Janine grasped Amanda’s wrist. Her fingers were icy. She tried to speak, but no sound came out.
Slowly, Amanda turned her gaze to where Janine was staring.
A woman stood a few feet from the end of the grave.
Half corpse. Half skeleton.
Decaying flesh hung in strips from her face. Her lips were black with rot. Her hands dangled at her sides. The long finger bones gleamed, picked clean of skin and meat.
“Sarah Fear,” Amanda whispered. But which Sarah was it? The real Sarah—the one who drowned on the way to London? Or Jane, who had taken Sarah’s name when they switched places?
“What’s going on?” Janine cried. “I thought the Evil was inside Brandon! Why is Sarah Fear here?”
The hideous corpse stood quietly, staring at them with empty eye sockets. And then she staggered forward, toward Amanda and Janine.
She raised her arms, and pieces of tattered material fell away, exposing rotting flesh and shiny bone.
The corpse took another staggering step. Her bony fingers curled like claws as she reached out for Amanda.
“Leave me alone!” Amanda cried. “Don’t hurt me!”
Chapter 27
GOOD-BYE, AMANDA AND BRANDON
The corpse took another lurching step.
Its bones creaked and rattled. Clumps of blackened flesh fell from its arms and plopped softly into the mud.
Amanda screamed again. She backed away and bumped into Janine, who stood frozen now, too frightened to move.
The corpse reached the end of the grave.
The overpowering smell of rotting flesh filled the air. Amanda swallowed hard and covered her mouth with her hand. “Come on!” she choked out, giving Janine a tug. “We have to get out of here. Hurry!”
Amanda tugged again, and Janine finally responded. They dodged away from the bony, grasping fingers and ran up to the head of the grave.
The corpse stopped and turned her head from side to side. The neck bones creaked like rusty hinges.
“We can’t leave Judd here!” Amanda cried. “We have to take him with us somehow. If we leave him, who knows what she might do to him?”
Janine shuddered and squeezed Amanda’s hand. “Okay. Let’s go.”
The corpse started to move again. It took one lurching step around the corner of the grave.
Amanda and Janine began to run down the opposite side.
A howl of pure rage suddenly split the air.
They stopped dead. The howl echoed in the night.
“What was that?” Janine cried.
Before Amanda could answer, Brandon sprang from the coffin and landed at the foot of the grave. His eyes gleamed stronger than ever, lighting up the hideous face of the corpse with their eerie green glow.
The corpse turned. As her empty gaze seemed to focus on Brandon, her rotting lips drew back in a snarl. “No!” she shouted. Her voice sounded like a young woman’s. “Not you! You’re dead. I killed you!”
“You thought you did. But you failed!” Bellowing in fury, Brandon leaped through the air and attacked the corpse. His powerful hand closed around her arm, snapping the bone.
The corpse shrieked in agony and twisted away. “I killed you, Sarah!” she screamed again. “You were supposed to stay dead!”
“Never!” Brandon yelled. “I’ll never die!”
The corpse hissed like a snake and raked her hand over Brandon’s face.
Blood seeped out of the cuts and trickled into Brandon’s eyes.
“You’ll die now!” the corpse shrieked. She clawed at Brandon’s chest, ripping his shirt and leaving a trail of bloody cuts in his skin.
“What’s going on?” Janine screamed. “What’s happening?”
Amanda suddenly realized the truth. “The corpse isn’t Sarah!” she cried. “It isn’t the real Sarah. It’s Jane Hardy!”
“What are you talking about?” Janine demanded.
“Sarah’s spirit possessed Jane a hundred years ago, and now it’s in Brandon. But Jane is still trying to kill it! She—”
A horrible shriek interrupted Amanda.
Still struggling, Brandon and Jane stood at the very edge of the grave.
Jane kept ripping at Brandon’s flesh with the sharp bones of her fingers. Strips of skin hung from his face like bloody ribbons, and he shrieked in pain.
“Die!” Jane screamed. She lurched forward, trying to shove him into the gaping hole. “Die!”
The Evil in Brandon howled in rage. “I’m not going down into that grave again. Never again!” He swung his arm, punching his fist into the side of Jane’s skull.
Pieces of rotting flesh flew from her face. She rocked back, stunned.
“Never!” Brandon shouted. “Never!”
Jane snarled and tore at him again.
Brandon dodged her ripping, clawlike hand. His foot slid in the mud.
Jane rushed at him, shoving him from behind. But Brandon caught his balance and dug his heels in.
The Evil is too strong, Amanda thought. Jane will never be able to push it into the grave.
Not alone.
Help her, she told herself. Help her shove it in and bury the Evil forever.
Taking a deep breath, Amanda rushed toward the struggling corpse.
“What are you doing?” Janine screamed. “Stop!”
Amanda couldn’t stop. Brandon was wheeling around, grabbing for Jane’s neck. In another second, his powerful hands would snap her head off.
As Brandon reached for Jane’s throat, Amanda plowed into him. Shoved him backward.
His glowing eyes widened in surprise.
His heels slipped over the edge of the grave.
Amanda cried out—and pushed at him again.
Roaring in anger, Brandon fell back.
His feet slid off the edge of the grave. He swung an arm out wildly.
His fingers locked around Amanda’s wrist.
“No!” she screamed. She grabbed at his fingers, desperately trying to pry them loose.
But Brandon held her in a ferocious grip.
And as he fell into the grave, he pulled Amanda in with him.
PART FIVE
* * *
Chapter 28
THEY BOTH DROWN
Amanda smiled to herself as a soft, warm breeze washed over her. Nice, she thought. So comfortable.
She turned on her side to snuggle deeper into the pillow.
The mattress felt as hard and solid as a slab of wood.
Scowling, Amanda opened her eyes.
Darkness surrounded her.
She sat up, bracing herself on one elbow. How did the bed get so hard?
The bed tilted. Amanda’s elbow scraped along the hard surface. She put her other hand down to keep her balance.
It’s not a bed, she realized. It is wood. Am I on a floor?
The breeze grew cooler and stronger. And damp. Amanda could feel the sticky moisture on her skin.
The floor tilted again.
Birds screeched overhead.
The darkness began to fade, and Amanda heard the sound of voices. Men and women, shouting anxiously, calling out to each-other in troubled tones.
Above their cries, Amanda heard the voices of two women, shouting furiously.
The darkness faded further. Amanda saw a cloudy sky and a trio of gulls swooping overhead. She heard water, slapping hard at the floor, making it pitch sideways.
Not a floor, she realized.
A boat. I’m on a boat.
The women’s voices grew louder. Angrier. “It should have been you!” one of them cried.
Amanda turned her head toward the sound.
Two young women stood near the railing across the deck from Amanda, facing each other. Both wore high-buttoned boots and old-fashioned dresses with long skirts. They wore their hair piled high on their heads, with silk ribbons twisted through it.
One woman had fiery red hair. The other’s was a light, silky brown.
Jane and Sarah.
They’re young again! Amanda thought. Alive and young. Back in their bodies, exactly the way they were when I saw them switch identities.
Except they’re not at the carriage house, planning the switch. They’re on a boat. And they’re fighting.
Amanda glanced around.
Men in straw hats and women in long dresses stood along the railings, gazing fearfully into the churning water.
A wave rose up. The ship rose with it, then dropped down. An icy sheet of water surged across the deck.
Voices cried out in terror. “We’re in for it now!” a man shouted.
Amanda gasped at the words. I’m on the same ship, she thought, suddenly understanding. When Brandon pulled me into the grave, we went back in time.
And now I’m on the same ship I saw when I fell into the grave before.
This is where Sarah died.
This is where the Evil was born.
The ship rose up again. It seemed to hang in the air forever. Then it slammed back down with a jolt, shuddering and creaking as it hit.
People screamed and clutched the railings. “We’re in for it now!” the man shouted again.
The ship’s about to sink, Amanda realized. Just like the last time.
But this time it’s different.
This time Jane is here too.
Glancing around again, Amanda spotted a young man curled up against the railing a few feet away. He wore jeans, a blue plaid shirt, and black, high-topped sneakers. His red hair ruffled in the wind.
Brandon!
Of course, Amanda thought. We both went back through time.
Amanda gazed at him anxiously. He appeared to be sleeping. His brows drew together in a frown, then smoothed out again. His eyelashes cast feathery shadows on his face.
His face! Amanda realized. It’s whole again. No cuts. No bloody strips of skin hanging down. He looks the way he always did.
He’s not possessed by the Evil anymore.
The Evil hasn’t been born yet.
Amanda called his name, but Brandon didn’t respond.
A scream of rage and frustration pierced the air. Amanda turned back to Sarah and Jane. The waves had drenched their boots and skirts. The wind had blown their hair down. It whipped around their faces in wet, ropy strands.
They didn’t notice. Their anger was too strong.
“It should have been you!” Sarah screamed at Jane. “This was your fate, not mine!”
“And you’ve been getting your revenge ever since!” Jane shouted back. “You possessed me. You killed my husband, Thomas. You killed so many people! I have been trying to stop you ever since. And now I will stop you forever!”
“Never!” Sarah gave Jane a shove and turned to run.
Jane caught her by the hair and pulled her back. Screaming in pain and fury, Sarah broke loose. She spun around and grabbed at Jane’s neck.
“You were supposed to die here!” Sarah screamed. “This is where I drowned, pretending to be you.” Her fingers dug into Jane’s throat. “But you were the one who was supposed to die. You didn’t deserve to be happy and alive. I should have lived!”
Sarah tightened her grip on Jane’s throat. Jane’s eyes grew wide. She whipped her head back and forth, struggling to breathe.
“Never!” Sarah kept shouting. “You’ll never stop me!”
I have to do something, Amanda thought. I can’t let Sarah win again!
As she began to stand, another wave tossed the ship, knocking her to her knees again. She rolled onto her side and glanced across the deck, gasping with relief.
The wave had knocked Jane and Sarah apart too. Jane was alive, breathing.
Sarah hadn’t won yet.
Jane grabbed Sarah by the arms. Sarah tried to break free, but Jane held on. “This time I will die here,” Jane screamed into Sarah’s face. “I’ll drown you before your Evil can kill anyone! This time we will both die here!”
“Nooo!” Sarah thrashed and twisted in Jane’s grip. “I don’t want to die!”
The ship rose up and crashed down, tilting dangerously. People screamed in terror and fought their way to the high side of the deck, clinging to the railing as the icy water washed over them.
No one seemed to notice the two young women as they staggered across the tilting deck.
“I don’t want to die!” Sarah shrieked. “I never had a chance to live!”
The ship tilted farther. A wave washed over the deck, its force throwing Sarah and Jane against the railing. They leaned against it, still wrestling.
Amanda began to slide, down toward Sarah and Jane and the foaming water. She dug in with all her strength and crawled her way up the slanting deck to Brandon.
He was sitting up now, one hand grasping the railing. He used the other to wipe water from his face. Then he blinked, glancing around in confusion.
“Brandon!” Amanda cried, pulling herself up next to him.
“Amanda?” Brandon blinked again, dazed. The strange green glow had disappeared from his eyes. “What happened? I feel so weird.”
“I know.” Amanda scooted closer to him.
“Where are we? Are we on a boat?” Brandon asked.
Amanda nodded.
“What’s going on?”
“The ship is sinking. But we’ll be okay. I’ve been through this before—I don’t think our bodies are really here.”
“What?” Brandon cried. “What do you mean?”
Before Amanda could reply, a scream of pure terror rose above the sound of the water and the cries of the passengers.
Amanda gazed down at Sarah and Jane.
The ship had listed even farther. Sarah and Jane were on their sides. Only the railing kept them from tumbling into the ocean inches below.
“I never had a chance to live!” Sarah screamed again. She struggled frantically to break loose from Jane. “Nooo!”
Jane gritted her teeth and hung on to Sarah’s arms, her face twisted in determination and fury.
She’s scared, but she won’t let go, Amanda thought. She’s determined to kill Sarah.
To kill the Evil for good.
A huge wave rose up and crashed against the slanting deck. Amanda put her arms around Brandon and watched in horror as the wave fell back, washing Jane and Sarah overboard.
Sarah’s head came up immediately. Water streamed from her hair and into her mouth as she thrashed in the churning ocean.
She went under, then bobbed back up, screaming.
As Sarah struggled in the water, Jane rose to the surface. She reached out her hand, grabbed Sarah’s hair, and pulled her back under.
Huddled next to Brandon, Amanda waited, scanning the water.
Jane and Sarah didn’t come up again.
Chapter 29
NO MORE EVIL?
Amanda didn’t dare take her eyes off the water.
The Evil is so powerful, she thought. Can it really be killed? Can it be drowned?
Keep watching, she ordered herself.
Amanda’s eyes burned. She wanted to close them and drift off to sleep, but she didn’t dare.
She had to watch out for the Evil.
Her eyelids drooped. Her head sank onto her knees. She snapped it up, gasping. Had she been asleep? How long?
Amanda rubbed her eyes and gazed out at the water again.
Still no sign of the Evil.
But you can’t stop watching, Amanda thought.
Her eyelids drooped again. She fought against it, tried to keep them open. Don’t go to sleep, she told herself.
Her head sank forward.
Don’t go to sleep.
Her eyes closed.
• • •
“Don’t!” Amanda cried out. She tried to move and felt a hand grip her shoulder.
“Amanda?” a voice murmured.
Janine’s voice.
With a gasp, Amanda opened her eyes.
Janine stood over her, gazing down anxiously. “Thank goodness you woke up.”
“Huh?” Amanda
stared at her friend, confused.
“Do you hurt or something?” Janine asked. “Do you need some medicine?”
“What do you . . .” Amanda broke off, suddenly realizing that she was lying in a bed. Not her bed, though. The mattress felt different and the pillow was hard.
She glanced around. Metal rails on the side of the bed. A television hanging from the ceiling. A funny smell.
Medicine.
Amanda snapped her gaze back to Janine. “I’m in the hospital, aren’t I?”
Janine nodded, a concerned expression on her face. “Are you sure you don’t want me to get the nurse?” she asked.
“No, I’m okay.” Amanda spotted a little metal box near her hand. She punched a button and the bed slowly rose up to a sitting position. “What happened?” she asked. “How did I get here? Where’s Brandon?”
“The police found you—in the Fear Street Cemetery. You and Brandon.” Janine pulled a yellow plastic chair close to the bed and sat down. “You were both unconscious. And your clothes were soaking wet.”
Amanda blinked, remembering the icy waves washing across the deck.
“We were all so scared,” Janine declared, squeezing Amanda’s hand gently. “What were you two doing at the cemetery? What happened to you? Were you attacked?”
Amanda squinted hard at her. “Don’t you remember?”
“Remember what?”
“The Evil!” Amanda cried.
Janine stared at her, her round face full of confusion. “The . . . the what?”
“The Evil!” Amanda repeated. “I thought it was inside Judd, but it wasn’t. It was inside Brandon all the time. It killed Luke and Natalie. We were all at Sarah Fear’s grave, fighting the Evil! Remember?”
Janine bit her lip. “Amanda, I don’t know what you’re talking about. I think maybe I should get the doctor.”
“Are you kidding me?” Amanda narrowed her eyes. “Are you pretending you don’t remember?”
“No! I wouldn’t do that to you!” Janine protested. “I just don’t understand what you are saying. Luke and Natalie are perfectly fine.”
Amanda gazed at her.
Did it all happen?
Has something tricked Janine’s memory?