Ghost Walk by Brian Keene Read Free Book Online Page B

one. It’s your turn.”
    “I can’t!”
    “Do it or your boyfriend dies.”
    With an angry shout, Rhonda freed the rock from the soil. It rolled aside, revealing more of the strange carvings.
    “What now?” Sam asked, not looking back.
    There was no response.
       
    With the sigils removed, Nodens sent two more tendrils surging through the doorway and into the world.
       
    Sam and Rhonda heard it at the same time.
    A baby. Crying.
    “Oh, God,” Sam gasped. “Oh, my fucking God.”
    The baby’s cries grew louder.
    “I’m sorry,” Rhonda sobbed. Tears streamed down her anguished face. “I’m so sorry. I want to take it back.”
    In the center of the broken circle, darkness swirled, coalescing into a cloud. They watched, terrified but unable to turn away, as it formed their greatest regret. Their greatest loss. Their greatest fear.
    It opened its eyes and curled its little hands into fists.
    The ghost of Sam and Rhonda’s dead baby screamed for its parents.
    They screamed, too.
    And then the darkness took them.

CHAPTER FOUR
    The newspaper’s archives were located in the basement of the building. It was a bright, well-lit area with a state-of-the-art climate control system. Dozens of rows of alphabetized filing cabinets dominated the center of the room. Each one held copies of every article the newspaper had printed in the last thirty years. Microfiche units lined one of the walls, allowing reporters access to articles older than thirty years. During their last quarterly meeting, the newspaper’s own er had promised the staff that he would digitize the entire library, making them available via computer, but had balked at the idea a month later. Something to do with profits.
    Maria hated him for it.
    If the archives were stored electronically, if she were able to view the files using some sort of search database, this would go a lot faster.
    It was one in the afternoon. She’d been here since eight thirty that morning. She’d intended to be there for an hour or two, tops. Check in with her editor, Miles. Then do some research, familiarize herself with background for the story, interview Ken Ripple, write it up and turn the article in. After that, all she’d have to do is wait for the direct deposit to hit her checking account. Sadly, what was supposed to be a quick fact-finding session had turned into much more.
    Maria closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. She had a headache, and it didn’t look like the pain would subside anytime soon. She sipped cold coffee from a Styrofoam cup and sighed. The area the Ghost Walk was located in had a lot of history—far more than she’d ever imagined. Every article she uncovered led to three more. So instead of jotting down a few notes, Maria found herself unraveling a dense, spiraling series of events, folklore, and local history.
    Maria started by researching LeHorn’s Hollow, but quickly determined that the stories associated with it actually included far more land than the hollow itself. The woodlands surrounding the hollow contributed to the folklore. The forest was over twenty miles wide and encompassed five different townships. Most of it was untouched by the explosive development that had marred other parts of the state. The land was owned by many different people—farmers, the Gladstone Pulpwood Company, various local governments, a paper mill, and the State of Pennsylvania. LeHorn’s Hollow had sat almost in the center of the woods, surrounded by cornfields, until a massive fire destroyed the hollow and some of the surrounding countryside in 2006. She remembered the fire. It had made national headlines at the time, even warranting coverage on the cable news channels. Eventually, accidental arson had been determined as the cause. The perpetrator was never caught.
    All sorts of supernatural phenomena were associated with the forest—crop circles, ley lines, strange balls of light, unidentified flying objects, mysterious sounds, trees that seemed to