Deadman's Road Read Online Free PDF Page B

moved between the wadded pages and made the circle light up fully, all the way around, like Ezekiel's wheel.
    Gimet gave out with a hoarse cry, scuttled back, clacking nails and knees against the floor. When he moved, he moved so quickly there seemed to be missing spaces between one moment and the next. The buzzing of Gimet's bees was ferocious.
    Jebidiah grabbed the lantern, struck a match and lit it. Gimet was scuttling along the wall like a cockroach, racing to the edge of the window.
    Jebidiah leaped forward, tossed the lit lantern, hit the beast full in the back as it fled through the window. The lantern burst into flames and soaked Gimlet's back, causing a wave of fire to climb from the thing's waist to the top of its head, scorching a horde of bees, dropping them from the sky like exhausted meteors.
    Jebidiah drew his revolver, snapped off a shot. There was a howl of agony, and then the thing was gone.
    Jebidiah raced out of the protective circle and the deputy followed. They stood at the open window, watched as Gimet, flame-wrapped, streaked through the night in the direction of the graveyard.
    "I panicked a little," Jebidiah said. "I should have been more resolute. Now he's escaped."
    "I never even got off a shot," the deputy said. "God, but you're fast. What a draw."
    "Look, you stay here if you like. I'm going after him. But I tell you now, the circle of power has played out."
    The deputy glanced back at it. The pages had burned out and there was nothing now but a black ring on the floor.
    "What in hell caused them to catch fire in the first place?"
    "Evil," Jebidiah said. "When he got close, the pages broke into flames. Gave us the protection of God. Unfortunately, as with most of God's blessings, it doesn't last long."
    "I stay here, you'd have to put down more pages."
    "I'll be taking the bible with me. I might need it."
    "Then I guess I'll be sticking."

    They climbed out the window and moved up the hill. They could smell the odor of fire and rotted flesh in the air. The night was as cool and silent as the graves on the hill.
    Moments later they moved amongst the stones and wooden crosses, until they came to a long wide hole in the earth. Jebidiah could see that there was a burrow at one end of the grave that dipped down deeper into the ground.
    Jebidiah paused there. "He's made this old grave his den. Dug it out and dug deeper."
    "How do you know?" the deputy asked.
    "Experience…. And it smells of smoke and burned skin. He crawled down there to hide. I think we surprised him a little."
    Jebidiah looked up at the sky. There was the faintest streak of pink on the horizon. "He's running out of daylight, and soon he'll be out of moon. For a while."
    "He damn sure surprised me. Why don't we let him hide? You could come back when the moon isn't full, or even half full. Back in the daylight, get him then."
    "I'm here now. And it's my job."
    "That's one hell of a job you got, mister."
    "I'm going to climb down for a better look."
    "Help yourself."
    Jebidiah struck a match and dropped himself into the grave, moved the match around at the mouth of the burrow, got down on his knees and stuck the match and his head into the opening.
    "Very large," he said, pulling his head out. "I can smell him. I'm going to have to go in."
    "What about me?"
    "You keep guard at the lip of the grave," Jebidiah said, standing. "He may have another hole somewhere, he could come out behind you for all I know. He could come out of that hole even as we speak."
    "That's wonderful."
    Jebidiah dropped the now dead match on the ground. "I will tell you this. I can't guarantee success. I lose, he'll come for you, you can bet on that, and you better shoot those silvers as straight as William Tell's arrows."
    "I'm not really that good a shot."
    "I'm sorry," Jebidiah said, and struck another match along the length of his pants seam, then with his free hand, drew one of his revolvers. He got down on his hands and knees again, stuck the match in the