Anathema Read Online Free Page B

down on them. Jarvis's eyes locked on Larry's.
    "What if he does?” Jarvis rasped. “What if he does?"
    * * * *
    Jim strolled down Main Street enjoying the solitude a small town had to offer. He felt good. Part of this feeling he attributed to the drinks he had at the Stumble Inn. The other part—the most important part—was he finally felt at peace with himself. Despite what Diane thought, the move to this middle-of-nowhere burg was just what he needed. New surroundings provided new inspirations; new inspirations could provide a new book. And a new novel would put him back on track.
    Main Street could easily be walked end to end in just under an hour. It was lined with buildings whose storefronts seemed frozen in time. There was no glaring neon, no flashing lights, just neatly lettered signs displayed from fancy wrought iron hangers outside each establishment. At night, these signs were illuminated by spotlights mounted on the sides of the buildings. In accordance with the Prairie Rest town ordinance, all the structures were either brick, or white stucco.
    Every thirty feet or so, lampposts, like trees, sprung from the center of the street. Each reached fifty feet into the sky, then the top split into two arm-like structures. On the end of each arm was a mercury arc lamp encased in an iron lantern. When the lights were turned on, Main Street took on the look of a sepia-toned, antique photograph.
    Jim stopped in front of the Hamburger Hut and wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. He looked down the street and saw heat shimmers rising from the pavement. It was going to be a hot day; there was no question about that. Through the shimmers, he saw a spider-like shadow crawl across the south tip of town.
    The shadow was caused by the three turrets on the Miller/Anderson house. As the day wore on, the shadow grew longer and fingered across Main Street until everything was caught in its grasp.
    Jim eyeballed the shadow to its source. For the first time, he noticed that his place sat on a small knoll and the house appeared to look down on the rest of the town. It was even more eerie because the placement of the windows looked like eyes. The turrets were horns. The porch was a mouth, and the driveway resembled a tongue.
    A shiver crawled up his spine. Silhouetted against the clear blue sky, the house looked like the head of a demon. The way the light winked off the windows made it seem alive.
    "Spooky,” Jim whispered and felt a chill creep up his back again. Then he turned and went into the Hamburger Hut to have lunch.

 
    Chapter 3
    Travis ran out the back door when his parents started to argue. He hated when they fought. It made him feel sad and sometimes guilty because he thought it was all his fault. Sometimes their fighting made him want to run away.
    So, he had gone out to the backyard to roughhouse with Rufus, and that was when he saw the trail that led into the woods.
    Travis knew he shouldn't wander off without telling his parents, but they were so busy yelling at each other, he doubted if they'd even know he was gone. Heck, when they started in on each other, he could go to the moon, and they'd never notice. So, with his dog by his side, Travis ventured into the woods.
    And it was like he entered another world.
    The twisted trees reminded him of the one in Poltergeist that tried to gobble up Carol-Anne's brother just before she was taken by the “television people.” He wasn't allowed to watch those kinds of movies, but once, he spent a night at his friend's house and they rented it and secretly watched it in his bedroom. That one scene gave Travis nightmares for a month. But he couldn't tell anyone about the dreams. He had to keep them secret. Just like he would have to keep this secret. And he was very good at keeping secrets.
    As Travis walked deeper into the woods, it got darker and the shadows grew longer, crossing his path like the tentacles of an alien creature. The temperature had dropped