Page 120 of Monsters in Love: Lost in the Underworld

“Luckily, it won’t go back to the living world with you,” Julia says, and Jonas looks up at her again.

His earlier confusion has been replaced by something a little more like awe. And I think he might be following her more than he is me.

The scarecrow at the center of the maze hangs lopsided. It almost looks like a living man. I can’t take the time to worry about that.

“Okay… when did your grandmothers start hanging up dead men for scare crows.” Jonas looks up at it with wide eyes.

“They didn’t. It’s just one of hell’s tricks.” I say as I unhook the chain with one hand.

The scarecrow falls into the cornstalks and I leave him there.

“Are you sure?” Jonas asks. “Because that looked just like the guy in my ten am poli-sci class.”

I look at Julia and she shrugs. “If he died here and hasn’t gotten to his hell yet, he might be a ‘real boy’.”

Jonas grimaces. “Sure, but Pinocchio didn’t have his chest ripped open.”

I get Jonas wrapped up in the chains, threading them through his belt loops and using a bolt to secure them.

But I don’t wrap him around myself. If I need to drop him, or tie him up to something else, I want to be able to do it quickly.

When I look up again, Jonas has turned back toward the ravine, his neck twisted at too far of an angle.

“Hey!” I snap my fingers next to his ear. “Don’t give into that. You can find a willing partner in the living world. One that will actually sleep with you instead of torturing you for eternity.”

He stares vacuously toward the hell that wants to claim him.

“He’ll probably slip in and out like that.” Julia says.

But when she moves in between him and the ravine, his unfocused gaze turns to her and he turns, like she’s got him by the nose.

“If we lead, he’ll follow.” She looks toward the path into the maze. “For now.”

Jonas moansin the moment before he comes back to us and I look back toward the burning bones I can’t see anymore.

“How are we going to know if Dylan’s already wound up in his hell?” He could be one of those skeletons for all I know.

“I don’t think you will know.” Julia says. “We just have to keep looking and… hope?”

I don’t like that.

“He won’t have left the farm.” She takes my hand again. “So we check everywhere we can until there’s nowhere left to look.”

“First thing we need to do is get out of this maze,” Jonas says, neck stretched, trying to see over the stalks. “It was creepy before. I kind of hate it now.”

The maze is the same path here as it is in the living world and I follow it without hesitation.

But right before we reach the turn that leads to the exit, rustling from my right makes me pause.

I peer into the stalks. Someone is in there, and they’re close enough to hear…

“Dylan?”

But the man that steps out of the stalks—his shambling, body bent at a crooked angle—isn’t my friend. Eyes milky white, in jeans and a t-shirt, he’s…

“The scarecrow?” Jonas asks.

“Not quite.” I take a step back. “I guess you were right about the guy from your class. Do you remember his name?”

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