The Nightmare People

8.

None of them had any experience in setting fires.

Most particularly, none of them had ever tried to set a fire where no one was supposed to get out. Starting the fire itself seemed simple enough, given the kerosene and lighter fluid and Sandy’s cigarette lighter, but figuring out how to keep the nightmare people inside until they burned was another matter entirely.

“In the movies,” Maggie pointed out, “when the bad guys are trying to burn somebody up, they always tie them to chairs.”

Smith began, “After what happened to Elias…”

Sandy cut him off. “I’m not trusting any goddamn movie,” he growled.

“If we just burn down the house, though, they’ll just get out, and we won’t get anywhere,” Maggie said. “We need to make sure they stay inside until they burn.”

“We do not really need to burn the house at all,” Khalil pointed out, from his straight-backed chair in the corner. “It is not the house we want destroyed, it is the things inside.”

Sandy stared silently at Khalil for a moment, then smiled tightly and nodded his understanding.

“Well, how are we going to burn them up, except by burning up the house?” Maggie demanded. “What are we going to do, walk up to them and hold a match to their toes?”

“Close,” Sandy said, “Very close. Maggie, how well did you know Elias’s folks? Well enough that they’d let you in the house?”

She shrugged. “Well, yeah, I guess so; I’ve been inside there a few times. What are… oh, wait a minute. I mean, this is like…” Her voice trailed off as she found all three men staring at her.

It was clear what Sandy had in mind, and Smith wondered whether Maggie was up to it. Sandy wanted her to play decoy, to get the door open so that they all could get inside – but once inside, it would be the three of them – four, counting Maggie – against three nightmare people.

Those were not favorable odds. Not against creatures that shrugged off bullets, that could pull themselves up off impaling stakes.

He wondered if he were up to it himself.

He wondered if any of them were up to it.

Chapter Eight:

Monday Night