The music grew louder and louder behind them. "If you want a tune, you have to pay the piper!" screeched the voice of the organist, and the black cloud of sqeaking bats descended on Lewis, driving him to the floor. He lost sight of Rose Rita as he crawled frantically between the legs of the lucrhing, headless crowd. He had almost made it to the doorwat leading to the vestibule when two balls came bouncing toward him.
        Only they weren't balls. They were the heads of Jonathan Barnavelt and Mrs. Zimmermann, and their faces grimaced in terror. They rolled toward Lewis, their teeth snapping and clicking as if they were going to bite him.
        Lewis scrambled back. Fingers clutched at his hair, and he heard the organist shriek, "Check this for you, sir?" Powerful hands tugged at his head. For a moment his neck seemed to stretch like taffy, and then he heard a sharp pop as everything went black.