After Life Read Online Free PDF Page A

He turned toward Hodes
    and Lee thought he saw a slight nod. Then Dyes lowered his head and
    started to run, mumbling obscenities under his breath. All right, Lee
    said, releasing his breath. Back to the scrimmage. So far I haven't
    seen anything to lead me to believe you guys have a chance to beat the
    girls' team in my last school. Hodes, take it out.
     
    Lee returned to his bench and watched. Dyes ran with his arms against
    his sides as if he had to hold in his stomach, but Lee noticed he had
    his middle finger on both hands extended in silent, profane defiance.
    The other boys noticed, too, and some smiled.
     
    Gilmore returned and took his position, the injured boy behind him
    walking with tissues in his nose.
     
    You okay? Lee asked him. The boy nodded. When Dyes ran by, he glared
    at him hatefully and the boy cowered and retreated to another, more
    out-of-the-way place on the bench. The scrimmage continued until Lee
    saw Hodes jab his elbow into another boy's face causing him to bleed at
    the mouth. Lee blew his whistle and called them to gather in a circle
    before him I wonder, he said slowly, if you guys ever heard about
    something called personal fouls.
     
    Ain't that something that happens when you get caught, Benson quipped.
     
    There was a short burst of tittering.
     
    From now on, Lee said, ignoring it, whenever we scrimmage, everyone has
    the same limit we have in a game. Then you're out.
     
    Shit, we all be out then, Gilmore said, and the boys laughed again.
     
    Then you'll all be out, Lee said as nonchalantly as he could. He
    perused the squad. To a man they were glaring back at him, and for the
    first time since he had begun his initial practice with his squad, he
    understood what was giving him this sense of foreboding.
     
    The team, his team, looked more like a pack of rabid dogs panting as
    they stood there staring back hatefully at him than they did a group of
    teenage boys training to compete in a civilized sport.
     
    Jessie paused in her preparations of the meat loaf she and Lee were to
    have for dinner. She held her breath and listened again. It was the
    oddest sound and it came from above. from old man Carter's apartment.
    It sounded like some sort of steel-toothed creature gnawing away at the
    floor. The crunch, crunch sound was followed by a soft gasp. It gave
    her the chills. She embraced herself and waited. After another series
    of crunching and another gasp, it ended. She heard footsteps. Then she
    heard the door of the upstairs apartment open and close. She moved
    toward the front of their apartment to hear even better.
     
    Someone, obviously much younger than the aged tenant above, was coming
    down the stairs quickly. His steps pounded with a firmness and an
    authority old man Carter's lacked. The heavy oak outside door opened
    and closed and the footsteps continued over the loose slats of the porch
    floor and down the stone stairway. Jessie went to a slightly opened
    front window and continued to listen. The sounds trickled away as
    whoever it was continued rapidly over the fieldstone walk.
     
    Lee had done a good job describing the structure and the grounds, so she
    could easily imagine someone moving about out there. But whoever it was
    didn't get into an automobile and drive off as she was anticipating.
     
    Instead he turned to the right and walked toward the cemetery, the
    footsteps becoming different. Jessie listened until the sound ceased.
    How odd, she thought. She knew that by this time of day, the late fall
    twilight had set in and it must be rather dark outside. Lee had
    described the street, so she knew there were no streetlights to push
    away the heavy, black curtain of night. Who was this person? Where was
    he going in the dark?
     
    For a moment she didn't move. She waited to hear old man Carter above,
    but there was only a deep, ominous silence. Just as she turned to go
    back to the kitchen, she caught a whiff of some putrid odor slipping
    under the front door of