The Dark Corner by Christopher Pike

said.
    â€œIs it possible you’re wrong?” Cindy asked. “Maybe they weren’t changed on the other side.”
    â€œYou forget,” Bryce said. “I was with the real Adam, Watch, and Sally. These are definitely impostors.” He nodded. “See how they spit and curse each other. Is that normal?”
    â€œFor Sally it’s not completely unusual.” Cindy paused and listened as the three characters giggled together. A chill went through her body and once again she saw the cold red flames in her mind. “Never mind,” she said quickly. “I believe you. What do you want to do?”
    â€œWe have to get their attention and force them to follow us.” Bryce dug in his knapsack. “We have to lead them to a place where they’ll be vulnerable, but also a place they’ll want to enter.”
    â€œWhere’s that?” Cindy asked.
    Bryce pulled a couple of flares out of his bag. “A meat locker at the grocery store. Demons are always hungry for raw meat. When they see it, they lose all control. They run toward it and start eating. If we can get them to run into a meat locker, we’ll be able to shut the door on them and they’ll soon pass out. Demons can’t stand the cold. In fact,they’ll remain unconscious for a while. During that time we should be able to drag them up to the cemetery and open the Secret Path so that we can rescue your friends.”
    Cindy thought his plan was brilliant, except for a few small details. “How do we get them to follow us into a meat locker?”
    Bryce gestured with the flares. “If we light one of these, they’ll be drawn to the burning red light. It reminds them of the Dark Corner. They hate the evil realm, but it’s the only place they really feel comfortable.” He stopped and glanced around. “But demons are fast. We have to have bikes to keep ahead of them.”
    â€œAdam has a bike in his garage,” Cindy said. “Wait! He has two of them. Watch left his bike in Adam’s garage yesterday because he was going to work on it there. It’s not like it’s really broken or anything, so we can each have a bike. If we sneak around the side of Adam’s house, we can go in the side entrance of the garage.”
    â€œGood,” Bryce said. Then he stopped. “But maybe you should wait here. I can do this myself. There’s no reason for you to risk your life.”
    Cindy smiled darkly. “My friends are in danger. That’s the best reason I know of to risk my life.Plus I can probably outpedal you. None of the other kids can keep up with me.” She held out her hand. “Give me one of those flares.”
    â€œMaybe I do need you,” Bryce admitted as he reluctantly handed over one of the flares. “You realize that to get them into the meat locker at the grocery store one of us has to run into the locker ahead of them. Whoever it is, the other one will have to close the door.”
    Cindy swallowed. “With the person inside with the demons?”
    â€œYes. The demons might kill whoever’s inside before the cold slows them down. Promise me, if I get there first, you’ll shut me inside with them. You can’t hesitate.”
    â€œWill you shut me inside with them?” Cindy asked.
    Bryce spoke gravely. “I’ll have no choice. It will be the only way to stop them.”
    Cindy nodded weakly. “I understand. Let’s do it now, before I have too much time to think about it and get scared.”
    Sneaking around the side of Adam’s house and into his garage wasn’t difficult. With the noise of the blaring stereo, the demons couldn’t have heard a battalion of marines approaching. But now camethe tricky part. Bryce insisted they ride straight out the front of the garage, with at least one of the flares burning.
    â€œWe’ve got to pass close by them to make sure they see the burning red color,”