Page 31 of Haunted Horror on Halloween

Maybe more.

Jackson tried to explain the twists and turns in the trail they had taken to reach this area, their goal, they believed. But he asked the agents come this way as quietly and carefully as possible.

And Angela knew why.

Cornered, Manderley would see to it everyone around him didn’t just suffer and bleed—if they had a chance at life, he would take it from them. Somehow, they had to take Manderley before he could do more harm.

A real trick since every human-sized form in the clearing was decked in costumes and masks and Manderley would certainly have seen to it that he was decked out in something wonderfully bizarre.

A ghost, a goblin, a vampire, a werewolf . . . perhaps a horrendously fanged and taloned alien being.

“We need to get closer again. And—”

“He’ll play it somehow; he’ll want to separate the two of us; he knows we’ll be working together,” Angela said. She frowned, feeling the presence of Trent Fielding before she saw his spiritual form.

“Exactly!” Trent said. “I was going to head back to find you. I was there . . . but I couldn’t reach you, when one of his brainwashed lackeys grabbed the last girl. But he intends to have this poor creature—and I mean it, seriously, big, strong dude but not all there and completely convinced he’s obeying Satan and if he doesn’t his family will burn for eternity—run off as if he is him so that one will follow and one will stay. And, of course, the kid—I don’t think he’s much more than a kid—will run, trying to draw you after him. And he did give the kid a gun and a wicked knife, so . . .”

“Trent, thank you! That’s so good to know!” Angela said. She looked at Jackson. “We move forward; we must. I know others are on the way. But timing is everything that matters when he’s sliced his captives and their life’s blood is draining away. When he planned all this—”

“He wanted you to suffer,” Jackson said. “And we can’t—”

“We can play him, thanks to Trent!” Angela said. “We’ll move forward; we’ll let him hear us. And he’ll send his poor giant kid out and you’ll shout you’ve got it and I’ll wander into his Halloween scene as if I’m there to seek survivors and he’ll come out. But you’ll be at my back ready to take him. Jackson, you need to give me time with him, though, time to find out if he has other victims off somewhere else, just how many creations he has made of living human beings!”

Jackson looked at her and nodded. “But if he comes at you—”

“Shoot the bastard!” she told him.

“All right; we’re agreed. So, we move.” But then Jackson shook his head. “Trent, he’s in costume, certainly. Which of the things in the woods is Darrell Manderley?”

“I think he went with the movie vampire look, handsome suit, slicked back dark hair, fangs, of course—” Trent began.

“You think?”

“I was as close as I could get but the wind was blowing and the creatures were all swaying, and the light is bad, almost non-existent under the trees. But I’m almost positive it was the vampire talking,” Trent said.

“Thank you!” Angela told him.

“I’m with you; I’m right with you!” Trent whispered. “Sadly, though, I can’t shoot the bastard. I can just watch for what you might not see.”

“You gave us our plan, Trent. We wouldn’t have known all this without you!” Angela assured him.

“Wait! Quick. Trent, Krewe members will be out here. You know they will all see you. We need you to race after the guy I’m supposed to race after—make sure they know to take him down gently if possible!”

“Right. Poor thing, yeah, I’m on it!” Trent assured them.

Angela smiled, nodded, and turned and started on her way through the trees, allowing branches to snap back behind her; they needed to be heard.

And just as Trent had said, there was suddenly a roar of sound and someone shouted, “It’s time! Time to race back to our blood donors, time to seek more of that life-giving substance!” someone shouted.

Then there was a swell of rustling in the trees and brush to their side, and the sound of footsteps pounding almost impossibly hard on the forest floor.

“On it!” Jackson shouted, creating a rush of noise in the brush as well.

But, of course, it was the spirit of Trent Fielding who really rushed after him.

Jackson stood his ground.

He looked at Angela and she gave him a grave nod, stepping from the shield and cover of the trees into the clearing.