You can read Chapter 1 here, Chapter 2 here, Chapter 3 here, Chapter 4 here and Chapter 5 here, Chapter 6 here, Chapter 7 here, Chapter 8 here, Chapter 9 here, Chapter 10 here and Chapter 11 here.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Laura Moe

Jason flicked his wrist, creating a massive wave which enveloped his aunt and uncle. The wall of water muffled their screams as the river washed them away. Jason howled in laughter.

The dog barked loudly, but Jason gave his buddy a reassuring pat on the back. “Let’s go get a burger and fries. And I’ll get you an ice cream cone. How does that sound?”

Rusty gave a short bark. One of the dog’s favorite expressions was ice cream.

Jason chuckled, and the two headed East, deeper into the pines. He reached into his pocket and offered Rusty a treat. The dog gobbled at it happily. Jason whistled as they trekked through dense forest a mile up the hill, dead leaves and pine needles crunching beneath their feet. At the crest, the trees thinned out and the town loomed below them.

At this distance, bathed in bright sunshine, it looked like any quaint town you’d see in a

Hallmark movie with its wide sidewalks and small shops, but as Jason and Rusty drew closer, the town’s quirks grew more apparent. The town itself was built on a platform that could be raised and lowered on command.

Jason stepped up his pace. His mother was there.

Before meeting with her, he honored his promise to Rusty by stopping at the café. Jason ordered a cheeseburger and fries and a strawberry shake for himself. Being a miscreant built up a healthy appetite. He also ordered a small vanilla cone for Rusty.

Rusty sat on his hind legs and begged when he saw the cone in Jason’s hand.

Jason bent toward his buddy. “Who’s a good boy?”

Rusty barked.

Jason ruffled through his fur. “Yes, you are.” He placed the ice cream cone in front of Rusty’s jaw, and the dog consumed it in one bite.

The kid at the counter handed Jason a white bag pocked with grease from the fries. “Thanks.” Jason flipped the kid a quarter as a tip and laughed like a hyena.

He and Rusty strolled up Main Street as Jason noshed on fries. He dropped one occasionally for Rusty to snarf up. When the fries were gone Jason pulled the burger out. He crumpled the bag and dumped it on the ground. As he ate the cheeseburger, he crushed the wrapper into a ball and tossed it in the street where it landed on the hood of a Porsche.

He cackled and walked on.

Rusty stopped and started to growl. The ground beneath them groaned and shifted. “We’re going under, buddy!”

Jason felt his insides shimmer and he rubbed his hands together. “Almost home.”

As the town lowered, the light changed from the blue of daylight into a russet colored glow and the temperature rose exponentially. When the town was fully submerged, the storefronts melded into the blood red walls. Steam rose from the floor forming a pink fog. Jason and Rusty stood and waited for the fog to clear, where a woman wearing a red cat suit waited.

She smiled a deadly smile filled with pointed, black teeth and snapped her tail in the air. She snaked her tail around Jason. “Welcome home, my son.”