Victorious, I stood and shook the blood from my body like a dog after a bath. But I’d miscalculated.

Billy Fuller was gone, and so was the rip in the air.

Before I left the Fuller house I covered the dead demon with a sheet and took a hit off the kid’s bong. I knew I’d sort of freaked the last time I got high, but it looked like the kid had some pretty good stuff.

I told Sam what happened on the way to the cemetery. Billy Fuller had more tricks up his sleeve and we had to stop him before he realized how much damage he could do. If he’d actually made a deal with some sort of demonic power, the repercussions could be catastrophic for both the kid and Los Angeles.

Sam, of course, was an unstoppable ballbreaker about the whole thing.

“Well, little Cal fucked up again. I woulda killed the little fucker when I had the chance.”

“Lay off. I ain’t killing no little kid, no matter what he did,” I said, driving through the cemetery gate.

“You are such a pussy. I don’t know how you survive.”

That was it. I slammed on the brakes and stopped the car. The box with Sam in it went flying to the floor.

I grabbed it and leaned in. “I just saved your ass, old man. Don’t you think it’s about time for a little respect?”

Sam’s head rolled its eyes. “Sorry.”

“And?”

“Thank you.”

I nodded and grabbed the box. The tomb was right in the center of the otherwise plain graveyard. It had a big steel door, chained shut. The padlock was brand new, so I knew it was Billy’s doing. I blasted the lock with the silencer and pushed the door open. Daylight flooded into the crypt.

Inside, on a white stone block, was Sam’s headless body sitting like a guy waiting for the bus. It was slumped over, and the raggedy old suit it wore was covered with mud and dust. I took out Sam’s head and placed it next to the body, and then made the first in a series of big mistakes.

I touched the body.

The damn thing flipped out. It went completely fucking nuts, swinging its arms and running around the tomb like a spastic child on fire. It was out of control, running in circles. I tried to grab it but it was too much to handle. Sam screamed. I screamed back. The headless body decided to bolt out of the tomb, making a blind run for it.

“Careful! Don’t hurt my fucking body! Catch it!” Sam screamed.

“I’m trying! I’m trying!”

I chased the body all over the graveyard as it juked and hurdled headstones. How it knew where the obstacles were was anybody’s guess. I finally got pissed and ran at the thing full speed. I tackled it, then held it in a bear hug and hauled it back to the tomb. Once inside, I pinned it securely next to its head.