Blout still didn’t understand.

I tried my best to explain, “Some things exist whether we believe in them or not. Like the moon, or the sound of a tree falling in the woods, right?”

Blout blinked once and stared at me.

Mo’Lock took a turn. “But what if something that doesn’t exist can be created simply because someone believes in it strongly enough?”

Blout looked from me to Mo’Lock.

“You see what we’re getting at?”

“No,” Blout said, “I must admit I don’t.”

Mo’Lock clapped his hands. “It’s simple. The power of belief can create things which might not exist, granting them power and making them real.”

Blout glared at the ghoul for a long time. “Let me tell you what I believe, freak job. I believe this is getting too damn weird, and after what happened to me back there, we need some backup. That would be the smart play.”

I said, “If you’re getting scared, you’re welcome to hang back and wait.”

“Don’t pull that kiddy crap with me!” Blout growled. “And I’m not scared.”

Blout stomped forward. As we continued on our way our surroundings began to change. The tunnel narrowed and the plants thinned to one every several feet.

As Blout rounded a bend, I heard him retch violently and hurried to catch up. Our path was blocked. A pair of disembodied heads sat impaled on a two-pronged spike protruding from the soft ground. Based on the torn flesh and dangling veins at the neck, they had been violently ripped from their bodies. I didn’t need Mo’Lock to tell me that these were his missing buddies, but he did just the same.

“It’s them, Cal. It’s them.”

I began to raise my arm to the ghoul’s shoulder but stopped when the heads simultaneously snapped open their eyes.

“Mo’Lock, is that you?” the left head said. Its voice was hollow, accompanied by a deep sucking sound that whistled through the open end of its neck.

We all took a step back. Blout was making the sign of the cross.

Mo’Lock recovered from the initial shock and quickly stepped toward the heads. “Tyus,” Mo’Lock said addressing the left head, “what happened?”

Tyus blinked once and tried to wet his lips. It was futile. “We failed. Attacked by a mob of zombie hooligans. Please forgive us.”

Mo’Lock placed his hand to his chest and for a moment I thought he would weep. “No. Forgive me. I should not have sent you. Where are your bodies? What did they do with them?”

The head on the right spoke. “They burned them before our eyes and set our heads here with a warning.” The ghoul head turned his eyes to me. “The warning was for you, Cal McDonald. Stay away, or certain death awaits.”

I shrugged and spat. “Whatever. Who gave you that message? Cain himself?”

Tyus spoke again. “It was just a voice.”

“In our heads.”

I looked at Mo’Lock. “Do you want to go back and get them to safety? Your call.”