This creature wasn’t totally stupid. It understood what fire was, and it knew that it could use Bum as a shield. It moved Bum between himself and the fire.

“What should I do?” Cindy cried. “I can’t get off a clear shot.”

Bum struggled. “On the count of three I’m going to yank forward and down as hard as I can. Aim for the top of his head. The heat might startle him. He might let me go. Ready? One. Two—”

“Wait!” Cindy cried.

“What is it?” Bum asked.

“I’ve never shot anyone before!”

“It’s easy. Just pretend you’re Sally.”

“I don’t see how anyone can be Sally. How can I pretend to be her?”

Bum groaned as the creature bent back his arms. “Then just close your eyes and pull the trigger when I get to three. I don’t know how long I can hold out against this guy. Please, Cindy.”

She nodded frantically. “OK. Do it. Say it.”

“One. Two. Three!”

Bum yanked forward and ducked his head. Cindy took quick aim and fired. She didn’t shoot directly at the man’s face, but just above his head. She couldn’t bear the thought that if somehow they could reverse the damage caused by the Cold People, this man would wake up tomorrow with a burnt face.

But Cindy’s aim was not far off the creature’s face.

She singed its hair.

The creature let go of Bum and turned and fled.

He ran out the door howling.

Bum staggered to Cindy’s side.

He nodded as he took the flamethrower back.

“I’ll tell Sally you wasted the guy,” he said.

Cindy smiled. “Tell her there were ten of them.”

They loaded their equipment into the balloon.

The fans and generator worked like a charm.

“What course?” Bum asked as they left the hardware store.

Cindy turned away from the direction of the lighthouse and her house. Like it or not, she realized, all of Spooksville was her home. She had to help save it all.

“Let’s head for the hills,” she said. “Let’s help Adam and Sally.”

12

Adam was feeling cold all over. Worse, he was having cold thoughts. As they roared out of town and into the hills, he kept looking over at Sally and thinking of all the warm blood in her veins. How he hated the fact that she was warm while he was cold.

How he wanted to make her cold, too.

Adam knew the sick thoughts were from his wound.

He had to fight to keep them away.

He knew now he was slowly changing into a monster.

Sally glanced over at him. “Are you OK?”

He nodded. “Yeah. Just keep driving.”

“You don’t look OK. How’s your leg?”

“It’s OK.”

“Can you feel it?” she asked.

“No.”

“Then how can you say it’s OK?”