The Blackham Mansion Haunting (The Downwinders Book 4) (15 page)

“Alright,” Winn said. “If you say so. I just hope we can
figure out something to help David in time. Maybe one of the names she sends us
can help, if we explain that it’s an emergency.”

“Carma…” Deem started.

“Bathroom!” Carma said, cutting her off.

“Do you know what this ‘blue nightmare’ is that Kari
mentioned?” Deem asked.

Carma’s body once again stiffened, and they watched as Carma
recognized she’d been caught. Carma turned around, her back to them.

“Carma?” Deem asked again.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Carma said, facing
away from them.

“It’s obvious you do,” Winn said.

Carma whipped back around, her mouth open as though she was
going to speak. Then she closed it, as though she was catching herself. Then
she opened it again, and closed it. After several false starts she threw up her
hands in the air.

“Talk to Lyman!” she said, and stormed out of the room.

Winn looked at Deem, and Deem turned to look back.

“It’s some secret Lyman thing, like the cannery,” Winn said.

“Poor thing,” Deem said, pulling her phone from her pocket.
“Lyman swears her to secrecy on these things, but she’s so bad at hiding it. It
must frustrate her.”

“So, Lyman — you checking the moon?”

“Yup. Looks like 11:15 tonight.”

“What can we do in the meantime?” Winn asked.

“We keep an eye on David, and hope he can hang on,” Deem
replied. “I had a date planned with Warren for a late lunch after he gets off
his shift, but I don’t know if I want to keep it or not.”

“Why not?”

“Something he said the last time I saw him. About Dayton.”

“Dayton? What did he say?”

“He said he saw Dayton the other day, and he didn’t
understand why I thought he was such a bad guy.”

“That surprises me,” Winn said. “That must have pissed you
off.”

“Enough that I ended the date and left him sputtering.”

“Trouble in paradise,” Winn said, sitting down. “Maybe you
should keep the date today and work it out with him.”

“How do I do that? He already knows what I think of the guy.
I don’t know why he’d come down on Dayton’s side of things.”

“Have you told him about Claude? All of that?”

“Not in detail.”

“Maybe you should. He might think the whole episode with
David’s parents was too removed from Dayton for him to be personally involved.
You know how these Mormons are. They can rationalize anything.”

Deem paused. “I shouldn’t have to prove myself like this. He
isn’t active, anyway. He should be on my side.”

Winn stood up. “You go keep your date, if you want to. I’ll
stay here, keep an eye on David.”

Deem groaned. “I’ll think it over with a Big Gulp.” She
walked around Winn and out the front door of the house. He heard her truck
start up.

He turned to walk out of the room, intending to go upstairs.
Carma caught him in the hallway.

“Winn, come here a moment, will you?”

“I’m sorry about all that badgering, Carma,” Winn said,
following her.

“Never mind that,” Carma said. “There’s something I need you
to do for me. This morning.”

“I told Deem I’d keep an eye on David.”

“I’ll look after David. This is important. Deem’s welfare may
be at stake.”

Winn followed Carma into her small office off the kitchen,
where she began to explain.

Deem walked in the door just before 11, with moments to spare
before their planned excursion down to Lyman.

“All day?” Winn asked, as Deem wandered to the drawing room
and fell into her favorite chair. “Cutting it a little close.”

“It went from one thing to another,” Deem said, smiling. “It
was a wonderful day. We talked so long at lunch it was dinnertime before we
knew it, then he took me out to an overlook and we talked more.” Winn could
tell she was floating on a cloud.

“Sounds like you repaired things,” Winn said.

“Yeah, I think there was a bit of a misunderstanding,” Deem
replied. “We worked it out. He’s really a great guy.”

Winn sat down. “Well, things here aren’t so great. David is
unresponsive. I think we should take him to a hospital.”

Deem sat up in her chair, her post-date euphoria evaporating.
“Unresponsive? What do you mean?”

“I mean, he’s unconscious. We can’t wake him.”

“Why didn’t you call me?”

“It happened a few minutes ago. I thought you’d be back any second
for our trip down to Lyman.”

Deem stood and walked upstairs. Winn followed her. Carma was
seated on a chair next to David, by his bed.

“Oh, no!” Deem cried. “David?”

“He’s out,” Carma said. “Comatose. I’m afraid he’s been
taken.”

“Fuck!” Deem spat into the air, angry that their plan was
forcing them to wait rather than act. “What can we do?”

“He needs an IV,” Winn said. “I don’t want to take him to a
hospital, but I think we have to.”

“And I think you should wait until after you speak with
Lyman,” Carma said. “Then decide.”

Winn looked at his watch. “Five minutes. Come on, Deem. We
need to get down there. I don’t want to miss him.”

“You won’t miss him,” Carma replied. “You can find him for a
good half hour just after the zenith.”

Winn watched as Deem reached down to take David’s hand. “He’s
warm,” Deem said, feeling for his pulse. “Heartbeat is good and strong.”

“For as long as he can hide,” Carma said wistfully.

“Come on, Deem,” Winn said. “Let’s go.”

Deem set David’s hand down and followed Winn as he led her
through the house, downstairs to the large, finished family room, and through
the closet in the back to the doors that opened into the cave entrance. He
flicked on a switch, and the string of overhead lights clicked on, dimly
illuminating the path deeper into the hill behind the house.

Once they reached the chamber with the table, Winn checked
his watch again. “It’s time,” he said.

“Lyman!” Deem called. Then they entered the River.

Lyman!
Deem called again.
We need to talk to you!

Lyman’s ghostly image solidified. He was standing in the back
of the cave, near a smaller tunnel that continued deeper into the hill.

We are in a crisis,
Lyman said, standing perfectly still.

We are,
Deem replied, moving toward him. Winn followed her.

We met with Cloward, as you suggested. And you were right,
the house in Paragonah is like a spider web; it’s a trap, and now it has David.
We think we may have found a way to solve things, but we’re missing a key
piece.

What is that?
Lyman asked.

Someone who can take out the spider once we collapse the
houses,
Deem
replied.
We’ve talked with an expert who’s had experience with these kinds
of places, and she told us we have to kill the spider to save David. But we
don’t have the tools or skills to do that.

And you think I do?
Lyman asked.

The expert mentioned blue nightmare,
Deem replied.

Winn watched Lyman carefully while Deem explained the
situation. Whereas you could read Carma’s reaction almost instantly, Lyman gave
no indication that anything Deem said registered with him in any way.
He’s
far more collected,
Winn thought.

Your plan is to collapse the houses and then kill the creature?
Lyman asked.
Kind of like
destroying the spider web, and cornering the spider in one place? Evil is more
dangerous when it’s cornered.

We don’t have any other options, and we’re running out of
time. Please, Lyman, if you can help us, we really need it now.

Lyman lowered his head.
This isn’t something I’d normally
do,
he said, then raised his head back up to look at Deem.
I’m risking a
lot to help you with this, but I’ll do it.

Oh, thank you!
Deem replied, the relief evident in her voice.
Thank you
so much, Lyman.

Now, Deem, go back upstairs,
Lyman said.

Um, upstairs?
she replied, hesitantly.

Yes,
Lyman said.

Winn watched as she turned to leave. He began to follow her.

Not you, Winn,
Lyman said.
You stay.

He stays, I leave?
Deem asked, turning back to face Lyman.

Yes.

She paused.
Why him?

Go back upstairs, Deem,
Lyman said patiently.

Are you going to show him something?
she asked.
If you do, I want to
see it, too.

Deem, I said I would help you,
Lyman continued, his voice kind and
measured.
This will be done my way.

And I have to leave?

Yes.

While he gets to stay?
Deem said, pointing at Winn.

Yes.

Winn saw Deem look at him. She had a mixture of anger and
frustration on her face.
She does not like this,
Winn thought.
Nothing
makes her angrier than being excluded from things. I could reassure her that
whatever Lyman has planned, I’ve got it handled, but I know that would just
piss her off even more.

So I just go upstairs while he stays down here, with you,
learning how to defeat the Creepsis?
she asked.

Yes,
Lyman replied, his voice full of compassion, but insistent.

Urrgh!
Deem expelled, and dropped from the River. She turned to walk out of the
chamber and back to the tunnel that led to the house.

Winn turned to look at Lyman.
He looks so young,
he
thought.
How old did Carma say he was when he was killed? Sixteen?

Come with me,
Lyman said once he’d waited a few minutes to ensure Deem had
made her way upstairs. He turned and began to move down the tunnel.

Like this?
Winn asked.
Or physically?

With your body,
Lyman called over his shoulder.
You’ll need it. Drop back
into the River once we reach the main room.

Winn left the flow, and Lyman’s figure changed instantly to a
vague wisp of white, hovering in the air in the tunnel. Winn regained control
of his body and ran to follow Lyman.

The tunnel took a couple of twists and turns, becoming darker
as they progressed; the overhead lighting hadn’t been run to this part of the
cave. Winn found himself reaching for the sides of the tunnel to make sure he
didn’t walk into something.

Eventually it opened into a much larger empty chamber, dimly
lit by two thin, glass objects placed in the rocks at opposite ends of the
room. Winn dropped back into the River.

Suddenly he was surrounded by tables, objects, equipment.

Wow,
Winn thought.
Lyman’s inner sanctum. All completely invisible outside
of the River.

He turned, trying to take in the menagerie of unusual sights.
Tables were spread out everywhere, and large pieces of strange equipment were
arranged around the room, some interacting with things on the tables, some just
standing alone. There were cages along one wall, filled with strange creatures,
and against another wall there were three humongous bookcases, crammed full
with volumes. The spines on some of them were glowing, emitting a faint yellow
pulse every few seconds.

Lyman turned to him.
I’m going to give you something you
can use to eliminate the spider in the River. There are very few weapons that
will work in the River, but this is one of them. And it’s not exactly a weapon,
but it will serve your purpose.

Blue nightmare?
Winn asked.

No. What I’m going to give you is much different. Stronger.
And something that will suit my purpose as well.

Lyman turned and drifted to the far end of the room, maneuvering
around tables and equipment. Winn followed. He stopped at a chair, where a
short Asian man sat near another tunnel. Lyman spoke to the man in a language
Winn didn’t understand, and the man stood and began to wander into the tunnel,
barely able to stand on his feet.
It’s a corpse
, Winn thought.

Where’s he going?
Winn asked.

We’ll wait here,
Lyman replied.

Winn heard sounds coming from the tunnel; wails and screams,
increasing in volume. They were chilling.

What’s he doing?
Winn asked.

It’s best you not know,
Lyman replied.

The shrieks and cries continued, until eventually the Asian
man returned, wobbling on his legs as through he might fall over at any moment.
In his hand was a bucket, and inside the bucket was a tube. Lyman reached for
the bucket and took it out of the man’s hands. He set down the bucket and
lifted the tube from it.

Come with me,
Lyman said, and turned. Winn watched as the Asian man
wobbled to his chair and sat. He glanced to his left, and saw, further around
the curve of the chamber, another man sitting on a chair, next to a different
tunnel entrance.
How many of them are there?
Winn wondered. Then he
turned to follow Lyman to another area of the room.

They reached a large piece of equipment, and Winn watched as
Lyman carefully emptied the tube into it, shaking it to ensure all of its
contents fell into the machine. Then he set a few controls, and turned to Winn.

I’m going to give you a device that you can take into the
River,
Lyman said,
reaching for a drawer under the table next to Winn. He removed a Y shaped pipe
that looked like it was made of cast iron, about six inches long. He handed it
to Winn.

What is it?
Winn asked, turning it over in his hands.

That’s just a launcher,
Lyman said.
It’ll look the same way out of the
River. You hold it with the long tube pointed at whatever you’re going to
attack. I’ll put a substance into the lower neck of it, and when you’re ready, you’ll
drop one of these into the top neck.

Lyman handed him a small, round chunk of rock. It looked like
coal.

Winn tried to imagine what Lyman was describing, but he
couldn’t figure out which end Lyman meant.

Here, let me show you,
Lyman said. Winn handed him the pipe, and Lyman arranged it
in his hand so that one end was pointed at the wall of the cave, and the other
ends of the Y were positioned up and down.

Substance will go in here,
Lyman said, pointing to the lower tube.
At that
point, think of it as loaded, like a gun filled with bullets. One, powerful
bullet. When you’re ready to fire it, drop what I handed to you in here.
He
pointed to the top tube.
They’ll combine, and launch through here.
He
pointed to the tube aimed at the wall.
Be within six or seven feet of
whatever you’re trying to capture. It’ll take a few seconds for the materials
to react, so it’s best if you can hide it in some way, and not tip off your
target. You’ll only have one shot, so make it count.

Capture?
Winn said.
I thought we were going to kill it.

As far as you’re concerned, it’ll be gone,
Lyman said.
It will not be able
to exert any influence, so your problem will be solved. Don’t use it before you
collapse the houses; it’s not going to do a thing if you launch it in one of
those duplicates that are under its control. Got it?

I guess so,
Winn replied, unsure of how far he should press Lyman.
Then
I return this to you?

You can, but I’m not worried about the launcher,
Lyman said.
They’re easily
replaced. So are those.
Lyman pointed to the round lump of coal Winn was
holding.
What is not easily replaced is the substance I’m going to place in
the lower chamber
.