body was so heavy she fell as if someone had filled her with wet concrete.

Gasping for air, she tried to move faster.

Come on! Faster!

She gained speed. Laura's weight almost seemed to be helping now, adding to the momentum.

More like it.

Faster and faster she plowed forward, her head so low she could hardly see where she was going, her breasts lurching and swimming beneath her, Laura grunting and bouncing, hot and slippery on her back.

Laura blurted, "Hurry! They spotted us!"

Bound to Shannon, riding her like an ungainly backpack, Laura could hardly believe Shannon was able to run beneath such a burden... and she was amazed by the distance they made before anyone noticed they were on the move.

The guards had all their attention on the approaching van until it stopped not far from the Kneeling Girl statue and the driver's door swung open.

Maybe the driver said something.

Suddenly, Royce and the other two guards jerked around and looked toward Laura. Then Royce broke away from them and gave chase and Laura blurted her warning to Shannon.

Somehow, Shannon picked up more speed.

Laura bounced and slid on her back, wincing as the ropes tore into her skin. From the start, she'd kept her knees up, high and close to her chest. It seemed to help with the center of gravity. Now that Royce was closing in fast, she was appalled by the view she presented him. She tried to put her knees together, but she was bouncing around too roughly and they kept flying apart.

Not like it matters, she thought. We're gonna be dead soon, the hell with it.

But she hated it, hated that she was so exposed to him.

Royce was closing the distance very fast. She saw that his robe was open now, flapping behind him in the wind. Like the others, he wore nothing under the robe except a belt around his waist. In her lurching vision, she glimpsed his genitals. She looked away fast, raised her eyes to the sky.

Leaves were flying through the night. High above her, the branches of trees scratched and clawed at the sky. High above the black branches, shreds of clouds flew past the moon.

Though her eyes were raised, she couldn't help but see Royce beyond her upraised knees, closing in fast.

She looked at him.

He seemed to be staring exactly where she'd expected. He seemed to be grinning.

Another moment, and he was near enough to reach out and grab her foot. Or push her and send Shannon diving headlong.

But he didn't.

Drastically slowing his speed, he jogged along only a pace or two behind Laura.

Enjoying the show?

Underneath her back, Shannon struggled on, grunting and wheezing for breath.

Royce reached out a hand.

Reached between Laura's legs.

She shot out a foot and smashed him in the face. Her heel seemed to burst his nose. He let out a yelp of pain and surprise and dropped backward, disappearing from her line of sight.

Even before she had a moment to savor her victory, however, she realized that the recoil of her kick had thrown off Shannon's balance.