The Conch Shell of Doom Read Online Free PDF

laughed at the irony. A leader needed to be strong, yet Mooresville elected a broken man to a position of power.
    “I remember when the leader of men was whomever swung the biggest sword,” Mr. Lovell said.
    Now, it’s whomever pushes the biggest button. Oh, what fun we are going to have once I have my body back.
    “So long as Franklin doesn’t get in the way.”
    He came close in the Copper Mountain, but he’s never been—
    “Apologies for making you wait,” Mayor Benchley interrupted. “But everything is set up for the evacuation.”
    See? These cretins can be useful. Say something nice to the man.
    “Excellent. You and the others have done a masterful job,” Mr. Lovell said.  
    “There will be a few stragglers who want to ride out the storm, but I’m sure they won’t be any problem for you.” Mayor Benchley laughed.
    Mr. Lovell didn’t react. He waited for Benchley’s laughter to die out into an awkward silence. “No, they won’t be a problem. Our… goblins will make chum out of them.”
    Laugh, Mr. Lovell. Let’s not scare the mayor too much.
    Mr. Lovell forced out a soft laugh. Benchley wasn’t sure if he should join in. Mr. Lovell lightly smacked Benchley on the shoulder. The mayor’s sour face broke into a grin.
    “You’re a slickster, sir,” Benchley said. “I like it.”
    “Then you’ll love Trenton Maroney.”
    Yes, he will. They all will. Can’t wait to meet them in person.
    Trenton laughed. Most of the time, his head went unnoticed in Mr. Lovell’s stomach. Something about laughter always tickled Trenton’s host body. He never could figure out why.  

    Bailey had no idea where to go. His home, the place that should be safest, was now the most dangerous. He thought about spending the night on the beach. But what if somebody spotted him, or the tide carried him away because he slept in the wrong spot? Sleeping outside, period, didn’t appeal to him. Parking his car in a field and spending the night seemed viable, but he wasn’t sure. Anxiety crept into his hand. He clenched it into a fist and released, trying to keep the anxiety at bay. Making a fist didn’t do much for the conversion disorder, but it made Bailey feel like he was doing something about the anxiety, and that did help. He needed to make a decision. The shot of vodka at Marshall’s helped a little, but it’d worn off a while ago. He normally had some Xanax in the glove compartment, but it ran out last week and he forgot to get it refilled.
    He needed to talk things out with someone, help untangle the mess of thoughts in his head. One person was best at that, but there was a catch. Alexis was Tim’s twin, and if he’d spoken to her first, Bailey would be up shit creek. Without realizing it, he’d driven to Alexis’s house, parking around the corner to be safe. The house was only a couple blocks from the beach, and as Bailey got out of the car, he stood still for a moment, listening to the waves crash in the distance. They were like a faint whisper in the air, giving him a sense of peace. He took a deep breath, taking the salty air into his lungs, and walked to her house. It was the only safe place that came to mind, aside from those places that had the yellow Safe Place signs, but those were more for at-risk youth in the criminal sense. Not the scary monster kind of way.
    Despite it being nine o’clock, Bailey knew Alexis would be home. She didn’t like to party, preferring to stay in rather than go out. She used to party, back when doctors diagnosed her with leukemia a couple of years ago. The odds of her surviving were really good, but the idea of death flipped a switch in her head. Alexis inhaled weed like it was oxygen and slept with a number of guys before starting chemotherapy, which made it impossible to do anything but throw up. She did stick with the marijuana at the time, something her parents were none too pleased about when they found out. Once the cancer went into remission, it was like the switch