LOT'S MOUNTAIN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN: The Cruel Fate of a High School Locker

The dream starts off like the earlier one where I'm digging up Bill's grave—

Granddad Sam is standing by Bill's tombstone, frowning and looking all grim. The faceless girl's there too.

"The grave," the girl says.

I pull away and pick up my shovel.

Then I dig up my brother's grave while it rains.

There's the shhhh shhhh and THUD!

"Dylan."

Without turning around, I know it's Bill, or what's left of him. Part of me wants to huddle up into a tight little ball and be poor little Dylan Caid, the sad little kid whose brother was murdered. But I'm also the Dylan Caid that's been to Belle Lake and Grief's Dawn. And I'm also Grim's friend. I'm the one he's counting on to help him against the Stone Men, to keep them from destroying the monsters.

"Look," the Bill-thing growls.

He's pointing to the coffin I dug up.

Once the lid creaks open, I look down and see that Esther's inside. Her black hair looks even blacker against the white of the pillow she's laying on. And that's when I realize that she's not wearing anything at all. Her skin is white like milk and perfect. She's not like those water ladies I saw at Belle Lake. I mean, they were perfect, too. But there's something different about Esther. The longer I look at her, the sicker I feel. But I can't stop looking. I start at her toes and then my eyes wander up past the perfect curve of her leg. Then further up—

"... and so he feeds ..." the Bill-thing wheezes. That's when Esther's eyes open. I jump about ten feet when she turns her head to glance at me. Slowly, she sits up.

I'm stuck down in this grave with this no longer dead naked lady that's some kind of nut. The Bill-thing is up above me now, staring down at me. Scrambling upward, I start to climb. Jagged rocks slice through my hands. I should be bleeding, but I'm not. There's no blood. None.

Esther's lips are really, really red. Her long thin fingers stretch and stretch, like icicles, as she reaches for me.

This is just a dream ... just ...

As soon as she touches me, her skin looks like gray, wrinkled paper and starts to burn. I'm screaming and screaming, but she won't let go. I feel myself start to die. My skin starts to bruise and split open. There's still no blood. Why isn't there any blood?

"Dylan. Wake up." It's the Bill-thing. No. This voice is different. This is Bill, sounding like he used to.

My bones jut up through my skin, tearing through it. Pain slams into me.

"This is just a dream, Dylan." Why is Bill trying to help me? He should want this. He should want me to suffer.

My heart stops and I get real cold. There is a soft sound coming from inside of me ... like bugs chewing and gnawing away at my insides.

I deserve what's coming. I deserve—

The left side of Esther's face shrivels away, pealing back to reveal her skull.

"A mirror, Dylan. That's what's going to happen if Glass gets you. Remember Loomis." The Bill-thing's voice cuts through my thoughts. "He was right. Things are worse than you could ever imagine."

Esther lets go of me, and I haul myself out of the grave so that I'm sitting at the Bill-thing's feet.

"Bill, I'm sorry. I'm so freaking sorry," I plead with him.