The bedroom the creatures held Ry in had a large window that faced the front of the house, providing him a view of the deadfalls and the surrounding woods. He would move between staring out the window and trying to look down the hall. He couldn't figure out how many there were, at least a dozen. Some were older, gray and slow. They were swooped and walked like arthritis crippled them. Others were younger, and could move like ghosts, almost vanishing at times and reappearing.

They were always silent when they moved. Two were in the house, he could see them walk up and down the halls, smearing blood on the walls and drawing more symbols. They were careful, at times reapplying blood they kept in a cupped hand and ensuring the symbols were made with care.

Outside, others appeared to be doing the same thing to the outer brick. Not Erin, Ry told himself. Not her. She got away. Her and West Donaghy are through Oklahoma by now. He read some of the journal pages, seeing if there was information he could use to aid his escape. But Jackosn merely observed them from a distance for years and years. Only in a few did he mention being close enough to toss food to waiting mouths.

He did mention the leader, that one with the burns and eyes that bled redder than the others. He mentioned how everything changed once that one made contact. Even the woods seemed darker.

As the sun dipped and the house grew dim, he could see the glow coming out of their eyes. Not reflective, they genuinely glowed. The things muttered to each other, occasionally howling and screaming.

"Hello."

Ry stopped. He knew that voice.

"Hello."

Jackson Meriwether. He glanced back at the torso rotting on the bed. From the hallway, the voice called out.

"Who's there? Hello?"

Ry approached the open door into the hall, nothing stopped him. He stuck his head out, looking right he saw the hall stopped at a linen closet. The closed door of an adjacent bedroom flexed, the wood bowing and cracking briefly. there was scratching on it, sounds like voices muttering.

Turning away to the left, the hall led to the den and kitchen. There, he saw a silhouette. He saw red eyes.

"Hello." Then the creature grunted, over and over. It was laughing, their own laugh.

"What are you doing?" The creature said in Jackson's voice. Ry could hear the fear, perfectly inflected.

"Please, stop!" The creature grunted faster, deeper. "Don't do this! Don't!"

Ry gripped the doorframe with his right hand. He kept his eyes on the creature, which remained still. He didn't want to turn away. He didn't want to turn his back on it.

"Help me, God, please!" Jacon's voice said, just before the ape began laughing in a higher voice. Ry could see the creature's teeth in the glow of its eyes. Then it screamed, Jackson's final scream. Had they taken off a limb? His head? The creature, hunched down before, now stood and walked toward Ry. It ducked, too tall for the hallway.

Ry backed into the room and looked for a weapon. He found a human femur, good enough. He brandished it in his left hand, raising it back like a hammer.

Then a spotlight hit the room. Piercing light. Ry yelled and dropped to the ground amid the bones and papers. A massive light burned through the windows. He heard the apes howling, the one in the hallway fled.

Ry stood up and shielded his face with his arms. He listened to a creature running down the hall, and turned to see it storm into the room across from his and abscond with the cat skull. Outside, they gathered, leaping and waving their arms. They shrieked.

A ball of light, like a mini sun, slowly entered the front yard. The apes circled it, looking up at it. They cried out. One ran forward with the cat skull, holding it aloft to the light.

Then darkness. The ball of light extinguished. The animals howled. There was no door to the bedroom, so Ry opened the door to the master bathroom and stepped inside. He shut it and tried to ignore the stench. Jackson had been prisoner for quite a while it seemed.

He sat on the edge of the bathtub. The skin on his arm felt hot and tight, like a bad sunburn. When he winced, he could feel the burn on his face. What was happening out here? Escape was going to be tricky. But escape had to happen. For Erin.

"I'm gonna have to meet you there, Erin," Ry said. "You and Westy keep moving. I'm gonna meet you there."