The Midnight Tour

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Authors: Richard Laymon

BOOK: The Midnight Tour
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Table of Contents

Praise

Other Leisure books by Richard Laymon:

Title Page

Dedication

Copyright Page

Chapter One - SANDY’S STORY—August, 1980

Chapter Two - THE BEAST HOUSE BUS—June, 1997

Chapter Three - TUCK AND DANA

Chapter Four - THE STORY ACCORDING TO PATTY

Chapter Five - SANDY’S STORY—August, 1980

Chapter Six - TUCK AND DANA

Chapter Seven - SANDY’S STORY—August 1980

Chapter Eight - THE DAY TOUR

Chapter Nine - SANDY’S STORY—August, 1980

Chapter Ten - THE DAY TOUR II

Chapter Eleven - SANDY’S STORY—August, 1980

Chapter Twelve - THE DAY TOUR III

Chapter Thirteen - THE SNACK STAND

Chapter Fourteen - SANDY’S STORY—August, 1980

Chapter Fifteen - A VISIT FROM CLYDE

Chapter Sixteen - SANDY’S STORY—August, 1980

Chapter Seventeen - NO-SHOWS

Chapter Eighteen - THE SEARCH

Chapter Nineteen - IN HOT WATER

Chapter Twenty - THE LURKER

Chapter Twenty-One - EVE

Chapter Twenty-Two - ICE

Chapter Twenty-Three - HEAT

Chapter Twenty-Four - FRIDAY MORNING

chapter Twenty-five - SANDY’S STORY
July 1992

Chapter Twenty-Six - STAFF ENCOUNTERS

Chapter Twenty-seven - SANDY’S STORY—July, 1992

Chapter Twenty-eight - OWEN TRIES AGAIN

Chapter Twenty-nine - SANDY’S STORY—July, 1992

Chapter Thirty - PICTURE PERFECT

Chapter Thirty-one - SANDY’S STORY—July, 1992

Chapter Thirty-two - Lunch Trouble

Chapter Thirty-three - SANDY’S STORY—July,1992

Chapter Thirty-four - BIG JOHN

Chapter Thirty-five - WARREN’S PLACE

Chapter Thirty-six - SANDY’S STORY—July, 1992

Chapter Thirty-seven - SECRETS

Chapter Thirty-eight - SANDY’S STORY
July, 1992

Chapter Thirty-nine - FLYING FISTS

Chapter Forty - THE RIDE HOME

Chapter Forty-One - SPIES

Chapter Forty-Two - POOL PARTY

Chapter Forty-three - HERE THEY COME

Chapter Forty-four - SANDY’S STORY—June, 1997

Chapter Forty-five - RUDE AWAKENING

Chapter Forty-six - OWEN’S BAD NIGHT

Chapter Forty-seven - Saturday Gets Under Way

Chapter Forty-eight - A TICKET TO DIE FOR

Chapter Forty-nine - TICKETS AND BADGES

Chapter Fifty - PICNIC

Chapter Fifty-one - FINAL WARNING

Chapter Fifty-two - THE HAUNTED PALACE

Chapter Fifty-four - “LET’S BOOK!”

Chapter Fifty-five - WARNINGS

Chapter Fifty-six - THE STRANGENESS OF BEASTS

Chapter Fifty-seven - THE CELLAR

Chapter Fifty-eight - THE RESCUE

Chapter Fifty-nine - THE ATTACK

Chapter Sixty - SANDY’S STORY—June, 1997

Chapter Sixty-one - A FIGHT TO THE DEATH

Chapter Sixty-two - SUNDAY MORNING

1. Tuck’s Long Distance Call
2. Visiting Hour—Owen
3. Tuck’s Long Distance Call—Part II
4. Visiting Hour—Sandy
5. Tuck’s Long Distance Call—Part III
6. Visiting Hour—Owen, Part II
7. Tuck’s Long Distance Call—Part IV
8. Sandy’s Long Distance Call
9. Visiting Hour—Owen, Part III
10. Tuck’s Long Distance Call—Part V

Chapter Sixty-three - SUNDAY NIGHT

Chapter Sixty-four - DREAM KISS

Chapter Sixty-five - DANA

RICHARD LAYMON

RAVE REVIEWS FOR RICHARD LAYMON!

“I’ve always been a Laymon fan. He manages to raise serious gooseflesh.”

—Bentley Little

“Laymon is incapable of writing a disappointing book.”

—New York Review of Science Fiction

“Laymon always takes it to the max. No one writes like him and you’re going to have a good time with anything he writes.”

—Dean Koontz

“If you’ve missed Laymon, you’ve missed a treat.”

—Stephen King

“A brilliant writer.”

—Sunday Express

“I’ve read every book of Laymon’s I could get my hands on. I’m absolutely a longtime fan.”

—Jack Ketchum, author of Offspring

“One of horror’s rarest talents.”

—Publishers Weekly

“Laymon is, was, and always will be king of the hill.”

—Horror World

“Laymon is an American writer of the highest caliber.”

—Time Out

“Laymon is unique. A phenomenon. A genius of the grisly and the grotesque.”

—Joe Citro, The Blood Review

“Laymon doesn’t pull any punches. Everything he writes keeps you on the edge of your seat.”

—Painted Rock Reviews

Other
Leisure
books by Richard Laymon:

THE BEAST HOUSE
THE CELLAR
INTO THE FIRE
AFTER MIDNIGHT
THE LAKE
COME OUT TONIGHT
RESURRECTION DREAMS
ENDLESS NIGHT
BODY RIDES
BLOOD GAMES
TO WAKE THE DEAD
NO SANCTUARY
DARKNESS, TELL US
NIGHT IN THE LONESOME OCTOBER
ISLAND
THE MUSEUM OF HORRORS .(Anthology)
IN THE DARK
THE TRAVELING VAMPIRE SHOW
AMONG THE MISSING
ONE RAINY NIGHT
BITE

This book is dedicated to Ed Gorman

writer, publisher & friend. Ed, they don’t make them any better than you.

A LEISURE BOOK
®

July 2007

Published by

Dorchester Publishing Co., Inc.
200 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10016

If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”

Copyright © 1998 by Richard Laymon

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher, except where permitted by law.

ISBN-10: 1-4285-0323-4 ISBN-13: 978-0-8439-5753-2

The name “Leisure Books” and the stylized “L” with design are trademarks of Dorchester Publishing Co., Inc.

Printed in the United States of America.

Visit us on the web at
www.dorchesterpub.com
.

Chapter One

SANDY’S STORY—August, 1980

“Ow!” Sandy said. “Watch it with those teeth, buster. There. There, that’s better. Little monkey. Are you my little monkey? Huh, are you?”

Through the open window behind her, she suddenly heard footfalls crunching the forest mat of pine needles and twigs near her trailer home.

Fear knocked her breath out.

Eric stopped sucking, as if he sensed her alarm. He let go of her nipple, tipped back his head and looked up at her face.

“It’s all right,” she whispered.

Eric made a tiny whimper of concern.

“Shhhh.” Turning her head, Sandy looked over her shoulder.

The curtains behind her were shut. She kept them that way most of the time, even though her trailer was hidden away in a clearing and strangers rarely stumbled upon it.

You just never knew.

Watching the curtains, she could see the gloom of dusk through the thin yellow fabric. But she saw no movement, no trace of the intruder.

At least be can’t see us, either.

She wondered how she knew it was a man.

Maybe because of the heavy, sure sound of the footsteps.

He had already walked past the area directly behind her window. He kept going, and the crunching sounds faded a little.

Maybe he’s leaving.

More likely, though, he was circling the trailer—heading for the side with the door.

Just go away! Whoever you are, get out of here!

For a few seconds, she couldn’t hear him walking anymore.

Eric took her nipple into his mouth and resumed sucking.

Then the intruder climbed the stairs. The wood creaked and groaned.

Sandy turned her head and gazed at the door. It was directly across the narrow room from where she sat. It had no window.

Did I lock it?

I always lock it.

But did I?

She’d been awfully upset when she came in—hardly able to think straight.

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