Stevie looked at him and then back at me. "Maybe you can use your magic to get his property for him?"

The Land of the Dead went completely silent. The people on the streets vanished in the blink of an eye. It was just me, the old man, and Throwaway Stevie, whose words still hung in the air. His property.

DAY 5.

SIXTEEN.

An echoing roar stirred me out of my sleep or whatever state you call it when you go to the Land of the Dead. I sat up with a jolt and had to wait a few seconds for my eyes to adjust to the extreme darkness. I felt around for my flashlight, found it, and clicked it on. I was back in the small dressing compartment.

Another roar.

I twirled around. Where was Throwaway Stevie?

A scream.

I threw my shoulder into the door to the dressing room and headed for the bowling alley. The commotion was in full swing. There was a thunderous roar followed by another. The beam of my flashlight zoomed across two furry animals pounding on each other. It was hard to make out what was going on in the sliver of light, but as soon as I saw the silver hair on the backs of both animals, I knew what was going on. Ariabod and Ajax were involved in a knockdown, drag out brawl.

"Hey!" I shouted.

They ignored me and continued to pound away on each other.

"Stop!"

They rolled on the floor in a tangled mess. I couldn't tell one from the other.

A scream came from behind me. I turned to see Gordy on top of April, his knees pinning her arms to the floor. She was snapping her jaws like a wild animal. He was holding his injured shoulder.

Gordy laughed a horrible, maniacal laugh. "You bit me! It's my turn now!"

I started trembling with anticipation. He was going to eat April. I couldn't wait to see. I couldn't wait to taste. I inched towards them, the light from my flashlight bouncing as I walked. The beam fell on the faces of Throwaway Stevie and June huddled together just beyond Gordy and April. They were terrified. The looks on their faces snapped me out of my bloodlust and hunger.

I barreled across the room and grabbed Gordy by the back of his collar. He reached up and tried to slap my hand away. His knees lifted off of April's arms enough for her to work them loose. She shifted and maneuvered her head next to his calf and bit down, sending Gordy into a shrieking frenzy. He twitched and bucked like a mad man until he worked himself free of my grip and jerked back, pulling his leg away from April. I could hear his flesh tear from his calf. It sounded as if someone was ripping a plastic bag open.

The cry Gordy let out at that point was as loud as anything I had ever heard. He clutched his leg and writhed on the floor. April was chewing away on the piece of flesh she had bitten off Gordy's leg. Blood was dripping from the corners of her mouth and was smeared across her chin. My stomach burned. I wanted a taste so badly.

Meanwhile, Ajax and Ariabod were still going at it. I grabbed April by her hair and yanked her to her feet. She yelped in pain.

"You're coming with me," I said.

She fought me as I dragged her towards the two gorillas. I got as close to them as I dared and hollered as loud as I could, "Help!"

That stopped them. Their instinct to save a human in distress was greater than their desire to kill each other. They both looked at me panting and wide-eyed.

"Now, I get why frick and frack were going at it, but what is up with you two?"

Ajax began to sign, but I waved him off. "Don't bother. I only know a few signs. I'd need Lou to translate."

"I can tell you what happened," April said.

I still had her by her hair. One look at her and I could see that I was dealing with somebody who was completely out of her mind. I slowly loosened my grip and backed away from her.

She started licking her fingers like she had just eaten a greasy drumstick. "I broke the pact."

"You what?"

"I took a bite out of the king of the jerks over there and gorilla *A' tried to break me in half. Gorilla *B' came to my rescue."

Gorilla *A' was Ariabod. "You were going to kill her?"

April was licking up as much of the blood on her chin as she could reach with her tongue. She took time out to defend Ariabod. "He was only doing what he was asked to do. Something Chicken-Little gorilla was too wimpy to do."

"Chicken-Little just saved your life."

"And allowed me to get a second bite, thank you very much," she said taking a bow.

I shook my head. "Ajax, next time let Ariabod kill her." I didn't mean it. At least I don't think I meant it. It was hard to think straight with the smell of human blood so strong in the room.

Gordy continued to moan. She had taken a big chunk out of his leg, and I didn't think he was going to recover any time soon.

April smiled and I could see a piece of skin hanging from her teeth. "Oh, man that was so yummy." She started for Gordy, but I pushed her back.

"Not a chance," I said pushing her toward Ariabod. "Hold onto her. Don't kill her."

He growled.

I took one step toward Gordy, but stopped. I could smell his open wounds from where I was standing. They were mouthwatering. I imagined myself sinking my teeth into the open wound on his calf and tearing the tender muscle from the bone. It was sweet and savory. I couldn't imagine anything that could taste better.

Sensing what was on my mind, Gordy demanded that I not get near him. He clutched his calf with both hands and did his best to stop the bleeding. His shoulder was bleeding, too, but he didn't appear to be as concerned about that injury.

I heard a cackle over my left shoulder and wheeled around to see the old gray man hovering near the doorway to the dressing room area.

"Soup's on," he screeched.

Ajax growl-hooted but didn't advance.

The Flish flashed an awful yellow grin at me. "Go on, young pup. Have your breakfast. I'll be having mine soon enough."

I wanted to step towards him, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. I knew he couldn't hurt me... rather, I was pretty sure he couldn't hurt me, but still, I couldn't work up the courage to confront him, not here, not like I could in the Land of the Dead.

"Not if I have anything to do with it," I said.

He giggled. "Time's running, my boy. I'll have what's mine soon enough."

The word *mine' triggered the memory of my latest trip to the Land of the Dead. He was terrified and panicked because he didn't have his package. "Your property?" I asked.

His face lit up. "That's right. My property. Do you know where it is? Give it to me."

I had him. He needed that package. I didn't know why or for what, but he needed it, and as long as he thought I knew where it was, maybe I could use it to my advantage. "I know where it is," I said hoping he couldn't read lies.

He lumbered towards me which didn't make Ajax happy. Ajax roared and moved between me and the old man.

"Give me my property!" the old man insisted.

"Ask me nicely," I said.

The old man ground his teeth. I said, "Give me my property!" He kept coming in spite of Ajax blocking his way.

"It's mine now!" I yelled.

The Flish picked up the pace. Ajax roared! The old man ignored him.

"It's mine! You have no right! The children need me!"

Ajax charged the Flish and plowed into him with a powerful thud. The old man disintegrated on impact.

"Whoa!" I barked.

Ajax twirled around looking for the Flish, but he was nowhere to be found.

Gordy managed to sit up. His head darted from left to right. "He's not gone."

"I know," I said. "I feel him." I zoomed the flashlight around looking for the creepy old ghost.

"Give him his property," April screamed. She was trying to work herself free from Ariabod's grip.

"It's not his any more," I said. "It's mine."

A wail echoed through the long room, and we could hear running feet, but it was impossible to tell which direction they were coming from.

"Did you hear me?" I asked. "It's my property now!"

"Nice going," Gordy said. "That's not helping."

"I know what I'm doing..." the words no sooner left my mouth than I heard a horrible hiss as I was pushed to the ground. The old man's stinking hot breath struck me in the face as his knees jammed into my chest. His dingy yellow teeth glistened as the old man snarled. "It's mine. You have no right." I struggled to get him off me. Ajax roared and the old man groaned with frustration. "You'll pay for this."

With that, he was gone.

I radioed Lou and asked her to come to the basement without Kimball and the Throwaway version of me. They could stay with Archie and Bobby.

She still wasn't feeling the effects of the Flish, which meant that she was in less danger than any of us, which also meant that she was going to have to be the go between for all of us until we either figured out a way to lift this curse or ran out of time and ate each other.

She cleaned and dressed Gordy's wounds. He moaned and complained the whole time. He wanted to know why he was the one who always got injured.

"Karma," Lou answered.

"I don't even know what that is," Gordy replied.

"Means you should try to be nicer in the future," she said.

"Good luck with that," I said sarcastically, standing about ten feet away.

"It could happen," Lou said.

"No," Gordy said. "He's right. It's probably not going to happen."

"Let me go!" April shouted. Ariabod still had a tight grip on her. I sensed that he was really confused as to why I wouldn't let him kill April. After all, she had broken the pact by taking a bite out of Gordy.

Lou stood. "What are you going to do with her?"

I thought it over. "I'd put her with you, but I need you to be able move freely among us. She would complicate things for you."

Lou agreed. "Lock her up."

"What?" I asked.

"Put her in jail until we figure this thing out."

"Jail?"

"Saw a utility closet in the Halloween room with a key hanging on a hook next to it. Lock her in the closet and give me the key. That way no one can get to her and she can't get out and take a bite out of anyone else."

"No, no," April said. "You're not locking me in a closet."

I smiled at Lou. It was brilliant. "Actually, we are," I said.

"That's not fair!" April yelled. "How come no one else has to be locked in a closet?"

"Karma," Gordy yelled back. He looked at Lou. "Right?"

She walked toward the Halloween room with Ariabod dragging April along. "Basically."

"So," I said talking to Lou in the stone-walled hallway. "What did Bobby have to say?"