Agonal Breath (The Deadseer Chronicles Book 1) Read Online Free Page B

trailer that isn’t ) but I had made every square inch of wall and ceiling space count. Posters from the great loves of my life — the Star Wars saga, Star Trek, DC, Marvel, Vertigo, video games, Dungeons and Dragons – all fought for attention, overlapping crazily and sometimes pinned up at weird angles. A life-size Darth Vader cutout stood in the corner at the foot of my bed, wielding a red lightsaber and holding out a gloved hand palm-upwards towards me. Sometimes I would wake up panicking in the middle of the night, emerging confused from a dream and not knowing where I was, and the Sith Lord would be a strangely reassuring sign that I was back in my comfort zone.
    Mom like to say that the den looked as though somebody had detonated a bomb in the middle of a clothing store; at least, that’s what she had said when Dad was still here. Now we didn’t joke about bombs any more. You couldn’t really make out the floor, concealed as it was beneath a layer of T-shirts, shorts, jeans, and cargo pants. As a concession to basic hygiene, I usually kicked my underwear beneath all that other stuff until laundry day. Out of sight, out of mind.
    Two of the walls were covered with a set of cheap bookcases, crammed to overflowing with science fiction and fantasy books by the hundreds. The wear and tear on the spines showed how much I loved those books. I’d read them over and over and over again, escaping to distant worlds, other times, and alternate universes…anywhere but the here and now, basically. Even my phone was loaded up with e-books and digital comics, heroes and monsters carried around with me wherever I went, tucked into the pocket of my cargo pants.
    I was starting to get a grip again. The tears were drying up. Rolling off the bed, I went over to the computer desk and fired up my Internet browser. The next few hours passed by at lightning speed. I trolled my regular message boards, surfed a few fan sites for cool developments and news. A Diet Coke kept me company, and before I knew it, the light was beginning to fade outside.
    My iPhone pinged, breaking my concentration. Irritated, I reached over and punched in my unlock code. It was a new text message – Call me :-)
    “Holy crap!”
    A “Call me” and a smiley face!
    I couldn’t believe it.
    It was from Becky.
     

 
     
     
     
     
     
    CHAPTER THREE
     
     
    How I managed not to fall backwards out of my chair in shock, I will never know.
    Play it cool, I told myself with just a trace of desperation . Don’t call her back right away. You don’t want her thinking you’re too keen, right? That’s never good.
    Cradling the phone loosely between my fingers, I let my arm dangle limply across one knee. I stared at it. Waited. If there had been a clock in the room, all I heard would have been the noise of it ticking the seconds away.
    I waited a little longer.
    Screw it.
    I hit the call icon with my thumb. The wait during the ring tone seemed to last a lifetime.
    Come on, Becky…pick up. Pick UP.
    “Hi, Danny!” That bubbly smile had infected her voice. My heart rate was picking up; I could feel it pounding away inside my chest.
    “Hey, Becky,” I said weakly. Not as lame as the ‘ sup? I had actually been contemplating for a nanosecond, before reality set in like a cold water bath. Don’t even TRY to be cool. You’re not cool, not even remotely. Just be yourself, man. It’s your only hope. That was always the standard line of advice on those TV dating shows Mom liked to watch so much. Be yourself. I decided to run with it. I mean, it’s not like I had a Plan B to fall back on.
    “Thanks for calling me, Danny. I really appreciate it.”
    “No problem, Becky.” There was a silence that went on for just a fraction too long. “Um, so what can I do for you?”
    She sounded a little embarrassed. “So, I kind of wanted to ask you a favor. If it’s not too weird.”
    “Sure, no problem,” I said again. Idiot. Stop repeating yourself.
    “Oh, sweet. But