Chapter Forty One

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Somewhere in the skies over California . . .

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Patrick wasn't sure why he had stuck around. The Strays had to have known that he had betrayed them, so his life was pretty much forfeit if they every caught up with him. But something had kept him here . . . had kept him from running. He kept thinking how easy it would be to just fly off into the night sky underneath . . .

"What the . . ." he started to say. The stars had vanished overhead. "Oh my . . ."

Whatever he had meant to say died on Patrick's lips as hew was enveloped by the darkness. The Dark One needed a host. Its body had been damaged, so it was going to borrow another one. This one was weaker than the girl had had been, but he would have to do. It seeped into Patrick's frail form through his ears, nose, mouth, and even his anal cavity. His legs seemed to explode t