The Psychozone Read online

  “See?” I said. “Nothing to be scared of.” I kicked it again.

  My plan wasn’t working. Barry was so freaked he was making these almost silent screams now. It sounded like when I’ve pulled the neck of a balloon and let the air squeak out, but it was the squeak that comes at the very end, after most of the pressure is gone. “Face it, kid—we’re standing here until you get over this.”

  That’s when I heard it—that ripping sound. But it wasn’t a dry rip, like cloth. It was a wet rip.

  Barry gasped. Then he got real quiet. He wasn’t even trying to scream anymore. That scared me.

  I looked to my left as another ripping sound came from the cow next to me. Then there was a wet dripping sound. Then a splashing splat, like five pounds of cottage cheese dropping to the ground.

  “Inside,” Barry said. He said it quietly. He pointed to the cow.

  Something under the cow, something that had dropped from it to the ground, started to stir.

  It slithered away from beneath the cow.

  The cow fell to its knees, then rolled on its side. It didn’t move at all after that.

  The thing crawled toward us.

  “Inside,” Barry said. He turned and pointed to another cow behind us.

  Rip.

  Then again to the right.

  Rip.

  That wet sound, dropping from inside the cow, was repeating all around us. I looked at the cow in front of me. In the dim light, I could see the claws and the arm that ripped through from inside. I could see the thing wriggle and crawl out into the world.

  They started coming closer.

  Barry looked up at me. His eyes seemed calm now. “I told you.”

  The last of the cows fell. The things from inside moved toward us. They were too wet and shiny to be seen clearly. But they had teeth. Not cow teeth. Not flat teeth for chewing grass, but predator teeth. They didn’t move fast, but I wasn’t going to wait to see what would happen if they reached us.

  As I started to step away, the closest one leaped at me. It hit my stomach, digging claws into my shirt. I slapped at it as I felt a sting in my flesh. My slap was hard enough to knock the thing off.

  I turned to run.

  I made it to the fence and into our yard before I realized I’d left Barry behind. I stood there, panting, shivering. I started to climb over the fence again, but I couldn’t. There was no way I was going back near those things. Whatever my parents might do to me, it couldn’t be worse than what those things probably wanted to do. I didn’t know what they were, or how Barry could tell they were inside the cows. But I knew I wasn’t going back.

  I looked down at my shirt. It was ripped, but not too badly. I felt my stomach. There was only a small scratch. I’d been lucky.

  Beyond the fence, I saw something moving.

  Could it be?

  Even in the dark, I knew that walk.

  “Barry?” I half whispered it.

  He kept walking toward me. He got closer. He reached the fence. I stretched over, grabbed him under the arms, and lifted him. “You okay?” I asked as I set him down on the ground. He seemed fine—no scratches on his skin or tears in his clothing. Maybe he was too small for them to bother with. Suddenly, I realized I might get out of this without any kind of trouble.

  Barry looked up and took a step away from me.

  “You okay?” I asked again. He wasn’t talking, but I guess I could understand him being quiet after the scare he’d had. “You can see those things somehow, can’t you? You could tell they were in the cows, right?”

  He took another step back.

  “Come on, it’s over. Let’s go.”

  Barry lifted his arm. He pointed at me. “Inside,” he said, pointing his finger straight at my stomach. “Inside Robert.” He stared at me for a moment, his eyes filled with a mix of fear and sorrow. Then he turned and ran.

  More PsychoZone adventures

  from Tor Kids:

  Kidzilla & Other Tales

  A SMALL SLICE FROM “THE BATTLE AX”

  With an awful shriek, the head tore free of the tree. Alex lunged toward me, his eyes blazing. I ran. Alex was fast, but the ax was heavy. I was sure I could stay ahead of him.

  He had far more strength than I expected. Within seconds he had almost caught me. I looked over my shoulder. He was staring straight ahead, his eyes marking a target on my back. There was only one chance. I swerved, running for a stretch of the woods that I knew was filled with rocks and boulders.

  Behind me, Alex swung his weapon. I heard steel slice through air and felt something pull at my shirt. The breeze flowed against my back where the cloth between my shoulders had been sliced open. I hopped over a small boulder, then dodged around another. From the rear I heard a battle yell. I flinched, expecting to feel the burning slash of the ax.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  David Lubar grew up in Morristown, New Jersey, spent a few years in Northern California, and ended up, much to his delight, in Eastern Pennsylvania. He likes writing short stories and hates mowing his lawn. Though he’s never owned a monkey, a smunkie, a rat, or a parrot, he does live near an awful lot of cows. This is his second collection of stories for Tor.

  WHERE DOES ALL THIS STUFF COME FROM?

  The Substitute

  Usually, it’s the substitute who has a hard time. I thought it might be fun to write about a substitute who isn’t quite what he seemed to be. As for Jane, if she’s in your class, you might want to think about being a bit nicer to her. You never know … .

  The Vampire’s Rat

  I’d been working on a novel about a plague, so I guess I had rats on my mind. At first, I thought this story would be about a disease, but the way it ended up was a lot more shivery.

  Slugs

  I’d been discussing slugs with a friend (doesn’t everyone?), and the story idea just sort of grew from our conversation and a comment she made. I have neat friends.

  Snakeland

  I’ve always been fascinated by tourist attractions, especially those small roadside places that are run by one person or a family. They’re such a wonderful part of the American highway. I’ve never been to a place exactly like Snakeland, but I know it’s out there waiting for me.

  Burger and Fries

  This began with an idea of how someone could run a business while cutting down on expenses. Once I had that initial unappetizing concept, the fast-food connection just seemed natural. Game Over

  This might be a case of biting the hand that fed me since I worked for many years as a game designer. But you have to admit, video games have a way of taking over.

  Smunkies

  A good chunk of my allowance used to go for stuff from mail order catalogs when I was a kid. The moment I sent in my money, I started watching for the package. You can get some absolutely fabulous junk this way.

  Pretty Polly

  I know parrots are wonderful creatures. They’re colorful, entertaining, and intelligent, but there’s something about them that strikes me as a bit sinister.

  Join the Party

  I suspect most of us have, at some point, looked around and wondered why everything seemed so easy for everyone else. We only know our own fears and weaknesses; We know ourselves from the inside. We see others from the outside. I think most of us are more alike than we realize.

  The Billion Legger

  In general, I don’t mind insects. There’s a great spider hanging out in my office right now. I leave it alone. But centipedes make me just a tiny bit uncomfortable. That’s a lie—they make me very uncomfortable.

  The Battle-Ax

  There’s something frightening and fascinating about old weapons. They almost seem to have a power of their own.

  In the Land of the Lawn Weenies

  I like to go for a walk every day. It’s a good way to get ideas. One afternoon, as I strolled through the neighborhood, I noticed a lot of people out mowing their lawns. It almost made me feel I was living in a hive, where all the workers were functioni
ng by instinct.

  Sunburn

  I’d started out wanting to write something about a couple of kids who go overboard trying to get a tan. The story took a twist I didn’t expect, but I like the way it turned out.

  Thin Silk

  One evening, I walked into a whole bunch of thin strands of spider web. They seemed to be everywhere that night. I brushed them away, but the idea stuck.

  The Witch’s Monkey

  My daughter loves cats. She has cat shirts, cat jewelry (especially earrings), cat sheets, cat books, cat posters, and tons of other feline things. I took this passion, transferred it to a more unusual animal, and let the story grow from there.

  As You Say

  This started out with the idea for the curse. I didn’t know when I began that it would take off in such a wacky direction, but that’s part of the fun. One of the joys of writing is that there are no limits.

  Hide

  My daughter’s friend Amanda lives in a house with a lovely view. Her backyard borders a farm. It’s hard to stand there and enjoy that peaceful scene without getting an idea or two.

  Well, that’s it for this collection. I’d like to stick around, but I’ve been thinking about these piles of leaves I saw on my last walk. There’s a story in them. It’s sort of a wild idea, but I think I can turn it into a good tale. Guess I’d better get back to work.

  This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious, or are used fictitiously.

  THE PSYCHOZONE: THE WITCH’S MONKEY & OTHER TALES

  Copyright © 1997 by David Lubar

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form.

  A Tor Book

  Published by Tom Doherty Associates, Inc.

  175 Fifth Avenue

  New York, NY 10010

  Tor® is a registered trademark of Tom Doherty Associates, Inc.

  eISBN 9781466824843

  First eBook Edition : August 2011

  First edition: October 1997