Book 6: Pest Control - Demon Slayer Set 2 Read online

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  Demo

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  by Dax Varley illustrated by Jon Proctor

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  by D

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  Dax V

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  Jon Pr

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  Spellbound

  An Imprint of Magic Wagon

  abdopublishing.com

  For J2 —JP

  abdopublishing.com

  Published by Magic Wagon, a division of ABDO, PO Box 398166, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55439. Copyright © 2018 by Abdo Consulting Group, Inc. International copyrights reserved in all countries. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher. Spellbound™ is a trademark and logo of Magic Wagon.

  Printed in the United States of America, North Mankato, Minnesota.

  052017

  092017

  Written by Dax Varley

  Illustrated by Jon Proctor

  Edited by Megan M. Gunderson

  Art Directed by Candice Keimig

  Publisher’s Cataloging in Publication Data Names: Varley, Dax, author. | Proctor, Jon, illustrator.

  Title: Pest control / by Dax Varley ; illustrated by Jon Proctor.

  Description: Minneapolis, MN : Magic Wagon, 2018. | Series: Demon slayer ; #6

  Summary: A local woman captures a demon and Max interrogates it to find out more information about his missing mom.

  Identifiers: LCCN 2016961871 | ISBN 9781532130076 (lib. bdg.) |

  ISBN 9781624029615 (ebook) | 9781624029769 (Read-to-me ebook) Subjects: LCSH: Mothers and sons¬--Fiction. | Kidnapping--Fiction. |

  Demonology--Fiction.

  Classification: DDC [Fic]--dc23

  LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2016961871

  Table of

  Contents

  c h a p t e r 1

  Scanner On ..............4

  c h a p t e r 2

  Biting Mad................16

  c h a p t e r 3

  The WEaver ...........28

  c h a p t e r 4

  Door of Doom .......38

  c h a p t e r 1

  Scanner On

  My police scanner crackled to

  life. Yeah, I kept up with the cops.

  If they found my mom before I

  did, I wanted to know right away.

  Tonight was just the usual—a

  fight, a tripped alarm, a lost dog.

  4

  5

  Then . . .

  “Any units available?”

  the female dispatcher asked.

  6

  A male voice replied, “This is

  Unit Eleven. What’s up, Hildy?”

  “Hey, Dale,” the dispatcher

  said. “We just got a call from

  Mrs. Jenkins out on Farm Road 20.”

  7

  All units repeatedly pressed

  their hand mics. CliCk, cLicK, cLicK, cLicK, cLicK, cLicK, cLicK, cLicK, cLicK, cLicK, cLicK, cLicK, cLicK.

  It was code for laughter.

  8

  Why would Mrs. Jenkins’s

  call make them chuckle?

  “Oh, lordy,” Dale said.

  “What’s she got for us this week?”

  9

  Hildy replied, “She claims she’s caught El Chupacabra.”

  CliCk, cLicK, cLicK, cLicK,

  cLicK, cLicK, cLicK, cLicK, cLicK.

  “Say what now?” Dale spouted.

  “El Chupacabra,” she answered.

  “It means ‘goat sucker.’ It’s a mythical creature. You know, like Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster.”

  11

  Now I was laughing.

  “You don’t say,” Dale chuckled.

  “I do say,” Hildy countered

  with a laugh.

  12

  CliCk, cLicK, cLicK, cLicK,

  cLicK, cLicK, cLicK, cLicK, cLicK.

  “Did she mention how she

  managed to

  it?” Dale asked.

  Hildy answered, “She said it

  was eating dirt in the family

  cemetery on her property.”

  13

  CliCk, cLicK, cLicK, cLicK,

  cLicK, cLicK, cLicK, cLicK, cLicK.

  But I wasn’t laughing anymore.

  I bolted straight up.

  Eating graveyard dirt? She’d caught something all right, and it wasn’t El Chupacabra.

  Dale came back on. “Okay,

  Hildy. I’m grabbing dinner first.

  I’ll check it out in an hour or so.”

  14

  An hour or so. Plenty of time.

  Grabbing my pack, I rushed out.

  c h a p t e r 2

  biting mad

  There weren’t many houses on

  Farm Road 20. And only one with

  Jenkins on the mailbox.

  I paused near the front porch.

  The house looked like something

  from a sl asher film, with

  DARK windows and wonky

  shutters. The dim night made

  everything spook y.

  16

  17

  I pulled my cap low on my head.

  First, to look . Second, to

  hide my face and hopefully my age.

  I rapped on the door.

  Mrs. Jenkins swung it open.

  “Who are you?”

  18

  I stood a little taLlER. “I’m with pest control. I hear you captured El Chupacabra?” It was tough

  keeping a straight face.

  Mrs. Jenkins stepped out. She

  shut the door behind her. With a sideways nod, she said, “Back here.”

  We weaved around rusty

  farm equipment, a jacked-up car, and ratty lawn chairs to the

  cemetery. She pointed a finger. “It’s in that

  over there. But be

  careful. It bites”.

  20

  21

  I squinted in the dark.

  “Did it bite you?”

  “Naw. I tossed a pillowcase

  over its head and conked him

  a good one. He just woke up. And boy, is he mad”. She whistled.

  I would be, too.

  22

  “Thanks,” I said. “I’ve got it from here.”

  She jutted her chin toward

  the spray bottle in my hand.

  “What’s that?”

  I held up the witch hazel .

  “Our special formula. Works

  great on pests like yours.”

  “You aren’t going to kil it,

  are you?”

  25

  “I don’t know,” I answered. “If

  it’s b

  ”

  iting, it might have

  .

  26

  She shuddered. “Wel , do

  what you have to do. And you might want to hold your nose. That

  thing stinks to high heaven.”

  She turned and went inside.

  c h a p t e r 3

&nb
sp; the weaver

  I’d been fighting demons for

  about nine months, but never one that had been whacked over

  the head. I figured he wouldn’t be in the best mood. And I was right.

  The second I approached, he

  reached his claws out and took a swipe at me. I shot him with a blast of witch hazel and he jerked back.

  28

  29

  I cRoUcHed close—but not too

  close—and lifted the bill of my cap.

  His evil eyes widened, and he

  snarled, “Max.”

  I’d taken out so many demons

  they knew me.

  , he said, “My

  demon clan is on the way to rescue me. Can’t you smel them?”

  31

  He was probably right. I had to

  hurry. “Where’d you move

  my mother?”

  His lip curled and a

  glob of spit oozed from his

  mouth. “Don’t ask me.”

  I held the spray bottle to his

  face. “Tell me. Or lose an eye.”

  “I don’t know where they took

  her!” he hissed.

  32

  I teNsED, ready to spray.

  “STOP!” he shrieked.

  “It’s the truth.”

  “Why should I believe you?”

  “Because I have no reason to

  lie. My clan is on the way for me.

  They’ll have you for dinner.”

  34

  Oh great. Who would arrive first, his evil friends or the police ? If I didn’t get answers quick, Dale the cop and Mrs. Jenkins might be dinner, too.

  35

  “Why

  they tel you

  where she’s kept?” I pressed.

  “Because I don’t need to know.

  I’m just a weaver.”

  I sat back. “A what?”

  36

  “A weaver. For the

  SCAR LET PORTAL.”

  I lowered the bottle, puzzled.

  “What’s the scarlet portal?”

  “The door of doom”.

  37

  c h a p t e r 4

  door of doom

  The odor in the air grew

  stronger—a smel like

  dog hair and day-old puke.

  The demon pack grew close.

  I shot his arm with more

  poisonous mist.

  “Makes sense,” I said. “What’s

  the door of doom? Where does

  it lead?”

  38

  39

  A grin stretched across his

  face, drool dripped from his fangs.

  “A special door. It’s nearly complete.”

  “Special how?”

  He paused, taking his sweet

  time. Demon growls sounded in

  the distance. “You’ll find out soon enough,” he said.

  41

  I splattered him with a heavy

  blast. “Tell me now!”

  42

  I heard a car roll up. One quick bwoop ! The police. Dang it!

  The demon flashed his sharp

  teeth as he gripped the cage.

  “Remember, Max . . . darkness

  comes. War will rage. And

  you won’t be able to stop it.”

  “Maybe not,” I said, opening

  the bottle, “but I can cripple it.”

  I soaked his hands in witch

  hazel , destroying them both.

  He howled . . . and howled . . . and howled.

  44

  45

  I reACheD up, unlatched the

  cage, and dropped the hatch.

  He cowered.

  46

  “Go”, I told him. “You’re

  free. But take this message to your friends: War is coming. But I will be the one raging it.”

  He slipped out of the cage,

  paused, and stepped close. Opening his jaws wide, he let out a long shriek, blowing hot, foul air in my face. Then, quickly, he turned and bounded away.

  I heard coMmOTiOn coming

  from the house. Lowering my cap, I spun and raced the other way.

  The SCAR LET PORTAL? The

  door of doom? I had no idea where it was. But I needed to find it fast.

  If that door opened, the entire

  human race would die.

  48

  De

  Demo

  m n S

  on

  l

  Sl ayer

  Pest Control

  Old M

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  #

  Books in

  6

  t his series

  # 5

  # 6

  # 7

  # 8

  Document Outline

  Cover

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1: Scanner On

  Chapter 2: Biting Mad

  Chapter 3: The Weaver

  Chapter 4: Door of Doom

  Back Cover

 

 

  Dax Varley, Book 6: Pest Control - Demon Slayer Set 2

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