A hand clapped over her mouth and she tried furiously to bite it, to twist away, to keep running. “Kristi! Stop! It’s me—it’s Bobby—ow!” It took a moment for Kristi to understand that she was hearing a familiar voice. A friendly voice. The fight drained out of her, leaving her muscles trembling and weak. Kristi’s legs crumpled beneath her; she sank to the floor and started to cry. “What is it?” Bobby asked urgently. “What’s wrong?” “It was—it was clowns,” Kristi sobbed. “So many of them, and they’re trying to get me. We have to go, we’re not safe here—” “Where?” Bobby asked. “In the tunnel?” “Yes!” “Stay here. I’ll be right back,” Bobby promised her. “No! Don’t leave me—” But Bobby had already disappeared. One minute passed, then two. Kristi sat perfectly still, not daring to move, hardly even daring to breathe. What if Bobby didn’t come back? The thought was so terrible that Kristi couldn’t bear to think about it; she pushed it far from her mind.
