“Mrs. Mushpit said certain metals can be used against bogey-things,” said Kat. She brandished the sundae cane. “Maybe we can use this against the Boojum.”
“When did Mrs. Mushpit say that?”
“When she was talking about the olden days. Surprised I remembered?”
“I’m surprised you were even listening,” said Levi, his voice oddly close to a laugh. “You weren’t the best listener in school.”
“I listen more than you might think,” said Kat. She was quiet for a moment; then she chuckled. “I guess I was kind of a pain sometimes. Poor Ms. Padilla. She really was a good teacher. Remember the story she read us about the monster in the cave that eats elephants and rhinos for lunch?”
“Sorta.”
“And then the monster turns out to be a little caterpillar.”
“Yeah.”
Another pause. The silence loomed.
“If we get out of this,” said Kat at last, “I’m going to make some changes. I’ll stop fighting and lying and making up stupid stories.”
“Stories?”
“You know, the alien abductions and Bigfoot and all that conspiracy baloney. You didn’t really believe any of it, did you?”
“No. But if you’d told me now, I guess I’d have to.”
“Yeah,” she said. “Thanks for being a buddy.”
Levi would have said more, but at that moment he saw something ahead of them.
Or, more accurately, he saw nothing ahead of them.
Nothing. An emptiness.
Kat raised the cane and inched to the edge of the emptiness. “Hello?” she said.
The emptiness surrounded them. The walls of the cave faded to nothing.
“Stay close,” said Kat.
Levi’s eyes searched the emptiness. For a moment, he thought he saw something pulsing amid the nothing, but then he blinked and realized it was only the blood vessels in his eyes.
“Twila?” he called.
He turned to Kat. ”What’s happening?” he asked.
Kat didn’t answer.
Kat wasn’t there.
He spun around in the emptiness, calling for Kat, calling for Twila.
No one. Nothing. Even the ground was gone.
said a voice.
It sounded nothing like a caterpillar.