Chapter Fifteen.

Roy had been concealed behind the junk pile in the garage for over an hour, waiting for the boys to enter the garage with Frank. As he waited, he attempted to communicate with Sam. It had been difficult.

Sam was distrustful of anyone Roy's age. Roy tried to explain the wooden matchbox and powder would work but only for a while, and that many others would be hurt later on when Frank broke free of the cage. He told Sam that he'd convinced David to play it another way instead of using the items, and that they'd be in the garage soon. He told Sam that David intended to kill Frank when they got to the garage, to protect Sean and Garth.

Sam had not been very communicative. Roy didn't know if he approved of the plan or if he was ignoring him all along since he didn't acknowledge much of what Roy was saying. Roy had begged him to help David if he could, once they arrived in the garage. Sam didn't say he would.

After a while the conversation stopped. Roy told Sam he'd wait for the boys to arrive by hiding behind the pile. Sam didn't say anything in return.

The garage was silent. The musty smell of cut gra.s.s mixed with the smell of burnt wood and creosote. It was a smell Roy remembered from similar buildings in his youth. He always a.s.sociated that smell with spiders.

David appeared in the doorway of the garage. He looked around, waiting for his eyes to adjust.

"Davy," Roy called. "Back here."

David walked inside the garage and tentatively towards Roy's voice. Once he made his way around the junk pile, he saw Roy crouched down near the floor. He also sensed the presence that was with Roy, listening.

Roy saw David's reaction, his fear. David was more susceptible to the flow than he realized. The demon was scaring him off.

"I... I don't know if I should do this, mister," David said, backing away a little.

"You're scaring the boy, it'll ruin the plan!" Roy told the demon.

"I've been waiting a long time, much longer than usual," the demon said, his voice rumbling in the lowest registers they could hear. "I want my payment."

"Your payment comes after Davy shoots Frank," Roy said. "Not before. We talked about this."

"It looks like your father is having a change of heart," the demon said. "If he fails, I'll take you so quickly you won't realize it happened."

"What is he?" David asked, taking another step back. "He's not human."

"No," Roy said. "He isn't. He brought me here so I could help you solve this."

"He called me your father," David said. "Those weren't visions, were they?"

"You're right, they weren't visions. That's what actually happens in the future."

"And I am your father?"

"Yes," Roy said, "you are. You are my father. You named me Roy."

David looked like he wanted to bolt from the room, but he didn't move.

"If I don't do this, what happens, in the future?"

"Frank comes back after several years, attacking me, my son, and his son."

"I'm a grandfather, and a great-grandfather?"

"Yes, and they're all grateful to you for what you did, what you pa.s.s on from your father, all of it. But we won't be around if you don't do this."

"And him?" David asked, pointing at the demon.

"He was the only way I could come back here and talk to you. He will take Frank's soul as payment for bringing me here, if you kill him. If you don't, he'll take me instead."

Roy felt he'd put every compelling reason on the table that he could. It was a mixture of truth and lies, all designed to get David to pull the trigger. Any more and he'd be pushing too hard, increasing the risk that David might back out. He stopped and looked at David with as desperate an expression as he could muster.

"Is that true?" David asked the demon.

"It is," the demon answered. "I will be paid, one way or the other. And I won't wait much longer."

David looked at Roy. From inside the house they could hear screaming, a mixture of the boys yelping and Frank's loud, booming voice. They could hear things smashing. Then they heard the sound of the kitchen door opening and slamming shut, and the rapid fall of approaching footsteps.

"They're here," Roy said. "Now it's your choice, Davy. Frank, or me."

David removed the pistol from his back belt where he'd concealed it under his shirt.

"Do you know how to use it?" Roy asked.

"I think so," he said.

"Come hide here with me in the shadows. Once Frank comes in you can use it on him. He'll be blind for the first few moments when he walks in as his eyes adjust to the darkness. That's the time."

David joined Roy behind the junk pile, pistol in hand. It was large in his hand, and heavy. Roy saw the gun droop a bit as he held it.

"Use both hands," he whispered to David as Garth came running into the garage. He was crying and breathing hard.

"Davy, you here?" Garth said, trying to catch his breath.

"Yeah, I'm here," David said.

"Good. Sean is on his way. Frank is madder than a hornet's nest."

Within a moment Sean came running into the garage. He had a black eye and blood was running from a cut on his cheek.

"Did he see you come out here?" Garth asked.

"Yes, he saw me," Sean said. "Is Davy here?"

"Yes, he's here," Garth said. "What do we do?"

"I don't know," Sean said. "Davy, what do we do?"

"Hide," said David, emerging from the back of the junk pile, holding the pistol.

Sean and Garth saw the gun and their eyes went wide. They both scrambled for hiding places.

"You come back here, you little s.h.i.theads!" Frank bellowed from the house. "If I have to come out there and get you, you'll be sorry!"

Roy could hear Garth whimper. Sean and Garth were out of his line of sight, but he could see David, who had moved into position near the door. He held the gun at arm's length, ready to fire as soon as Frank entered the building.

"I'm gonna count to three," Frank yelled. "You know what happens at three!"

Roy wondered what exactly Frank had done to the boys in the past. From Garth's story that Steven had relayed to him, it sounded pretty horrible. He didn't regret what was about to happen.

"One!" Frank hollered.

The garage was silent.

"Two!"

Roy heard Garth whimper again. It made him regret ever having spanked Steven or Bernie as they grew up.

What an a.s.shole I am for not reconciling with Steven before coming here, Roy thought. I may never see him again. What a monumental p.r.i.c.k I can be sometimes.

"Three! Ready or not, here I come!"

He could see a gulp go down David's throat as he steeled himself for the confrontation. He could hear the demon next to him, panting, readying himself for the soul that was coming his way within moments. Sean and Garth were nowhere to be seen, tucked into s.p.a.ces only they knew.

Frank's long shadow reached the doorway before he did.

"You two s.h.i.theads need to learn some respect," he said, just outside the doorway. "I'm gonna burn it into ya." They could hear Frank flicking his lighter. "Just imagine, Garth Sean with his hair on fire. All his hair burned off his head. Wouldn't that look funny? I'll bet you'll s.h.i.t your pants laughing at him."

He flicked the lighter more.

"There's no way out of this, boys. Come on out now. You come out now, I'll only beat you until you're black and blue. You make me come in there, I'm gonna beat you so hard you won't know who you are. And then I'll burn ya."

He flicked the lighter a few more times. Roy was afraid the boys would cave and go out to him, but they didn't. The garage was silent except for the sound of Frank's lighter clicking away the seconds. Then it stopped.

"Fine, have it your way." He walked into the garage.

David raised the pistol, pointing it at Frank's chest. Now, Roy thought. Pull the trigger now!

David pulled the trigger, but no shot came out. The gun only clicked.

Frank heard the click and turned to look in the direction of the sound. He saw the barrel of the gun and the face behind it.

"You!" he said, marching towards David at full speed.

David was stunned that the gun hadn't worked. He pulled the trigger again. This time Frank had reached him and had his hand below the barrel. As David pulled, Frank raised his hand, bringing the barrel of the gun upwards. The bullet left the gun and grazed Frank's scalp. Blood began to run down his face.

Frank paused for a moment, but once he realized he wasn't dead, he went into a frenzy. He easily wrestled the gun from David's hands as David tried to pull off another shot. Once he had the gun, he ran at David, pinning him against the wall of the garage. With his left hand he held David's chest against the wall, and with his right he held the gun. Then he brought the handle of the gun down against David's face, pistol-whipping him. Frank's face was dripping blood from the wound on his head, and the blood was running down onto his chest. He raised the gun again and brought it down on David. David let out a scream, which faltered and sputtered as blood from his own wounds gagged his throat.

David raised his feet and kicked at Frank as hard as he could. It was enough to knock Frank back a few inches, which was just enough to relieve the pressure on David from Frank's left hand, and David slid down the wall of the garage to the floor. Frank took a step back to catch his breath and wipe the blood from his eyes. David took the opportunity to try and crawl away, but Frank brought his foot down on David's hand. Roy could hear the bones of David's hand break.

Do something! Roy thought. But he couldn't do anything, couldn't touch anything or make anything happen. He was helpless.

Garth flew out from his hiding place, pounding on Frank from behind. He had little effect. Frank turned and grabbed Garth by the shirt and threw him against the garage wall. Garth hit the wall and fell to the floor, stunned. David continued to crawl away, favoring his unbroken hand. Frank kicked him in the stomach, raising his body off the ground by two feet. David fell to the floor in a heap, the wind literally kicked out of him, unable to move.

Frank moved back into position over David, raising his foot over David's back.

He'll break his back, Roy thought. Please, G.o.d, someone do something.

Suddenly the room was brightly lit, as though hundreds of lights had turned on all at once. Everyone in the room was still, frozen in place. Except for Sean.

Roy saw the extended hand from the junk pile with Sean next to it. Sean stood, the only one able to move. He walked over to the wall of the garage where tools and implements were hanging. He removed a pitchfork and walked over to Frank. Frank was frozen in place. Sean positioned the tines of the pitchfork at Frank's back. Suddenly the brightness of the room vanished and the garage was returned to its normal light. Frank continued to raise his leg, ready to bring it down on David's back.

Sean pushed the pitchfork into Frank. He pushed until the tines emerged from the other side. Then he pulled the pitchfork out and shoved it in again. Roy felt the demon next to him begin to materialize.

Frank turned. Sean let go of the pitchfork. As Frank turned, the pitchfork swung around behind him. Frank snarled down at Sean, his face so completely covered with blood that it was impossible to see his features. He lunged at Sean, sliding off the tines of the pitchfork; behind Frank, Garth had grabbed hold of the pitchfork's handle. Frank fell on top of Sean, the blood of his wound dripping down onto Sean's head and face. Frank leaned back and brought his arm up to swing at Sean. Sean turned his head away from the impending blow and waited for it to hit. But it never came.

He turned back to look at Frank on top of him. Garth had run the pitchfork through his neck from behind. Frank was trying to breathe but was only sputtering instead, bubbles of blood forming on his mouth as he tried to exhale. He fell off Sean to the side, his hands reaching for the tines of the pitchfork, but unable to remove them. Sean got to his feet and went to Garth, who was still holding the handle of the pitchfork. Garth shoved the handle at Frank again for good measure. They heard Frank gasping and knew he was done for. They both went to David to see if he was OK.

Roy felt the demon leave his side and swiftly move over to Frank. Roy entered the flow. He saw the demon lower its large head next to Frank's, eyeing the final moments of Frank's life as he struggled to breathe and the blood poured out of his wounds. The demon looked like an animal waiting for the opportune moment to strike its prey. That moment came within seconds, and the demon opened its mouth. Roy saw the exact second when Frank heaved his last sigh and the demon sucked his soul away.

Roy exited the flow and walked out from behind the junk pile and over to David. The boys seemed too shocked to question why he was there. He checked on David and saw that he was breathing. Aside from some nasty cuts to his face and his broken hand, he was OK.

"Boys," Roy said, "run across the street and tell Davy's mother what happened. You boys killed Frank in self-defense, remember that. Sean and David's wounds should prove that. And make sure he gets his pocket knife back from under Frank's bed."

Sean and Garth backed away from David and Roy, then ran out of the garage.

"Are we done here?" the demon asked, still standing next to Frank's dead body.

"One more thing," Roy said, and walked over to the junk pile. "Thank you, Sam. I owe you one."

Chapter Sixteen.

Roy found himself back in an empty house. No Steven, no Eliza waiting for him to return. At first he was p.i.s.sed they weren't there, upset they'd leave him while he was occupied with such an important task. Then he realized they hadn't left him; they'd simply never been there to begin with.

He went to the phone and called Steven.

"h.e.l.lo, how are you feeling?" Roy asked.