By the time Shin and Priya arrived at the ash tree, not only had the Professor gone, but a new group of teens was marvelling at Priya's hologram. Too bad there was no time for Priya to bask in their appreciation. "Professor Rudolph could be anywhere by now, doing anything."

"That's not our problem." said Shin.

"How can you say that? You saw him chasing people on the monitor."

"I saw him, stumbling around and a couple running away, but this is Halloween. How do you know he wasn't just fooling around?"

 "That's what you'd like to believe, but you saw his dead eyes."

"He did look weird."

"Tonya wanted to cancel everything tonight. She said something in the cemetery is making people sick, but I wouldn't listen to her." Priya would never forgive herself if all the students she could hear, screaming and cheering as they discovered her monsters, ended up like Rudolph.

"When we first found the Professor, he was stumbling around blindly, and he wasn't speaking. Three of us couldn't wake him or stop him. We were afraid he would walk into the river."

"But he's still alive, and he came out tonight. Maybe he feels better."

Priya's stomach did a fish flip. "He isn't better, he's dangerous. Tonya thinks the cemetery made him contagious. We need to do something." She took out her phone and tried first Tonya, and then Ducky, but there was no answer. "What if she's right and everyone he breathes on becomes like him?" Priya looked at Shin's face, searching for a sign that he believed her.

He frowned. "We should get Marta."

"If Tonya's right, Marta is gaining weight because of the same disease. She could give it to you."

"I have to see her." Shin grabbed Priya's hand and started running back towards the fire. It made Priya feel a little bit less guilty about their flirtation, to know Shin would still protect Marta.

They arrived at the bonfire, holding hands and out of breath. Marta's face was not among those ringing the fire. They searched the crowd. Had she wandered off? They took a look in the bushes nearby, and found her, sitting at the base of a tree with her head leaned against the trunk.

"Marta, are you okay?" asked Shin. He went down on one knee and put his hand on her forehead.

Marta didn't move. Priya touched her shoulder but there was no reaction. "Let's see if she can stand."

Priya and Shin each took one of Marta's hands, but when they started to tug, Marta shook them off. She held out her hands for balance, wobbled up to her full height and opened her eyes.

"How long have you two been together?" Marta's voice sounded groggy.

"Priya showed me something dangerous on her computer," said Shin. "Would you like to come see it?"

"That's your most unusual excuse for wandering off with a new girl, but I won't go anywhere with you." Marta closed her eyes. "I think I'll take a little nap."

Her gentle speech, and the way her legs practically collapsed underneath her, worried Priya. Where was Marta's usual bad attitude?

Shin stepped forward and took Marta by the shoulders, "You can't sleep here. You'll freeze to death." He laid his hands gently along the sides of her face, tilting her head up to him, but Marta wouldn't open her eyes.

"C'mon, I'll take you back to your room." The tender way he kissed her on the forehead simultaneously made Priya jealous, and worried. What if Marta were infecting him right now? She wanted to protect Shin, but he was right. It was a chilly evening which was expected to get colder. If Marta went to sleep in the cemetery, she could die of hypothermia.

Marta made a vague mumbling sound and swatted a hand in Shin's direction, then her arms fell limp at her sides.

"You see the strange way she's moving," Priya said. "It's just like when we found Professor Rudolph, sleepwalking." They had to act, before she got out of control like him. "Let's get her out of here."

"I got this." He lifted Marta into his arms and strode powerfully back towards campus.

*     *     *

It was dark when Roberto awoke. He was outside, his back uncomfortably pressed against something hard. He tried to move his arms or stand, but strong ropes held him in place. He was tied to a tree.

"Hey! Help! Help!"

Nobody seemed to hear him, but the forest beyond was full of people. He could see flashlights moving in the trees. It must be Halloween night since he heard laughing university kids, partying in the bush. There was so much shouting and cheering going on, nobody could hear him. His only chance was if someone found him by accident.

His eyes were adjusted to the low light, but it wasn't until the moon peeked out from behind the clouds that Roberto could see his immediate surroundings. There was a field on one side of him, and woods on the other. The tree he was tied to was of average size, but not far off he saw a tall, familiar tree. He must be on the edge of the woods by Helene's shop. Why would somebody leave him here? Did they want Helene to find him?

Poor little boy. Don't bother your head trying to figure it out. Just relax.

Roberto looked around to locate the source of the voice, but nobody was there.

That's right Roberto, you are outranked, outflanked, and you surrendered before you even knew we were at war. When it comes to military history, you just flunked the final exam.

"Professor Rudolph?"

I am Rudolph, yet so much more. Give in to us. Sink into the matrix of consciousness. I can already taste your memories and thoughts. Peruvian archeology. Delicious visions of Machu Picchu in sunshine, and the smell of rain on the Inca Trail. It's a shame I'll never walk it with my wife...

Roberto felt hundreds of disjointed images and sounds stream into his mind, making his head spin. He strained against his ropes, not wanting to hear the silky words in his head, or see images of the Professor's memories, but he couldn't resist forever. The pull of something under the ground lured him to join it. What was it?

He felt himself slipping into a murmur of voices gathered somewhere below his head. With every minute they sounded louder, and the words and images more fascinating. He felt his body relax as his mind opened to it, and the pain faded away. If someone were to cut his bonds right now, he might be tempted to stay, just a little longer. Long enough to understand what he was feeling...

-- Unless the person cutting the ropes were Lynette. The memory of her face and the feeling of her arms around returned to him, and he regained his desire to escape.

Don't struggle. You'll only make it worse.

Roberto tried to wriggle free of his bonds, but quickly realized they weren't made of rope, but of living fibers that moved, cinching him tighter and tighter each time he exhaled. As they tightened, they also wound their way higher and higher up his chest, compressing his ribcage.

"Help! Help!"

His cries started out strong, but became more infrequent, partly because the constriction of his chest made it hard to breathe, and partly because fibers were starting to grow into his mouth. He gnawed them off, but a new crop grew back to take their place, and started forcing their way in again. The second he stopped fighting, he would stop breathing, asphyxiated by the living gag in his mouth, and by the tightening coils around his chest.

Just then he saw a couple approaching the edge of the forest. They were laughing and talking, completely unaware of Roberto's plight. By this time he was so covered in vines that he couldn't move an arm to wave at them, or use his fiber-filled mouth to cry out. If he could just make a sound, they might look his way. Inhaling through his nose, Roberto tried to scream.

Whistling through the roots that clogged his throat, the scream came out too muffled to be heard. Roberto took a second breath and waited for them to get closer. The coils kept tightening around his ribs, but he was sure that if he kept his lungs full of air, he would have enough to make one last sound as they passed. 

The coils seemed to anticipate his strategy, cinching his chest until he felt a rib waver, then snap under pressure. Through agony, Roberto felt the coils tighten around the break to take up the new slack. The pain was so intense, he had to fight to stay conscious, even as his body went into shock from internal bleeding.

That's right, Roberto. Let yourself go. There is no way to win this, and it will be so much less painful if you let yourself pass out. 

The vines were crushing his chest, rib by rib, and there was no way to stop them. Roberto was sure he would never see Lynette again.

***************************************************************

Thank you so much for reading this far. I hope you are enjoying a little  horror in the Halloween chapters. If you liked this section, please give it a vote. 

I have more Loon Lake adventures planned. To make sure you don't miss any, join the Loon Lake reading club here: http://www.maajawentz.com/ (Click on the external link button below)