“We don’t—but we’re walking parallel to that road, so sooner or later we have to run into something.”

After a few minutes the woods closed up behind them. Biff kept looking back nervously in the direction of the fence. “We’re lost. We’ll never find our way back.”

“There’s a full moon,” Nick said. “How big a night-light do you need?”

They walked on for several minutes, but there was no sign of a house or building of any kind—no warm glow from a kitchen window, no welcoming flicker of firelight, not even the stark blue glare of a utility light on a pole or an outbuilding. The woods were thick and it was dark all around them, except for the tops of tall brush and trees tipped silver by the moon.

Nick was beginning to wonder if this was such a good idea after all. If the witch really did own the whole top of the mountain, her house could be set back miles from the gate. But there was no sense thinking about it now; they’d come this far, and they might as well go on.

“What was that?” Biff said suddenly.

“What?”

“Listen—I heard something—over there!”

Nick turned to his left and listened; now he heard it too—footsteps, padding softly somewhere in the darkness.

“Something’s following us!” Biff whispered.

“Relax,” Nick said. “Footsteps always sound louder in the woods. It’s probably just a . . . a . . .”

“A what?”

“How should I know? I’m an entomologist. It’s probably just something small that sounds big.”

“Why didn’t you bring a flashlight?”

Why didn’t I bring a kid with a backbone? “Take it easy—let’s just keep moving.”

But the footsteps kept getting closer and louder.

Then Nick noticed something else: There were two more sets of footsteps following them—one on their right, and one directly behind.

“Do you hear that?” Biff whispered.

“I hear it,” Nick said. “Probably just three small things that sound big.”

“You think so?”

“No—but it sounds reassuring right about now.”

Nick caught a glimpse of movement on his left. He turned and stared hard into the darkness. He could see it now—he could make out the form of some large animal stalking them with its head slung low.

“Uh-oh,” Nick said. “It’s a big thing that sounds big.”

“What is that thing?”

“I’m not sure, but it looks like some kind of dog—a very large one.”