Scratch by Brian Keene Read Free Book Online Page A

wall, and the pictures in the hallway fell to the floor. Glass shattered. The house’s foundation groaned.  
    My hands and arms felt warm and wet as I dragged Jeff down the hall. I glanced down and saw that they were red. At first, I thought that maybe the snake had bitten me after all, but then I realized that it was Jeff’s blood—and a lot of it. I couldn’t tell if his wounds were deep because his clothing was in the way. I guessed that the snake might have some kind of anticoagulant in its saliva, because he was bleeding so badly. He moaned and mumbled, and his skin was alabaster and cold. He didn’t seem to be having trouble breathing, and he wasn’t swelling up or anything like that, so I figured his symptoms were related to shock and blood loss, rather than any venom. As far as I knew, Pennsylvania’s water snakes were non-poisonous. I didn’t think it would be any different for a giant one.  
    As we neared the kitchen, the hallways darkened even more. Scratch’s shadow fell across us. He loomed in the door, his head raised into the air, grazing against the ceiling, while his body remained hidden in the living room. He flattened his head into a triangular shape again, paused, and then slowly slithered forward, tongue flicking in and out of his mouth.  
    “Shit!” Jeff was dead weight in my arms. “Come on, Jeff. We need to move faster. Wake up!”  
    As Scratch drew closer, I realized that, even if we made it into the kitchen, there would be no way I could navigate Jeff through all the debris and get us out of the house in time. Pulling him through the window was obviously out. The snake would snatch him from my grasp. And I couldn’t rely on the backdoor being unlocked. If I had to mess with the deadbolt, that few seconds delay could cost one of us our lives. Instead, I yanked Jeff in the direction of the stairs, and we retreated up onto the second floor. Exhausted and weakened by fear, I collapsed on the landing, pulling Jeff down on top of me. He groaned, but his eyes remained closed. I pointed the handgun down the stairs, waiting.  
    It occurred to me that I was no longer thinking of Scratch as an ‘it’, but a ‘him’.  
    I held my breath as the snake came into view. But instead of pursuing us, Old Scratch slid into the kitchen. I saw his shadow on the wall as he passed. The house creaked and shuddered as he shoved his way through the window again. Maybe our bullets had taught him a lesson. Maybe we’d hurt him, and he’d had enough.  
    Or maybe he was just sated, and had decided to go back to the river and digest his three-course meal. The thought came out of nowhere. I was shocked by my own callousness. But then I did something worse. As horrible as it sounds, I snickered at the joke. Three-course meal! It was funny. The laughter was a welcome alternative to screaming, which was what I really wanted to do, deep down inside.  
    Sunlight streamed through Thena’s windows as the last remnants of the storm passed on. I don’t know how long we sat there. A few seconds, probably, although it seemed much longer. I must have drifted off because the shouts from outside startled me. There were a number of different voices—men’s voices—all crying out in alarm. I carefully climbed out from under Jeff, took off my torn jacket, and rolled it up into a ball. Then I put it under his head and stood up. I felt woozy, and the stairway seemed to tilt. I grabbed the rail with my free hand and hung on tight. I wondered if maybe I’d been bit after all, and checked myself again. I decided that it was just shock.  
    “Stay here, Jeff. I’ll get help.”  
    If he heard me, he gave no indication. “Jeff? Just stay here. Don’t move.”  
    My words were slurred just a little bit. Shock, most likely. Gripping the handrail, I stumbled down the stairs and into the kitchen, just as Scratch’s tail squeezed through the window. The cries of panic and disbelief were louder now. I walked to the back