Horns: A Novel

by Joe Hill

  The wind gusted again, not just chilly but genuinely cold, and Terry cocked his head once more, thought for a moment he heard another distant snatch of trumpet, a dirty salute. It was a beautifully wrought little riff, and in the moment of hearing it he felt, for the first time in weeks, the impulse to play again. Then the sound of the horn was gone, carried away on the breeze. It was time for him to go, too.

  “Poor devil,” Terry said before he got into his rent-a-car and drove away.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS, NOTES, CONFESSIONS

  EXPERTS DISAGREE ABOUT THE LYRICS of the Romantics’ seminal 1980s hit, “What I Like About You.” Ig sings it “you’re whispering in my ear,” but many other listeners claim that Jim Marinos is hollering “warm whispering in my ear,” or even, “phone whispering in my ear.” Given the widespread popular confusion, I felt I could allow Iggy to have it his way, but I apologize to rock purists who feel I got it wrong.

  The copy editor on this book noted, correctly, that locusts die off in July, but the author chose to pretend otherwise, for those famous artistic reasons we’re always hearing so much about.

  My thanks to Dr. Andy Singh, for providing me with a rough sketch of BRCA1, the form of cancer that claimed Merrin’s sister, and might’ve claimed her, if my plot didn’t demand otherwise. Any errors regarding medical fact are, however, the author’s own. Thanks as well to Kerri Singh, and the rest of the Singh clan, for indulging my hand-wringing over this particular novel, during the course of a variety of evenings.

  Much gratitude as well to Danielle and Dr. Alan Ades. When I needed a place to work where no one would bother me, they found me one. Thanks as well to the folks at Lee Mac’s for feeding me for four months. I’m grateful to my friends Jason Ciaramella and Shane Leonard, who both read this book in manuscript form and provided me with a good deal of helpful feedback.

  Thanks to Ray Slyman, who filled me in on the Don Orione cross; to my sister, the minister Naomi King, who pointed me to several useful passages in the Bible. A book, God’s Problem: How the Bible Fails to Answer Our Most Important Question—Why We Suffer by Bart Ehrman (HarperOne), also proved a helpful resource. I read God’s Problem while I was neck-deep in the fifth draft. I suspect that if I had read it earlier on, this would’ve been a very different novel. Not better or worse, just different.

  A dedicated team of passionate book people worked on Horns behind the scenes at William Morrow/HarperCollins: Mary Schuck, Ben Bruton, Tavia Kowalchuk, Lynn Grady, Liate Stehlik, Lorie Young, Nyamekye Waliyaya, and copy editor Maureen Sugden. My thanks to the whole crew for doing so much to make me look good.

  Appreciation is due as well to Jody Hotchkiss and Sean Daily, who are passionate book people themselves (as well as passionate movie people), and who were fierce, happy advocates for this story.

  There was a point at which I came to feel that this book itself was the devil; I’m grateful to my editors, Jen Brehl, Jo Fletcher, and Pete Crowther, and to my agent, Mickey Choate, both for their patience while I struggled with the thing and for all the help they offered to guide me through the nettles of my own story. Finally, love to my folks, Leanora, and my boys; without them, I wouldn’t have had a hope in hell of finishing Horns.

  —J.H., August 2009

  About the Author

  JOE HILL is the author of a previous novel, Heart-Shaped Box, a story collection, 20th Century Ghosts, and an occasional comic series, Locke & Key. You can learn more at www.joehillfiction.com and follow him on Twitter, where he goes by the inspired handle of joe_hill.

  Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins author.

  ALSO BY JOE HILL

  Heart-Shaped Box

  20th Century Ghosts (story collection)

  Credits

  Jacket design by Mary Schuck

  Jacket photograph of Pitchfork by Vladimir Godnik/Getty Images

  Copyright

  The excerpt from “On Daemons & Dust” is from Maps and Legends: Reading and Writing Along the Borderlands by Michael Chabon, copyright © 2008 by Michael Chabon.

  This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  HORNS. Copyright © 2010 by Joe Hill. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data has been applied for.

  EPub Edition © January 2010 ISBN: 978-0-06-196946-1

  10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

  About the Publisher

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  Table of Contents

  C HAPTER O NE I GNATIUS M ARTIN P ERRISH SPENT the night drunk and doing terrible things. He w

  C HAPTER O NE

  C HAPTER T WO H E SHOVED HIMSELF BACK into his khaki shorts—he was still wearing yesterday’s cl

  C HAPTER T WO

  C HAPTER T HREE H E DROVE TO THE M ODERN Medical Practice Clinic, where they had walk-in servic

  C HAPTER T HREE

  C HAPTER F OUR T HE NURSE WHO TOOK Ig’s weight and blood pressure told him her ex-husband was d

  C HAPTER F OUR

  C HAPTER F IVE H E DROVE . H E DIDN’T THINK WHERE , and for a while it didn’t matter. It was en

  C HAPTER F IVE

  C HAPTER S IX H E HAD GONE DOWN to the river to work out a plan, but for all the thinking he ha

  C HAPTER S IX

  C HAPTER S EVEN T HERE WAS NOTHING LEFT for him but to go home and see his parents. He pointed

  C HAPTER S EVEN

  C HAPTER E IGHT W HEN HE WAS BACK in the front hallway, he looked at the screen door to the por

  C HAPTER E IGHT

  C HAPTER N INE H E STOOD IN THE DOORWAY of his bedroom for a full minute but did not enter the

  C HAPTER N INE

  C HAPTER T EN T ERRY LEANED AGAINST THE WALL , just inside the swinging door. He didn’t look so

  C HAPTER T EN

  C HAPTER E LEVEN S HE WAS SENDING HIM a message. At first he didn’t know it was her, didn’t k

  C HAPTER E LEVEN

  C HAPTER T WELVE T HREE DAYS BEFORE I G and Merrin met for the first time, a retired serviceman

  C HAPTER T WELVE

  C HAPTER T HIRTEEN I G HAD A FRAGMENTARY MEMORY of the time he was underwater that he later ass

  C HAPTER T HIRTEEN

  C HAPTER F OURTEEN L EE T OURNEAU WAS SHIVERING and soaking wet the next time Ig saw him as wel

  C HAPTER F OURTEEN

&nbs
p; C HAPTER F IFTEEN T HE WHOLE WAY TO CHURCH , Ig’s palms were sweating, felt tacky and strange.

  C HAPTER F IFTEEN

  C HAPTER S IXTEEN T HE NEXT TIME L EE CAME OVER , they went into the pool and played basketball

  C HAPTER S IXTEEN

  C HAPTER S EVENTEEN I G WAS WAITING FOR HIS TURN in the barber’s chair when he heard a tapping

  C HAPTER S EVENTEEN

  C HAPTER E IGHTEEN L EE OPENED HIS MOUTH to say something, then changed his mind and closed it.

  C HAPTER E IGHTEEN

  C HAPTER N INETEEN I G SAW M ERRIN W ILLIAMS and then pretended he hadn’t: no easy task, his he

  C HAPTER N INETEEN

  C HAPTER T WENTY F OR ALL THE REST of the summer, they had a habit of wandering into each other

  C HAPTER T WENTY

  C HAPTER T WENTY -O NE I G DROVE AWAY FROM HIS PARENTS’ HOUSE , from his grandmother’s smashed

  C HAPTER T WENTY -O NE

  C HAPTER T WENTY -T WO I G STOOD JUST INSIDE THE DOOR of The Pit, waiting for his eyes to adjus

  C HAPTER T WENTY -T WO

  C HAPTER T WENTY -T HREE T HE WAITRESS SAID HE’D BE more interesting if he killed someone, so h

  C HAPTER T WENTY -T HREE

  C HAPTER T WENTY -F OUR H E STAYED OFF THE INTERSTATE on the way back—back where? He didn’t kno

  C HAPTER T WENTY -F OUR

  C HAPTER T WENTY -F IVE I GGY WOKE IN THE FURNACE , wrapped in the old, piss-stained blanket. I

  C HAPTER T WENTY -F IVE

  C HAPTER T WENTY -S IX M IDMORNING HE WALKED INTO THE WOODS to take a shit, hanging his can ove

  C HAPTER T WENTY -S IX

  C HAPTER T WENTY -S EVEN S OMEWHERE SOUTH OF TOWN , he pulled over to the side of the road and

  C HAPTER T WENTY -S EVEN

  C HAPTER T WENTY -E IGHT I N THE AFTERNOON I G DROVE up the highway to a small country grocery.

  C HAPTER T WENTY -E IGHT

  C HAPTER T WENTY -N INE I G WOKE, STIRRED BY A CLANG and a steely shriek. He sat up in the soot

  C HAPTER T WENTY -N INE

  C HAPTER T HIRTY L EE T OURNEAU STOOD ON THE RIVERBANK and watched the current slowly turn the

  C HAPTER T HIRTY

  C HAPTER T HIRTY -O NE H IS MOTHER WAS DEAD in the next room, and Lee Tourneau was a little dr

  C HAPTER T HIRTY -O NE

  C HAPTER T HIRTY -T WO A FTER HIS MOTHER DIED , Merrin called and e-mailed more frequently, und

  C HAPTER T HIRTY -T WO

  C HAPTER T HIRTY -T HREE M ERRIN ANSWERED THE DOOR in sweatpants and a bulky hoodie, and her ro

  C HAPTER T HIRTY -T HREE

  C HAPTER T HIRTY -F OUR L EE HAD HOPED FOR A LATE NIGHT with Merrin, but it was just after ten

  C HAPTER T HIRTY -F OUR

  C HAPTER T HIRTY -F IVE H IS MOTHER DIDN’T HAVE A LOT to say at the end. Lee wasn’t sure how mu

  C HAPTER T HIRTY -F IVE

  C HAPTER T HIRTY -S IX H E REMEMBERED THE FENCE . He did not remember much about the two years

  C HAPTER T HIRTY -S IX

  C HAPTER T HIRTY -S EVEN H E SAT UP A WHILE LATER . The corn whispered frantically, spreading f

  C HAPTER T HIRTY -S EVEN

  C HAPTER T HIRTY -E IGHT L EE HAD A SMILE READY for Merrin when she opened the door, but she di

  C HAPTER T HIRTY -E IGHT

  C HAPTER T HIRTY -N INE H E LOOKED BACK AND FORTH with his one good eye, searching the parking

  C HAPTER T HIRTY -N INE

  C HAPTER F ORTY A FTER HE HIT HER with the stone, Merrin stopped trying to throw him off, and h

  C HAPTER F ORTY

  C HAPTER F ORTY -O NE I T WAS EARLY WHEN I G collected his pitchfork from the foundry and retu

  C HAPTER F ORTY -O NE

  C HAPTER F ORTY -T WO I KNEW IT WAS YOUR CAR right away,” Dale said, behind the wheel and driv

  C HAPTER F ORTY -T WO

  C HAPTER F ORTY -T HREE I G SAT AT THE BOTTOM of the chimney, in a circle of hot afternoon ligh

  C HAPTER F ORTY -T HREE

  C HAPTER F ORTY -F OUR A FTER HE HAD READ M ERRIN’S final message, and set it aside, and read i

  C HAPTER F ORTY -F OUR

  C HAPTER F ORTY -F IVE H E FIGURED L EE WOULD NEED at least half an hour to get there, more if

  C HAPTER F ORTY -F IVE

  C HAPTER F ORTY -S IX N O SOONER HAD HE PULLED himself into the room than the headlights swept

  C HAPTER F ORTY -S IX

  C HAPTER F ORTY -S EVEN S HADOWS LAPPED UNSTEADILY at the walls, rising and falling, the darkne

  C HAPTER F ORTY -S EVEN

  C HAPTER F ORTY -E IGHT I G STOOD, A BURNING MAN , devil in a gown of fire. For half a minute,

  C HAPTER F ORTY -E IGHT

  C HAPTER F ORTY -N INE H E CLIMBED DOWN from the open doorway and then, as an afterthought, rea

  C HAPTER F ORTY -N INE

  C HAPTER F IFTY T ERRY CAME BACK HOME in the third week of October, and the first warm afternoo

  C HAPTER F IFTY

  Table of Contents

  C HAPTER O NE I GNATIUS M ARTIN P ERRISH SPENT the night drunk and doing terrible things. He w

  C HAPTER O NE

  C HAPTER T WO H E SHOVED HIMSELF BACK into his khaki shorts—he was still wearing yesterday’s cl

  C HAPTER T WO

  C HAPTER T HREE H E DROVE TO THE M ODERN Medical Practice Clinic, where they had walk-in servic

  C HAPTER T HREE

  C HAPTER F OUR T HE NURSE WHO TOOK Ig’s weight and blood pressure told him her ex-husband was d

  C HAPTER F OUR

  C HAPTER F IVE H E DROVE . H E DIDN’T THINK WHERE , and for a while it didn’t matter. It was en

  C HAPTER F IVE

  C HAPTER S IX H E HAD GONE DOWN to the river to work out a plan, but for all the thinking he ha

  C HAPTER S IX

  C HAPTER S EVEN T HERE WAS NOTHING LEFT for him but to go home and see his parents. He pointed

  C HAPTER S EVEN

  C HAPTER E IGHT W HEN HE WAS BACK in the front hallway, he looked at the screen door to the por

  C HAPTER E IGHT

  C HAPTER N INE H E STOOD IN THE DOORWAY of his bedroom for a full minute but did not enter the

  C HAPTER N INE

  C HAPTER T EN T ERRY LEANED AGAINST THE WALL , just inside the swinging door. He didn’t look so

  C HAPTER T EN

  C HAPTER E LEVEN S HE WAS SENDING HIM a message. At first he didn’t know it was her, didn’t k

  C HAPTER E LEVEN

  C HAPTER T WELVE T HREE DAYS BEFORE I G and Merrin met for the first time, a retired serviceman

  C HAPTER T WELVE

  C HAPTER T HIRTEEN I G HAD A FRAGMENTARY MEMORY of the time he was underwater that he later ass

  C HAPTER T HIRTEEN

  C HAPTER F OURTEEN L EE T OURNEAU WAS SHIVERING and soaking wet the next time Ig saw him as wel

  C HAPTER F OURTEEN

  C HAPTER F IFTEEN T HE WHOLE WAY TO CHURCH , Ig’s palms were sweating, felt tacky and strange.

  C HAPTER F IFTEEN

  C HAPTER S IXTEEN T HE NEXT TIME L EE CAME OVER , they went into the pool and played basketball

  C HAPTER S IXTEEN

  C HAPTER S EVENTEEN I G WAS WAITING FOR HIS TURN in the barber’s chair when he heard a tapping

  C HAPTER S EVENTEEN

  C HAPTER E IGHTEEN L EE OPENED HIS MOUTH to say something, then changed his mind and closed it.

  C HAPTER E IGHTEEN

  C HAPTER N INETEEN I G SAW M ERRIN W ILLIAMS and then pretended he hadn’t: no easy task, his he

  C HAPTER N INETEEN

  C HAPTER T WENTY F OR ALL THE REST of the summer, they had a habit of wandering into each other

  C HAPTER T WENTY

  C HAPTER T WENTY -O NE I G DROVE AWAY FROM HIS PARENTS’ HOUSE , from his grandmother’s smashed

  C HAPTER T WENTY -O NE

  C HAPTER T WENTY -T WO I G STOOD JUST INSIDE THE DOOR of The Pit, waiting for his eyes to adjus

  C HAPTER T WENTY -T WO />
  C HAPTER T WENTY -T HREE T HE WAITRESS SAID HE’D BE more interesting if he killed someone, so h

  C HAPTER T WENTY -T HREE

  C HAPTER T WENTY -F OUR H E STAYED OFF THE INTERSTATE on the way back—back where? He didn’t kno

  C HAPTER T WENTY -F OUR

  C HAPTER T WENTY -F IVE I GGY WOKE IN THE FURNACE , wrapped in the old, piss-stained blanket. I

  C HAPTER T WENTY -F IVE

  C HAPTER T WENTY -S IX M IDMORNING HE WALKED INTO THE WOODS to take a shit, hanging his can ove

  C HAPTER T WENTY -S IX

  C HAPTER T WENTY -S EVEN S OMEWHERE SOUTH OF TOWN , he pulled over to the side of the road and

  C HAPTER T WENTY -S EVEN

  C HAPTER T WENTY -E IGHT I N THE AFTERNOON I G DROVE up the highway to a small country grocery.

  C HAPTER T WENTY -E IGHT

  C HAPTER T WENTY -N INE I G WOKE, STIRRED BY A CLANG and a steely shriek. He sat up in the soot

  C HAPTER T WENTY -N INE

  C HAPTER T HIRTY L EE T OURNEAU STOOD ON THE RIVERBANK and watched the current slowly turn the

  C HAPTER T HIRTY

  C HAPTER T HIRTY -O NE H IS MOTHER WAS DEAD in the next room, and Lee Tourneau was a little dr

  C HAPTER T HIRTY -O NE

  C HAPTER T HIRTY -T WO A FTER HIS MOTHER DIED , Merrin called and e-mailed more frequently, und

  C HAPTER T HIRTY -T WO

  C HAPTER T HIRTY -T HREE M ERRIN ANSWERED THE DOOR in sweatpants and a bulky hoodie, and her ro

  C HAPTER T HIRTY -T HREE

  C HAPTER T HIRTY -F OUR L EE HAD HOPED FOR A LATE NIGHT with Merrin, but it was just after ten

  C HAPTER T HIRTY -F OUR

  C HAPTER T HIRTY -F IVE H IS MOTHER DIDN’T HAVE A LOT to say at the end. Lee wasn’t sure how mu

  C HAPTER T HIRTY -F IVE

  C HAPTER T HIRTY -S IX H E REMEMBERED THE FENCE . He did not remember much about the two years

  C HAPTER T HIRTY -S IX

  C HAPTER T HIRTY -S EVEN H E SAT UP A WHILE LATER . The corn whispered frantically, spreading f

  C HAPTER T HIRTY -S EVEN

  C HAPTER T HIRTY -E IGHT L EE HAD A SMILE READY for Merrin when she opened the door, but she di