Scratch Read Online Free PDF Page B

wouldn’t have believed it the day before, would have chuckled at the story and then sent Tim Graco an email, telling him I had an idea for our next comic book.  
    But it was real—and that reality made my stomach churn and my ears thrum and my breath catch in my throat.  
    We reached the end of the bridge, and Jeff took the next left, turning onto a dirt road that looped around back to Thena’s house. It had washed out in places, and we bounced over the ruts and puddles. My head smacked against the rifle rack.  
    “You okay?”  
    “Yeah.” Wincing, I rubbed the back of my head. “So, you said they’ve been spotting this thing—this Scratch—since the Thirties?”  
    Jeff nodded.  
    “Well, then how is it still alive? Is it supposed to be immortal or something?”  
    “Ain’t nothing immortal in this world.” He shrugged. “Snakes can live a long time, I guess. Or maybe this is a descendant of the original Old Scratch. But whatever the reason, it’s real. We saw it. Ain’t no denying that.”  
    “Jesus ...”  
    “Look, I know how you feel, Evan. I never really believed it myself. I mean, I’ve seen some weird things. Me and some buddies pulled an eight-foot catfish out of the river up near the Pennsylvania Power and Light company dam about ten years ago. It was pure white, and when we touched it, the skin sloughed off in our hands like slime. That was strange, to say the least.”  
    “Pollution?”  
    “Maybe. Who knows? All I know is it was weird. Like I said, I’ve seen some weird things, but I always figured Old Scratch was just a legend, like the Goat Man of LeHorn’s Hollow, or Gravity Hill, or the seven gates of Hell. That’s how I knew about it. I like all that local folklore stuff. But now I know better.”  
    “But you said he lives in the river.”  
    “So?”  
    “Well, if that’s true, then what’s he doing in our creek?”  
    “Hell, Evan. We’re only three miles from the Susquehanna. Our creek flows right into it.”  
    “Yeah, but the creek is awfully shallow in some places. For a thing ...” I paused. My mind refused to think of it as a snake. That hadn’t actually hit home yet. “For something that big, you’d think it would stick to the deeper waters, where it’s safer.”  
    “He probably does,” he agreed. “Except in rare instances like now, when it’s flooding.”  
    Jeff slowed down as we approached the spot where the creek had jumped its banks and flooded out the road.  
    “Looks like this is as far as we go,” he said. “We’ll have to walk in.”  
    “Shit.”  
    “Yeah.”  
    “I hope they’re okay.”  
    “Me, too. If they managed to get upstairs, they should be all right. I’ve been in her house, and that stairway is pretty narrow. Maybe Old Scratch can’t fit up there.”  
    Jeff’s voice had a plaintive, almost pleading tone. It was obvious to me that he didn’t believe a word of what he was saying. I wondered if he was trying to convince me, or convince himself.  
    We got out of the truck. Jeff loaded his rifle and motioned me forward. I followed along behind him, clutching the handgun. Soon, the road disappeared beneath our feet, and cold water rushed into my boots. The floodwaters were halfway up my shins, and still rising. The current pulled at me, and I had to struggle to keep my balance. It was like walking through fast-flowing cement. The roar of the water was deafening.  
    “This isn’t going to work,” Jeff yelled above the din. “We’ll have to go around. This way!”  
    He led us up the hill and into the woods. I wondered if he should be shouting like that, but decided that if Old Scratch heard us, maybe we’d get lucky and frighten it off before it could hurt Thena or her kids. Then again, maybe we’d attract its attention instead. I wondered if we’d even be on time. I wasn’t sure how many minutes had passed since we’d spotted the creature. It seemed like forever.  
    The forest was a