Der Schädelring: Thriller (German Edition)

the hoods gathered around Daddy. They were yelling at him. They were going to hurt him.
    Daddy looked over at her, standing in her pajamas, Chester Bear dangling by her side. Why was Daddy crying?
    Then the bad people saw her.
    "She belongs to him, not to you," said one of the bad people, the tall one. He held his fist near Daddy's face. "All things belong to him. The money and the flesh."
    Daddy shook his head. He was wearing a dark robe, just like the others. Except his hood was down. She couldn't see the faces of the other bad people. She was so afraid she almost wet her pajamas, and she hadn't done that in a long time. She was Daddy's good girl who made him proud.
    "You can't have her, Lucius," Daddy said to the bad man.
    "It's not for me," he said, shaking his fist, his voice growing deeper, scarier. "The Master has ordered it."
    "No," Daddy said. "I'm done with it. I want out."
    "No one gets out," the bad man said. "You signed in blood. He owns you now, just as he owns this whore Judas Stone."
    The other people in hoods moved closer to Daddy.
    " Daddy !" Julia shrieked.
    "It's okay, honey," Daddy said. Then he pulled his hood over his head. She couldn't see his face, and his eyes glowed like the glass eyes of a stuffed animal.
    Daddy held out his hands, the sleeves of the robe drooping, full of shadows. "We won't hurt you. I'll take care of you."
    She hesitated, afraid to leave her room. Darkness behind her like a long curtain.
    "Come on, Jooolia," he cooed, just as he did at play, happy times of crayons and the blue pool in the yard and dolls making dinner and cars and trucks and wooden blocks on the living room floor. Just like normal.
    She took a small step forward. Why was Daddy wearing the hood? Didn't he know how scary he looked?
    "It's just a little game we play," Daddy said, coming toward her, his hands out. Like he wanted to hug her.
    "What's he doing?" came Dr. Forrest's voice, as if from behind a wall. Dr. Forrest didn't belong here. Dr. Forrest belonged back there .
    But Dr. Forrest was her friend. Dr. Forrest wanted to help her. Dr. Forrest wouldn't let the bad people get her.
    "It's just a little game we play," Julia said.
    "And he's holding your hand, taking you with the bad people," Dr. Forrest said. "What's happening?"
    "Daddy's carrying me. It's nighttime because it's dark and I see stars and it's cold and I'm scared. I dropped Chester Bear somewhere. I smell the wet grass."
    "You're in the barn, aren't you?" asked Dr. Forrest. Such a nice lady.
    "There are more bad people here, and some smoke that smells funny. Stuff is burning in little pots. There's a big gray rock on the dirt. I can't see the stars anymore."
    "Daddy puts you on the rock, doesn't he?"
    Julia nodded, confused. She was supposed to be remembering, but she didn't want to.
    Because this isn't happening. If you close your eyes, it goes away.
    "Don't shut the door, Julia," came Dr. Forrest's voice again. "You're close."
    Close. The bad man's breath is on her skin. Somebody takes her pajamas, and she's naked and cold. She tries to move, but she can't. The rock is hard under her back.
    The man in the hood bends over her. He has a knife. It glows in the fire, candles all around, something stinks, why are there so many bad people? They all have hoods. Which one is Daddy?
    They're singing now, a song that doesn't sound happy at all. She looks up to the other end of the rock, trying not to see the bad man. She sees the goat's head, the ragged threads of the neck dripping blood. She screams.
    "That's it, Julia," said Dr. Forrest. "Let it out. Don't let the memory keep you chained anymore."
    Something hurts inside her belly, she's crying but none of the bad people seem to notice, they just keep saying the scary words over and over.
    Just the way she remembers it.
    Just the way Dr. Forrest told her it happened.
    And then the rest of it. She can't breathe, why is Daddy letting them do this to her? This isn't just a little game. Because games are fun, and this isn't fun.
    Now the bad man has a knife, holding it over his head. The knife flashes like the skull ring.
    "What does he say?" Dr. Forrest asked.
    "You know," Julia murmured.
    "Yes, I know, but you need to know. Say it out loud, and you'll kill its magic. It will have no power over you."
    "I'm scared."
    "I know you're scared, Julia. I know this is hard for you. But the only way to get better is to stare down your fears." Dr. Forrest sounded as if she were near tears herself, voice