Valley of the Shadow Read Online Free PDF Page B

the front windows and peered outside. “That’s not important right now. What is important is that you believe me. You need to leave. The longer you stay on that farm, the harder it’s going to be for you to get back.”
        “Get back?” Mitch said. “Back where?”
        “Back where you came from.”
        Mitch’s jaw tightened. “Dude,” he said through his teeth, “you’re about five seconds away from tasting my fist. You better start making sense.”
        Nathan turned back to Mitch, a spark of anger flashing in his eyes. He leaned into Mitch’s face and hissed in staccato beats, “You. Are not. Supposed to be here!” He pointed out the window. “Not on that farm. Not in Indiana. Not anywhere here!”
        “Fine.” Mitch backed up. “Where am I supposed to be?”
        “He’s trying to keep you here,” Nathan went on, ignoring Mitch’s question. “He overstepped his bounds, and he knows it. But the longer you stay, the harder it’s going to be for you to leave.”
        “Overstepped what bounds? What are you talking about?”
        Nathan rubbed his eyes. “You really don’t have a clue where you are?”
        Mitch was getting tired of the circular conversation. “If this isn’t Indiana, why don’t you enlighten me?”
        Nathan looked around the store a moment and then motioned for Mitch to follow him. “C’mon.”
        The guy was searching for something on the walls. He wasn’t looking for books, just shaking his head and muttering to himself. Mitch followed to the back of the store, where Nathan slid a big, gray shelving unit away, exposing a section of bare wall space. He stepped back and looked it over, as if sizing it up for something. Then he produced a small object from his pocket and held it up for Mitch to see. It was a piece of chalk. A thick blue stalk, three or four inches long, like the kind kids used to draw on sidewalks.
        Mitch shrugged. “What?”
        “You seen any strange things the last few years?”
        “One of ’em right now.”
        “Funny,” Nathan grunted. “I mean hallucinations. People . . . weird stuff. Stuff you can’t explain. Stuff from your past, maybe? Old memories?”
        “Maybe,” Mitch said. “What about it?”
        Nathan pointed around the room. “This place can take your memories and bring them to life. Your thoughts, nightmares. Your worst fears can take on a life of their own. It can give them form and substance.”
        “Dude, the aliens are doing that. They love to mess with our heads.”
        “Yeah, right. Aliens. But you’ve seen it, right? You’ve seen stuff you can’t explain?”
        Mitch shrugged. “Yeah.”
        “Well, I bet you haven’t seen this yet.” Nathan proceeded to draw a large circle on the wall with the chalk. About three feet in diameter. Then he stood back.
        Mitch stared at it, waiting for something to happen. After a few seconds he raised an eyebrow. “And . . .”
        “Shh.” Nathan held up a hand and listened.
        Then Mitch could hear a soft hissing sound. Wisps of smoke began wafting out from the chalk line. It looked to Mitch almost as if the chalk dust was burning its way through the drywall. He frowned. “What’s that?”
        The hissing grew louder, and soon smoke was pouring out along the entire perimeter of the circle. After several seconds it seemed to stop. Nathan put his sunglasses back on and smashed his fist into the center of the circle. The drywall cracked and crumbled away.
        Shafts of intense white light sliced through the cracks in the wall. Mitch swore and stepped back, covering his eyes. Nathan pulled the pieces away, and more light shot through the swirls of smoke that lingered in the air.
        Mitch could barely see anything. “What is it?”
        “Here.” Nathan nudged Mitch’s arm, holding out another pair of