by Sean Platt
Contents
::WhiteSpace: Episode One::
CHAPTER 1 — Milo Anderson Part 1
CHAPTER 2 — Alex Heller
CHAPTER 3 — Jon Conway Part 1
CHAPTER 4 — Milo Anderson Part 2
CHAPTER 5 — Jon Conway Part 2
CHAPTER 6 — Cassidy Hughes Part 1
CHAPTER 7 — Jon Conway Part 3
CHAPTER 8 — Liz Heller
CHAPTER 9 — Cassidy Hughes Part 2
::WhiteSpace: Episode Two::
Cassidy Hughes (AGE 10) Part 1
CHAPTER 1 — Jon Conway Part 1
CHAPTER 2 — Brock Houser Part 1
CHAPTER 3 — Milo Anderson Part 1
CHAPTER 4 — Alex Heller Part 1
CHAPTER 5 — Cassidy Hughes Part 2
CHAPTER 6 — Liz Heller
CHAPTER 7 — Jon Conway Part 2
CHAPTER 8 — Milo Anderson Part 2
CHAPTER 9 — Cassidy Hughes Part 3
CHAPTER 1 — Brock Houser Part I
CHAPTER 2 — Liz Heller Part 1
CHAPTER 3 — Cassidy Hughes Part 1
CHAPTER 4 — Jon Conway Part 1
CHAPTER 5 — Brock Houser Part 2
CHAPTER 6 — Cassidy Hughes Part 2
CHAPTER 7 — Alex Heller
CHAPTER 8 — Milo Anderson Part 1
CHAPTER 9 — Brock Houser Part 3
CHAPTER 10 — Milo Anderson Part 2
::WhiteSpace: Episode Four::
CHAPTER 1 — Milo Anderson Part 1 (age 12)
CHAPTER 2 — Alex Heller Part 1
CHAPTER 3 — Cassidy Hughes
CHAPTER 4 — Milo Anderson Part 2
CHAPTER 5 — Jon Conway Part 1
CHAPTER 6 — Liz Heller
CHAPTER 7 — Alex Heller Part 2
CHAPTER 8 — Jon Conway Part 2
CHAPTER 9 — Brock Houser
CHAPTER 10 — Milo Anderson Part 3
Chapter 11 — Stephen Anderson
::WhiteSpace: Episode Five::
CHAPTER 1 — Jon Conway Part 1 (age 13)
CHAPTER 2 — Brock Houser Part 1
CHAPTER 3 — Jon Conway Part 2
CHAPTER 4 — Cassidy Hughes
CHAPTER 5 — Liz Heller
CHAPTER 6 — Chief Kevin Brady
CHAPTER 7 — Jon Conway Part 3
CHAPTER 8 — Milo Anderson
CHAPTER 9 — Brock Houser Part 2
CHAPTER 10 — Warren Conway
::WhiteSpace: Episode 6::
CHAPTER 1 — Sarah Hughes
CHAPTER 2 — Brock Houser
CHAPTER 3 — Liz Heller
CHAPTER 4 — Milo Anderson Part 1
CHAPTER 5 — Cassidy Hughes
CHAPTER 6 — Alex Heller
CHAPTER 7 — Milo Anderson Part 2
CHAPTER 8 — Jon Conway
CHAPTER 9 — Sarah Hughes Part 2
Author’s Note
Sneak Peek — Yesterday's Gone: Season Three
About The Authors
YESTERDAY'S GONE — THE FIRST CHAPTER
FORNEVERMORE — THE FIRST TWO CHAPTERS
AVAILABLE DARKNESS
DARK CROSSINGS: Short stories. Killer Endings.
Our Books
WhiteSpace: Season One
Episodes 1-6
PLUS…
AN EXCLUSIVE SNEAK PEEK OF
Yesterday’s Gone: Season Three
Plus
The first 2 chapters of ForNevermore: Episode 1
The first chapter of Yesterday’s Gone: Episode 1
by Sean Platt &
David Wright
Copyright © 2012 by Sean Platt & David Wright. All rights reserved
Cover copyright © 2012 by David W. Wright
This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, businesses, events, or locales is purely coincidental. The authors have taken great GIGANTIC liberties with locales including the creation of fictional towns (and islands!) The authors rarely leave their home states and research is limited to whatever the spirit of Magellan tells them via Ouija Board.
Reproduction in whole or part of this publication without express written consent is strictly prohibited.
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eBook First Edition - June 12, 2012
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CHAPTER 1 — Milo Anderson Part 1
In the not too distant future…
Hamilton Island K-12
Hamilton Island, Washington
Friday
September 1
7:15 a.m.
Where in the hell is Mr. Heller?
Milo glanced at the clock, again. It wasn’t like the teacher to be late. And while the rest of Mr. Roger Heller’s 11th grade English Literature & Composition class were clearly enjoying their few moments of unexpected free time, Milo wanted it to end immediately since Manny wouldn’t shut the hell up.
“So, are you gonna do it? Are you?” Manny asked for the third time.
Milo turned to his right, where Katie and Jessica were talking a mile a minute in front of Jessica’s desk two rows over, to make sure they hadn’t heard, then turned back to his left, where Manny sat like a big, stupid dog that didn’t know how far the sound of his barking carried.
“Shut up,” Milo whispered. “I already said I don’t wanna talk about it, especially not here.”
“What?” Manny said, again, even louder. “They can’t hear me.” He leaned toward Milo, but didn’t lower his voice. “So are ya’ gonna ask her, or not?”
“I don’t know,” Milo whispered, wishing Manny would drop it. He never should have said anything to Manny or Alex when they were hanging out in front of the school before the first bell.
The moment that Manny heard a tasty bit of gossip, he was all over it, and wouldn’t let it go until he’d talked over every little detail. Sometimes, Manny seemed more like a girl in that aspect than the girls they hung out with.
At least Manny had the smarts to stop yammering when Jessica and Katie joined them under the flagpole. But now that they were in class, Manny wouldn’t, or couldn’t, shut up, despite the fact that Jessica, the subject of this particular piece of gossip, was just two rows away from them.
“But it’s perfect timing!” Manny insisted. “It’s her birthday. She can’t turn you down on her birthday! That’s like socially illegal.”
Milo turned again, praying the girls hadn’t overheard the word “birthday.” If they had, then everything would be doomed.
Tomorrow was Jessica’s 17th birthday, and everyone was getting together at Milo’s house for a surprise party for her. Not a large party, just their immediate circle of friends — himself, Manny, Jessica, Alex, and Katie.
Milo planned to finally reveal his true feelings for Jessica — feelings he’d harbored in secret for at least four years.
The only reason Milo had even asked the guys for their advice, and divulged his secret, was because Alex’s girlfriend, Katie, was best friends with Jessica. Surely, Katie would’ve said something if she knew how Jessica felt.
“I don’t know,�
� Alex had said. “Katie’s never said anything one way or another. But I say go for it. I’ve seen the way Jessica looks at you. And she’s always asking what you’re up to.”
“Really? Why the hell didn’t you tell me before?” Milo asked, playfully shoving his best friend. “How long has this been going on?”
“Just recently,” Alex said. “I think a better question is why didn’t you tell me you were into Jessica until now?”
“Yeah, what the hell, man?” Manny said, trying to be part of a conversation that didn’t really need him. From that moment on, the big dork had focused on nothing but Milo and Jessica. Milo practically expected him to start singing, “Milo and Jessica sitting in a tree…”
The girls had arrived a few minutes later, and the conversation had died... until Manny started up after they got to class.
“I say go for it,” Manny said. “I agree with Alex. Jessica wants you.”
Milo turned, praying she hadn’t heard her name mentioned.
Katie and Jessica were looking at him and whispering. Jessica giggled, and Milo looked down as if studying the carving on his desk. It said, “God can see you,” and looked like it had been there forever.
Manny laughed, “They’re talking about you.”
“Shut up,” Milo whispered again, wondering if they were, and feeling his face turn red. Maybe Alex said something to Jessica when she was walking with him to his first class.
Shit, I knew I shouldn’t of said anything.
Milo grabbed his cell and texted Alex, hoping he’d left his phone on vibrate, rather than ringtone.
“Did u tell Katie abt me likin Jess?” he texted.
A full minute passed, then:
“No y?” Alex texted back.
“No rsn. Where’s ur dad? He’s late.”
“Dunno hvnt sn him. He left early. shld b thr.”
Mr. Heller was Alex’s dad, and he was never this late. Usually, he was in class an hour before the school doors opened, which was why Alex usually walked to school or caught a ride with Katie on the days her mom let her drive the car they shared. At least that’s the reason Alex gave for not coming in with his dad.
Milo suspected something else, however; that Alex was embarrassed by his dad. As cool and laid back as Alex was, Mr. Heller was nerdy, straight-laced, and talked like someone from one of those old TV shows with the big happy, and thoroughly unrealistic, families. The girls flirted with Mr. Heller and the guys pretended to care about his lectures, and Mr. Heller was too oblivious to see they were messing with him. Despite the heckling, students generally seemed to like him, though. He was lenient, not prone to mood swings like many of the teachers, and you’d have to be an idiot to get anything less than a “B” in his class.
Mr. Heller was dorky, clueless, and wore clothes about 15 years out of style.
But Mr. Heller was never late.
Milo hoped they didn’t have a substitute. Subs always gave them busy work. One of the cool things about Mr. Heller, and the reason the kids probably liked him most, was that Mr. Heller spent at least half the class talking. And it was the kind of talking which he never quizzed students on, so you could catch a few Z’s, which made the class Milo’s favorite first period since Home Economics in 8th Grade.
The door to the classroom squeaked opened behind them, and the class fell silent, except for the sound of students rushing back to their desks and cracking open their books as if they were earnestly attempting to unlock the finer points of grammar.
Manny had his book open, but it was upside down. Milo laughed at his idiot friend and made a face, then gestured toward the book.
Manny looked down, eyes widened, then laughed and turned the book right side up.
Idiot.
Katie took her seat behind Manny, and gave Milo a suspicious look. Milo turned away quickly, feeling his face turn red again.
Alex did tell her! Or maybe she heard Manny Big Mouth.
Milo looked to his right to see if Jessica was also looking at him. But her eyes were up front, as was the attention of the rest of the class.
Mr. Heller sat his briefcase on the desk, then straightened his shirt, which was uncharacteristically wrinkled and half untucked, with one tail spilling down below his waist. He looked nervous, or . . . scared.
Milo turned to see if Manny had noticed. He had, making a face at Milo as if to say, “What’s up with Mr. Heller?”
Katie wore the same expression, as did the rest of the class.
Mr. Heller stood behind his desk, hands on either side of his closed briefcase, as though exhausted, too tired even to lift his head and look his students in their eyes. His hair, usually precisely combed in the exact same old-fashioned style, was all messed up; a sweaty mop atop his head.
Class with Mr. Heller began exactly the same way every day. He’d wait for the students to settle down, giving them a full minute after the final bell before he stood up, turned to the whiteboard, and then neatly wrote the topic of the day’s conversation. Once the topic was recorded in neat black lines on the whiteboard, he’d turn to the class, and say something like, “Good morning, class. Today we’re going to discuss foreshadowing,” or whatever subject he’d written. Most days, he’d also throw in a terrible pun to kick things off.
Mr. Heller was such a stickler for routine that Milo could easily imagine the man starting his weekend mornings the same way at home, in front of a whiteboard with the words “bacon and eggs” written on it. “Good morning, family. Today we’re going to have bacon and eggs. Here’s a little joke I heard. This one will crack you up.”
Seeing Mr. Heller just standing there, staring down at his desk, was unsettling enough to send a shiver down Milo’s spine.
“Are you okay?” Stephanie Blankencamp said from her front row desk.
Mr. Heller said nothing.
Instead, he turned around, grabbed a black dry erase marker, and started to scribble on the whiteboard. His handwriting, normally block-perfect and in a straight line, was wild and erratic, like he was writing in an angry rush.
The whiteboard read: “Eleven”
Eleven? What the hell? Is that how many beers he drank before class?
Milo turned to Manny and Katie, the three of them exchanging quiet confusion. Milo then looked over to Jessica, who was staring back with the same bewildered and nervous expression.
Mr. Heller turned from the whiteboard, finally meeting the eyes of the classroom. His face was clammy, and his eyes were bloodshot. His hands were shaking as he turned his head back and forth, as if he were counting students. . . or searching for someone.
He looked down at his desk again, then opened his briefcase with a loud snapping sound. He stared into the briefcase for what seemed an eternity, as Milo, and probably the entire class, wondered what he was looking at. Had the class done so poorly on their reports the previous week that Heller couldn’t bring himself to pick up the stack of graded papers?
Mr. Heller reached into the briefcase and pulled out a pistol.
Time stopped for Milo, even as a million things seemed to happen around him at once.
First, Manny laughed, like Mr. Heller was going to show them a cool trick or joke or something using the gun as a prop. Or perhaps it was the nervous laugh of a brain which hadn’t quite registered the threat. But someone else, Amber Riley, screamed. Several students gasped.
Mr. Heller aimed the gun and fired, shooting Tommy Hopkins, the school’s star rower, right in the face. The gunfire was thunder in the enclosed classroom, like an explosion in Milo’s ears as Tommy fell to the ground.
Chaos erupted as Mr. Heller turned, as calm as a man choosing his doughnuts from behind the glass, and fired another shot, then another, barely audible over the high-pitched ringing between Milo’s temples. One shot missed one of the students and sailed through the wall into the next classroom. Milo heard muffled screams from next door. Had the bullet hit someone, or were they screaming in response to the sound of gunshots?
Students scr
ambled in every direction but with one destination in mind — out of the classroom. Milo remained rooted to his desk, unable to think straight, much less move. And then something caught his attention. Jessica was running toward him, eyes and mouth wide open. He had to get up and protect her.
But he was too late. Milo’s eyes shifted from Jessica to just over her left shoulder, where Mr. Heller’s blurred figure came into crystal-clear focus, gun aimed directly at Jessica.
No!
Milo opened his mouth to warn her, but his speech was cut short by the thunder of another gunshot which sent Jessica forward, and straight into him. Milo, Jessica, and his desk tumbled in a painful collision of flesh, wood, metal, and carpet.
And blood, spreading across the front of Jessica’s powder blue sweater.
Jessica stared up at him, scared and searching for a reason. She said something, but her voice was muffled as if he were hearing it through a wall of cotton. He pulled her to him, as though he could protect her from more bullets.
The gunshots stopped, and the only sound was the whistling in Milo’s ears.
Milo turned his head and saw another victim of Mr. Heller’s gun — Manny lying in a river of blood. He appeared to have been shot in the stomach. His eyes were glassy, but he wasn’t dead. Yet. He was staring back at Milo, eyes pleading for help.
Just as Milo wondered where Mr. Heller had gone in all the madness, the teacher appeared, walking toward them, gun drawn in his shaky hand.
Milo wanted to get up, knock the gun away, or do something. But he was still paralyzed on the spot, afraid that he’d do the wrong thing and get himself or his friends killed. He looked down to see Jessica’s blood seeping into his shirt and jeans. Her eyes were closing, and he prayed that Mr. Heller would keep walking out of the class and past them, so he could save his friends, even if he had no idea how he intended to do so.
Mr. Heller paused, looking at Manny with hollow eyes, and his expression drifted from nervous to one of bottomless sorrow. He kneeled beside the boy, face almost apologetic. Manny began to tremble, unable to move as Mr. Heller leaned down and said something to him.