Salem's Lot Page #3

don't disturb your father.

"...the Marsten house on Pabscuitti Hill.

"The wind turned the fire

back toward town.

"Volunteer fire companies came

from all over the county...

"...to help fight the threatening flames."

Bright boy, Mark Petrie. Wrote most

of the pageant this year, just as you did.

Both talented.

Another writer.

Very possibly. I'd certainly be proud

if I'd helped develop two authors.

It will make a lifetime

of teaching worthwhile.

You got me started.

You had the gift. I wanted the opportunity

to continue, but you moved away.

Let's see, you were...

Eleven.

Tell me, why the Marsten house?

I remember that figured

in your pageant, too.

Maybe because my aunt worked there.

Did she ever tell you anything

about what went on inside the house?

No, never.

Or Hubie Marsten?

No, she never talked about him.

But you remember that even then...

...that house had a reputation

for being a haunted house.

Every town has one.

I went up there once.

On a dare. You know how kids are.

I was sweating scared.

I sneaked around.

Got into the house.

What did you see?

Ghosts, everything.

Every sound, every shadow.

I'm not sure what I saw.

I think I saw Hubie Marsten...

...hanging by his neck.

His face green, his eyes puffed shut...

...his hands livid.

It was ghastly.

And then he opened his eyes

and he looked at me.

He looked at me...

...and I took off and I ran.

I ran as fast as I could.

I've never forgotten that.

And there was something. A feeling of...

Jason, do you believe a thing...

...can be inherently evil?

I've seen trees that look like

tortured spirits.

A house.

The Marsten house for instance.

Can it be evil in its stone foundations,

in its wooden beams?

In the glass of its windows?

In the plaster of its ceilings? Evil.

The man who built that house...

Yeah, Joshua Von.

...killed his wife and a servant...

...and hanged himself

in his bedroom closet.

Hubie Marsten's sister and wife...

...died mysteriously.

Rumors of poison, never proved.

Then he came here.

And the young boys in the area

started to disappear.

Some people suspected Hubie Marsten,

but it was never proved.

Never proved.

And now we have a Mr. Straker.

And a Mr. Barlow.

Whom no one has ever seen.

And you think...

I think that an evil house attracts evil men.

But if a house attracts evil men...

Why did it attract me?

It is moving.

Look at it!

We're almost there. Now shut up.

Shut up!

What's this one?

It's a ghoul.

Girl?

Ghoul. Like in school.

We don't have anybody like that

in our school.

Mr. Peterson.

What is a ghoul?

A ghoul is an evil demon

who preys on corpses...

...feeds on human beings, robs graves.

Things like that.

Why are you so hung up on this stuff?

I don't know, I just am.

It's weird.

Let's try this.

Danny, Ralphie, your mom called.

Wants you home.

Okay, Mr. Petrie.

We know our lines okay, don't we?

Most of them.

Why don't you come over

to our house tomorrow night, okay?

- Okay, Mr. Petrie?

- Sure.

- See you later.

- Bye-bye. See you.

Good night, boys.

Mark, when are you going

to outgrow all this?

Soon, I guess.

Well, I'd better fix this.

Well? Look.

The road.

The road, nothing.

It sure is cold. Come on, let's get it done.

It's freezing!

I'm telling you, it's not natural.

It just ain't natural.

We've got to get it out.

Just grab ahold. Let's get it done.

What was that?

It's just an owl.

I've never heard one before.

Sure you have. Hundreds of times.

Millions.

We shouldn't have gone

through the woods.

It's a shortcut. Look, you can even see

the lights of Jordan Avenue. See them?

No.

Hey, I'm going.

Wait. Danny, wait!

Hey, I want to know.

Come on. Come on.

I want to pry it open.

We can't. He'll hear.

Who?

Him.

Straker.

Well, I want to do it anyway.

I'll get something from the truck.

Listen.

You hear that?

Somebody's up there.

There's somebody up there.

Rats probably.

You heard rats.

It was someone. Let's split.

The padlocks. We forgot to padlock...

Throw them down there.

Here are the keys, throw them down too.

Close the doors.

Did you happen to notice the time

when the boys left? You did?

They should have been here

a half hour ago.

Ask Mark if the boys said anything to him.

You know how kids are.

Henry!

Danny, what happened?

What happened, Son?

Where's Ralphie?

Where's your brother?

I don't know.

Get Dr. Norton.

See ya.

Yeah.

Faithful.

Here, boy.

Is that better?

It's better here, isn't it?

Well, well, well.

I guess I owe Weasel Phillips

a case of beer after all.

Cully, look, this isn't...

He broke in. He tried to rape me.

He was?

He broke in.

A rapist.

Is that it?

I'll take care of him.

I didn't.

Shut up, rapist!

Get up!

Out of the bed.

Out of the bed! Out!

Get up.

Shut up!

Please don't do anything.

You don't want to go to jail, do you?

I'm not going to jail for killing the man

who raped my wife.

That is what he did, isn't it, honey?

Yes.

No!

She invited me, I swear.

You invited him?

No! He called me and he said

that he had to talk to me and...

So you invited him over?

Cully, no.

Cully, you don't want to go to jail

for the rest of your life for what is a lie.

Come here.

Come on. Come in the living room.

We've got to talk this over.

Right, let's talk it over.

We'll go in the living room

and we'll talk it over.

And then I'm coming back, hear me?

Come on, Larry.

In the living room. Man-to-man stuff.

I like your shorts.

You must too, keeping them on like that.

Where did you get them?

Boston.

They sure look good on you.

Stay right there, puss.

Turn around, Larry.

Look, I know how this must look to you.

I can understand how upset you are...

...but let me explain what happened.

Grab the barrel, Larry.

The barrel. Grab the barrel.

Easy!

Very easy.

That's it.

Now, this shotgun's got a five-pound pull

on it and I've got about three on it now.

Good boy.

Now hold it up in front of your face.

That's it. Right in front.

That's it. Right in front.

Careful.

You move that barrel, Larry,

and I'll blow you away.

Good.

Just hold it, Larry.

Hold it steady.

Steady, Larry. Don't move! Don't move!

There.

You see how much self-control

you can have?

It's terrific.

You're doing fine, Larry.

Just fine.

Close your eyes, Larry.

Close them.

Here I come, puss.

Here comes big bad bear.

I know you're going to say,

"Don't make a big thing out of this."

No, I wasn't going to say that.

Maybe...

..."Look, I can't make

any commitments right now."

I wasn't going to say that either.

What were you going to say?

I wasn't going to say anything.

I told you, I ask too many questions.

And I don't give enough answers.

Maybe we talk too much.

Maybe we do.

Sounds like a traffic jam.

Maybe they saw our car.

I'm going to take a look.

Crockett?

You heard another car drive off. Then?

Car or truck.

Which one?

I don't know.

You don't know.

Do you?

No.

Where were you people?

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