CHAPTER 52Ping stood in the back room of the dark gadget shop disconcerted after watching the translucent blue bubble consume Mara in a neon torrent that collapsed into a single point of light that teased him before it winked out. He stood still next to the tiny office door listening to the intermittent pounding and shuffling of the mindless creatures that roamed on the other side of the garage door. He crept toward the office door, planning to make good on his promise to hide under the desk. As he turned to enter, he heard another sound, this one from the front of the shop, a regular pounding, a frantic knock at the door, followed by a muffled voice.
“Mara! Mara! Hurry up and let me in. I know you are in there! Mara!”
Ping shuffled in the dark toward the front of the shop, holding his a
