Read Online The Diablo Horror (The River Book 7) by Michael Richan - Free Book Online Page A

yourself,”
Steven said.
    “Tell me, or your friend in California won’t be recovering.”
    Steven had just gone through the worst day of his life, and
it wasn’t getting any better. He wanted it to end.
    “He threw himself into the same hole he dumped his family’s
bodies into,” Steven spat at the man. “That’s where he’s at, rotting at the
bottom of a pit a mile or so from Diablo.”
    “Downstream?”
    Why the fuck would he care? Steven wondered. “Yes, downstream from the dam.”
    Steven watched as the man’s expression turned angry and
frustrated. Then he disappeared, along with the Agimat.
    Steven stared at the space where the demon had stood. Is
it over? he wondered. Was that it?
    He walked through the rest of the house, checking on things.
Roy had told him to leave Jason’s body in the car, covered in a blanket, rather
than bring him inside and risk being seen. It was killing him to follow Roy’s
advice, knowing Jason was alone down there. Tomorrow morning they were going to
drive out to Eximere and bury him. Meanwhile, the temperature outside was cold
enough to keep Jason’s body refrigerated.
    It felt so wrong to leave Jason in the car, so disrespectful
– but Steven knew Roy was right. He wondered if he should eat, realizing he
hadn’t eaten anything for hours, but he wasn’t hungry. He felt like he might
never eat again. Numbly, he slipped into his normal evening routine, shutting
up the house, setting the alarm, and getting ready for bed.
    As he slipped under the covers, he prayed to fall asleep, to
not lie up thinking over the horrific details of the day. But sleep did not
come quickly.
      The last time I fell asleep, he thought, I killed
my son. He felt another wave of guilt and pain pass through him, making him
curl up into a fetal position.
    How can a ghost be that powerful? Steven wondered. They seem so
stupid, this one especially. Roy had always said they could be dangerous, and
now I really know what he meant. The Agimat. The goddamn Agimat gave him enough
power to make his stupid dangerous.
    How did he die? he wondered. Not an ax. That was the ax man’s method,
there was no real ax around. He’d tricked Brett into using his shotgun, but
Brett had already been carrying the gun. I wasn’t carrying anything. If I had
strangled him with my hands, there would have been bruises on his neck.
    How did he die?
    Steven felt a pulsing in his palms, but the tears began to
flow once again, and his body heaved with sobs, slowly rocking himself. Sleep
came gradually, temporarily overcoming the pain.
     
    ◊
     
    The drive out to the peninsula had been long and quiet.
They’d stopped for coffee since neither of them had felt like making any.
Neither had eaten any breakfast, either. They weren’t hungry. Every time Steven
thought of something to say, he stopped himself. Nothing seemed appropriate,
and he wasn’t sure he’d be able to speak without crying, anyway.
    Steven received a call as they passed Olympia. It was from
Eliza. He put her on speakerphone and they both listened.
    “Well, it’s rather miraculous,” Eliza said. “I started
improving last night, and this morning they discharged me. Said they’d never
seen such a rapid recovery. I’m feeling a thousand percent better.”
    “Oh, that is good news,” Roy said, but not with his usual
enthusiasm.
    “What’s wrong?” Eliza said. “Something’s wrong.”
    “Eliza…” Steven started, but he couldn’t summon the words.
    “Tell me,” Eliza insisted.
    “We’re on our way to Eximere,” Roy said. “Something’s
happened to Jason, and…”
    “Yes?” Eliza asked. “What happened to Jason?”
    “…we’re going to bury him there,” Roy finished.
    “Oh my god,” Eliza said. “Oh my god.”
    Steven and Roy didn’t say anything more, unsure of what to
add.
    “What happened?” Eliza asked.
    “We…” Roy started.
    “Eliza, we…” Steven tried to continue.
    “I’m on the next plane,” Eliza said. “Will