Ignoring the beep of the finished coffeemaker, Jack made his way to his son’s bedroom door. He put his hand on the doorknob and rotated it just enough to feel it stop against the bolt.
Locked. Nothing new there.
He pressed his ear to the wood and heard his son moving around inside, then frowned at his lack of assertiveness. When had he become such a wimp? It was just Danny.
He heard the familiar click click of the lock, followed by the door being swept into the room. His son stood before him, a slumped silhouette against the sun-filled windows.
“Dad,” Danny said, his posture straightening in alarm. “What are you doing?”
Jack’s voice faltered. He caught a glimpse of red numbers on the digital clock by Danny’s bed. Did they say 1:20? With the sun’s light on the plastic, he couldn’t say for sure. “I—I saw something on the news and I just thought”—he forced himself to stop scratching the back of his head—“Well, I realized you and I haven’t talked in a while. I just wanted to know how school was and everything.”
“Actually, I’m gonna be late to school, so—”
“Sure, sure.”
He stepped aside and watched his son lock his bedroom door with a key before heading out. These days Danny had a dark look about him. Today his hair had been pulled down across his forehead in messy clumps, and he was wearing a black, cheap-looking sweatshirt over his school uniform. His clothes, even his uniform, had become baggier over the months, like he was trying to hide as much of himself as possible.
“What did you see on the news?” Danny said, not turning to face him in the hallway.
“It was just something. No big deal.”
“What thing, Dad?”
Jack took a deep breath and let it out as he spoke. “A couple of kids shot up their school, and I just—”
Danny nodded but said nothing. He stuffed his hands into his sweatshirt pockets and made for the door.
“That’s not what I meant,” Jack said. He took a step toward his son but couldn’t carry himself the rest of the way. Danny unlatched the front door and slammed it shut on his way out. Silence poured into the apartment until the walls seemed to pulse with it.
“Bravo,” Jack said to himself.
A sound rose behind him—bare feet padding against the carpet.
Claire, dressed in her nurse’s scrubs, stopped at the bedroom door and stood looking into the hallway, arms crossed over her chest. She’d combed her hair back in a severe and masculine style, as if renouncing her femininity was her own way of grieving.
“I heard what you said.”
Jack let his shoulders slump. “What?”
“The South Carolina shooting. You think Danny’s capable of doing something similar and you just had to let him know, in case he wasn’t feeling bad enough already.”
“I didn’t know he was feeling bad.”
Claire shook her head. The look of incredulity on her face, like she couldn’t believe they were still married, was so pronounced that Jack had to look away.
“Of course you haven’t noticed.”
“I’m just worried about him, Claire.”
“You think you’re the only one? I worry about him every day. I worry about losing him like I lost Kelly.”
“Well, you won’t.”
“You could have come to me first. If you’re worried about Danny, you—my God, what am I thinking?” She rolled her eyes upward and sighed. “You haven’t spoken to me in months. Why did I think you’d come to me?”
“I haven’t spoken to you because it’s obvious you can’t stand the sight of me.”
She let her arms drop away from her chest. “I don’t hate you, Jack. I just wish you’d show me what you feel. You’re like a rock. You’re like—” She shook her head, sighed, and smacked her arms against her sides. “I don’t even know anymore.”
“I’m trying, Claire.”
“You said the same thing a week ago, and then you come home drunk and fall on me in bed and almost crack my skull open!”
“And then you kick me out of the bedroom because that’s how we deal with our problems in this family. By pushing each other away. Don’t act like I’m the only one, Claire.”
“No,” she said. “You’re just the one who killed her.”
“What did you just say?”
She walked by without even touching him. Jack closed his eyes. He listened to her put on her jacket, waited for the door to click shut.
As soon as it did, a memory came creeping back to him, accompanied by a voice from the not-so-distant past.
Daddy, look! Lookit the big wave!
“Mark the time of death as 1:20,” Jack said. “That’s the time she died.”
Ignoring the coffee, the buzzing TV, and the toast—which was now burning—he dashed into his and Claire’s bedroom and threw open the closet doors. Then he fell to his knees and slid over a shoebox he hadn’t opened in six months.
“God help me,” he said and lifted the lid.
AVAILABLE NOW
If you enjoyed this story and also like horror thrillers, check out TRAINLAND, the story of a father who goes to Hell to save his daughter’s soul.
http://www.rdenoncourt.com/trainland/
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Richard Denoncourt is the author of horror, fantasy, and science fiction. He studied English literature and philosophy at Colgate University, after which he received an MFA in creative writing from The New School. He lives in New Hampshire.
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Table of Contents
Copyright
ALSO BY RICHARD DENONCOURT
Prologue
Episode I ORIGINS
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Episode II CHILDREN OF MENT
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Episode III PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Episode IV UPRISING
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
<
br /> Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Excerpt from TRAINLAND
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ascendant: The Complete Edition Page 49