CHAPTER 24
It somehow seemed inevitable that Walter would be buried in this world as he had been in life, Teddy thought as he trudged on through the drifting sand. But he still felt the loss as strongly as he had the first time, and he had to force himself to concentrate on his own dire circumstances.
He hoped that the layout of the dim world mirrored that of the real Richland, even in a rough, bizarre way. If it did, he was walking in the general direction of the river from the construction site. And if he found the river, he could use it to locate the A-house again.
With no scorpions or dead boys chasing him, Teddy stopped for a moment to rummage through his backpack and see what else he had that might help. His compass didn’t work, and the cell phone he’d packed blinked “no service.” It didn’t surprise him, and besides, even if he got hold of someone, he could never explain where he was.
He ate a granola bar and walked on, watching ahead for the river. This version of Richland was an empty place. There didn’t seem to be anything but desert wasteland between the A-house, Walter’s construction site, and where he hoped to find the river.
As he walked, he puzzled over what Walter had said—how they each had a place here in this world. If the construction site was Walter’s, Teddy thought, then the river must be Albert’s. He wondered where his own might be.
After a few minutes, Teddy’s theory of the river’s location proved correct—the great waterway appeared in the distance like a ribbon of ink winding through the sand. Darkness rolled off of its surface like mist, casting shadows along the bank. It’s glowing black, Teddy thought—the exact opposite of a river reflecting sunlight from its surface.
Drawing closer, he saw that the bare, sandy dirt gave way to gray, scrubby plants along the pebbly shore. Teddy stooped and picked up a rock—a potent weapon against other kids. Albert had seemed like the most harmless of the three boys, but perhaps it made him the most dangerous too.
“Albert?” he called. There was no response. The river just flowed past, eerily quiet for something so huge.
Teddy looked up and down the lonely bank, but there was no sign of the chubby boy. He hurled the rock into the water. The current quickly swept the ripples downstream, but Teddy saw a shape linger just beneath the surface. It was moving, but Teddy couldn’t tell what it was.
The shape in the water began to grow—it was coming closer. Teddy saw what looked like an arm, long and thin. He could almost make out a bony hand.
“Albert?”
He set one foot near the edge of the bank for a better look. The river crawled up the shore toward him and flowed over his foot. Teddy felt its current tug at his pant leg.
Suddenly, a large figure burst from the water. It slammed full-force into Teddy and knocked him backward onto the sand-and-stone bank, landing directly on top of him.
Teddy groaned and stared up into a familiar dripping face.
“Don’t go in the river,” Albert warned.