The Evil Lives! (15 page)

Except they're not at the carriage house, planning the switch. They're on a boat. And they're fighting.

Amanda glanced around.

Men in straw hats and women in long dresses stood
along the railings, gazing fearfully into the churning water.

A wave rose up. The ship rose with it, then dropped down. An icy sheet of water surged across the deck.

Voices cried out in terror. “We're in for it now!” a man shouted.

Amanda gasped at the words. I'm on the same ship, she thought, suddenly understanding. When Brandon pulled me into the grave, we went back in time.

And now I'm on the same ship I saw when I fell into the grave before.

This is where Sarah died.

This is where the Evil was born.

The ship rose up again. It seemed to hang in the air forever. Then it slammed back down with a jolt, shuddering and creaking as it hit.

People screamed and clutched the railings. “We're in for it now!” the man shouted again.

The ship's about to sink, Amanda realized. Just like the last time.

But this time it's different.

This time Jane is here too.

Glancing around again, Amanda spotted a young man curled up against the railing a few feet away. He wore jeans, a blue plaid shirt, and black, high-topped sneakers. His red hair ruffled in the wind.

Brandon!

Of course, Amanda thought. We both went back through time.

Amanda gazed at him anxiously. He appeared to be sleeping. His brows drew together in a frown, then smoothed out again. His eyelashes cast feathery shadows on his face.

His face! Amanda realized. It's whole again. No cuts. No bloody strips of skin hanging down. He looks the way he always did.

He's not possessed by the Evil anymore.

The Evil hasn't been born yet.

Amanda called his name, but Brandon didn't respond.

A scream of rage and frustration pierced the air. Amanda turned back to Sarah and Jane. The waves had drenched their boots and skirts. The wind had blown their hair down. It whipped around their faces in wet, ropy strands.

They didn't notice. Their anger was too strong.

“It should have been you!” Sarah screamed at Jane. “This was your fate, not mine!”

“And you've been getting your revenge ever since!” Jane shouted back. “You possessed me. You killed my husband, Thomas. You killed so many people! I have been trying to stop you ever since. And now I will stop you forever!”

“Never!” Sarah gave Jane a shove and turned to run.

Jane caught her by the hair and pulled her back. Screaming in pain and fury, Sarah broke loose. She spun around and grabbed at Jane's neck.

“You were supposed to die here!” Sarah screamed. “This is where I drowned, pretending to be you.” Her fingers dug into Jane's throat. “But
you
were the one who was supposed to die. You didn't deserve to be happy and alive.
I
should have lived!”

Sarah tightened her grip on Jane's throat. Jane's eyes grew wide. She whipped her head back and forth, struggling to breathe.

“Never!” Sarah kept shouting. “You'll never stop me!”

I have to do something, Amanda thought. I can't let Sarah win again!

As she began to stand, another wave tossed the ship, knocking her to her knees again. She rolled onto her side and glanced across the deck, gasping with relief.

The wave had knocked Jane and Sarah apart too. Jane was alive, breathing.

Sarah hadn't won yet.

Jane grabbed Sarah by the arms. Sarah tried to break free, but Jane held on. “This time I
will
die here,” Jane screamed into Sarah's face. “I'll drown you before your Evil can kill anyone! This time we will
both
die here!”

“Nooo!” Sarah thrashed and twisted in Jane's grip. “I don't want to die!”

The ship rose up and crashed down, tilting dangerously. People screamed in terror and fought their way to the high side of the deck, clinging to the railing as the icy water washed over them.

No one seemed to notice the two young women as they staggered across the tilting deck.

“I don't want to die!” Sarah shrieked. “I never had a chance to live!”

The ship tilted farther. A wave washed over the deck, its force throwing Sarah and Jane against the railing. They leaned against it, still wrestling.

Amanda began to slide, down toward Sarah and Jane and the foaming water. She dug in with all her strength and crawled her way up the slanting deck to Brandon.

He was sitting up now, one hand grasping the
railing. He used the other to wipe water from his face. Then he blinked, glancing around in confusion.

“Brandon!” Amanda cried, pulling herself up next to him.

“Amanda?” Brandon blinked again, dazed. The strange green glow had disappeared from his eyes. “What happened? I feel so weird.”

“I know.” Amanda scooted closer to him.

“Where are we? Are we on a boat?” Brandon asked.

Amanda nodded.

“What's going on?”

“The ship is sinking. But we'll be okay. I've been through this before—I don't think our bodies are really here.”

“What?” Brandon cried. “What do you mean?”

Before Amanda could reply, a scream of pure terror rose above the sound of the water and the cries of the passengers.

Amanda gazed down at Sarah and Jane.

The ship had listed even farther. Sarah and Jane were on their sides. Only the railing kept them from tumbling into the ocean inches below.

“I never had a chance to live!” Sarah screamed again. She struggled frantically to break loose from Jane. “Nooo!”

Jane gritted her teeth and hung on to Sarah's arms, her face twisted in determination and fury.

She's scared, but she won't let go, Amanda thought. She's determined to kill Sarah.

To kill the Evil for good.

A huge wave rose up and crashed against the slanting deck. Amanda put her arms around Brandon and watched in horror as the wave fell back, washing Jane and Sarah overboard.

Sarah's head came up immediately. Water streamed from her hair and into her mouth as she thrashed in the churning ocean.

She went under, then bobbed back up, screaming.

As Sarah struggled in the water, Jane rose to the surface. She reached out her hand, grabbed Sarah's hair, and pulled her back under.

Huddled next to Brandon, Amanda waited, scanning the water.

Jane and Sarah didn't come up again.

A
manda didn't dare take her eyes off the water.

The Evil is so powerful, she thought. Can it really be killed? Can it be drowned?

Keep watching, she ordered herself.

Amanda's eyes burned. She wanted to close them and drift off to sleep, but she didn't dare.

She had to watch out for the Evil.

Her eyelids drooped. Her head sank onto her knees. She snapped it up, gasping. Had she been asleep? How long?

Amanda rubbed her eyes and gazed out at the water again.

Still no sign of the Evil.

But you can't stop watching, Amanda thought.

Her eyelids drooped again. She fought against it,
tried to keep them open. Don't go to sleep, she told herself.

Her head sank forward.

Don't go to sleep.

Her eyes closed.

• • •

“Don't!” Amanda cried out. She tried to move and felt a hand grip her shoulder.

“Amanda?” a voice murmured.

Janine's voice.

With a gasp, Amanda opened her eyes.

Janine stood over her, gazing down anxiously. “Thank goodness you woke up.”

“Huh?” Amanda stared at her friend, confused.

“Do you hurt or something?” Janine asked. “Do you need some medicine?”

“What do you . . .” Amanda broke off, suddenly realizing that she was lying in a bed. Not her bed, though. The mattress felt different and the pillow was hard.

She glanced around. Metal rails on the side of the bed. A television hanging from the ceiling. A funny smell.

Medicine.

Amanda snapped her gaze back to Janine. “I'm in the hospital, aren't I?”

Janine nodded, a concerned expression on her face. “Are you sure you don't want me to get the nurse?” she asked.

“No, I'm okay.” Amanda spotted a little metal box near her hand. She punched a button and the bed slowly rose up to a sitting position. “What happened?” she asked. “How did I get here? Where's Brandon?”

“The police found you—in the Fear Street Cemetery. You and Brandon.” Janine pulled a yellow plastic chair close to the bed and sat down. “You were both unconscious. And your clothes were soaking wet.”

Amanda blinked, remembering the icy waves washing across the deck.

“We were all so scared,” Janine declared, squeezing Amanda's hand gently. “What were you two doing at the cemetery? What happened to you? Were you attacked?”

Amanda squinted hard at her. “Don't you remember?”

“Remember what?”

“The Evil!” Amanda cried.

Janine stared at her, her round face full of confusion. “The . . . the what?”

“The Evil!” Amanda repeated. “I thought it was inside Judd, but it wasn't. It was inside Brandon all the time. It killed Luke and Natalie. We were all at Sarah Fear's grave, fighting the Evil! Remember?”

Janine bit her lip. “Amanda, I don't know what you're talking about. I think maybe I should get the doctor.”

“Are you kidding me?” Amanda narrowed her eyes. “Are you
pretending
you don't remember?”

“No! I wouldn't do that to you!” Janine protested. “I just don't understand what you are saying. Luke and Natalie are perfectly fine.”

Amanda gazed at her.

Did it all happen?

Has something tricked Janine's memory?

Or was it all some kind of nightmare fantasy?

Janine smiled at Amanda. “I guess you had some
really horrible dreams while you were unconscious. Evil and graves and somebody named Sarah.” She reached for the plastic pitcher on the bedside table. “Want some water?”

“No!” Amanda almost shouted, sitting up straight.

Janine froze, her hand on the pitcher.

“Do you remember
anything?”
Amanda demanded. “What about the box I found in Corky Corcoran's locker? You're the one who read the letter and the instructions on how to call up the Evil. You have to remember that!”

“I don't know what you're talking about,” Janine repeated. “I'm sorry, Amanda. You said we were at Sarah Fear's grave, but I never heard of Sarah Fear. You and Brandon were found in a part of the cemetery that hasn't even been used yet.”

This isn't true, Amanda thought. It can't be. “What about the box? Corky's box?” she demanded.

Janine shook her head. “I don't know. I don't remember any box. I never heard anything about this Evil. And believe me, no one has been killed.”

Amanda fell back against the bed, stunned.

“So what happened to you and Brandon?” Janine asked again. “Your parents are worried sick. They went down to the cafeteria for coffee. They'll be right back up. I think—”

“I have to see Brandon,” Amanda interrupted. “Right away. Is he okay? Is he here?”

“He recovered quickly,” Janine replied. “But he says he doesn't remember what happened to you two. He's been waiting with me outside.”

“Bring him in,” Amanda demanded. “Please—hurry.”

Looking puzzled, Janine disappeared.

A few seconds later, Brandon entered. “Are you okay?” he asked, studying her thoughtfully.

“Are you?” she replied.

He nodded and took the chair by her bed.

“Our parents are all having cows!” Brandon declared. “I really don't know what to tell them. I mean, about what happened to us.”

Did
it happen? Amanda wondered.

Did I dream it? I have to ask him. I have to know.

“Brandon?” She cleared her throat nervously. “Do you remember being on the ship with me?”

He leaned close and whispered his reply. “I don't think I'll ever forget it.”

“Thank goodness!” Amanda cried. “Janine thinks I dreamed the whole thing.”

“It wasn't a dream,” Brandon assured her. “You and I sat together on that sinking ship and watched those two young women drown in the ocean. It—it was so horrifying . . .” His voice trailed off.

“Yes, it was,” Amanda agreed. “I kept watching the water. I was so afraid they would come back up.”

Brandon shook his head. “They didn't. We saw them drown.”

“And the Evil drowned with them,” Amanda said thoughtfully. “That's why Natalie and Luke are alive. They didn't die because the Evil drowned with Sarah and Jane.”

Brandon nodded. “We watched it drown. Now Sarah and Jane can rest peacefully.”