right. The police wouldn’t believe. They would eventually, they’d have to, but maybe not before the monster car ate a bunch more of them.
“I think it’s from space,” he said. “Like on Doctor Who .”
“Mommy-n-daddy won’t let us watch that,” the little boy told him. “They say it’s too scary. But this is scarier.”
“It’s alive.” Pete spoke more to himself than to them.
“Duh,” Rachel said, and gave a long, miserable sniffle.
The sun ducked briefly behind one of the unraveling clouds. When it came out again, an idea came with it. Pete had been hoping to show Normie Therriault and the rest of the Rip-Ass Raiders something that would amaze them enough to let him be part of their gang. Then George had given him a big-brother reality check: They’ve all seen that baby trick a thousand times .
Maybe so, but maybe that thing down there hadn’t seen it a thousand times. Or even once. Maybe they didn’t have magnifying glasses where it came from. Or sun, for that matter. He remembered a Doctor Who episode about a planet where it was dark all the time.
He could hear a siren in the distance. A cop was coming. A cop who wouldn’t believe anything little kids said, because as far as grownups were concerned, little kids were all full of shit.
“You guys stay here. I’m going to try something.”
“No!” The little girl grasped his wrist with fingers that felt like claws. “It’ll eat you, too!”
“I don’t think it can move around,” Pete told her, disengaging his hand. She had left a couple of bleeding scratches, but he wasn’t mad and he didn’t blame her. He probably would have done the same, if it had been his parents. “I think it’s stuck in one place.”
“It can reach ,” she said. “It can reach with its tires. They melt.”
“I’ll watch out,” Pete said, “but I have to try this. Because you’re right. Those cops will come, and it will eat them, too. Stay put.”
He walked toward the station wagon. When he was close (but not too close), he unzipped the saddlebag. I have to try this , he had told the kids, but the truth was a little balder: he wanted to try this. It would be like a science experiment. That would probably sound bizarre if he told someone, but he didn’t have to tell. He just had to do it. Very . . . very . . . carefully.
He was sweating. With the sun out, the day had turned warm, but that wasn’t the only reason, and he knew it. He looked up, squinting at the brightness. Don’t you go back behind a cloud. Don’t you dare. I need you .
He took his Richforth magnifying glass out of the saddlebag, and bent to put the saddlebag on the pavement. The joints of his knees cracked, and the station wagon’s door swung open a few inches.
It knows I’m here. I don’t know if it can see me, but it heard me just now. And maybe it smells me .
He took another step. Now he was close enough to touch the side of the station wagon. If he was fool enough to do so, that was.
“ Watch out !” the little girl called. She and her brother were both standing now, their arms around each other. “ Watch out for it !”
Carefully—like a kid reaching into a cage with a lion inside—Pete extended the magnifying glass. A circle of light appeared on the side of the station wagon, but it was too big. Too soft . He moved the glass closer.
“ The tire !” the little boy screamed. “ Watch out for the TII-YIII-IRE !”
Pete looked down and saw one of the tires melting. A tentacle was oozing across the pavement toward his sneaker. He couldn’t back away without giving up his experiment, so he raised his foot and stood stork. The tentacle immediately changed direction and headed for his other foot.
Not much time .
He moved the magnifying glass closer. The circle of light shrank to a brilliant white dot. For a moment nothing happened. Then tendrils of smoke began to drift up. The muddy white surface beneath the dot turned black.
From inside the station wagon
“I think it’s from space,” he said. “Like on Doctor Who .”
“Mommy-n-daddy won’t let us watch that,” the little boy told him. “They say it’s too scary. But this is scarier.”
“It’s alive.” Pete spoke more to himself than to them.
“Duh,” Rachel said, and gave a long, miserable sniffle.
The sun ducked briefly behind one of the unraveling clouds. When it came out again, an idea came with it. Pete had been hoping to show Normie Therriault and the rest of the Rip-Ass Raiders something that would amaze them enough to let him be part of their gang. Then George had given him a big-brother reality check: They’ve all seen that baby trick a thousand times .
Maybe so, but maybe that thing down there hadn’t seen it a thousand times. Or even once. Maybe they didn’t have magnifying glasses where it came from. Or sun, for that matter. He remembered a Doctor Who episode about a planet where it was dark all the time.
He could hear a siren in the distance. A cop was coming. A cop who wouldn’t believe anything little kids said, because as far as grownups were concerned, little kids were all full of shit.
“You guys stay here. I’m going to try something.”
“No!” The little girl grasped his wrist with fingers that felt like claws. “It’ll eat you, too!”
“I don’t think it can move around,” Pete told her, disengaging his hand. She had left a couple of bleeding scratches, but he wasn’t mad and he didn’t blame her. He probably would have done the same, if it had been his parents. “I think it’s stuck in one place.”
“It can reach ,” she said. “It can reach with its tires. They melt.”
“I’ll watch out,” Pete said, “but I have to try this. Because you’re right. Those cops will come, and it will eat them, too. Stay put.”
He walked toward the station wagon. When he was close (but not too close), he unzipped the saddlebag. I have to try this , he had told the kids, but the truth was a little balder: he wanted to try this. It would be like a science experiment. That would probably sound bizarre if he told someone, but he didn’t have to tell. He just had to do it. Very . . . very . . . carefully.
He was sweating. With the sun out, the day had turned warm, but that wasn’t the only reason, and he knew it. He looked up, squinting at the brightness. Don’t you go back behind a cloud. Don’t you dare. I need you .
He took his Richforth magnifying glass out of the saddlebag, and bent to put the saddlebag on the pavement. The joints of his knees cracked, and the station wagon’s door swung open a few inches.
It knows I’m here. I don’t know if it can see me, but it heard me just now. And maybe it smells me .
He took another step. Now he was close enough to touch the side of the station wagon. If he was fool enough to do so, that was.
“ Watch out !” the little girl called. She and her brother were both standing now, their arms around each other. “ Watch out for it !”
Carefully—like a kid reaching into a cage with a lion inside—Pete extended the magnifying glass. A circle of light appeared on the side of the station wagon, but it was too big. Too soft . He moved the glass closer.
“ The tire !” the little boy screamed. “ Watch out for the TII-YIII-IRE !”
Pete looked down and saw one of the tires melting. A tentacle was oozing across the pavement toward his sneaker. He couldn’t back away without giving up his experiment, so he raised his foot and stood stork. The tentacle immediately changed direction and headed for his other foot.
Not much time .
He moved the magnifying glass closer. The circle of light shrank to a brilliant white dot. For a moment nothing happened. Then tendrils of smoke began to drift up. The muddy white surface beneath the dot turned black.
From inside the station wagon
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