"It had to be a beast," Dana said. "Look what it did to you...and to them!"

"Beasts don't go around emptying people's pockets," Eve explained. "if they want something out of a pocket, they dont reach in-they rip the pocket to shreds. But that isnt the only thing. How'd he get through the padlock on the hatch?"

"I don't ... "

"With a key. I'll bet everything looked normal up there tonight."

"Yeah."

"So he had to use a key. And tha's no how a beast would do it."

"You said it looked and felt like a beast."

"Didn't smell like one."

"Huh?"

"Beasts don't smoke cigarette."

"You think it was a guy in a beast suit?"

"Scoobie-doobie doo."

"Fuck." Dana muttered. She dropped the jeans. With her left hand, she picked up the flashlight She shoved her right hand down the front pocket of her shorts. "You think it was Clyde?"

"Could've been, I guess."

Dana pulled out the pistol. "He's on the tour," she said. "He runs around in that authentic beast sult. And he smokes cigarette."

"Does her Pulling downward with her arms, Eve drew the chain taut.

Dana scurried over to her. She stopped very dose to Eve's back. In the pale beam of her ftashlight, she saw that Eve's shoulders and back were seamed with claw marks..

Just like Warren!

Clyde did it all! Attacked Warren, tearing him up and sodomizing him and making him always afraid. Dragged Eve in here, ripped her...

"Might not've been him," Eve said.

"Did he:..rape you?"

"I got nailed pretty good," Eve said.

With that big fake cock with its mouth and teeth?

"I'll kill him," Dana said.

"Let's leave the killing to me. I'm not really sure who or what did all this."

"It had to be Clyde," Dana said. "He's got the beast suit. He smokes. And he probably has keys. I bet he does have a key to the cellar hatch. He's in charge of the whole operation whenever Tuck's away."

"He's sounding pretty good for it."

"Oh, God!"

"What?"

"He's the one who went off to call the cops."

"Or maybe not," Eve said.

Dana shined her light on the handcuffs. Stretching out her right arm, she pressed the muzzle of her pistol against the thin, shiny chain connecting the handcuff braclets. Blasted apart, it would free Eve from the heavier chain that suspended her from the ceiling beam.

"Wait," Eve staid.

"What?"

"After you fire, we won't be able to hear ourselves think. We've gotta do our talking now. One shot should take care of things. But keep at it till I'm loose. Then give me the gun."

Dana almost smiled. "It's your gun, anyway."

"Yep."

"Thank God you gave it to me."

"Soon as I'm free, I want it back. After that, best thing for you to do is get out of my way."

"What about the flashlight?"

"I'm not gonna leave you down here in the dark. You keep it. If you can stay fairly close behind me, maybe you can light the way."

"I'll be right on your tail."

"Good deal."

"Ready?" Dana asked.

"Do it."

Thrusting the muzzle hard against the chain, she pulled the trigger. The pistol bucked in her hand, blasting out a tongue of fire. The BLAM! smacked her ears and left them ringing.

Eve jerked her arms down.

It worked!

Twisting around, Eve snatched the pistol out of her hand.

And dropped it.

She snarled out a word that Dana couldn't hear. Then she shook both her arms and Dana realized that they must be numb. As she kept on shaking them, Dana picked up the pistol.

Eve flexed the fingers of both hands, shook her arms some more, flexed her fingers again, then nodded and reached out.

Dana put the pistol into her right hand.

"GIVE HIM HELL!" Dana shouted into her face.

Eve's head moved up and down. Then she twisted away, lurched forward, fell to her elbows and knees and scurried up the tunnel.

Clutching the flashlight, Dana crawled after her

Chapter Fifty-nine.

THE ATTACK.

After shouting a few questions down the hole to Dana, Lynn stood up and turned to the group. "I guess we got more than we bargained for. The way things look, we've walked into a brand new chapter in Beast House history. Apparently, one of our local police officers, Eve Chaney, somehow got abducted and taken down into the tunnel. It sounds as if she'll be okay, Dana will probably have her out of there in a few minutes. If not, I'm sure she'll be safely rescued by the emergency personnel who should be arriving shortly. You're all welcome to stick around. But as for tonight's tour, I don't see much chance of going on with it. You're certainly free to leave. If you can, stop by the ticket booth tomorrow. We'll either give you a full refund, or...If I run a special Midnight Tour tomorrow night, how many of you would be able to make it?"

Owen raised a hand. So did Darke, Vein, Dennis, Arnold and Bixby, Among the three couples that appeared to be married, no hands went up. Owen couldn't hear what was being said, but he figured they were probably talking it over.

"That looks pretty good," Lynn said. "I'll definitely run a tour tomorrow night for those of you who can make it-assuming that it's not impossible for one reason or another."

Done conferring with his wife, the camel sweater man said, "I believe we'll be able to stay over for it."

"Great," Lynn said.

The cellar door banged shut.

Owen looked over his shoulder and saw Clyde bounding down the stairs in the beast suit.

"Couldn't get through," a voice announced The muffled sound seemed to be coming from Clyde's mask.

"What do you mean?" Lynn asked him.

"The phone's out."

"The office phone?"

"Right."

"You couldn't go someplace and find a phone that works?"

The beast shook its head.

"You're a lot of help."

The massive white shoulders shrugged.

"I have a cell phone," said Eleanor, the tennis lady.

"It won't work down here," Lynn said. A moment later, she said, "But it's worth a try." Holding out a hand, she said, "Here, let me see it."

"I'll have a go at it myself," said Bixby. He reached into a pocket of his safari jacket and hauled out a cell phone.

"We might as well try it, too," said the camel sweater man.

"Alison?"

His wife reached into her purse.

Shaking her head and laughing softly, Lynn said, "I'll try 911. Somebody else try to get hold of an operator. Shit, just call anyone you can get. Tell 'em where we are, that we need cops and an ambulance."

The cellar came alive with twitters and beeps.

"I DON'T THINK SO!"

Owen looked around.

Clyde had taken the beast head off. His face was red and twisted, his eyes wild. The hideous mask seemed to be resting on his shoulder. But he suddenly cocked back his arm and hurled the white head forward like an oversized softball.

Owen heard a distant, heavy blam! that sounded like a gunshot.

An instant later, the beast head crashed through the dangling light bulb.

The bulb exploded.

The cellar fell dark.

All around Owen, screams erupted.

He swung Darke around to the front and she came up tight against him. He wrapped his arms around her back. He could feel her panting for air as chaos swarmed around them.

From every side came shrieks of terror, cries of pain.

People yelled- "No!"

"Who's that?"

"Watch out!"

"Connie Con, is that you? YAHHH!"