Deathgame Read Online Free PDF

dimly lit aisle.
    Most of the seats were dark, except for the one halfway down. There, the ceiling light cut through the gloom onto blond hair and the face below it.
    Joe halted. He felt as if someone had slugged him in the stomach. The air left him in a rush.
    That face did not belong to Biff Hooper!
    "You're not — " Joe began.
    The man bounced up from his seat and launched himself forcefully into Joe. He was built like a fullback on steroids. The impact knocked Joe into a seat where a huge woman sat with a Siamese cat in her lap. Both the woman and the cat were asleep, and both awoke screaming and flailing when Joe hit them. Hands and claws raked at him.
    "Help! Help! Help!" The lady's sentiments were echoed by the cat in the same high pitch.
    Frank was standing near the bus driver, explaining the situation, when he heard the bedlam. He looked along the interior of the bus, wondering what was going on. Then he saw a massive, blond-haired figure charging at him.
    Frank started to bring his arms up, trying to decide if there was anything he could say that would calm the man.
    He had no chance. The figure bent low and dove at him, the blond head smashing into his stomach. Frank was hurtled into the bus driver's lap and sprawled out across the wheel. The bus horn began blasting.
    The blond man jumped off the bus and tore off down the hill.
    Joe freed himself from the woman and her cat. The woman had calmed down, but the cat was still clawing and screeching wildly as Joe dashed up the aisle.
    The bus horn had stuck when Frank fell against it. Passengers were awakening. Everyone was shouting questions. Frank shoved himself off the bus driver, who was attempting, without success, to shut off the infernal racket of the horn.
    Joe reached Frank, but didn't stop. He leapt off the bus and kept on running. Frank was right behind him. "What did you say to get that guy so upset?" Frank asked breathlessly.
    "Didn't say a word. But he knew who I was. I'll swear to it."
    They ran past their rental car. Ahead of them, at the bottom of the hill, the man ducked down a side road, taking a quick look back to see if they were following.
    They reached the side road at the same time and continued running.
    "You see him?" Joe asked, panting.
    "Yeah. Going over that hurricane fence at the end of the road. Looks like the other side is some kind of store parking lot!"
    They ran past houses with broken-down wooden fences. In the street old, rusted hulks of cars stood on tireless rims. The scent of oil was in the hot night air. Junk-food wrappers littered the grass and sidewalks, and most of the houses were unpainted. Frank suddenly felt very far from Bayport.
    They scrambled over the hurricane fence as the man reached the shadowy rear wall of the store. There were other stores near it, all dark, all obviously closed, some permanently boarded over.
    There was the sound of breaking glass. "He must have used his elbow to smash in a back window," Joe said. "I think he just climbed into the store."
    Frank and Joe reached the broken window less than a minute later. They hugged the wall of either side of the window frame. Both were breathing heavily. The interior of the darkened store was ominously quiet.
    "He could be waiting for us," Frank whispered.
    "There are two of us," Joe said in a loud voice, then without hesitating he went in through the broken window.
    As Frank climbed in after him, Joe was looking at the shadowy counters which formed narrow aisles.
    A sporting goods store: basketballs, weights, little golf gizmos, a rack of baseball bats.
    Joe stopped beside the bats, hefted one in his hand.
    The blond guy stepped out at the end of the aisle just as Frank joined Joe. "Glad you could make it," he said with an arrogant grin. "Though it would have been better for my team if you could have waited until we made the stop in town. They're going to be annoyed, missing out on your elimination. It's too bad, but some players just don't make it through the