HEX by Thomas Olde Heuvelt Read Free Book Online Page A

called Crystal Meth Church on account of the shape of its windows—and the old, sloping Temple Hill Cemetery. There were even those who found “gathering” too strong a word for the feeble excuse for eateries and retail establishments there at the intersection. Among those skeptics were the five boys on the patio at Sue’s, lethargically sipping their cappuccinos and lattes, too worn-out to get overly excited about what was coming.
    â€œDon’t you kids have to be at school?” Sue asked when she brought them their order. It had stopped raining, but it was chilly, and Sue had had to remove pools of water from the plastic tables and chairs.
    â€œNo, the first two periods were cancelled, so they let us out,” said Burak. The others nodded in agreement or squeezed their eyes shut in the pallid sunlight. Burak held a job as a dishwasher at Sue’s, which earned them a free first round. After that they usually moved on to Griselda’s Butchery & Delicacies on the other side of the square (Griselda was Jaydon’s mom), which meant another free first round.
    Burak wasn’t lying, not entirely. The first two periods really had been cancelled—but no one had let them out.
    â€œWe’ve had an alert, boys,” Sue said.
    â€œI know, ma’am,” Jaydon said amiably, a sure sign for everyone who knew Jaydon Holst to start seeing the word “BEWARE” in huge blinking neon letters. In fact, as Tyler had once remarked to Lawrence, Jaydon was the reason why the word “beware” existed at all, as well as the words “involuntary commitment” and “disaster waiting to happen.” But they all knew his background, so they tried to be sympathetic. “We figured we’d just sit here, so we can help out in case something happens.”
    â€œYou’re an angel, Jaydon. I’ll tell your mom that when I go pick up the bacon this afternoon.” Burak tried his best not to laugh as Sue put an ashtray down in front of him. “Can I get you boys anything else?”
    â€œNo, thank you, ma’am,” Jaydon said with a smile that rose up like a cloud of carbon monoxide.
    She was about to take the open menu away from the table when Tyler quickly put his hand on it, more forcefully than he had intended. “Can I hold on to this? I might want to order something else later on.”
    â€œSure, Tyler,” Sue said. “You just holler, all right? And I’ll let you know if I get any messages. It probably won’t be necessary, though. They have the choir ready and waiting.” She carried the tray back inside.
    All was silent for a moment, a silence in which the awkwardness of the situation seemed to thicken the air. Then, with a dim smile, Jaydon said, “Fucking hell.”
    â€œDude, really … d’you want to go to Doodletown or something?” Despite Tyler’s relief, his heart was pounding in his throat. If Sue had discovered the GoPro under the menu they would have been in deep shit. The REC light was on and the sports cam was aimed at Deep Hollow Road to the south, where at that very moment two men were placing a red-and-white barrier across the road near St. Mary’s Church. The same thing was happening to the north, past the place where Old Miners Road, coming in from The Point, opened out onto the main thoroughfare. The GoPro couldn’t see it, but Tyler, Justin, and Lawrence could. And there was something else: Out of the Roseburgh Nursing Home next to Sue’s came eight or nine warmly wrapped elderly women, fiercely scanning the road. They talked among themselves and then, with their arms linked, strolled past the patio and out toward the intersection.
    â€œShowtime,” Justin remarked. “The crowds are going wild.”
    â€œWhat time is it?” Tyler asked.
    Lawrence peeked at his iPhone. “Nine-thirteen. One more minute. Turn your cam, dude.”
    With great care, Tyler slid