Read Online The Devil's Touch by William W. Johnstone - Free Book Online
Authors: William W. Johnstone
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Bennett, descended into the dark stinking hole in the earth. He was out of sight in two seconds.
Joe said, "I got a bad feeling about this, Chief."
"So do I, Joe. Too many strange—" there was that word again "—things occurring. Marie Fowler's body disappears. The paramedics are found dead. Don't know what killed them. Judith Mayberry falls or was pushed into this hole, and the people of this town are behaving—at least to my way of thinking—damn weird."
Will keyed the small radio attached to his belt. "More rope," he said. The signal was strong.
Will crawled on through the darkness, the gloom penetrated only by the single light on his hard hat. The smell was awful, and getting worse. Will thought he heard something just up ahead. He stopped. Using the flashlight from his small backpack, he cast the hard beam forward. He could see nothing. He crawled on. There it came again; that sound. Like an animal's growl.
He slipped forward cautiously, just the first twinge of fear touching his belly, like a snake's crawling on his bare skin. God! That smell! He lifted the yellow/white beam of light. Will scampered backward as wild, red eyes were caught in the single beam of light. He scraped his knees on sharp rocks. Something grabbed at his arm, missed, then clamped down hard on his wrist. He was jerked forward. Terror gripped him with numbing force, paralyzing his vocal cords. He could only make tiny grunting sounds. The flashlight fell from his hand, shattering on the rocky floor. His hard hat was knocked from his head, but the light did not go out. The beam from the hard hat picked up a shard of gold from one of the creatures that held the man pinned to the floor of the tunnel. It was an earring dangling from the lobe of one now pointy ear. It matched the earring Chief Draper had found. It belonged to Judith. The Beast looked long at Will Gibson. Recognition flared in the wild eyes.
My God! Will thought. That's
Judith!"
The beast with the single earring leaned forward, her breath stinking on Will's face. The foulness made Will gag, vomit pushing up to his throat.
"No!" a voice spoke from the blackness. "I must do that."
While clawed hands held Will numbed and frightened to the floor, the rope was removed from his waist. He was dragged into a large underground room. A human form knelt down and sank her teeth into Will's neck. Pain lanced through his body as blood was sucked from him. A darkness crept upward in the man's body, beginning in his feet and moving slowly, coldly, throughout his entire body. Will Gibson sank into unconsciousness.
"Release him near the opening when the men have gone," the woman said. And the Beasts trembled with fear.
On the surface, Joe gently tugged on the rope. He looked at Monty. "We lost him, Chief."
Monty spoke again and again into the radio. Only silence returned to the men.
The men waited for half an hour. Joe said, "We lost him, Chief."
"But to what?" Monty looked at him.
One more time Monty knelt down and shouted into the hole. "Will! Will Gibson! Answer me."
Only the awful stench and the darkness greeted Monty's words.
"Shit!" Monty said. He turned around. Every window facing the orchard was filled with a grim-looking face, unblinking eyes staring at the two men.
"Crazy," Monty muttered. "It's just—crazy!"
Joe started to pull the rope topside. Monty stopped him. "Leave it, Joe. Maybe Will is all right and he'll find the rope. That'll help guide him back up."
"He ain't comin' back up, Chief." There was a dead quality to Joe's remark.
Monty looked at the man. "Say what's on your mind, Joe."
"I always thought it kinda foolish, Chief."
"I thought flying saucers were foolish until I saw one one night."
"You saw a UFO?"
"I saw something I couldn't explain. Yeah. So tell me what's on your mind."
"Let's get out of this orchard and away from them goddamn starin' eyes."
"They make me uncomfortable, too," Monty admitted. "What in the hell is going on with this
Joe said, "I got a bad feeling about this, Chief."
"So do I, Joe. Too many strange—" there was that word again "—things occurring. Marie Fowler's body disappears. The paramedics are found dead. Don't know what killed them. Judith Mayberry falls or was pushed into this hole, and the people of this town are behaving—at least to my way of thinking—damn weird."
Will keyed the small radio attached to his belt. "More rope," he said. The signal was strong.
Will crawled on through the darkness, the gloom penetrated only by the single light on his hard hat. The smell was awful, and getting worse. Will thought he heard something just up ahead. He stopped. Using the flashlight from his small backpack, he cast the hard beam forward. He could see nothing. He crawled on. There it came again; that sound. Like an animal's growl.
He slipped forward cautiously, just the first twinge of fear touching his belly, like a snake's crawling on his bare skin. God! That smell! He lifted the yellow/white beam of light. Will scampered backward as wild, red eyes were caught in the single beam of light. He scraped his knees on sharp rocks. Something grabbed at his arm, missed, then clamped down hard on his wrist. He was jerked forward. Terror gripped him with numbing force, paralyzing his vocal cords. He could only make tiny grunting sounds. The flashlight fell from his hand, shattering on the rocky floor. His hard hat was knocked from his head, but the light did not go out. The beam from the hard hat picked up a shard of gold from one of the creatures that held the man pinned to the floor of the tunnel. It was an earring dangling from the lobe of one now pointy ear. It matched the earring Chief Draper had found. It belonged to Judith. The Beast looked long at Will Gibson. Recognition flared in the wild eyes.
My God! Will thought. That's
Judith!"
The beast with the single earring leaned forward, her breath stinking on Will's face. The foulness made Will gag, vomit pushing up to his throat.
"No!" a voice spoke from the blackness. "I must do that."
While clawed hands held Will numbed and frightened to the floor, the rope was removed from his waist. He was dragged into a large underground room. A human form knelt down and sank her teeth into Will's neck. Pain lanced through his body as blood was sucked from him. A darkness crept upward in the man's body, beginning in his feet and moving slowly, coldly, throughout his entire body. Will Gibson sank into unconsciousness.
"Release him near the opening when the men have gone," the woman said. And the Beasts trembled with fear.
On the surface, Joe gently tugged on the rope. He looked at Monty. "We lost him, Chief."
Monty spoke again and again into the radio. Only silence returned to the men.
The men waited for half an hour. Joe said, "We lost him, Chief."
"But to what?" Monty looked at him.
One more time Monty knelt down and shouted into the hole. "Will! Will Gibson! Answer me."
Only the awful stench and the darkness greeted Monty's words.
"Shit!" Monty said. He turned around. Every window facing the orchard was filled with a grim-looking face, unblinking eyes staring at the two men.
"Crazy," Monty muttered. "It's just—crazy!"
Joe started to pull the rope topside. Monty stopped him. "Leave it, Joe. Maybe Will is all right and he'll find the rope. That'll help guide him back up."
"He ain't comin' back up, Chief." There was a dead quality to Joe's remark.
Monty looked at the man. "Say what's on your mind, Joe."
"I always thought it kinda foolish, Chief."
"I thought flying saucers were foolish until I saw one one night."
"You saw a UFO?"
"I saw something I couldn't explain. Yeah. So tell me what's on your mind."
"Let's get out of this orchard and away from them goddamn starin' eyes."
"They make me uncomfortable, too," Monty admitted. "What in the hell is going on with this
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