Coming here had been a terrible mistake.
If she could have clawed her way out, she would have fled the dream. But it continued to hold her fast.
The door opened to reveal a man dressed all in black, and in place of a face, he had a death mask.
âYou,â he whispered. âHow did you get here?â
Her only answer was a scream. She would have run, but her feet were rooted to the floor. And the figure was coming toward her.
Far away, she heard someone calling her name. It was Mack.
âJamie, wake up. Come back to me.â
She wanted to. She wanted to get out of this awful place. She wanted to come back to him.
She felt his hand clamp around hers. Sensed his desperation. She could hear him. Touch him. But she couldnât see him. All she could see was the man in black advancing on her step by step. And she knew one thing: there was no escape. He would kill her, just the way heâd killed the rest of his victims.
Jamie ShepherdâSheâd had nightmares for years, but sheâd thought they were over.
Craig ShepherdâHeâd been the love of Jamieâs life; but after he died, could she put her life back together?
Mack SteeleâWould the detective keep his objectivity when Jamie dragged him into a murder investigation?
Gloria WheelerâDid Jamieâs mother wish her daughter well or ill?
Lynn VaughnâWas she reaching out to Jamie?
Fred HydeâWhy was he punishing the residents of Gaptown?
Clark LandonâHow far would Gloriaâs boyfriend go to get Jamie to leave town?
Tim ConradâDid his murder fit into Jamie and Mackâs fun-house investigation?
Jeanette BakerâShe was another piece of the fun-house puzzle.
Jamie Shepherd struggled to claw her way back to consciousness, but the nightmare held her fast. She was in a dark, spooky funhouse, trying to find the exit to freedom.
Music from a slasher movie blared from hidden speakers. Eerie green light shimmered around her. And the air was thick with a horrible graveyard smell.
Coughing, pressing her hand over her mouth, she fought to escape, even when she knew on some instinctive level that it wasnât her dream. She clung to that secret knowledge as she ran down an endless hallway, her breath coming in great gasps, her terror increasing with every step.
Ahead of her was a blank wall. Oh Lord!
She was trapped.
Or maybe not. Struggling to control her fear, she began to slide her hands over the flat surface, searching for a seam or a latch, something that would let her escape from the monster that she knew was behind her.
Finally, her fingers found a small indentation. When she pressed into it, a door sprang outward so fast that she lost her footing and tumbled through.
As she scrambled to right herself, she found she was on a slide that carried her down into the darkness, then dumped her onto a cold cement floor.
She lay there panting, her shoulder throbbing where it had struck the floor. From far away she heard a train whistle blow. Then, much closer, a sound behind her froze the blood in her veins.
He was coming! She had to get away.
After dragging herself up, she stood in the darkness, trying not to let her breathing give her away.
From a speaker in the wall, a grating voice boomed, âYou canât stay there.â
âNo more. Please. Let me go,â she cried out.
âNot yet.â
âWhat have I done to you?â
âYou know.â
âI donât! Please just let me out of here. I donât even know who you are.â
âOf course you know.â
âNo!â
âIâll let you out if you can find the door. Go back upstairs.â
As he spoke, a spotlight switched on, and she saw steps leading upward.
She clambered up, grasping the railing. At the top, she found herself in another corridor, this one lined with mirrors that distorted her image as they reflected her face and body.
Someone had spattered red paint on the floor. Or was it blood?
She looked behind her and saw a shadowed figure climbing the steps, his pace slow and deliberate, like he had all the time in the world.
A cry rose in her throat when she saw how he was dressed. He wore a black robe, and his face was a skull mask with glowing red eyes. She had seen him before. First just a glimpse. Then a fuller look. And some deep, primal instinct told her she was dead if he caught up with her.
âNo! Please.â