The Dark Reunion Read Online Free Page A

SPELL AND THE FIRST INGREDIENT IS H —
    Without warning, the planchette jerked away from the letters and flew around the board wildly. It pointed at the stylized picture of the moon, then at the sun, then at the words
Parker Brothers, Inc.
    “Elena!”
    The planchette bobbed back to the letters.
    ANOTHER MOUSE ANOTHER MOUSE ANOTHER MOUSE
    “What’s happening?” Sue cried, eyes wide open now.
    Bonnie was frightened. The planchette was pulsing with energy, a dark and ugly energy like boiling black tar that stung her fingers. But she could also feel the quivering silver thread that was Elena’s presence fighting it. “Don’t let go!” she cried desperately. “Don’t take your hands off it!”
    MOUSEMUDKILLYOU , the board reeled off. BLOODBLOODBLOOD . And then … BONNIE GET OUT RUN HES HERE RUN RUN RU —
    The planchette jerked furiously, whipping out from under Bonnie’s fingers and beyond her reach, flying across the board and through the air as if someone had thrown it. Vickie screamed. Meredith started to her feet.
    And then all the lights went out, plunging the house into darkness.

3
    Vickie’s screams went out of control. Bonnie could feel panic rising in her chest.
    “Vickie, stop it! Come on; we’ve got to get out of here!” Meredith was shouting to be heard. “It’s your house, Caroline. Everybody grab hands and you lead us to the front door.”
    “Okay,” Caroline said. She didn’t sound as frightened as everybody else. That was the advantage to having no imagination, Bonnie thought. You couldn’t picture the terrible things that were going to happen to you.
    She felt better with Meredith’s narrow, cold hand grasping hers. She fumbled on the other side and caught Caroline’s, feeling the hardness of long fingernails.
    She could see nothing. Her eyes should have been adjusting to the dark by now, but she couldn’t make out even a glimmer of light or shadow as Caroline started leading them.There was no light coming through the windows from the street; the power seemed to be out everywhere. Caroline cursed, running into some piece of furniture, and Bonnie stumbled against her.
    Vickie was whimpering softly from the back of the line. “Hang on,” whispered Sue. “Hang on, Vickie, we’ll make it.”
    They made slow, shuffling progress in the dark. Then Bonnie felt tile under her feet. “This is the front hall,” Caroline said. “Stay here a minute while I find the door.” Her fingers slipped out of Bonnie’s.
    “Caroline! Don’t let go—where are you? Caroline, give me your hand!” Bonnie cried, groping frantically like a blind person.
    Out of the darkness something large and moist closed around her fingers. It was a hand. It wasn’t Caroline’s.
    Bonnie screamed.
    Vickie immediately picked it up, shrieking wildly. The hot, moist hand was dragging Bonnie forward. She kicked out, struggling, but it made no difference. Then she felt Meredith’s arms around her waist, both arms, wrenchingher back. Her hand came free of the big one.
    And then she was turning and running, just running, only dimly aware that Meredith was beside her. She wasn’t at all aware that she was still screaming until she slammed into a large armchair that stopped her progress, and she heard herself.
    “Hush! Bonnie, hush, stop!” Meredith was shaking her. They had slid down the back of the chair to the floor.
    “Something had me! Something grabbed me, Meredith!”
    “I know. Be quiet! It’s still around,” Meredith said. Bonnie jammed her face into Meredith’s shoulder to keep from screaming again. What if it was here in the room with them?
    Seconds crawled past, and the silence pooled around them. No matter how Bonnie strained her ears, she could hear no sound except their own breathing and the dull thudding of her heart.
    “Listen! We’ve got to find the back door. We must be in the living room now. That means the kitchen’s right behind us. We have to get there,” Meredith said, her voice