Chapters 18 - 20 Summary

In Chapter 18, Susan takes Jack to a door that she says leads to a closet in Pete's room. Through cracks in the wall he sees Pete. Leslie is tied to the bed. Pete is trying to force Leslie to eat something. Jack is shaking with revulsion.

In Chapter 19, Stephanie hears Jack calling for her, and then leaving. The idea that he is leaving again angers her. She feels a snake slither up her leg. In a quick decision that she doesn't even understand, Stephanie leaves the closet, unlocks the basement door and marches down the stairs. Her momentary courage flees when the basement door slams behind her and she hears the deadbolt slide into place.

In Chapter 20, Jack tries to pull a cricket bat free from the closet to use as a weapon and pulls something else loose also. The noise...