Lou noticed a claw-foot bathtub several yards from the fireplace. “Luckily, we know how to put out fires,” Lou answered. She twisted the handle by the bathtub faucet, but the pipes merely rattled and clanged. No water spilled out.

“Stop, stop, stop!” Sadie whispered at the sound. “That thing from the screening room will know where to find us.”

“Sorry,” said Lou, stepping back.

“We could just wait for the fire to go out,” said Cal.

“Not now, we can’t,” Sadie answered. “The creature could be coming straight for us.”

Lou crossed her arms. “Don’t you think if it was going to chase us, it would already have come?”

Cal stepped in front of Sadie. “Do you have another suggestion?”

Sadie straightened her spine and glared at him. “Well, there is a pool filled with gallons of water on the other side of that door. We could dump out one of the potted plants and fill up the empty container to douse the flames in here.”

Cal stared back. After a moment, he muttered, “That’s a great idea, actually.” Then he held up his hand for a high five. Sadie scoffed and walked away, following Lou to the door that led to the pool.

The pool room was so dark, her eyes needed time to adjust. But her nose worked perfectly well, and the aroma that was now filling the space was like a mixture of churned earth and wet asphalt. Lou winced.

“What is that smell?” Cal asked.

Lou crept forward. The light from the flames behind her revealed that the lip of the pool dropped down into nothingness. The slick black surface of the water had vanished. “How?” she whispered. “It was just full.”

“Don’t get too close,” Sadie said, grabbing her elbow.

Now that the pool had no water, the three could see that the bottom was filled with other things. A rusted old-fashioned wheelchair was turned onto its side. Nearby was a half-rotted wicker bassinet, and beside that was a wire crate that looked like it had once transported chickens or tiny dogs. Several pale faces stared up from the mess—cracked doll heads and plastic animal masks. There was even a very small desk and chair that looked like they should have been in a kindergarten classroom. Scattered all around were broken frames that held blackened and torn up paintings. The pictures were so badly ruined, Lou couldn’t make out the images they’d once contained.

Coating the bottom of the pool was a thick, black sludge, in which all these objects were stuck.

Breaking the silence, Sadie asked, “Why are those things down there?” Cal and Lou didn’t have a chance to answer.

The door behind them slammed shut, leaving them in darkness.

CHAPTER 12

THE FIGURE IN the distance raised a hand, and Jason squeezed his knees to his chest, choking down nausea. It had seen him!