The sheriff that had arrived twenty-five minutes after my frantic call scratched at the back of his head. “So you expect me to believe that there is some kind of monster fungus living underneath our town?” He said dryly.

I had used the time to clean myself up and change my clothes. I hadn’t told him about Jonas, although I was sure to be suspect in his disappearance. “Please just check it out. I think the whole town could be in danger.” I pleaded.

He stood there silently regarding me before he turned away, saying, “I’ll be in touch.”

As he stepped into the light of the sun, he adjusted his old fashioned sheriff hat and for a brief moment I could see a small curly patch of blue and green fibers in his hair, the same fibers I had seen only hours earlier in the place that had swallowed my brother.

I knew I had to leave.

I didn’t even wait for the Sheriff to get into his car before I ran to mine, flung open the door and scrambled inside.

Frantically I turned the key but nothing happened.

My car was dead.