Skulls by Tim Marquitz Read Free Book Online Page B

be there. I promise.” He smiled and held the snacks up. “Thanks for taking care of me.”
    Before Cass could reply, Jacob waved and walked off. He made it two houses down before he turned back to look. Cass was already inside.
    He tore open one of the packages and started on the snack. Though it tasted okay, it settled in his stomach like a brick. He looked at the others and heard his stomach rumble. He dropped them in a trash can.
    His mind circled back to what he’d learned. The images fluttered through his head. Before he knew it, he had cut across the cultivated yards on Country Club and was headed for the bunker.
    He went the long way around to avoid where his friends hung out. It made the trip a little longer, but he didn’t want to explain where he was going. At the barbed wire fence, he hopped over and entered Jenks’s property.
    His pulse raced when he spied the towering tree and cluster of shrubs that hid the bunker. He took a deep breath and looked to be sure no one was watching. He then slipped through the shrubs and pulled the hatch open. The musky scent of moist earth wafted up to greet him.
    His hands trembled. Memories of Katie sprung to mind. He shook his head, trying to clear the images. He felt strange. The visions of the murder terrified him, yet he felt something else. Was it excitement?
    He dismissed the thought and worked his way down the ladder. With a deep breath at the bottom—this one sticking to his lungs—he turned to face the wall of skulls.
    He saw Katie’s skull where he’d dropped it. A pang of guilt hit him for his callousness. He picked it up without looking into its eyes and returned the skull to its perch.
    Katie settled, he looked the remaining assembly over. He didn’t let his gaze linger on any of their empty sockets. Though he was sure he imagined it, it was as if they were calling to him. He heard a plaintive hum inside his head. His breath seemed to echo off the walls.
    Jacob reached out and grabbed one of the skulls at random. Each was as good as the next, he figured. Its cold bone fit comfortable in his hands. Tingles of excitement shot up his arms. He stared down at its white dome and felt the urge to turn it toward him. He needed to look into its eyes.
    It had a story to tell.
    Jacob felt compelled to listen.
    He twisted the skull and stared into the blackness of its eyes. A cold chill settled in the air around him. Like the nighttime sky, stars exploded to life in the darkness. There was a gleam, and Jacob felt the desperate pull of memories.
    He gave in without a fight.

Chapter Nine
    Terrance Cole waited. His breath was cold in his lungs. He stared through the late night gloom, his eyes locked on the nestled trinity of trash cans. The bushes he peered through twitched against his sweaty face as the cool breeze made them sway.
    His moment come at last. The center can exploded with a loud roar. It thundered through the darkness, the lid blown ten feet straight into the air. A volcano of trash followed it up, flickering with fire lights. The sides of the can split and reddish-orange flares rushed from the cracks. They scorched the surrounding cans and sent them tumbling.
    Dogs howled in the background. The nearest house lights flipped on to chase the shadows from the night. Terrance ducked low and ran for the tree line. A smile on his face even the darkness couldn’t conceal, he laughed as he ran.
    In the trees, he slowed and veered off to keep his triumph in sight. Tiny flickers of flame still burned at the cans. Shadows in the light raced to put the fires out. He laughed louder as sirens began to wail in the distance. Firemen were roused from their beds at his fiery summons. They were his to command.
    Terrance watched for a moment longer. He knew he had a few minutes before people’s attention turned from the fire to the person that started it. The cool air nipped at the sweat that ran easy down his neck. The sirens grew louder. Terrance knew it was time. He ducked