“You can’t give up on faith, sweetheart,” Billie assured him. “You’ve got to believe in it, if only to offset the evil. There is goodness out there. Why do you think they have to be invited into a house? Because there is an inherent good to every home—it’s presupposed, taken for granted. Only when evil is invited in, accepted willingly, can that sanctity be violated. It’s faith that wields the cross, too, not you or me. . . .” But the boy had already made up his mind and his attention was elsewhere. She frowned with worry and turned back to the road.

The Todd’s Bakery truck rolled into the heart of town and found it not much different than before. There were no shoppers, no loitering old men. No cars running. For the latter she figured Chris was probably responsible. He told her earlier that any fool could drive a car. Even a dead one. And her fence of crosses wouldn’t stand up to a vampire in a plummeting Honda Civic.

“Charlie’s car’s not there,” Bart said, coming up from the back of the truck. “He must still be over at Pete’s with the rest of ’em. Maybe we’d better head over there.”

She pulled the truck into Bean’s parking place just the same. “In a minute. You guys stay put. I want to see if Chris is back.” By the time she was out of the truck Bart had already slipped through the sliding door on the side and unshouldered the carbine.

“Hey, Mom?” Del leaned out the window and pointed across the street to the drugstore. “Can I go get some candy? The door’s still open—Chris was there, remember?”

She looked at the empty store skeptically. “I don’t think so.”

“Aw, c’mon. There are windows everywhere. There ain’t no way one of them can be in there. Please?”

“Oh, hell,” Ted said, climbing out of the truck. “I’ll take him. Shouldn’t be five minutes.” He shouldered his ax. “C’mon, little guy.”

Billie finally relented. “All right, but just for a minute. And you leave money on the counter for anything you take.” Then she sidled up next to Ted and breathed into his ear, “You let anything happen to him, kid, and I’ll slit your bag and stick your leg through it.” He answered her with a laugh as Del slithered out of the truck and walked alongside him across the vacant street. Billie watched after them anxiously, even after they were inside. Bart had to touch her shoulder to get her attention.

“They’ll be okay, Mom. It’s light in there.” He started for the stairs and she finally followed after him.