Jason understood that soon all this would be gone, along with his sister. The darkness around the dollhouse looked different, more gray than black now. He forced the voice out of his head. “You’re not as scared as Lou is right now,” he whispered to Marcus. “If you’re not going to do anything, then why’d you even show up again?”

The boys stared in through the window. After a few seconds, Marcus hung his head. “What do you expect me to do?”

“I expect you to be brave. With me. Let’s go back in there and bring her out.”

Marcus released a long sigh. “It won’t work,” he said. “The creature will never let her go.” He paused. “Not unless …”

Jason couldn’t take his eyes off of Lou. If he didn’t already know it was her, he would never have recognized her. She looked like bones and shrunken skin inside her clothes. “Not unless what?” he asked. When Marcus didn’t answer, Jason turned and found his cousin had vanished. He called out, “Marcus?” Jason peered through the foyer window again and saw him standing alone in the grand foyer.

Jason’s heart dropped. How had he gotten inside? Where was Lou?

A groan came from the other side of the dollhouse. He circled around and saw his sister lying on the ground. “Lou!”

Light-headed, he rushed to her, gathering her up in his arms and squeezing her tightly.

The dollhouse shuddered and shook.

“Jason?” Lou asked. “Where are we?”

He held her at a distance and looked her up and down. No longer a rag doll, her cheeks were pink and her frame flush. “Marcus got you out of the house,” he said, then hugged her again.

“M-Marcus?” she stammered, pushing him away and trying to stand. “But he’s the one … The one who …”

Jason helped her stand. “I know what he did.” He directed her toward the shivering foyer window. Inside, a great black cloud had appeared at the top of the staircase. Marcus stared up at the shadow creature and raised his fists. As the dark mass swooped toward him, he didn’t cower. He didn’t even scream. He met the thing head-on.

In a blink, it had swirled around him.

CHAPTER 36

“OH, NO!” LOU yelped, covering her mouth.

The dollhouse rattled, the base of it popping up and down against the floor.

The broken walls and fallen roofs rose up, re-forming where they’d crumbled earlier. The creature was using Marcus as its last gasp for survival. Jason closed his eyes, not wanting to imagine what was happening to his cousin.

His father’s voice called out from the shadows again, “Jayyyyyy-sonnnnnn!”

“Is that Dad?” Lou asked.

A giant spire rose from the center of the house, the tip glistening like a needle.

“We don’t have much time,” Jason answered. “You know what we have to do?”