Strange Highways

----

"Strange Highways" copyright (c) 1995 by Dean R. Koontz

"The Black Pumpkin" copyright (c) 1986 by Nkui, Inc., originally appeared in Twilight Zone Magazine, December, 1986; reprinted by permission of Nkui, Inc.

"Miss Attila the Hun" copyright (c) 1987 by Nkui, Inc., originally appeared in Night Visions 4, published by Dark Harvest, Arlington Heights, Illinois; reprinted by permission of Nkui, Inc.

"Down in the Darkness" copyright (c) 1986 by Nkui, Inc., originally appeared in The Horror Show, Summer 1986, reprinted by permission of Nkui, Inc.

"Ollie's Hands" copyright (c) 1972 by Dean R. Koontz, originally appeared in Infinity Four, edited by Robert Hoskins, published by Lancer Books; revised version copyright (c) 1995 by Dean R. Koontz.

"Snatcher" copyright (c) 1986 by Nkui, Inc., originally appeared in Night Cry, Fall 1986; reprinted by permission of Nkui, Inc.

"Trapped" copyright (c) 1989 by Nkui, Inc., originally appeared in Stalkers, edited by Ed Gorman and Martin H. Greenberg , published by Dark Harvest, Arlington, Illinois, reprinted by permission of Nkui, Inc.

"Bruno" copyright (c) 1971 by Dean R. Koontz, originally appeared in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, April, 1971; revised version copyright (c) 1995 by Dean R. Koontz.

"We Three" copyright (c) 1974 by Dean R. Koontz, originally appeared in Final Stage, edited by Edward L. Ferman and Barry N. Malzberg, published by Charterhouse, New York, New York; revised version copyright (c) 1995 by Dean R. Koontz.

"Hardshell" copyright (c) 1987 by Nkui, Inc., originally appeared in Night Visions 4, published by Dark Harvest, Arlington Heights, Illinois; reprinted by permission of Nkui, Inc.

"Kittens" copyright (c) 1966 by Dean R. Koontz, originally appeared in The Reflector, Shippensburg University, Shippensburg, Pennsylvania; revised version copyright (c) 1995 by Dean R. Koontz.

"The Night of the Storm" copyright (c) 1974 by Dean R. Koontz, originally appeared in Continuum 1, edited by Roger Elwood, published by G. P. Putnam's Sons, New York, New York; revised version copyright (c) 1995 by Dean R. Koontz.

"Twilight of the Dawn" copyright (c) 1987 by Nkui, Inc., originally appeared in Night Visions 4, published by Dark Harvest, Arlington Heights, Illinois; reprinted by permission of Nkui, Inc.

"Chase" copyright (c) 1972 by K. R. Dwyer (a pseudonym for Dean R. Koontz), published by Random House, New York, New York; revised version copyright (c) 1995 by Dean R. Koontz.

Copyright (c) 1995 by Dean Koontz
All rights reserved.

Warner Books, Inc., 1271 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020

A Time Warner Company

Printed in the United States of America
First Printing: May 1995
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Koontz, Dean R. (Dean Ray), 1945-
Strange highways / Dean Koontz.
p. cm.
"A Brandon Tartikoff book."
ISBN 0-446-51974-X
1. Horror tales, American. I. Title.
PS35G1.O55S69 199594-49024
813'.54-dc20CIP

Book design by Giorgetta Bell McRee

 
    This book is dedicated
with much affection to
Jerry and Mary Ann Crowe.
After all these years
of being your friends,
Gerda and I have learned
that we have infinite patience.
Thanks for the friendship,
for all the laughs
you've given us
(some of them intentional),
for buying the house
built over the gate to Hell,
and for pointing out to me
every error I make.
Every tiny error.
Every teeny-tiny error.
Every minute error that
no one else, not even God,
would notice.
Thank you. Thank you.
Thank you.

 

    CONTENTS

STRANGE HIGHWAYS
1

THE BLACK PUMPKIN
155

MISS ATTILA THE HUN
174

DOWN IN THE DARKNESS
201

OLLIE'S HANDS
226

SNATCHER
243

TRAPPED
259

BRUNO
309

WE THREE
336

HARDSHELL
344

KITTENS
371

THE NIGHT OF THE STORM
377

TWILIGHT OF THE DAWN
400

CHASE
430

NOTES TO THE READER
552

STRANGE HIGHWAYS

    1

ON THAT AUTUMN AFTERNOON, WHEN HE DROVE THE RENTAL CAR INTO Asherville, Joey Shannon broke out in an icy sweat. A sudden and intense hopelessness overcame him.
     He almost hung a hard U-turn in the middle of the street. He resisted the urge to jam the accelerator to the floorboards, speed away, and never look back.
     The town was as bleak as any in Pennsylvania coal country, where the mines had shut down and most good jobs had been lost decades ago. Nevertheless, it wasn't such a desperate place that the very sight of it should chill his heart and bring him instantly to the edge of despair. He was puzzled by his