used to be a church, but the
Mormons tore it down when they left, and the residents that moved in behind
them never rebuilt it.
What’s going on in there? Steven thought. The rest of the town seems empty,
but that hotel looks busy.
Everyone’s there at the moment, Winn thought. They always meet
there, every night. In a few hours they’ll all slowly start to leave, and
you’ll see them drift back to the stores and houses in the rest of town.
What are they doing in there? Roy thought.
It’s kind of hard to explain , Winn said. I’ll tell you later.
But that hotel is important, because if I’m right, that’s where Jason is right
now. Down in the basement.
Can we go get him? Steven thought.
No way, Winn said. If we set foot in that hotel we’d be turned on by dozens
of ghosts and ripped to shreds in a heartbeat.
Can’t we use your gun? Roy asked. We could all carry one.
Even if we did, Winn said, there’s too many of them. By the time you
knocked out one or two, ten more would be on you. Trust me, I know what I’m
talking about.
What do we do? Steven asked. I’ve got to get him out of there.
I’ll explain that later too, after we leave, Winn thought. For now, I just
wanted you to see this place, to understand what we’re dealing with.
What about the tourists, during the day? Roy asked. Do they attack them?
No, Winn thought. They’re not in the River. To them they just look like people
walking around town, looking at the buildings. At night it’s a different story,
they get a little more suspicious, but no one comes out here at night, the Feds
don’t let them. They only freak out and attack when they see someone in the
River.
I still think they pick off a person or two, Deem thought. Every now and then
a tourist goes missing.
You’re probably right, Winn thought.
Why? Steven thought. Why attack a tourist?
My theory, Deem said, and Winn may not agree with this, but my theory
is that they feed them to a creature in the mine east of here.
Creature in a mine? Roy wondered.
See those mountains, where the moon has risen? Deem thought. At the base of
those mountains are the Red Hills. There was a series of mining operations
there, almost a dozen shafts. Most of them are haunted by strange creatures
created by the radiation. But a couple of them hold kobolds. Around here,
kobolds have mutated into powerful, bloodthirsty spirits. That’s where I think
the tourists wind up.
But you can’t prove it, Winn thought.
How else do you explain the Callers? Deem thought.
What are you two talking about? Roy thought.
Let’s have this discussion once we’re out of here, Winn thought. We’re going to walk
up to the hotel now, so you can see into the windows. Drop out and follow me.
Back in the dry lake bed of Lake Mead, Steven felt the crusted
mud crack under his feet as he followed the others. He looked right and left,
and the buildings he had just seen in the River had all disappeared – just the
concrete foundations remained. This is so weird, he thought as he
walked. Talk about a ghost town – this really was.
They walked up to a foundation that looked just like all the
others, but Steven knew from its placement that it had to be the hotel they had
seen in the flow. They all slipped into the River, and Steven looked up at the
tall, two-story structure. He could see people moving inside, through the
windows. They appeared to be sitting and listening as one of them spoke. After
a few moments, Winn suggested they drop back out and follow him around to the
back.
Once there, they entered the River again, and Steven could
see movement through a basement window. He walked forward, hoping to get a
better view and potentially see Jason. He pressed his face up against the glass
and looked inside. There was Jason, seated at a table with several others,
talking with them. The person next to him was showing him how to mix something
on the table. Steven resisted the urge to call Jason’s name or tap on
Mormons tore it down when they left, and the residents that moved in behind
them never rebuilt it.
What’s going on in there? Steven thought. The rest of the town seems empty,
but that hotel looks busy.
Everyone’s there at the moment, Winn thought. They always meet
there, every night. In a few hours they’ll all slowly start to leave, and
you’ll see them drift back to the stores and houses in the rest of town.
What are they doing in there? Roy thought.
It’s kind of hard to explain , Winn said. I’ll tell you later.
But that hotel is important, because if I’m right, that’s where Jason is right
now. Down in the basement.
Can we go get him? Steven thought.
No way, Winn said. If we set foot in that hotel we’d be turned on by dozens
of ghosts and ripped to shreds in a heartbeat.
Can’t we use your gun? Roy asked. We could all carry one.
Even if we did, Winn said, there’s too many of them. By the time you
knocked out one or two, ten more would be on you. Trust me, I know what I’m
talking about.
What do we do? Steven asked. I’ve got to get him out of there.
I’ll explain that later too, after we leave, Winn thought. For now, I just
wanted you to see this place, to understand what we’re dealing with.
What about the tourists, during the day? Roy asked. Do they attack them?
No, Winn thought. They’re not in the River. To them they just look like people
walking around town, looking at the buildings. At night it’s a different story,
they get a little more suspicious, but no one comes out here at night, the Feds
don’t let them. They only freak out and attack when they see someone in the
River.
I still think they pick off a person or two, Deem thought. Every now and then
a tourist goes missing.
You’re probably right, Winn thought.
Why? Steven thought. Why attack a tourist?
My theory, Deem said, and Winn may not agree with this, but my theory
is that they feed them to a creature in the mine east of here.
Creature in a mine? Roy wondered.
See those mountains, where the moon has risen? Deem thought. At the base of
those mountains are the Red Hills. There was a series of mining operations
there, almost a dozen shafts. Most of them are haunted by strange creatures
created by the radiation. But a couple of them hold kobolds. Around here,
kobolds have mutated into powerful, bloodthirsty spirits. That’s where I think
the tourists wind up.
But you can’t prove it, Winn thought.
How else do you explain the Callers? Deem thought.
What are you two talking about? Roy thought.
Let’s have this discussion once we’re out of here, Winn thought. We’re going to walk
up to the hotel now, so you can see into the windows. Drop out and follow me.
Back in the dry lake bed of Lake Mead, Steven felt the crusted
mud crack under his feet as he followed the others. He looked right and left,
and the buildings he had just seen in the River had all disappeared – just the
concrete foundations remained. This is so weird, he thought as he
walked. Talk about a ghost town – this really was.
They walked up to a foundation that looked just like all the
others, but Steven knew from its placement that it had to be the hotel they had
seen in the flow. They all slipped into the River, and Steven looked up at the
tall, two-story structure. He could see people moving inside, through the
windows. They appeared to be sitting and listening as one of them spoke. After
a few moments, Winn suggested they drop back out and follow him around to the
back.
Once there, they entered the River again, and Steven could
see movement through a basement window. He walked forward, hoping to get a
better view and potentially see Jason. He pressed his face up against the glass
and looked inside. There was Jason, seated at a table with several others,
talking with them. The person next to him was showing him how to mix something
on the table. Steven resisted the urge to call Jason’s name or tap on
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