LOT'S MOUNTAIN

CHAPTER NINETEEN: Always Beware of the Green Stuff

The next morning goes on the way my mornings always do. Right on time, Cheap-Watch picks me up. This time, though, he's not wearing his watch. Anyway, I get to school and run into Jamie before homeroom. Then I get an idea. If I'm going to find this Huntsman guy, maybe I should try to figure out some stuff about him. There's no way in hell that I'll be able to look up stuff on the computer about the Huntsman at the Shermans' place, not with Shard and his buddies watching me. So I ask to borrow Jamie's phone to look it up. Hey, I might get lucky. I mean, there are things online about wisps, so maybe there are some things about this Huntsman guy. I have to start somewhere, right? If the monsters have stories about him, then maybe humans do, too.

Nothing.

Then I type in THE HUNT and I find some movies. One of them mentions a legend about something called the Wild Hunt. So I look that up next.

There's crap about guys on horseback and vicious, ratty-looking dogs. One website shows a picture of a crazy-eyed guy with wild red hair that's supposed to lead them. In the picture he's driving a spear through a wild boar, sending sprays of blood everywhere.

If you're anywhere near the Wild Hunt, it's supposed to be bad news for you. Seeing it, even if you aren't the one being run down, could mean that all kinds of bad things are coming for you.

Legends aren't necessarily true. But if this thing's even close to true ... I'm supposed to find a guy that leads a bunch of killers and bring them home for dinner? Oh yeah, Tim's just gonna love me even more than he already does.

After I hand the phone back to Jamie, Jordan and Mark walk by. Of course, they stay there with us and start talking. The bell's gonna ring soon, but we stay there as long as we can.

Larry and Mike walk toward us. They're both wearing white shirts and just keep going, not saying a word. As soon as I see them, I feel like somebody's kicked me in the chest.

Stan Estes walks behind our ex-friends. He's wearing one of those white shirts, too.

"He's waiting," Stan says as walks past me, joining up Larry and Mike.

Jamie glances at them. You can tell that she wants to ask them what the hell is going on, but she sticks with us and she says, "Anybody gonna help me clean the theater tonight? We'll get free popcorn."

Jordan mumbles something that sounds like a no.

"Probably not me. It's a strong maybe though," Mark says with a shrug. "My parents are getting kinda weird."

"Getting weird?" Jordan says with a grin.

"They drag my little brother and sister to this weird church. At least I don't have to go." Mark then pulls out a book from his backpack and starts flipping through it. That's his signal for us not to ask him about it. We don't. His folks are in with that Lot's Mountain Church now.Jamie turns to me and says, "Dylan, are you coming Friday?"

"Maybe."

"Well, maybe you're just not cool enough," Jordan eggs me on.

"Dylan not cool enough?" She looks at me and says, "No, that can't be it."

"What was I thinking? He's plenty cool." Jordan gives me a shove. "He's a celebrity."

Shit. What's he talking about? And then I know. Dammit. How long have they known that I'm poor Dylan Caid? I want to hit something. Nobody has a right to bring up my brother, and I bet that's what is gonna happen next. They don't know all about what happened, and I'm sure as hell not going to tell them.

This is going to be like the night that Roger's friend Murphy said all that crap about me and was wanting to go to 210 Carver Street.

Yep, things'll go to shit right about now.