he used to have after his father died when he would fall down in the street and not be able to move. He held up the key with one hand. The dull, silver blade with the other. The nice man took another step. Smiling.
“That’s it, Christopher. That’S it, son.”
Just then, David Olson grabbed the silver blade from Christopher’s hand. He cut an invisible string and threw Christopher back to the tree. The bark like flesh. The world’s flesh.
“No!” the nice man yelled and began to charge.
David grabbed the key with shaking fingers. He moved his hand to the tree trunk. The bark was slick with blood. The world’s blood. He reached into the tree’s rotten flesh and found the keyhole. David shoved the key into the lock and turned it with a CLICK. The door began to open. The light poured from the tree.
— Death is coming —
Mrs. Henderson climbed the ladder to the tree house. The freshly made mailbox people moaned behind her as her husband called out from the tree house. “Climb, honey! Let’s go on that weekend trip! Just open the door, honey. I’m waiting in bed for you. It’s time.”
— Death is here —
Christopher looked into the light. He moved his foot over the threshold. He felt something running at him from the other side. He couldn’t see it, but the sound was deafening. It was a stampede. They were coming. The people on the real side. Rushing to get in.
The worlds began to blur.
If he didn’t get out, they would all come in. The door between the two worlds would be open. The layers of Hell and Earth would bleed together in “FLOODS! FLOODS!”
— We’ll die —
Mrs. Henderson put her hand on the tree house doorknob. “You don’t need to stab me, honey. Just come into the hotel room,” her husband said on the other side of the door. “I love you more than I ever did.”
Mrs. Henderson turned the doorknob.
— on —
The nice man ran at the tree. His eyes exactly like the eye of the clearing. Christopher could feel the cold around him. The light was life.
“David, come with me!” Christopher yelled.
David shook his head sadly and touched Christopher’s hand. The boys locked eyes. In an instant Christopher understood. David couldn’t leave. He had no body to go back to. David put the key in Christopher’s hand just as the nice man ran at the tree, screaming at the top of his lungs.
— Christmas —
Mrs. Henderson turned the doorknob and opened the door. She looked into the tree house and saw Special Ed, Mike, and Matt, crouched down and waiting for her.
“It’s ours. We built it,” Special Ed said.
Then, he pulled out his father’s gun and shot her between the eyes.
Mrs. Henderson fell backward, taking Jenny, Brady, and Ms. Lasko down to the ground with her.
— Day —
David shoved Christopher back into the light and closed the door just as the nice man crashed into the tree. Christopher put the key in the other side of the door, locking it.
Click.
Christopher had escaped from Hell.
Chapter 105
tHe nIce Man stared at the tree. the moment lasted a second on earth. but for hIm, it was just another eternity. hE had been right. this child was the child. hE had not seen anything like the boy for two thousand years. hE needed him. hE knew that after he broke the boy, hE would get out. and hE knew how to break the boy. hE knew how to get that key. hE was going to be free. finally.
hE turned to the woods as the deer swarmed David Olson. hiS petS biting the boy and dragging him back like a mouse for their master. hE took David’s neck in hiS hand and held him up, squirming like a man in a noose. tHe nIce Man grabbed the dull, silver blade from David’s hand and put it back in hiS pocket.
“i told you what would happen if you betrayed me, david,” hE said.
hE left a part of himself to stitch David’s eyes and mouth closed. then, he walked over to mrs. henderson. sweet mrs. henderson. she was on the ground on the real side, still stunned by the bullet that bounced off her forehead. she was lucky hE made people stop dying, or she would never get the chance to see her husband again.
“get up, honey,” hE called out in her husband’s voice. “we can still go on that weekend trip.”