Hidebehind

Thirty-Nine

We didn't know where to begin, really, or what exactly to do. When Great Grandma saw the spray paint on the back of the house, she freaked out and called the police. They came out and talked to her, and then the news people came out again, but I didn't tell them anything about what it said or how I knew—nobody would've believed me, anyway. Alex and Maisie had their mom bring them some overnight stuff, and the three of us sat in my room and just went over everything we remembered about Jay and about the monster. We also debated what we were supposed to do that night. Alex thought we were supposed to go camping, like Jimmy and my Grandpa had been on the night of Jimmy's disappearance. Maisie thought we should just wait at the house for some sort of sign, whatever that might be. I had to admit that her plan appealed to me a little more, only because I hadn't experienced that monster in the woods for a while, and I really didn't want to run into it again.

We knew that if Jay had been killed by a monster, which, of course, was what the story said, then we would probably have to encounter it, and while dealing with a friendly ghost wasn't too bad, meeting a murderous monster in the woods was going to be terrifying.

As much as I didn't want to go back into those woods, I really believed that I wouldn't see Penny until we did. Something in my heart just told me that she wasn't coming home unless we did something. As the sky began to darken and the fussing news reporters left, Great Grandma kind of remembered Penny and actually began to wonder where she was. She made a few phone calls to some children who were Penny's age, and she asked me where Jay lived, and when I told her I didn't know, she finally became concerned.

She called the police for the second time that day, and as they began to try to discover who this "Jay" person was, Alex, Maisie, and I continued to disagree about what to do. The truth was, as all of us grew more nervous, we became less certain about what was actually going on and how much of what we thought we knew was even right.

Finally, at about eight o'clock, I decided to try to talk to Grandpa. Whatever Grandpa suggested, we'd do. I figured that he'd know Jay more than any of us, and we were restless to do something—anything—other than sit around and argue.

I went to Grandpa alone. I thought that if Alex and Maisie were with me, maybe Grandpa would become kind of anxious. And actually, he was really agitated already.

He was sitting alone, in his room, in his big chair, and he was looking again and again at his feet. They'd healed up, mostly, but there were still some places where the scabs hadn't come off, and he seemed upset by that.

"Grandpa," I said to him as I entered the room, but he didn't even turn and look at me. Didn't seem to notice I'd even come in.

"Damn cuts and bruises. Can't go back out like this," he muttered.

"Grandpa." I put my hand on his shoulder, but he didn't notice that, either. "Penny's missing. Penny, my sister. She's with Jay—James. James took Penny."

He stopped fussing over his feet and sat up, but he still didn't look at me. "It's always behind you. Always. You don't see it, but it's there. Once it finds you, it won't leave. It just eats at you and eats at you. It happened to Dad."

In growing horror, I realized he was talking about the monster. The monster I never wanted to encounter again, that had chased me that night in the woods when Alex had tricked me and that had seemed to be hovering over me ever since, waiting for me to go back so I'd have to face it.

Confusion struck me. "Luther? Grandpa, did the monster get Luther? Or did it get James? Who, Grandpa . . . who?"

Suddenly, he grabbed me by the shoulders and peered straight into my eyes, leaning in so close that I could feel his breath on me.

"You have to help James, Robert. You have to. And Dad, both."

My own breath was ragged and terrified. "Wh-where, Grandpa? I don't know where to go!"

"The house!" he hissed. "The house!"

He let go of me with a jerk and sank back, closing his eyes as if he'd just expended more energy than he ever had in his life, and I knew that I'd get nothing more out of him.

It was enough, though. I pretty much ran back to Alex and Maisie and told them what Grandpa had said. We had a goal, now, somewhere to go. And while Great Grandma greeted the police for the second time that day, started talking to them about what Penny looked like and where she'd last seen her, the three of us grabbed our jackets and a couple of flashlights and sneaked out into the darkness.