Gatekeepers by Robert Liparulo Read Free Book Online

locked. If it was one of the kids, the door wouldn’t have been locked.”
    â€œBack door, then.” Lance’s eyes were the size of half-dollars.
    Sam could tell he wanted a straightforward explanation for the noises. The guy might get a kick out of reading about boogeymen, but he didn’t want to end up in the Midnight Sun ’s next issue under the headline S HERIFF’S D EPUTY M AULED TO D EATH BY A LIEN D OG -B OY .
    â€œMaybe,” Sam said, not believing his own word. All the breaking twigs and thumps had come from the area in front of the house. Kids would have run off when Sam had started exploring, and he’d have heard them making tracks toward the back. “I think I’ll—”
    Something smacked down on the roof of the cruiser.
    Lance screamed. He fumbled for his pistol.
    Sam grabbed the man’s arm. “Don’t,” he said. “If the kids are out there . . .” He didn’t even want to think of what could happen if Lance started plugging away at the shadows.
    â€œThat’s no kid,” Lance said. “Something landed on the roof.”
    Sam scowled at him. “What are you thinking? Something living ?” He shook his head. “A rock maybe.”
    â€œIt was big,” Lance said.
    â€œWell, I don’t hear anything now. Nothing’s moving up there.”
    â€œWaiting.”
    â€œHey,” Sam said. “A light just turned on in the house. I can see the windows on either side of the door. Couldn’t see them before.”
    They watched the house, but nothing else happened. No more lights, no movement.
    â€œTurn on the headlights,” Sam said.
    Lance squeezed his eyes closed and flipped on the head-lights. The woods between the end of the road and the house sprang into Sam’s vision. The nearest trees seemed to glow in the brightness. Farther trees caught their shadows and appeared to multiply as they approached the house. The lights barely reached the front porch steps.
    â€œHit your spotlight,” Sam said, reaching for the handle on his side of the car. The brighter spots, Sam’s and Lance’s, came on at once. New shadows snapped into place. Sam’s roamed over the right side of the yard—if that’s what you’d call the woods in front of the house—Lance’s over the left.
    â€œThere!” Lance said.
    The leaves of a large bush were shaking.
    â€œWind?” Lance said, hopefully.
    â€œNot the way it’s moving back and forth like that.”
    The shaking stopped.
    â€œHold the light on it,” Sam said. He positioned his own light on the porch and opened the door.
    â€œWait!” Lance said. “The roof.”
    Sam stepped out, rising slowly to peer at the roof. A large branch lay over the cruiser’s red-and-blue light bar. He looked up. The top of the tree leaned out over the car’s hood. He grabbed the branch and showed Lance.
    â€œSee?” he said. “Probably just fell. Keep your eyes peeled.” He shut the door and headed for the woods. His shadow stretched out in front of him, reaching almost to the house.

CHAPTER
    twelve
    W ESNESDAY 12.50 A.M.
    â€œXander!” David said. He was standing at the junction of the second floor’s main hallway and the smaller one that went to the room they were using as a Mission Control Center.
    Xander was shining a flashlight on the secret door at the end of the short hall.
    â€œIt’s still latched,” Xander said, running his hand over the wall.
    â€œThere are lights shining in from outside,” David said. The glow flickered in the main hallway, brighter than the dim overhead fixtures.
    Xander stepped up beside him and switched off the flash-light. He brushed past David, who once again grabbed hold of his brother’s shirt. Xander edged closer to the staircase.
    â€œIs it the cops?” David whispered.
    As Xander eased forward, the light caught him, flickering like a