Dan approached the nurses station, identified himself as a staffer at the hospice to which Ms. Reynolds was scheduled to be moved, showed his Helen Rivington House ID, and introduced John Dalton as the family doctor (a stretch, but not an actual lie). We need to assess her condition prior to the transfer, Dan said, and two family members have asked to be present. They are Ms. Reynoldss granddaughter and her granddaughters husband. Im sorry about the lateness of the hour, but it was unavoidable. Theyll be here shortly. Ive met the Stones, the head nurse said. Theyre lovely people. Lucy in particular has been very attentive to her gran. Concettas special. Ive been reading her poems, and theyre wonderful. But if youre expecting any input from her, gentlemen, youre going to be disappointed. Shes slipped into a coma. Well see about that, Dan thought. And . . . The nurse looked at John doubtfully. Well . . . its really not my place to say . . . Go on, John said. Ive never met a head nurse who didnt know what the score was. She smiled at him, then turned her attention back to Dan. Ive heard wonderful things about the Rivington hospice, but I doubt very much if Concetta will be going there. Even if she lasts until Monday, Im not sure theres any point in moving her. It might be kinder to let her finish her journey here. If Im stepping out of line, Im sorry. Youre not, Dan said, and well take that into consideration. John, would you go down to the lobby and escort the Stones up when they arrive? I can start without you. Are you sure Yes, Dan said, holding his eyes. I am. Shes in Room Nine, the head nurse said. Its the single at the end of the hall. If you need me, ring her call bell. 4 Concettas name was on the Room 9 door, but the slot for medical orders was empty and the vitals monitor overhead showed nothing hopeful. Dan stepped into aromas he knew well air freshener, antiseptic, and mortal illness. The last was a high smell that sang in his head like a violin that knows only one note. The walls were covered with photographs, many featuring Abra at various ages. One showed a gapemouthed cluster of little folks watching a magician pull a white rabbit from a hat. Dan was sure it had been taken at the famous birthday party, the Day of the Spoons. Surrounded by these pictures, a skeleton woman slept with her mouth open and a pearl rosary twined in her fingers. Her remaining hair was so fine it almost disappeared against the pillow. Her skin, once olivetoned, was now yellow. The rise and fall of her thin bosom was hardly there. One look was enough to tell Dan that the head nurse had indeed known what the score was. If Azzie were here, he would have been curled up next to the woman in this room, waiting for Doctor Sleep to arrive so he could resume his latenight patrol of corridors empty save for the things only cats could see. Dan sat down on the side of the bed, noting that the single IV going into her was a saline drip. There was only one medicine that could help her now, and the hospital pharmacy didnt stock it. Her cannula had come askew. He straightened it. Then he took her hand and looked into the sleeping face. (Concetta) There was a slight hitch in her breathing. (Concetta come back) Beneath the thin, bruised lids, the eyes moved. She might have been listening; she might have been dreaming her last dreams. Of Italy, perhaps. Bending over the household well and hauling up a bucket of cool water. Bending over in the hot summer sun. (Abra needs you to come back and so do I) It was all he could do, and he wasnt sure it would be enough until, slowly, her eyes opened. They were vacant at first, but they gained perception. Dan had seen this before. The miracle of returning consciousness. Not for the first time he wondered where it came from, and where it went when it departed. Death was no less a miracle than birth. The hand he was holding tightened. The eyes remained on Dans, and Concetta smiled. It was a timid smile, but it was there. Oh mio caro! Sei tu? Sei tu? Come e possibile? Sei morto? Sono morta anchio? . . . Siamo fantasmi? Dan didnt speak Italian, and he didnt have to. He heard what she was saying with perfect clarity in his head. Oh my dear one, is it you? How can it be you? Are you dead? Am I? Then, after a pause Are we ghosts? Dan leaned toward her until his cheek lay against hers. In her ear, he whispered. In time, she whispered back. 5 Their conversation was short but illuminating. Concetta spoke mostly in Italian. At last she lifted a handit took great effort, but she managedand caressed his stubbly cheek. She smiled. Are you ready? he asked. S. Ready. Theres nothing to be afraid of. S, I know that. Im so glad you come. Tell me again your name, signor. Daniel Torrance. S. You are a gift from God, Daniel Torrance. Sei un dono di Dio. Dan hoped it was true. Will you give to me? S, of course. What you need per Abra. And Ill give to you, Chetta. Well drink from the well together. She closed her eyes. (I know) Youll go to sleep, and when you wake up (everything will be better) The power was even stronger than it had been on the night Charlie Hayes passed; he could feel it between them as he gently clasped her hands in his and felt the smooth pebbles of her rosary against his palms. Somewhere, lights were being turned off, one by one. It was all right. In Italy a little girl in a brown dress and sandals was drawing water from the cool throat of a well. She looked like Abra, that little girl. The dog was barking. Il cane. Ginata. Il cane si rotolava sullerba. Barking and rolling in the grass. Funny Ginata! Concetta was sixteen and in love, or thirty and writing a poem at the kitchen table of a hot apartment in Queens while children shouted on the street below; she was sixty and standing in the rain and looking up at a hundred thousand lines of purest falling silver. She was her mother and her greatgranddaughter and it was time for her great change, her great voyage. Ginata was rolling in the grass and the lights (hurry up please) were going out one by one. A door was opening (hurry up please its time) and beyond it they could both smell all the mysterious, fragrant respiration of the night. Above were all the stars that ever were. He kissed her cool forehead. Everythings all right, cara. You only need to sleep. Sleep will make you better. Then he waited for her final breath. It came. 6 He was still sitting there, holding her hands in his, when the door burst open and Lucy Stone came striding in. Her husband and her daughters pediatrician followed, but not too closely; it was as if they feared being burned by the fear, fury, and confused outrage that surrounded her in a crackling aura so strong it was almost visible. She seized Dan by the shoulder, her fingernails digging like claws into the shoulder beneath his shirt. Get away from her. You dont know her. You have no more business with my grandmother than you do with my daugh Lower your voice, Dan said without turning. Youre in the presence of death. The rage that had stiffened her ran out all at once, loosening her joints. She sagged to the bed beside Dan and looked at the waxen cameo that was now her grandmothers face. Then she looked at the haggard, beardscruffy man who sat holding the dead hands, in which the rosary was still entwined. Unnoticed tears began rolling down Lucys cheeks in big clear drops. I cant make out half of what theyve been trying to tell me. Just that Abra was kidnapped, but now shes all rightsupposedlyand shes in a motel with some man named Billy and theyre both sleeping. All thats true, Dan said. Then spare me your holierthanthou pronouncements, if you please. Ill mourn my momo after I see Abra. When Ive got my arms around her. For now, I want to know . . . I want . . . She trailed off, looking from Dan to her dead grandmother and back to Dan again. Her husband stood behind her. John had closed the door of Room 9 and was leaning against it. Your name is Torrance? Daniel Torrance? Yes. Again that slow look from her grandmothers still profile to the man who had been present when she died. Who are you, Mr. Torrance? Dan let go of Chettas hands and took Lucys. Walk with me. Not far. Just across the room. She stood up without protest, still looking into his face. He led her to the bathroom door, which was standing open. He turned on the light and pointed to the mirror above the washbasin, where they were framed as if in a photograph. Seen that way, there could be little doubt. None, really. He said, My father was your father, Lucy. Im your half brother. 7 After notifying the head nurse that there had been a death on the floor, they went to the hospitals small nondenominational chapel. Lucy knew the way; although not much of a believer, she had spent a good many hours there, thinking and remembering. It was a comforting place to do those things, which are necessary when a loved one nears the end. At this hour, they had it all to themselves. First things first, Dan said. I have to ask if you believe me. We can do the DNA test when theres time, but . . . do we need to? Lucy shook her head dazedly, never taking her eyes from his face. She seemed to be trying to memorize it. Dear Jesus. I can hardly get my breath. I thought you looked familiar the first time I saw you, Dave said to Dan. Now I know why. I would have gotten it sooner, I think, if it hadnt been . . . you know . . . So right in front of you, John said. Dan, does Abra know? Sure. Dan smiled, remembering Abras theory of relativity. She got it from your mind? Lucy asked. Using her telepathy thing? No, because I didnt know. Even someone as talented as Abra cant read something that isnt there. But on a deeper level, we both knew. Hell, we even said it out loud. If anyone asked what we were doing together, we were going to say I was her uncle. Which I am. I should have realized consciously sooner than I did. This is coincidence beyond coincidence, Dave said, shaking his head. Its not. Its the farthest thing in the world from coincidence. Lucy, I understand that youre confused and angry. Ill tell you everything I know, but it will take some time. Thanks to John and your husband and Abraher most of allweve got some. On the way, Lucy said. You can tell me on the way to Abra. All right, Dan said, on the way. But three hours sleep first. She was shaking her head before he finished. No, now. I have to see her as soon as I possibly can. Dont you understand? Shes my daughter, shes been kidnapped, and I have to see her! Shes been kidnapped, but now shes safe, Dan said. You say that, of course you do, but you dont know. Abra says it, he replied. And she does know. Listen, Mrs. StoneLucyshes asleep right now, and she needs her sleep. I do, too. Ive got a long trip ahead of me, and I think its going to be a hard one. Very hard. Lucy was looking at him closely. Are you all right? Just tired. We all are, John said. Its been . . . a stressful day. He uttered a brief yap of laughter, then pressed both hands over his mouth like a child whos said a naughty word. I cant even call her and hear her voice, Lucy said. She spoke slowly, as if trying to articulate a difficult precept. Because theyre sleeping off the drugs this man . . . the one you say she calls the Crow . . . put into her. Soon, Dave said. Youll see her soon. He put his hand over hers. For a moment Lucy looked as if she would shake it off. She clasped it instead. I can start on the way back to your grandmothers, Dan said. He got up. It was an effort. Come on. 8 He had time to tell her how a lost man had ridden a northbound bus out of Massachusetts, and howjust over the New Hampshire state linehed tossed what would turn out to be his last bottle of booze into a trash can with IF YOU NO LONGER NEED IT, LEAVE IT HERE stenciled on the side. He told them how his childhood friend Tony had spoken up for the first time in years when the bus had rolled into Frazier. This is the place, Tony had said. From there he doubled back to a time when he had been Danny instead of Dan (and sometimes doc, as in whats up, doc), and his invisible friend Tony had been an absolute necessity. The shining was only one of the burdens that Tony helped him bear, and not the major one. The major one was his alcoholic father, a troubled and ultimately dangerous man whom both Danny and his mother had loved deeplyperhaps as much because of his flaws as in spite of them. He had a terrible temper, and you didnt have to be a telepath to know when it was getting the best of him. For one thing, he was usually drunk when it happened. I know he was loaded on the night he caught me in his study, messing with his papers. He broke my arm. How old were you? Dave asked. He was riding in the backseat with his wife. Four, I think. Maybe even younger. When he was on the warpath, he had this habit of rubbing his mouth. Danny demonstrated. Do you know anyone else who does that when shes upset? Abra, Lucy said. I thought she got it from me. She raised her right hand toward her mouth, then captured it with her left and returned it to her lap. Dan had seen Abra do exactly the same thing on the bench outside the Anniston Public Library, on the day theyd met in person for the first time. I thought she got her temper from me, too. I can be . . . pretty ragged sometimes. I thought of my father the first time I saw her do the mouthrubbing thing, Dan said, but I had other things on my mind. So I forgot. This made him think of Watson, the caretaker at the Overlook, who had first shown the hotels untrustworthy furnace boiler to his father. You have to watch it, Watson had said. Because she creeps. But in the end, Jack Torrance had forgotten. It was the reason Dan was still alive. Are you telling me you figured out this family relationship from one little habit? Thats quite a deductive leap, especially when its you and I who look alike, not you and Abrashe gets most of her looks from her father. Lucy paused, thinking. But of course you share another family traitDave says you call it the shining. Thats how you knew, isnt it? Dan shook his head. I made a friend the year my father died. His name was Dick Hallorann, and he was the cook at the Overlook Hotel. He also had the shining, and he told me lots of people had a little bit of it. He was right. Ive met plenty of people along the way who shine to a greater or lesser degree. Billy Freeman, for one. Which is why hes with Abra right now. John swung the Suburban into the little parking area behind Concettas condo, but for the time being, none of them got out. In spite of her worry about her daughter, Lucy was fascinated by this history lesson. Dan didnt have to look at her to know it. If it wasnt the shining, what was it? When we were going out to Cloud Gap on the Riv, Dave mentioned that you found a trunk in storage at Concettas building. Yes. My mothers. I had no idea Momo had saved some of her things. Dave told John and me that she was quite the party girl, back in the day. It was actually Abra that Dave had been talking to, via telepathic link, but this was something Dan felt it might be better for his newly discovered half sister not to know, at least for the time being. Lucy flashed Dave the reproachful look reserved for spouses who have been telling tales out of school, but said nothing. He also said that when Alessandra dropped out of SUNY Albany, she was doing her student teaching at a prep school in Vermont or Massachusetts. My father taught Englishuntil he lost his job for hurting a student, that isin Vermont. At a school called Stovington Prep. And according to my mother, he was quite the party boy in those days. Once I knew that Abra and Billy were safe, I ran some numbers in my head. They seemed to add up, but I felt if anyone knew for sure, it would be Alessandra Andersons mother. Did she? Lucy asked. She was leaning forward now, her hands on the console between the front seats. Not everything, and we didnt have long together, but she knew enough. She didnt remember the name of the school where your mother studenttaught, but she knew it was in Vermont. And that shed had a brief affair with her supervising teacher. Who was, she said, a published writer. Dan paused. My father was a published writer. Only a few stories, but some of them were in very good magazines, like the Atlantic Monthly. Concetta never asked her for the mans name, and Alessandra never volunteered it, but if her college transcript is in that trunk, Im pretty sure youll find that her supervisor was John Edward Torrance. He yawned and looked at his watch. Thats all I can do right now. Lets go upstairs. Three hours sleep for all of us, then on to upstate New York. The roads will be empty, and we should be able to make great time. Do you swear shes safe? Lucy asked. Dan nodded. All right, Ill wait. But only for three hours. As for sleeping . . . She laughed. The sound had no humor in it. 9 When they entered Concettas condo, Lucy strode directly to the microwave in the kitchen, set the timer, and showed it to Dan. He nodded, then yawned again. Three thirty a.m., were out of here. She studied him gravely. Id like to go without you, you know. Right this minute. He smiled a little. I think you better hear the rest of the story first. She nodded grimly. That and the fact that my daughter needs to sleep off whatever is in her system are the only things holding me here. Now go lie down before you fall down. Dan and John took the guest room. The wallpaper and furnishings made it clear that it had been mostly kept for one special little girl, but Chetta must have had other guests from time to time, because there were twin beds. As they lay in the dark, John said Its not a coincidence that this hotel you stayed in as a child is also in Colorado, is it? No. This True Knot is in the same town? They are. And the hotel was haunted? The ghostie people, Dan thought. Yes. Then John said something that surprised Dan and temporarily brought him back from the edge of sleep. Dave had been rightthe easiest things to miss were the ones right in front of you. It makes sense, I suppose . . . once you accept the idea there could be supernatural beings among us and feeding on us. An evil place would call evil creatures. Theyd feel right at home there. Do you suppose this Knot has other places like that, in other parts of the country? Other . . . I dont know . . . cold spots? Im sure they do. Dan put an arm over his eyes. His body ached and his head was pounding. Johnny, Id love to do the boyshavingasleepover thing with you, but I have to get some shuteye. Okay, but . . . John got up on one elbow. All things being equal, you would have gone right from the hospital, like Lucy wanted. Because you care almost as much about Abra as they do. You think shes safe, but you could be wrong. Im not. Hoping that was the truth. He had to hope so, because the simple fact was that he couldnt go, not now. If it had only been to New York, maybe. But it wasnt, and he had to sleep. His whole body cried for it. Whats wrong with you, Dan? Because you look terrible. Nothing. Just tired. Then he was gone, first into darkness and then into a confused nightmare of running down endless halls while some Shape followed him, swinging a mallet from side to side, splitting wallpaper and driving up puffs of plaster dust. Come out, you little shit! the Shape yelled. Come out, you worthless pup, and take your medicine! Then Abra was with him. They were sitting on the bench in front of the Anniston Public Library, in the latesummer sun. She was holding his hand. Its all right, Uncle Dan. Its all right. Before he died, your father turned that Shape out. You dont have to The library door banged open and a woman stepped into the sunlight. Great clouds of dark hair billowed around her head, yet her jauntily cocked tophat stayed on. It stayed on like magic. Oh, look, she said. Its Dan Torrance, the man who stole a womans money while she was sleeping one off and then left her kid to be beaten to death. She smiled at Abra, revealing a single tooth. It looked as long and sharp as a bayonet. What will he do to you, little sweetie? What will he do to you? 10 Lucy woke him promptly at three thirty, but shook her head when Dan moved to wake John. Let him sleep a bit longer. And my husband is snoring on the couch. She actually smiled. It makes me think of the Garden of Gethsemane, you know. Jesus reproaching Peter, saying, So you could not watch with me even one hour? Or something like that. But I have no reason to reproach David, I guesshe saw it, too. Come on. Ive made scrambled eggs. You look like you could use some. Youre skinny as a rail. She paused and added Brother. Dan wasnt particularly hungry, but he followed her into the kitchen. Saw what, too? I was going through Momos papersanything to keep my hands busy and pass the timeand I heard a clunk from the kitchen. She took his hand and led him to the counter between the stove and the fridge. There was a row of oldfashioned apothecary jars here, and the one containing sugar had been overturned. A message had been written in the spill. Im OK Going back to sleep Love U In spite of how he felt, Dan thought of his blackboard and had to smile. It was so perfectly Abra. She must have woken up just enough to do that, Lucy said. Dont think so, Dan said. She looked at him from the stove, where she was dishing up scrambled eggs. You woke her up. She heard your worry. Do you really believe that? Yes. Sit down. She paused. Sit down, Dan. I guess I better get used to calling you that. Sit down and eat. Dan wasnt hungry, but he needed the fuel. He did as she said. 11 She sat across from him, sipping a glass of juice from the last carafe Concetta Reynolds would ever have delivered from Dean  DeLuca. Older man with booze issues, starstruck younger woman. Thats the picture Im getting. Its the one I got, too. Dan shoveled the eggs in steadily and methodically, not tasting them. Coffee, Mr. . . . Dan? Please. She went past the spilled sugar to the Bunn. Hes married, but his job takes him to a lot of faculty parties where there are a lot of pretty young gals. Not to mention a fair amount of blooming libido when the hour gets late and the music gets loud. Sounds about right, Dan said. Maybe my mom used to go along to those parties, but then there was a kid to take care of at home and no money for babysitters. She passed him a cup of coffee. He sipped it black before she could ask what he took in it. Thanks. Anyway, they had a thing. Probably at one of the local motels. It sure wasnt in the back of his carwe had a VW Bug. Even a couple of horny acrobats couldnt have managed that. Blackout screwing, John said, coming into the room. His hair was standing up in sleepquills at the back of his head. Thats what the oldtimers call it. Are there any more of those eggs? Plenty, Lucy said. Abra left a message on the counter. Really? John went to look at it. That was her? Yes. Id know her printing anywhere. Holy shit, this could put Verizon out of business. She didnt smile. Sit down and eat, John. Youve got ten minutes, then Im going to wake up Sleeping Beauty in there on the couch. She sat down. Go on, Dan. I dont know if she thought my dad would leave my mom for her or not, and I doubt if youll find the answer to that one in her trunk. Unless maybe she left a diary. All I knowbased on what Dave said and what Concetta told me lateris that she hung around for awhile. Maybe hoping, maybe just partying, maybe both. But by the time she found out she was pregnant, she must have given up. For all I know, we might have been in Colorado by then. Do you suppose your mother ever found out? I dont know, but she must have wondered how faithful he was, especially on the nights when he came in late and shitfaced. Im sure she knew that drunks dont limit their bad behavior to betting the ponies or tucking fivespots into the cleavages of the waitresses down at the Twist and Shout. She put a hand on his arm. Are you all right? You look exhausted. Im okay. But youre not the only one whos trying to process all this. She died in a car accident, Lucy said. She had turned from Dan and was looking fixedly at the bulletin board on the fridge. In the middle was a photograph of Concetta and Abra, who looked about four, walking hand in hand through a field of daisies. The man with her was a lot older. And drunk. They were going fast. Momo didnt want to tell me, but around the time I turned eighteen, I got curious and nagged her into giving me at least some of the details. When I asked if my mother was drunk, too, Chetta said she didnt know. She said the police have no reason to test passengers who are killed in fatal accidents, only the driver. She sighed. It doesnt matter. Well leave the family stories for another day. Tell me whats happened to my daughter. He did. At some point, he turned around and saw Dave Stone standing in the doorway, tucking his shirt into his pants and watching him. 12 Dan started with how Abra had gotten in touch with him, first using Tony as a kind of intermediary. Then how Abra had come in contact with the True Knot a nightmare vision of the one she called the baseball boy. I remember that nightmare, Lucy said. She woke me up, screaming. It had happened before, but it was the first time in two or three years. Dave frowned. I dont remember that at all. You were in Boston, at a conference. She turned to Dan. Let me see if Ive got this. These people arent people, theyre . . . what? Some kind of vampires? In a way, I suppose. They dont sleep in coffins during the day or turn into bats by moonlight, and I doubt if crosses and garlic bother them, but theyre parasites, and theyre certainly not human. Human beings dont disappear when they die, John said flatly. You really saw that happen? We did. All three of us. In any case, Dan said, the True Knot isnt interested in ordinary children, only those who have the shining. Children like Abra, Lucy said. Yes. They torture them before killing themto purify the steam, Abra says. I keep picturing moonshiners making white lightning. They want to . . . inhale her, Lucy said. Still trying to get it straight in her head. Because she has the shining. Not just the shining, but a great shining. Im a flashlight. Shes a lighthouse. And she knows about them. She knows what they are. Theres more, John said. What we did to those men at Cloud Gap . . . as far as this Rose is concerned, thats down to Abra, no matter who actually did the killing. What else could she expect? Lucy asked indignantly. Dont they understand selfdefense? Survival? What Rose understands, Dan said, is that theres a little girl who has challenged her. Challenged? Abra got in touch telepathically. She told Rose that she was coming after her. She what? That temper of hers, Dave said quietly. Ive told her a hundred times it would get her in trouble. Shes not going anywhere near that woman, or her childkilling friends, Lucy said. Dan thought Yes . . . and no. He took Lucys hand. She started to pull away, then didnt. The thing you have to understand is really quite simple, he said. They will never stop. But No buts, Lucy. Under other circumstances, Rose still might have decided to disengagethis is one crafty old shewolfbut theres one other factor. Which is? Theyre sick, John said. Abra says its the measles. They might even have caught it from the Trevor boy. I dont know if youd call that divine retribution or just irony. Measles? I know it doesnt sound like much, but believe me, it is. You know how, in the old days, measles could run through a whole family of kids? If thats happening to this True Knot, it could wipe them out. Good! Lucy cried. The angry smile on her face was one Dan knew well. Not if they think Abras supersteam will cure them, Dave said. Thats what you need to understand, hon. This isnt just a skirmish. To this bitch its a fight to the death. He struggled and then brought out the rest of it. Because it had to be said. If Rose gets the chance, shell eat our daughter alive. 13 Lucy asked, Where are they? This True Knot, where are they? Colorado, Dan said. At a place called the Bluebell Campground in the town of Sidewinder. That the site of the campground was the very place where he had once almost died at his fathers hands was a thing he didnt want to say, because it would lead to more questions and more cries of coincidence. The one thing of which Dan was sure was that there were no coincidences. This Sidewinder must have a police department, Lucy said. Well call them and get them on this. By telling them what? Johns tone was gentle, nonargumentative. Well . . . that . . . If you actually got the cops to go up there to the campground, Dan said, theyd find nothing but a bunch of middleagedgoingonolder Americans. Harmless RV folks, the kind who always want to show you pictures of their grandkids. Their papers would all be in applepie order, from dog licenses to land deeds. The police wouldnt find guns if they managed to get a search warrantwhich they wouldnt, no probable causebecause the True Knot doesnt need guns. Their weapons are up here. Dan tapped his forehead. Youd be the crazy lady from New Hampshire, Abra would be your crazy daughter who ran away from home, and wed be your crazy friends. Lucy pressed her palms to her temples. I cant believe this is happening. If you did a search of records, I think youd find that the True Knotunder whatever name they might be incorporatedhas been very generous to that particular Colorado town. You dont shit in your nest, you feather it. Then, if bad times come, you have lots of friends. These bastards have been around a long time, John said. Havent they? Because the main thing they take from this steam is longevity. Im pretty sure thats right, Dan said. And as good Americans, Im sure theyve been busy making money the whole time. Enough to grease wheels a lot bigger than the ones that turn in Sidewinder. State wheels. Federal wheels. And this Rose . . . shell never stop. No. Dan was thinking of the precognitive vision hed had of her. The cocked hat. The yawning mouth. The single tooth. Her heart is set on your daughter. A woman who stays alive by killing children has no heart, Dave said. Oh, she has one, Dan said. But its black. Lucy stood up. No more talking. I want to go to her now. Everybody use the bathroom, because once we leave, were not stopping until we get to that motel. Dan said, Does Concetta have a computer? If she does, I need to take a quick peek at something before we go. Lucy sighed. Its in her study, and I think you can guess the password. But if you take more than five minutes, were going without you. 14 Rose lay awake in her bed, stiff as a poker, trembling with steam and fury. When an engine started up at quarter past two, she heard it. Steamhead Steve and Baba the Russian. When another started at twenty till four, she heard that one, too. This time it was the Little twins, Pea and Pod. Sweet Terri Pickford was with them, no doubt looking nervously through the back window for any sign of Rose. Big Mo had asked to go alongbegged to go alongbut they had turned her down because Mo was carrying the disease. Rose could have stopped them, but why bother? Let them discover what life was like in America on their own, with no True Knot to protect them in camp or watch their backs while they were on the road. Especially when I tell Toady Slim to kill their credit cards and empty their rich bank accounts, she thought. Toady was no Jimmy Numbers, but he could still take care of it, and at the touch of a button. And hed be there to do it. Toady would stick. So would all the good ones . . . or almost all the good ones. Dirty Phil, Apron Annie, and Diesel Doug were no longer on their way back. They had taken a vote and decided to head south instead. Deez had told them Rose was no longer to be trusted, and besides, it was long past time to cut the Knot.


Good luck with that, darling boy, she thought, clenching and unclenching her fists. Splitting the True was a terrible idea, but thinning the herd was a good one. So let the weaklings run and the sicklings die. When the bitchgirl was also dead and they had swallowed her steam (Rose had no more illusions of keeping her prisoner), the twentyfive or so who were left would be stronger than ever. She mourned Crow, and knew she had no one who could step into his shoes, but Token Charlie would do the best he could. So would Harpman Sam . . . Bent Dick . . . Fat Fannie and Long Paul . . . Greedy G, not the brightest bulb, but loyal and unquestioning. Besides, with the others gone, the steam she still had in storage would go farther and make them stronger. They would need to be strong. Come to me, little bitchgirl, Rose thought. See how strong you are when there are two dozen against you. See how you like it when its just you against the True. Well eat your steam and lap up your blood. But first, well drink your screams. Rose stared up into the darkness, hearing the fading voices of the runners, the faithless ones. At the door came a soft, timid knock. Rose lay silent for a moment or two, considering, then swung her legs out of bed. Come. She was naked but made no attempt to cover herself when Silent Sarey crept in, shapeless inside one of her flannel nightgowns, her mousecolored bangs covering her brows and almost hanging in her eyes. As always, Sarey seemed hardly there even when she was. Im sad, Loze. I know you are. Im sad, too. She wasntshe was furiousbut it sounded good. I miss Andi. Andi, yesrube name Andrea Steiner, whose father had fucked the humanity out of her long before the True Knot had found her. Rose remembered watching her that day in the movie theater, and how, later, she had fought her way through the Turning with sheer guts and willpower. Snakebite Andi would have stuck. Snake would have walked through fire, if Rose said the True Knot needed her to. She held out her arms. Sarey scurried to her and laid her head against Roses breast. Wivvout her I lunt to die. No, honey, I dont think so. Rose pulled the little thing into bed and hugged her tight. She was nothing but a rack of bones held together by scant meat. Tell me what you really want. Beneath the shaggy bangs, two eyes gleamed, feral. Levenge. Rose kissed one cheek, then the other, then the thin dry lips. She drew back a little and said, Yes. And youll have it. Open your mouth, Sarey. Sarey obediently did so. Their lips came together again. Rose the Hat, still full of steam, breathed down Silent Sareys throat. 15 The walls of Concettas study were papered with memos, fragments of poems, and correspondence that would never be answered. Dan typed in the fourletter password, launched Firefox, and googled the Bluebell Campground. They had a website that wasnt terribly informative, probably because the owners didnt care that much about attracting visitors; the place was your basic front. But there were photos of the property, and these Dan studied with the fascination people reserve for recently discovered old family albums. The Overlook was long gone, but he recognized the terrain. Once, just before the first of the snowstorms that closed them in for the winter, he and his mother and father had stood together on the hotels broad front porch (seeming even broader with the lawn gliders and wicker furniture in storage), looking down the long, smooth slope of the front lawn. At the bottom, where the deer and the antelope often came out to play, there was now a long rustic building called the Overlook Lodge. Here, the caption said, visitors could dine, play bingo, and dance to live music on Friday and Saturday nights. On Sundays there were church services, overseen by a rotating cadre of Sidewinders men and women of the cloth. Until the snow came, my father mowed that lawn and trimmed the topiary that used to be there. He said hed trimmed lots of ladies topiaries in his time. I didnt get the joke, but it used to make Mom laugh. Some joke, he said, low. He saw rows of sparkling RV hookups, lux mod cons that supplied LP gas as well as electricity. There were mens and womens shower buildings big enough to service megatruckstops like Little America or Pedros South of the Border. There was a playground for the wee folks. (Dan wondered if the kiddies who played there ever saw or sensed unsettling things, as Danny Doc Torrance once had in the Overlooks playground.) There was a softball field, a shuffleboard area, a couple of tennis courts, even bocce. No roque, thoughnot that. Not anymore. Halfway up the slopewhere the Overlooks hedge animals had once congregatedthere was a row of clean white satellite dishes. At the crest of the hill, where the hotel itself had stood, was a wooden platform with a long flight of steps leading up to it. This site, now owned and administered by the State of Colorado, was identified as Roof O the World. Visitors to the Bluebell Campground were welcome to use it, or to hike the trails beyond, free of charge. The trails are recommended only for the more experienced hiker, the caption read, but Roof O the World is for everyone. The views are spectacular! Dan was sure they were. Certainly they had been spectacular from the dining room and ballroom of the Overlook . . . at least until the steadily mounting snow blocked off the windows. To the west were the highest peaks of the Rocky Mountains, sawing at the sky like spears. To the east, you could see all the way to Boulder. Hell, all the way to Denver and Arvada on rare days when the pollution wasnt too bad. The state had taken that particular piece of land, and Dan wasnt surprised. Who would have wanted to build there? The ground was rotten, and he doubted if you had to be telepathic to sense it. But the True had gotten as close as it could, and Dan had an idea that their wandering gueststhe normal onesrarely came back for a second visit, or recommended the Bluebell to their friends. An evil place would call evil creatures, John had said. If so, the converse would also be true it would tend to repel good ones. Dan? Dave called. Bus is leaving. I need another minute! He closed his eyes and propped the heel of his palm against his forehead. (Abra) His voice awoke her at once. CHAPTER SEVENTEEN BITCHGIRL 1 It was dark outside the Crown Motel, dawn still an hour or more away, when the door of unit 24 opened and a girl stepped out. Heavy fog had moved in, and the world was hardly there at all. The girl was wearing black pants and a white shirt. She had put her hair up in pigtails, and the face they framed looked very young. She breathed deeply, the coolness and the hanging moisture in the air doing wonders for her lingering headache but not much for her unhappy heart. Momo was dead. Yet, if Uncle Dan was right, not really dead; just somewhere else. Perhaps a ghostie person; perhaps not. In any case, it wasnt a thing she could spend time thinking about. Later, perhaps, she would meditate on these matters. Dan had asked if Billy was asleep. Yes, she had told him, still fast asleep. Through the open door she could see Mr. Freemans feet and legs under the blankets and hear his steady snoring. He sounded like an idling motorboat. Dan had asked if Rose or any of the others had tried to touch her mind. No. She would have known. Her traps were set. Rose would guess that. She wasnt stupid. He had asked if there was a telephone in her room. Yes, there was a phone. Uncle Dan told her what he wanted her to do. It was pretty simple. The scary part was what she had to say to the strange woman in Colorado. And yet she wanted to. Part of her had wanted that ever since shed heard the baseball boys dying screams. (you understand the word you have to keep saying?) Yes, of course. (because you have to goad her do you know what that) (yes I know what it means) Make her mad. Infuriate her. Abra stood breathing into the fog. The road theyd driven in on was nothing but a scratch, the trees on the other side completely gone. So was the motel office. Sometimes she wished she was like that, all white on the inside. But only sometimes. In her deepest heart, she had never regretted what she was. When she felt readyas ready as she could beAbra went back into her room and closed the door on her side so she wouldnt disturb Mr. Freeman if she had to talk loud. She examined the instructions on the phone, pushed 9 to get an outside line, then dialed directory assistance and asked for the number of the Overlook Lodge at the Bluebell Campground, in Sidewinder, Colorado. I could give you the main number, Dan had said, but youd only get an answering machine. In the place where the guests ate meals and played games, the telephone rang for a long time. Dan said it probably would, and that she should just wait it out. It was, after all, two hours earlier there. At last a grumpy voice said, Hello? If you want the office, you called the wrong num I dont want the office, Abra said. She hoped the rapid heavy beating of her heart wasnt audible in her voice. I want Rose. Rose the Hat. A pause. Then Who is this? Abra Stone. You know my name, dont you? Im the girl shes looking for. Tell her Ill call back in five minutes. If shes there, well talk. If shes not, tell her she can go fuck herself. I wont call back again. Abra hung up, then lowered her head, cupped her burning face in her palms, and took long deep breaths. 2 Rose was drinking coffee behind the wheel of her EarthCruiser, her feet on the secret compartment with the stored canisters of steam inside, when the knock came at her door. A knock this early could only mean more trouble. Yes, she said. Come in. It was Long Paul, wearing a robe over childish pajamas with racing cars on them. The pay phone in the Lodge started ringing. At first I let it go, thought it was a wrong number, and besides, I was making coffee in the kitchen. But it kept on, so I answered. It was that girl. She wanted to talk to you. She said shed call back in five minutes. Silent Sarey sat up in bed, blinking through her bangs, the covers clutched around her shoulders like a shawl. Go, Rose told her. Sarey did so, without a word. Rose watched through the EarthCruisers wide windshield as Sarey trudged barefooted back to the Bounder she had shared with Snake. That girl. Instead of running and hiding, the bitchgirl was making telephone calls. Talk about brassbound nerve. Her own idea? That was a little hard to believe, wasnt it? What were you doing up and bustling in the kitchen so early? I couldnt sleep. She turned toward him. Just a tall, elderly fellow with thinning hair and bifocals sitting at the end of his nose. A rube could pass him on the street every day for a year without seeing him, but he wasnt without certain abilities. Paul didnt have Snakes sleeper talent, or the late Grampa Flicks locator talent, but he was a decent persuader. If he happened to suggest that a rube slap his wifes faceor a strangers, for that matterthat face would be slapped, and briskly. Everyone in the True had their little skills; it was how they got along. Let me see your arms, Paulie. He sighed and brushed the sleeves of his robe and pajamas up to his wrinkly elbows. The red spots were there. When did they break? Saw the first couple yesterday afternoon. Fever? Yuh. Some. She gazed into his honest, trusting eyes and felt like hugging him. Some had run, but Long Paul was still here. So were most of the others. Surely enough to take care of the bitchgirl if she were really foolish enough to show her face. And she might be. What girl of thirteen wasnt foolish? Youre going to be all right, she said. He sighed again. Hope so. If not, its been a damn good run. None of that talk. Everyone who sticks is going to be all right. Its my promise, and I keep my promises. Now lets see what our little friend from New Hampshire has to say for herself. 3 Less than a minute after Rose settled into a chair next to the big plastic bingo drum (with her cooling mug of coffee beside it), the Lodges pay telephone exploded with a twentiethcentury clatter that made her jump. She let it ring twice before lifting the receiver from the cradle and speaking in her most modulated voice. Hello, dear. You could have reached out to my mind, you know. It would have saved you longdistance charges. A thing the bitchgirl would have been very unwise to try. Abra Stone wasnt the only one who could lay traps. Im coming for you, the girl said. The voice was so young, so fresh! Rose thought of all the useful steam that would come with that freshness and felt greed rise in her like an unslaked thirst. So youve said. Are you sure you really want to do that, dear? Will you be there if I do? Or only your trained rats? Rose felt a trill of anger. Not helpful, but of course she had never been much of a morning person. Why would I not be, dear? She kept her voice calm and slightly indulgentthe voice of a mother (or so she imagined; she had never been one) speaking to a tantrumprone toddler. Because youre a coward. Im curious to know what you base that assumption on, Rose said. Her tone was the sameindulgent, slightly amusedbut her hand had tightened on the phone, and pressed it harder against her ear. Never having met me. Sure I have. Inside my head, and I sent you running with your tail between your legs. And you kill kids. Only cowards kill kids. You dont need to justify yourself to a child, she told herself. Especially not a rube. But she heard herself saying, You know nothing about us. What we are, or what we have to do in order to survive. A tribe of cowards is what you are, the bitchgirl said. You think youre so talented and so strong, but the only thing youre really good at is eating and living long lives. Youre like hyenas. You kill the weak and then run away. Cowards. The contempt in her voice was like acid in Roses ear. Thats not true! And youre the chief coward. You wouldnt come after me, would you? No, not you. You sent those others instead. Are we going to have a reasonable conversation, or Whats reasonable about killing kids so you can steal the stuff in their minds? Whats reasonable about that, you cowardly old whore? You sent your friends to do your work, you hid behind them, and I guess that was smart, because now theyre all dead. You stupid little bitch, you dont know anything! Rose leaped to her feet. Her thighs bumped the table and her coffee spilled, running beneath the bingo drum. Long Paul peeked through the kitchen doorway, took one look at her face, and pulled back. Whos the coward? Whos the real coward? You can say such things over the phone, but you could never say them looking into my face! How many will you have to have with you when I come? Abra taunted. How many, you yellow bitch? Rose said nothing. She had to get herself under control, she knew it, but to be talked to this way by a rube girl with a mouthful of filthy schoolyard language . . . and she knew too much. Much too much. Would you even dare to face me alone? the bitchgirl asked. Try me, Rose spat. There was a pause on the other end, and when the bitchgirl next spoke, she sounded thoughtful. Oneonone? No, you wouldnt dare. A coward like you would never dare. Not even against a kid. Youre a cheater and a liar. You look pretty sometimes, but Ive seen your real face. Youre nothing but an old chickenshit whore. You . . . you . . . But she could say no more. Her rage was so great it felt like it was strangling her. Some of it was shock at finding herselfRose the Hatdressed down by a kid whose idea of transportation was a bicycle and whose major concern before these last weeks had probably been when she might get breasts bigger than mosquito bumps. But maybe Ill give you a chance, the bitchgirl said. Her confidence and breezy temerity were unbelievable. Of course, if you take me up on it, Ill wipe the floor with you. I wont bother with the others, theyre dying already. She actually laughed. Choking on the baseball boy, and good for him. If you come, Ill kill you, Rose said. One hand found her throat, closed on it, and began to squeeze rhythmically. Later there would be bruises. If you run, Ill find you. And when I do, youll scream for hours before you die. I wont run, the girl said. And well see who does the screaming. How many will you have to back you up? Dear? Ill be alone. I dont believe you. Read my mind, the girl said. Or are you afraid to do that, too? Rose said nothing. Sure you are. You remember what happened last time you tried it. I gave you a taste of your own medicine, and you didnt like it, did you? Hyena. Childkiller. Coward. Stop . . . calling . . . me that. Theres a place up the hill from where you are. A lookout. Its called Roof O the World. I found it on the internet. Be there at five oclock Monday afternoon. Be there alone. If youre not, if the rest of your pack of hyenas doesnt stay in that meetinghall place while we do our business, Ill know. And Ill go away. Id find you, Rose repeated. You think? Actually jeering at her. Rose shut her eyes and saw the girl. She saw her writhing on the ground, her mouth stuffed with stinging hornets and hot sticks jutting out of her eyes. No one talks to me like this. Not ever. I suppose you might find me. But by the time you did, how many of your stinking True Knot would be left to back you up? A dozen? Ten? Maybe only three or four? This idea had already occurred to Rose. For a child shed never even seen facetoface to reach the same conclusion was, in many ways, the most infuriating thing of all. The Crow knew Shakespeare, the bitchgirl said. He quoted some to me not too long before I killed him. I know a little, too, because we had a Shakespeare unit in school. We only read one play, Romeo and Juliet, but Ms. Franklin gave us a printout with a whole list of famous lines from his other plays. Things like To be or not to be and It was Greek to me. Did you know those were from Shakespeare? I didnt. Dont you think its interesting? Rose said nothing. Youre not thinking about Shakespeare at all, the bitchgirl said. Youre thinking about how much youd like to kill me. I dont have to read your mind to know that. If I were you, Id run, Rose said thoughtfully. As fast and as far as your baby legs can carry you. It wouldnt do you any good, but youd live a little longer. The bitchgirl was not to be turned. There was another saying. I cant remember it exactly, but it was something like Hoisted on your own petard. Ms. Franklin said a petard was a bomb on a stick. I think thats sort of whats happening to your tribe of cowards. You sucked the wrong kind of steam, and got stuck on a petard, and now the bomb is going off. She paused. Are you still there, Rose? Or did you run away? Come to me, dear, Rose said. She had regained her calm. If you want to meet me on the lookout, thats where Ill be. Well take in the view together, shall we? And see whos the stronger. She hung up before the bitchgirl could say anything else. Shed lost the temper she had vowed to keep, but she had at least gotten the last word. Or maybe not, because the one the bitchgirl kept using played over and over in her head, like a gramophone record stuck in a bad groove. Coward. Coward. Coward. 4 Abra replaced the telephone receiver carefully in its cradle. She looked at it; she even stroked its plastic surface, which was hot from her hand and wet with her sweat. Then, before she realized it was going to happen, she burst into loud, braying sobs. They stormed through her, cramping her stomach and shaking her body. She rushed to the bathroom, still crying, knelt in front of the toilet, and threw up. When she came out, Mr. Freeman was standing in the connecting doorway with his shirttail hanging down and his gray hair in corkscrews. Whats wrong? Are you sick from the dope he gave you? It wasnt that. He went to the window and peered out into the pressing fog. Is it them? Are they coming for us? Temporarily incapable of speech, she could only shake her head so vehemently her pigtails flew. It was she who was coming for them, and that was what terrified her. And not just for herself. 5 Rose sat still, taking long steadying breaths. When she had herself under control again, she called for Long Paul. After a moment or two, he poked his head cautiously through the swing door that gave on the kitchen. The look on his face brought a ghost of a smile to her lips. Its safe. You can come in. I wont bite you. He stepped in and saw the spilled coffee. Ill clean that up. Leave it. Whos the best locator weve got left? You, Rose. No hesitation. Rose had no intention of approaching the bitchgirl mentally, not even in a touchandgo. Aside from me. Well . . . with Grampa Flick gone . . . and Barry . . . He considered. Sues got a touch of locator, and so does Greedy G. But I think Token Charlies got a bit more. Is he sick? He wasnt yesterday. Send him to me. Ill wipe up the coffee while Im waiting. Becausethis is important, Pauliethe person who makes the mess is the one who should have to clean it up. After he left, Rose sat where she was for awhile, fingers steepled under her chin. Clear thinking had returned, and with it the ability to plan. They wouldnt be taking steam today after all, it seemed. That could wait until Monday morning. At last she went into the galley for a wad of paper towels. And cleaned up her mess. 6 Dan! This time it was John. Gotta go! Right there, he said. I just want to splash some cold water on my face. He went down the hall listening to Abra, nodding his head slightly as if she were there. (Mr. Freeman wants to know why I was crying why I threw up what should I tell him) (for now just that when we get there Ill want to borrow his truck) (because were going on going west) (. . . well . . .) It was complicated, but she understood. The understanding wasnt in words and didnt need to be. Beside the bathroom washbasin was a rack holding several wrapped toothbrushes. The smallestnot wrappedhad ABRA printed on the handle in rainbow letters. On one wall was a small plaque reading A LIFE WITHOUT LOVE IS LIKE A TREE WITHOUT FRUIT. He looked at it for a few seconds, wondering if there was anything in the AA program to that effect. The only thing he could think of was If you cant love anybody today, at least try not to hurt anybody. Didnt really compare. He turned on the cold water and splashed his face several times, hard. Then he grabbed a towel and raised his head. No Lucy in the portrait with him this time; just Dan Torrance, son of Jack and Wendy, who had always believed himself to be an only child. His face was covered with flies. PART FOUR ROOF O THE WORLD CHAPTER EIGHTEEN GOING WEST 1 What Dan remembered best about that Saturday wasnt the ride from Boston to the Crown Motel, because the four people in John Daltons SUV said very little. The silence wasnt uncomfortable or hostile but exhaustedthe quiet of people who have a great deal to think about but not a hell of a lot to say. What he remembered best was what happened when they reached their destination. Dan knew she was waiting, because he had been in touch with her for most of the trip, talking in a way that had become comfortable for themhalf words and half pictures. When they pulled in, she was sitting on the back bumper of Billys old truck. She saw them and jumped to her feet, waving. At that moment the cloud cover, which had been thinning, broke apart and a ray of sun spotlighted her. It was as if God had given her a high five. Lucy gave a cry that was not quite a scream. She had her seatbelt unbuckled and her door open before John could bring his Suburban to a complete stop. Five seconds later she had her daughter in her arms and was kissing the top of her headthe best she could do, with Abras face crushed between her breasts. Now the sun spotlighted them both. Mother and child reunion, Dan thought. The smile that brought felt strange on his face. It had been a long time between smiles. 2 Lucy and David wanted to take Abra back to New Hampshire. Dan had no problem with that, but now that they were together, the six of them needed to talk. The fat man with the ponytail was back on duty, today watching a cagefighting match instead of porn. He was happy to rerent them Room 24; it was nothing to him whether they spent the night or not. Billy went into Crownville proper to pick up a couple of pizzas. Then they settled in, Dan and Abra talking turn and turn about, filling in the others on everything that had happened and everything that was going to happen. If things went as they hoped, that was. No, Lucy said at once. Its far too dangerous. For both of you. John offered a bleak grin. The most dangerous thing would be to ignore these . . . these things. Rose says that if Abra doesnt come to her, shell come to Abra. Shes, like, fixated on her, Billy said, and selected a slice of pepperoniandmushroom. Happens lots of times with crazy people. All you have to do to know that is watch Dr. Phil. Lucy fixed her daughter with a reproachful glance. You goaded her. That was a dangerous thing to do, but when she has a chance to settle down . . . Although no one interrupted, she trailed off. Maybe, Dan thought, she heard how implausible that sounded when it was actually articulated. They wont stop, Mom, Abra said. She wont stop. Abra will be safe enough, Dan said. Theres a wheel. I dont know how to explain it any better than that. If things get badif they go wrongAbra will use the wheel to get away. To pull out. Shes promised me that. Thats right, Abra said. I promised. Dan fixed her with a hard look. And youll keep it, wont you? Yes, Abra said. She spoke firmly enough, although with obvious reluctance. I will. Theres all those kids to consider, too, John said. Well never know how many this True Knot has taken over the years. Hundreds, maybe. Dan thought that if they lived as long as Abra believed, the number was probably in the thousands. He said, Or how many they will take, even if they leave Abra alone. Thats assuming the measles doesnt kill them all, Dave said hopefully. He turned to John. You said that really might happen. They want me because they think I can cure the measles, Abra said. Duh. Keep a civil tongue, miss, Lucy said, but she spoke absently. She picked up the last slice of pizza, looked at it, then threw it back in the box. I dont care about the other kids. I care about Abra. I know how horrible that sounds, but its the truth. You wouldnt feel that way if youd seen all those little pictures in the Shopper, Abra said. I cant get them out of my head. I dream about them sometimes. If this crazy woman has half a brain, shell know Abra isnt coming alone, Dave said. Whats she going to do, fly to Denver and then rent a car? A thirteenyearold? And, with a halfhumorous look at his daughter Duh. Dan said, Rose already knows from what happened at Cloud Gap that Abras got friends. What she doesnt know is that she has at least one with the shining. He looked at Abra for confirmation. She nodded. Listen, Lucy. Dave. Together, I think that Abra and I can put an end to thishe searched for the right word and found only one that fitplague. Either of us alone . . . He shook his head. Besides, Abra said, you and Dad cant really stop me. You can lock me in my room, but you cant lock up my head. Lucy gave her the Death Stare, the one mothers save especially for rebellious young daughters. It had always worked with Abra, even when she was in one of her furies, but it didnt this time. She looked back at her mother calmly. And with a sadness that made Lucys heart feel cold. Dave took Lucys hand. I think this has to be done. There was silence in the room. Abra was the one who broke it. If nobodys going to eat that last slice, I am. Im starving. 3 They went over it several more times, and at a couple of points voices were raised, but essentially, everything had been said. Except, it turned out, for one thing. When they left the room, Billy refused to get into Johns Suburban. Im goin, he told Dan. Billy, I appreciate the thought, but its not a good idea. My truck, my rules. Besides, are you really gonna make the Colorado high country by Monday afternoon on your own? Dont make me laugh. You look like shit on a stick. Dan said, Several people have told me that lately, but none have put it so elegantly. Billy didnt smile. I can help you. Im old, but I aint dead. Take him, Abra said. Hes right. Dan looked at her closely. (do you know something Abra) The reply was quick. (no feel something) That was good enough for Dan. He held out his arms and Abra hugged him hard, the side of her face pressed against his chest. Dan could have held her like that for a long time, but he let her go and stepped back. (let me know when you get close Uncle Dan Ill come) (just little touches remember) She sent an image instead of a thought in words a smoke detector beeping the way they did when they wanted a battery change. She remembered perfectly. As she went to the car, Abra said to her father, We need to stop on the way back for a getwell card. Julie Cross broke her wrist yesterday in soccer practice. He frowned at her. How do you know that? I know, she said. He gently pulled one of her pigtails. You really could do it all along, couldnt you? I dont understand why you didnt just tell us, AbbaDoo. Dan, who had grown up with the shining, could have answered that question. Sometimes parents needed to be protected. 4 So they parted. Johns SUV went east and Billys pickup truck went west, with Billy behind the wheel. Dan said, Are you really okay to drive, Billy? After all the sleep I got last night? Sweetheart, I could drive to California. Do you know where were going? I bought a road atlas in town while I was waitin for the pizza. So youd made up your mind even then. And you knew what Abra and I were planning. Well . . . sorta. When you need me to take over, just yell, Dan said, and promptly fell asleep with his head against the passenger window. He descended through a deepening depth of unpleasant images. First the hedge animals at the Overlook, the ones that moved when you werent looking. This was followed by Mrs. Massey from Room 217, who now wore a cocked tophat. Still descending, he revisited the battle at Cloud Gap. Only this time when he burst into the Winnebago, he found Abra lying on the floor with her throat cut and Rose standing over her with a dripping straight razor. Rose saw Dan and the bottom half of her face dropped away in an obscene grin where one long tooth gleamed. I told her it would end this way but she wouldnt listen, she said. Children so rarely do. Below this there was only darkness. When he woke it was to twilight with a broken white line running down the middle of it. They were on an interstate highway. How long did I sleep? Billy glanced at his watch. A good long while. Feel better? Yes. He did and didnt. His head was clear, but his stomach hurt like hell. Considering what he had seen that morning in the mirror, he wasnt surprised. Where are we? Hunnertnfifty miles east of Cincinnati, give or take. You slept through two gas stops. And you snore. Dan sat up straight. Were in Ohio? Christ! What time is it? Billy glanced at his watch. Quarter past six. Wasnt no big thing; light traffic and no rain. I think we got an angel ridin with us. Well, lets find a motel. You need to sleep and I have to piss like a racehorse. Not surprised. Billy pulled off at the next exit showing signs for gas, food, and motels. He pulled into a Wendys and got a bag of burgers while Dan used the mens. When they got back into the truck, Dan took one bite of his double, put it back in the bag, and sipped cautiously at a coffee milkshake. That his stomach seemed willing to take. Billy looked shocked. Man, you gotta eat! Whats wrong with you? I guess pizza for breakfast was a bad idea. And because Billy was still looking at him The shakes fine. All I need.


Eyes on the road, Billy. We cant help Abra if were getting patched up in some emergency room. Five minutes later, Billy pulled the truck under the canopy of a Fairfield Inn with a blinking ROOMS AVAILABLE sign over the door. He turned off the engine but didnt get out. Since Im riskin my life with you, chief, I want to know what ails you. Dan almost pointed out that taking the risk had been Billys idea, not his, but that wasnt fair. He explained. Billy listened in roundeyed silence. Jesus jumpedup Christ, he said when Dan had finished. Unless I missed it, Dan said, theres nothing in the New Testament about Jesus jumping. Although I guess He mightve, as a child. Most of them do. You want to check us in, or should I do it? Billy continued to sit where he was. Does Abra know? Dan shook his head. But she could find out. Could but wont. She knows its wrong to peek, especially when its someone you care about. Shed no more do it than shed spy on her parents when they were making love. You know that from when you were a kid? Yes. Sometimes you see a littleyou cant help itbut then you turn away. Are you gonna be all right, Danny? For awhile. He thought of the sluggish flies on his lips and cheeks and forehead. Long enough. What about after? Ill worry about after after. One day at a time. Lets check in. We need to get an early start. Have you heard from Abra? Dan smiled. Shes fine. At least so far. 5 But she wasnt, not really. She sat at her desk with a halfread copy of The Fixer in her hand, trying not to look at her bedroom window, lest she should see a certain someone looking in at her. She knew something was wrong with Dan, and she knew he didnt want her to know what it was, but had been tempted to look anyway, in spite of all the years shed taught herself to steer clear of APB adult private business. Two things held her back. One was the knowledge that, like it or not, she couldnt help him with it now. The other (this was stronger) was knowing he might sense her in his head. If so, he would be disappointed in her. Its probably locked up, anyway, she thought. He can do that. Hes pretty strong. Not as strong as she was, though . . . or, if you put it in terms of the shining, as bright. She could open his mental lockboxes and peer at the things inside, but she thought doing so might be dangerous for both of them. There was no concrete reason for this, it was just a feelinglike the one shed had about how it would be a good idea for Mr. Freeman to go with Danbut she trusted it. Besides, maybe it was something that could help them. She could hope for that. True hope is swift, and flies on swallows wingsthat was another line from Shakespeare. Dont you look at that window, either. Dont you dare. No. Absolutely not. Never. So she did, and there was Rose, grinning in at her from below her rakishly tilted hat. All billowing hair and pale porcelain skin and dark mad eyes and rich red lips masking that one snaggle tooth. That tusk. Youre going to die screaming, bitchgirl. Abra closed her eyes and thought hard (not there not there not there) and opened them again. The grinning face at the window was gone. But not really. Somewhere high in the mountainsat the roof of the worldRose was thinking about her. And waiting. 6 The motel had a breakfast buffet. Because his traveling companion was watching him, Dan made a point of eating some cereal and yogurt. Billy looked relieved. While he checked them out, Dan strolled to the lobby mens room. Once inside, he turned the lock, fell to his knees, and vomited up everything hed eaten. The undigested cereal and yogurt floated in a red foam. All right? Billy asked when Dan rejoined him at the desk. Fine, Dan said. Lets roll. 7 According to Billys road atlas, it was about twelve hundred miles from Cincinnati to Denver. Sidewinder lay roughly seventyfive miles further west, along roads full of switchbacks and lined with steep drops. Dan tried driving for awhile on that Sunday afternoon, but tired quickly and turned the wheel over to Billy again. He fell asleep, and when he woke up, the sun was going down. They were in Iowahome of the late Brad Trevor. (Abra?) He had been afraid distance would make mental communication difficult or even impossible, but she came back promptly, and as strong as ever; if shed been a radio station, she would have been broadcasting at 100,000 watts. She was in her room, pecking away on her computer at some homework assignment or other. He was both amused and saddened to realize she had Hoppy, her stuffed rabbit, on her lap. The strain of what they were doing had regressed her to a younger Abra, at least on the emotional side. With the line between them wide open, she caught this. (dont worry about me Im all right) (good because you have a call to make) (yes okay are you all right) (fine) She knew better but didnt ask, and that was just the way he wanted it. (have you got the) She made a picture. (not yet its Sunday stores not open) Another picture, one that made him smile. A Walmart . . . except the sign out front read ABRAS SUPERSTORE. (they wouldnt sell us what we need well find one that will) (okay I guess) (you know what to say to her?) (yes) (shell try to suck you into a long conversation try to snoop dont let her) (I wont) (let me hear from you after so I wont worry) Of course he would worry plenty. (I will I love you Uncle Dan) (love you too) He made a kiss. Abra made one back big red cartoon lips. He could almost feel them on his cheek. Then she was gone. Billy was staring at him. You were just talkin to her, werent you? Indeed I was. Eyes on the road, Billy. Yeah, yeah. You sound like my exwife. Billy put on his blinker, switched to the passing lane, and rolled past a huge and lumbering Fleetwood Pace Arrow motorhome. Dan stared at it, wondering who was inside and if they were looking out the tinted windows. I want to make another hundred or so miles before we quit for the night, Billy said. Way I got tomorrow figured, that should give us an hour to do your errand and still put us in the high country about the time you and Abra set for the showdown. But well want to get on the road before daybreak. Fine. You understand how this will go? I get how its supposed to go. Billy glanced at him. You better hope that if they have binoculars, they dont use them. Do you think we might come back alive? Tell me the truth. If the answers no, Im gonna order me the biggest steak dinner you ever saw when we stop for the night. MasterCard can chase my relatives for the last credit card bill, and guess what? I aint got any relatives. Unless you count the ex, and if I was on fire she wouldnt piss on me to put me out. Well come back, Dan said, but it sounded pale. He felt too sick to put up much of a front. Yeah? Well, maybe Ill have that steak dinner, anyway. What about you? I think I could manage a little soup. As long as its clear. The thought of eating anything too thick to read a newspaper throughtomato bisque, cream of mushroommade his stomach cringe. Okay. Why dont you close your eyes again? Dan knew he couldnt sleep deeply, no matter how tired and sick he feltnot while Abra was dealing with the ancient horror that looked like a womanbut he managed a doze. It was thin but rich enough to grow more dreams, first of the Overlook (todays version featured the elevator that ran by itself in the middle of the night), then of his niece. This time Abra had been strangled with a length of electrical cord. She stared at Dan with bulging, accusing eyes. It was all too easy to read what was in them. You said youd help me. You said youd save me. Where were you? 8 Abra kept putting off the thing she had to do until she realized her mother would soon be pestering her to go to bed. She wasnt going to school in the morning, but it was still going to be a big day. And, perhaps, a very long night. Putting things off only makes them worse, cara mia. That was the gospel according to Momo. Abra looked toward her window, wishing she could see her greatgrandma there instead of Rose. That would be good. Momes, Im so scared, she said. But after two long and steadying breaths, she picked up her iPhone and dialed the Overlook Lodge at Bluebell Campground. A man answered, and when Abra said she wanted to talk to Rose, he asked who she was. You know who I am, she said. Andwith what she hoped was irritating inquisitiveness Are you sick yet, mister? The man on the other end (it was Toady Slim) didnt answer that, but she heard him murmur to someone. A moment later, Rose was on, her composure once more firmly in place. Hello, dear. Where are you? On my way, Abra said. Are you really? Thats nice, dear. So I dont suppose that Id find this call came from a New Hampshire area code if I starsixtynined it? Of course you would, Abra said. Im using my cell. You need to get with the twentyfirst century, bitch. What do you want? The voice on the other end was now curt. To make sure you know the rules, Abra said. Ill be there at five tomorrow. Ill be in an old red truck. Driven by whom? My uncle Billy, Abra said. Was he one of the ones from the ambush? Hes the one who was with me and the Crow. Stop asking questions. Just shut up and listen. So rude, Rose said sadly. Hell park way at the end of the lot, by the sign that says KIDS EAT FREE WHEN COLORADO PRO TEAMS WIN. I see youve been on our website. Thats sweet. Or was it your uncle, perhaps? Hes very brave to act as your chauffeur. Is he your fathers brother or your mothers? Rube families are a hobby of mine. I make family trees. Shell try to snoop, Dan had told her, and how right he was. What part of shut up and listen dont you understand? Do you want this to happen or not? No reply, just waiting silence. Creepy waiting silence. From the parking lot, well be able to see everything the campground, the Lodge, and Roof O the World on top of the hill. My uncle and me better see you up there, and we better not see the people from your True Knot anywhere. Theyre going to stay in that meetinghall thingy while we do our business. In the big room, got it? Uncle Billy wont know if theyre not where theyre supposed to be, but I will. If I pick up a single one somewhere else, well be gone. Your uncle will stay in his truck? No. Ill stay in the truck, until were sure. Then hell get back in and Ill come to you. I dont want him anywhere near you. All right, dear. It will be as you say. No, it wont. Youre lying. But so was Abra, which kind of made them even. I have one really important question, dear, Rose said pleasantly. Abra almost asked what it was, then remembered her uncles advice. Her real uncle. One question, right. Which would lead to another . . . and another . . . and another. Choke on it, she said, and hung up. Her hands began to tremble. Then her legs and arms and shoulders. Abra? Mom. Calling from the foot of the stairs. She feels it. Just a little, but she does feel it. Is that a mom thing or a shining thing? Honey, are you okay? Fine, Mom! Getting ready for bed! Ten minutes, then were coming up for kisses. Be in your PJs. I will. If they knew who I was just talking to, Abra thought. But they didnt. They only thought they knew what was going on. She was here in her bedroom, every door and window in the house was locked, and they believed that made her safe. Even her father, who had seen the True Knot in action. But Dan knew. She closed her eyes and reached out to him. 9 Dan and Billy were under another motel canopy. And still nothing from Abra. That was bad. Come on, chief, Billy said. Lets get you inside and Then she was there. Thank God. Hush a minute, Dan said, and listened. Two minutes later he turned to Billy, who thought the smile on his face finally made him look like Dan Torrance again. Was it her? Yes. Howd it go? Abra says it went fine. Were in business. No questions about me? Just which side of the family you were on. Listen, Billy, the uncle thing was a bit of a mistake. Youre way too old to be Lucys or Davids brother. When we stop tomorrow to do our errand, you need to buy sunglasses. Big ones. And keep that ball cap of yours jammed down all the way to your ears, so your hair doesnt show. Maybe I should get some Just For Men, while Im at it. Dont sass me, you old fart. That made Billy grin. Lets get registered and get some food. You look better. Like you could actually eat. Soup, Dan said. No sense pressing my luck. Soup. Right. He ate it all. Slowly. Andreminding himself that this would be over one way or the other in less than twentyfour hourshe managed to keep it down. They dined in Billys room and when he was finally finished, Dan stretched out on the carpet. It eased the pain in his gut a little. Whats that? Billy asked. Some kind of yogi shit? Exactly. I learned it watching Yogi Bear cartoons. Run it down for me again. I got it, chief, dont worry. Now youre starting to sound like Casey Kingsley. A scary thought. Now run it down again. Abra starts pinging around Denver. If they have someone who can listen, theyll know shes coming. And that shes in the neighborhood. We get to Sidewinder earlysay four instead of fiveand drive right past the road to the campground. They wont see the truck. Unless they post a sentry down by the highway, that is. I dont think they will. Dan thought of another AA aphorism Were powerless over people, places, and things. Like most alkie nuggets, it was seventy percent true and thirty percent rahrah bullshit. In any case, we cant control everything. Carry on. Theres a picnic area about a mile further up the road. You went there a couple of times with your mom, before you guys got snowed in for the winter. Billy paused. Just her and you? Never your dad? He was writing. Working on a play. Go on. Billy did. Dan listened closely, then nodded. Okay. Youve got it. Didnt I say? Now can I ask a question? Sure. By tomorrow afternoon, will you still be able to walk a mile? Ill be able to. I better be. 10 Thanks to an early start4 a.m., long before first lightDan Torrance and Billy Freeman began to see a horizonspanning cloud shortly after 9 a.m. An hour later, by which time the bluegray cloud had resolved itself into a mountain range, they stopped in the town of Martenville, Colorado. There, on the short (and mostly deserted) main street, Dan saw not what he was hoping for, but something even better a childrens clothing store called Kids Stuff. Half a block down was a drugstore flanked by a dustylooking hockshop and a Video Express with CLOSING MUST SELL ALL STOCK AT BARGAIN PRICES soaped in the window. He sent Billy to Martenville Drugs  Sundries to get sunglasses and stepped through the door of Kids Stuff. The place had an unhappy, losinghope vibe. He was the only customer. Here was somebodys good idea going bad, probably thanks to the bigbox mall stores in Sterling or Fort Morgan. Why buy local when you could drive a little and get cheaper pants and dresses for backtoschool? So what if they were made in Mexico or Costa Rica? A tiredlooking woman with a tiredlooking hairdo came out from behind the counter and gave Dan a tiredlooking smile. She asked if she could help him. Dan said she could. When he told her what he wanted, her eyes went round. I know its unusual, Dan said, but get with me on this a little. Ill pay cash. He got what he wanted. In little losinghope stores off the turnpike, the Cword went a long way. 11 As they neared Denver, Dan got in touch with Abra. He closed his eyes and visualized the wheel they both now knew about. In the town of Anniston, Abra did the same. It was easier this time. When he opened his eyes again, he was looking down the slope of the Stones back lawn at the Saco River, gleaming in the afternoon sun. Abra opened hers on a view of the Rockies. Wow, Uncle Billy, theyre beautiful, arent they? Billy glanced at the man sitting beside him. Dan had crossed his legs in a way that was utterly unlike him, and was bouncing one foot. Color had come back into his cheeks, and there was a bright clarity in his eyes that had been missing on their run west. They sure are, honey, he said. Dan smiled and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, the health Abra had brought to his face was fading. Like a rose without water, Billy thought. Anything? Ping, Dan said. He smiled again, but this one was weary. Like a smoke detector that needs a battery change. Do you think they heard it? I sure hope so, Dan said. 12 Rose was pacing back and forth near her EarthCruiser when Token Charlie came running up. The True had taken steam that morning, all but one of the canisters she had in storage, and on top of what Rose had taken on her own over the last couple of days, she was too wired even to think about sitting down. What? she asked. Tell me something good. I got her, hows that for good? Wired himself, Charlie grabbed Rose by the arms and whirled her around, making her hair fly. I got her! Just for a few seconds, but it was her! Did you see the uncle? No, she was looking out the windshield at the mountains. She said they were beautiful They are, Rose said. A grin was spreading on her lips. Dont you agree, Charlie? and he said they sure were. Theyre coming, Rosie! They really are! Did she know you were there? He let go of her, frowning. I cant say for sure . . . Grampa Flick probably could . . . Just tell me what you think. Probably not. Thats good enough for me. Go someplace quiet. Someplace where you can concentrate without being disturbed. Sit and listen. Ifwhenyou pick her up again, let me know. I dont want to lose track of her if I can help it. If you need more steam, ask for it. I saved a little. No, no, Im fine. Ill listen. Ill listen hard! Token Charlie gave a rather wild laugh and rushed off. Rose didnt think he had any idea where he was going, and she didnt care. As long as he kept listening. 13 Dan and Billy were at the foot of the Flatirons by noon. As he watched the Rockies draw closer, Dan thought of all the wandering years he had avoided them. That in turn made him think of some poem or other, one about how you could spend years running, but in the end you always wound up facing yourself in a hotel room, with a naked bulb hanging overhead and a revolver on the table. Because they had time, they left the freeway and drove into Boulder. Billy was hungry. Dan wasnt . . . but he was curious. Billy pulled the truck into a sandwich shop parking lot, but when he asked Dan what he could get him, Dan only shook his head. Sure? You got a lot ahead of you. Ill eat when this is over. Well . . . Billy went into the Subway for a Buffalo Chicken. Dan got in touch with Abra. The wheel turned. Ping. When Billy came out, Dan nodded to his wrapped footlong. Save that a couple of minutes. As long as were in Boulder, theres something I want to check out. Five minutes later, they were on Arapahoe Street. Two blocks from the seedy little barandcaf district, he told Billy to pull over. Go on and chow that chicken. I wont be long. Dan got out of the truck and stood on the cracked sidewalk, looking at a slumped threestory building with a sign in the window reading EFFICIENCY APTS GOOD STUDENT VALUE. The lawn was balding. Weeds grew up through the cracks in the sidewalk. He had doubted that this place would still be here, had believed that Arapahoe would now be a street of condos populated by welltodo slackers who drank lattes from Starbucks, checked their Facebook pages half a dozen times a day, and Twittered like mad bastards. But here it was, and lookingso far as he could tellexactly as it had back in the day. Billy joined him, sandwich in one hand. Weve still got seventyfive miles ahead of us, Danno. Best we get our asses up the pass. Right, Dan said, then went on looking at the building with the peeling green paint. Once a little boy had lived here; once he had sat on the very piece of curbing where Billy Freeman now stood munching his chicken footlong. A little boy waiting for his daddy to come home from his job interview at the Overlook Hotel. He had a balsa glider, that little boy, but the wing was busted. It was okay, though. When his daddy came home, he would fix it with tape and glue. Then maybe they would fly it together. His daddy had been a scary man, and how that little boy had loved him. Dan said, I lived here with my mother and father before we moved up to the Overlook. Not much, is it? Billy shrugged. I seen worse. In his wandering years, Dan had, too. Deenies apartment in Wilmington, for instance. He pointed left. There were a bunch of bars down that way. One was called the Broken Drum. Looks like urban renewal missed this side of town, so maybe its still there. When my father and I walked past it, hed always stop and look in the window, and I could feel how thirsty he was to go inside. So thirsty it made me thirsty. I drank a lot of years to quench that thirst, but it never really goes away. My dad knew that, even then. But you loved him, I guess. I did. Still looking at that shambling, rundown apartment house. Not much, but Dan couldnt help wondering how different their lives might have been if they had stayed there. If the Overlook had not ensnared them. He was good and bad and I loved both sides of him. God help me, I guess I still do. You and most kids, Billy said. You love your folks and hope for the best. What else can you do? Come on, Dan. If were gonna do this, we have to go. Half an hour later, Boulder was behind them and they were climbing into the Rockies. CHAPTER NINETEEN GHOSTIE PEOPLE 1 Although sunset was approachingin New Hampshire, at leastAbra was still on the back stoop, looking down at the river. Hoppy was sitting nearby, on the lid of the composter. Lucy and David came out and sat on either side of her. John Dalton watched them from the kitchen, holding a cold cup of coffee. His black bag was on the counter, but there was nothing in it he could use this evening. You should come in and have some supper, Lucy said, knowing that Abra wouldntprobably couldntuntil this was over. But you clung to the known. Because everything looked normal, and because the danger was over a thousand miles away, that was easier for her than for her daughter. Although Abras complexion had previously been clearas unblemished as when she was an infantshe now had nests of acne around the wings of her nose and an ugly cluster of pimples on her chin. Just hormones kicking in, heralding the onset of true adolescence so Lucy would have liked to believe, because that was normal. But stress caused acne, too. Then there was the pallor of her daughters skin and the dark circles beneath her eyes. She looked almost as ill as Dan did when Lucy had last seen him, climbing with painful slowness into Mr. Freemans pickup truck. Cant eat now, Mom. No time. I probably couldnt keep it down, anyway. How soon before this happens, Abby? David asked. She looked at neither of them. She looked fixedly down at the river, but Lucy knew she wasnt really looking at that, either. She was far away, in a place where none of them could help her. Not long. You should each give me a kiss and then go inside. But Lucy began, then saw David shake his head at her. Only once, but very firmly. She sighed, took one of Abras hands (how cold it was), and planted a kiss on her left cheek. David put one on her right. Lucy Remember what Dan said. If things go wrong You should go in now, guys. When it starts, Im going to take Hoppy and put him in my lap. When you see that, you cant interrupt me. Not for anything. You could get Uncle Dan killed, and maybe Billy, too. I might fall over, like in a faint, but it wont be a faint, so dont move me and dont let Dr. John move me, either. Just let me be until its over. I think Dan knows a place where we can be together. David said, I dont understand how this can possibly work. That woman, Rose, will see theres no little girl You need to go in now, Abra said. They did as she said. Lucy looked pleadingly at John; he could only shrug and shake his head. The three of them stood at the kitchen window, arms around one another, looking out at the little girl sitting on the stoop with her arms clasped around her knees. There was no danger to be seen; all was placid. But when Lucy saw Abraher little girlreach for Hoppy and take the old stuffed rabbit on her lap, she groaned. John squeezed her shoulder. David tightened the arm around her waist, and she gripped his hand with panicky tightness. Please let my daughter be all right. If something has to happen . . . something bad . . . let it happen to the half brother I never knew. Not to her. Itll be okay, Dave said. She nodded. Of course it will. Of course it will. They watched the girl on the stoop. Lucy understood that if she did call to Abra, she wouldnt answer. Abra was gone. 2 Billy and Dan reached the turnoff to the Trues Colorado base of operations at twenty to four, Mountain Time, which put them comfortably ahead of schedule. There was a wooden ranchstyle arch over the paved road with WELCOME TO THE BLUEBELL CAMPGROUND! STAY AWHILE, PARTNER! carved into it. The sign beside the road was a lot less welcoming CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. Billy drove past without slowing, but his eyes were busy. Dont see nobody. Not even on the lawns, although I suppose they coulda stashed someone in that welcomehut doohickey. Jesus, Danny, you look just awful. Lucky for me the Mr. America competition isnt until later this year, Dan said. One mile up, maybe a little less. The sign says Scenic Turnout and Picnic Area. What if they posted someone there? They havent. How can you be sure? Because neither Abra nor her uncle Billy could possibly know about it, never having been here. And the True doesnt know about me. You better hope they dont. Abra says everyones where theyre supposed to be. Shes been checking. Now be quiet a minute, Billy. I need to think. It was Hallorann he wanted to think about. For several years following their haunted winter at the Overlook, Danny Torrance and Dick Hallorann had talked a lot. Sometimes facetoface, more often mindtomind. Danny loved his mother, but there were things she didntcouldntunderstand. About the lockboxes, for instance. The ones where you put the dangerous things that the shining sometimes attracted. Not that the lockbox thing always worked. On several occasions he had tried to make one for the drinking, but that effort had been an abject failure (perhaps because he had wanted it to be a failure). Mrs. Massey, though . . . and Horace Derwent . . . There was a third lockbox in storage now, but it wasnt as good as the ones hed made as a kid. Because he wasnt as strong? Because what it held was different from the revenants that had been unwise enough to seek him out? Both? He didnt know. He only knew that it was leaky. When he opened it, what was inside might kill him. But What do you mean? Billy asked. Huh? Dan looked around. One hand was pressed to his stomach. It hurt very badly now. You just said, There isnt any choice. What did you mean? Never mind. They had reached the picnic area, and Billy was turning in. Up ahead was a clearing with picnic benches and barbecue pits. To Dan, it looked like Cloud Gap without the river. Just . . . if things go wrong, get in your truck and drive like hell. You think that would help? Dan didnt reply. His gut was burning, burning. 3 Shortly before four oclock on that Monday afternoon in late September, Rose walked up to Roof O the World with Silent Sarey. Rose was dressed in formfitting jeans that accentuated her long and shapely legs. Although it was chilly, Silent Sarey wore only a housedress of unremarkable light blue that fluttered around stout calves clad in Jobst support stockings. Rose stopped to look at a plaque which had been bolted to a granite post at the base of the three dozen or so stairs leading up to the lookout platform. It announced that this was the site of the historic Overlook Hotel, which had burned to the ground some thirtyfive years ago. Very strong feelings here, Sarey. Sarey nodded. You know there are hot springs where steam comes right out of the ground, dont you? Lup. This is like that. Rose bent down to sniff at the grass and wildflowers. Below their aromas was the iron smell of ancient blood. Strong emotionshatred, fear, prejudice, lust. The echo of murder. Not foodtoo oldbut refreshing, all the same. A heady bouquet. Sarey said nothing, but watched Rose closely. And this thing. Rose waved a hand at the steep wooden stairs leading up to the platform. Looks like a gallows, dont you think? All it needs is a trapdoor. Nothing from Sarey. Out loud, at least. Her thought (no rope) was clear enough. Thats true, my love, but one of us is going to hang here, just the same. Either me or the little bitch with her nose in our business. See that? Rose pointed to a small green shed about twenty feet away. Sarey nodded. Rose was wearing a zipper pack on her belt. She opened it, rummaged, brought out a key, and handed it to the other woman. Sarey walked to the shed, grass whickering against her thick fleshcolored hose. The key fitted a padlock on the door. When she pulled the door open, lateday sunshine illuminated an enclosure not much bigger than a privy. There was a LawnBoy and a plastic bucket holding a handsickle and a rake. A spade and a pickax leaned against the back wall. There was nothing else, and nothing to hide behind. Go on in, Rose said. Lets see what you can do. And with all that steam inside you, you should be able to amaze me. Like other members of the True Knot, Silent Sarey had her little talent. She stepped into the little shed, sniffed, and said Dusty. Never mind the dust. Lets see you do your thing. Or rather, lets not see you. For that was Sareys talent. She wasnt capable of invisibility (none of them was), but she could create a kind of dimness that went very well with her unremarkable face and figure. She turned to Rose, then looked down at her shadow. She movednot much, only half a stepand her shadow merged with the one thrown by the handle of the LawnBoy. Then she became perfectly still, and the shed was empty. Rose squeezed her eyes shut, then popped them wide open, and there was Sarey, standing beside the mower with her hands folded demurely at her waist like a shy girl hoping some boy at the party will ask her to dance. Rose looked away at the mountains, and when she looked back again the shed was emptyjust a tiny storage room with nowhere to hide. In the strong sunlight there wasnt even a shadow. Except for the one thrown by the mowers handle, that was. Only . . . Pull your elbow in, Rose said. I see it. Just a little. Silent Sarey did as she was told and for a moment she was truly gone, at least until Rose concentrated. When she did that, Sarey was there again. But of course she knew Sarey was there. When the time cameand it wouldnt be longthe bitchgirl wouldnt. Good, Sarey! she said warmly (or as warmly as she could manage). Perhaps I wont need you. If I do, youll use the sickle. And think of Andi when you do. All right? At the mention of Andis name, Sareys lips turned down in a moue of unhappiness. She stared at the sickle in the plastic bucket and nodded. Rose walked over and took the padlock. Im going to lock you in now. The bitchgirl will read the ones in the Lodge, but she wont read you. Im sure of it. Because youre the quiet one, arent you? Sarey nodded again. She was the quiet one, always had been. (what about the) Rose smiled. The lock? Dont you worry about that. Just worry about being still. Still and silent. Do you understand me? Lup. And you understand about the sickle? Rose would not have trusted Sarey with a gun even if the True had one. Sicka. Lup. If I get the better of herand as full of steam as I am right now, that should be no problemyoull stay right where you are until I let you out. But if you hear me shout . . . lets see . . . if you hear me shout dont make me punish you, that means I need help.