Pet Sematary - Stephen King [124]
.45.
Jesus, Louis said.
They were pretty well charred, but the county medical examiner said it looked to him like Timmy Baterman had been dead two or three weeks.
Silence, ticking out.
Jud got up. I wasnt exaggerating when I said I might have killed your boy, Louis, or had a hand in it. The Micmacs knew that place, but that doesnt necessarily mean they made it what it was. The Micmacs werent always here. They came maybe from Canada, maybe from Russia, maybe from Asia way back in the beginning. They stayed here in Maine for a thousand years, or maybe it was two thousand-its hard to tell, because they did not leave their mark deep on the land. And now they are gone again
.. same way well be gone, someday, although I guess our mark
will go deeper, for better or worse. But the place will stay no matter whos here, Louis. It isnt as though someone owned it and could take its secret when they moved on. Its an evil, curdled place, and I had no business taking you up there to bury that cat. I know that now. It has a power youll beware of if you know whats good for your family and whats good for you. I wasnt strong enough to fight it. You saved Normas life, and I wanted to do something for you, and that place turned my good wish to its own evil purpose. It has a power and I think that power goes through phases, same as the moon. Its been full of power before, and Im ascared its coming around to full again. Im ascared it used me to get at you through your son. Do you see, Louis, what Im getting at? His eyes pleaded with Louis.
Youre saying the place knew Gage was going to die, I think, Louis said.
No, I am saying the place might have made Gage die because I introduced you to the power in the place. I am saying I may have murdered your son with good intentions, Louis.
I dont believe it, Louis said at last, shakily. Didnt; wouldnt. Couldnt.
He held Juds hand tightly. Were burying Gage tomorrow. In Bangor. And in Bangor he will stay. I dont plan to go up there to the Pet Sematary or beyond it ever again.
Promise me! Jud said harshly. Promise.
I promise, Louis said.
But in the back of his mind, contemplation remained-a dancing flicker of promise that would not quite go away.
40
But none of those things happened.
All of them-the droning Orinco truck, the fingers that just touched the back of Cages jumper and then slid off, Rachel preparing to go to the viewing in her housecoat, Ellie carrying Gages picture and putting his chair next to her bed, Steve Mastertons tears, the fight with Irwin Goldman, Jud Crandalls terrible story of Timmy Baterman-all of them existed only in Louis Creeds mind during the few seconds that passed while he raced
his laughing son to the road. Behind him, Rachel screamed again
-Gage, come back, dont RUN!-but Louis did not waste his breath. It was going to be close, very close, and yes, one of those things really happened: from somewhere up the road he could hear the drone of the oncoming truck and somewhere inside a memory circuit opened and he could hear Jud Crandall speaking to Rachel on that very first day in Ludlow: You want to watch em around the road, Missus Greed. Its a bad road for kids and pets.
Now Gage was running down the gentle slope of lawn that merged with the soft shoulder of Route 15, his husky little legs pumping, and by all the rights of the world he should have fallen over sprawling but he just kept going and now the sound of the truck was very loud indeed, it was that low, snoring sound that Louis sometimes heard from his bed as he floated just beyond the rim of sleep. Then it seemed a comforting sound, but now it terrified him.
Oh my dear God oh my dear Jesus let me catch him dont let him get into the road!
Louis put on a final burst of speed