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The teeth glinted atI sed hard "Who are you?"

"I aain, the voice came from insideon ed to say, "but this lighthouse has been in the property of Alberto Palomino for many years now I’m afraid you are on his property"

I don’t knohere I got the balls to say that and I iretted the decision

Before I kneas going on, the man stood up so fast that he knocked the chair back fro clatter that enveloped my ears

In a flash, dark strands of kelp flew out of the man’s sleeves--for he had no hands--and wrapped their sticky, pulsing ropes around my neck I reached up at therip, they tightened aroundspeed

Unable to breathe or hthouse keeper I was inches away from the black void of his hood and as he spun lass , I caught a gliht

It was the one inpurple mealy surface was so close I could see the tiny broken veins that snaked along top of his shattered nose Ae of death

The kelp pulled tighter and I felt round beneath led helplessly He pulled ed ’s, with his black puffy gu I was about to lose half of my face to it

Instead, he paused and I was soon ain I braced for impact as the back of lass as thesmashed and sprinkled down the back of my neck and coat I felt rain and wind on ht sky I opened my eyes and saw the moon as it peered out frohtly orbit across the earth I found a soothing co I almost didn’t notice I couldn’t breathe any black Was this it? Was this to be hthouse by a dead th I had it was teh at the absurdity of it all It was also so teo The waves crashed bleakly on the cliff below and I had no proble them

The blackness al

And then I heard solass, the wind, and the grunts of the lighthouse keeper who still had his slick strands alongmy name

"Perry! Perry!"

It floated up on the breeze and filled ht , I took that last bit of strength and kicked up withcrunch of a broken jawbone as ht foot connected with Roddy’s face and felt him fall back under the impact

I twisted myself forward from the waist and out of theas the kelp fronds released gest gulp of air possible Roddy lay on the ground twitching He yelped in pain and once again I foundif he was dead or alive Either way, I wasn’t about to hang around to find out

I staggered past him toward the staircase just as one of his kelp fronds flew out and al strand and landed with a thud on the first landing below My shins felt shot, but I hts of stairs

Far away fro was black, but I could still sense I was on the floor with the desk

"Dex!" I screamed "Dex, where are you?"

I heard a thu sound I knew Roddy was crawling down the stairs with the wet kelp trailing behind him

I ran down the stairs to the next level in a few leaps and screaain

"Perry! I’m in here!" I heard Dex’s muffled cry to my left I ran forward and hit the door to the room that ere in earlier My feet were iht available, I fumbled forout froled as if being pulled from the other side Dex had to be in there

"Dex!" I pounded on the door

"Perry, the door’s stuck I think a pipe burst It’s flooding in here, and fast!" he yelled from the other side

I frantically pulled at the door but it didn’t budge The sound of Roddy slowly coency

"Dex, there is someone else in here with us Roddy He tried to kill et out There’s a ; you’ll have to juo down the stairs"

"Don’t leave me in here!" I heard him scream, and my heart dropped a little He was finally as terrified as I was and with good reason

"I’et out now!"

A THUMP, followed by a clatter

I spun around and saw an oil la down the stairs toward me It slowed and curved as it rolled and the proceeded to crash down the rest of the stairs to the floor below It landed around the corner with a slass

The staircase below me lit up, and within seconds hot flames licked the walls and made their way back up the stairs toward me

"Perry, the key!" Dex cried