Condemned Page 2

  "I'm okay."

  "Are you sure?"

  At the top of the stairs, he let her smooth his hair. He asked, "You didn't hear anything about how he died?"

  "No. Only that he passed away over the weekend. Do you know what happened?"

  He shook his head. "No one does."

  She pursed her lips and gave a sympathetic nod. "If you need to talk about it, you come find me or your father, okay?"

  "I will."

  Walking down the stairs, she said, "Dinner will be ready in an hour. But if you're not up for it—"

  "I'm fine, Mom. Gotta start a paper. I'll be down for dinner, okay?"

  "All right, honey."

  In his room, he sat at the desk, opened a drawer, and pulled out a digital camera. He scrolled through the 2018 album until he found a series of photos of him, Adam, Trevor, and Jared taken during a summer trip five months earlier. The four smiled or laughed in nearly every photo recording their weekend at a cabin with Adam's parents. It was the last trip that the boys had taken together because a few weeks later Jared had started to pull away from his friends.

  There was a knock on his bedroom door.

  "Yeah," he called out.

  His father poked his head inside. "How are you doing, buddy?"

  "Fine."

  Stepping into the room, his father said, "You wanna talk about it?"

  "Jared?"

  "Yeah."

  "I'm fine." Conner clicked the camera off and placed it back in the drawer. "I mean, really. But if I wanna talk, I'll let you know."

  "Okay, buddy." His dad squeezed Conner's shoulder. "Your mom and I are available whenever you need us. Day or night. Got it?"

  Of course Conner got it. He could always depend on his parents for support. "I know."

  "Good." He returned to the door. "I'll see you at dinner."

  The family ate dinner as they normally would. They discussed school and grades and athletic commitments as usual. Conner's parents briefly talked about work. Mason recalled an amusing story about a friend at school that day. Although Conner participated in conversation, he avoided the topic of Jared. When everyone finished eating, he loaded the dishwasher because it was his night. Then he returned to his bedroom to watch TV.

  For the next couple of hours, he texted off and on with a girl from school, Mackenzie. They'd been flirting for weeks, and she continued the flirtation in the texts. The conversation had progressed to the point that Conner anticipated the exchange of sexy selfies or planning a date. But when his phone dinged, he was surprised that he'd received a text from Adam, not Mackenzie.

  Get over here now!

  He immediately called Adam. "What's up?"

  "Kayla's coming over."

  "What's that gotta do with me? Don't tell me you're hooking up."

  "No! Trevor's here. Movie. Pizza. Remember?"

  "Yeah, yeah. What about Kayla?"

  "Shelby texted Trevor. And she said that Kayla's parents told her all about Jared and what happened to him."

  "What do you mean? How he died?"

  "Yeah, man. Kayla told Shelby that it's effing crazy."

  "Fing-cray!" Trevor yelled in the background.

  "So, what happened?" Conner asked.

  "Kayla's coming over to tell us. Get your ass over here now."

  Conner glanced at the digital clock on the nightstand. Ten twenty. "Okay. I'll be there in a minute."

  He jumped from the bed and grabbed his sneakers. Quietly, he walked out into the darkened hall. As soon as he reached the stairs, his father spoke from behind. "What are you doing?"

  "Oh, hey, Dad. I'm going to Adam's really quick."

  "In a pair of shorts? It's forty degrees outside. Is it still raining?"

  He waved the shoes in his hand. "Just running across the street."

  "Why?"

  "Not sure. Said he needed me for something. So I'm gonna see what he needs me for, then—"

  "Fine. Get your butt back home as soon as you guys are done."

  "I will."

  "I mean it, Conner. It's getting late. Don't let your mom catch you sneaking back in."

  "Okay. Promise."

  On the porch, Conner slipped his shoes on and then raced across the street. The frigid temperature and moisture in the air made him instantly regret not putting on a shirt. He strolled into the house and headed straight for the living room where Adam and Trevor were sprawled out on the sofa.

  Adam propelled himself from the sofa with a chuckle. "You could have put your clothes on, dude."

  "You made it sound urgent."

  "Well, yeah."

  "You don't know anything yet?"

  Adam shook his head.

  The doorbell chimed in the foyer.

  "Gotta be Kayla," Adam said and walked out of the room. He returned several moments later with her at his side.

  The moment Kayla sat on a chair, Adam's mom appeared in the tall archway. Dressed in a black-and-yellow flannel robe, she hugged her torso and eyed the teens suspiciously. "Who's this girl?"

  "Hi, Mrs. Wheeler. It's me, Kayla Lansing."

  Adam's mother preserved her stony expression. "Do your parents know you're out this late with a bunch of boys?"

  "My curfew's at eleven. I'll be heading home in a few minutes."

  Mrs. Wheeler stepped away. "I'll be back to check on you in five or ten minutes. You guys need to wind the night down so Kayla can get home on time."

  Seated on the sofa again, Adam asked, "What did you hear?"

  "This is so crazy." She took a deep breath and leaned back. "But no matter how crazy it sounds, this is what my aunt told my parents."

  The boys stared at her, attentive but impatient.

  "Okay," Trevor said. "What happened to Jared?"

  "Officially," she said, "Jared died of cardiac arrest."

  Conner narrowed his eyes. "What? He had a heart attack?"

  "It happens," Adam said. "You know that football player over in Harris dropped right there on the field. And he was only sixteen."

  Trevor drew in a breath. "Man, a heart attack at eighteen. That's effed up."

  "Yeah," Conner said. "But what's so crazy about that? I mean, it doesn't happen that often. But it's not—"

  "Officially," Kayla stressed, "he died of cardiac arrest."

  "What do you mean?" Adam asked.

  She moved to the edge of the chair as if she were about to share a whispered secret. "Unofficially, his parents say he was killed."

  "What?" Trevor stood and crossed his arms. "What the hell are they talking about? Killed by who?"

  She eyed each face as if reluctant to answer. Then she leaned forward and said, "The devil."

  TWO

  The moment of silence in the room seemed absurdly dramatic, as if everyone was holding their breath for fear of being the first to make a sound. Then Adam cocked his head and exhaled a snort. "Whatever, Kayla. You came over here to prank us with this crap?"

  The devil? Conner shivered, half-convinced it was because he was shirtless, half-certain it was a reaction to the two words.

  "I promise I'm not making it up," Kayla replied. "My aunt goes to church with the Smiths . . . well, did . . . and she knows a lot of the clergy. Someone told her that—"

  "What do you mean, did?" Conner asked. "She doesn't go to church anymore?"

  "Oh, my aunt? Please! She's never missed a day of church in her life. Thankfully, she's not a religious freak, but she—"

  Trevor groaned. "Stick to the topic, Kayla."

  "Right. Sorry. Anyways, the Smiths left town. I guess they're moving away because they were traumatized by the whole thing."

  "Jared's death?"

  "Well, yeah. But also, you know . . . the exorcism."

  Adam laughed nervously. "Bullshit!"

  Conner snatched Trevor's jacket from the arm of the sofa and pulled it on. "Rumors don't mean nothing. People talk crap all the time. We all know that Jared wasn't himself the past year, but to say that he was possessed. That's so
stupid."

  "Wait, wait, wait." Adam rose and folded his arms. "Possessed. Like, the devil was inside him? Like, that Emily Rose movie. Or The Conjuring?"

  "Yes," she said. "I know it's hard to believe, but—"

  "You're right," he said. "I don't believe it."

  "Who told her?" Conner asked. "Some churchgoer lady that likes to gossip?"

  "A priest. And he said it was the real deal."

  "Nah," Trevor said. "I don't believe it either."

  "I'm only telling you what my aunt said." Kayla leaned back again and sighed. "Apparently the exorcism went on for two weeks. I guess the priests thought they were close to . . . casting the devil out . . . but Jared died."

  The room fell silent again. Looks were exchanged.

  "Times up!"

  The four jumped at the sound of Mrs. Wheeler's voice.

  "Okay, Mom!" Adam called out and then stepped toward Kayla. "I guess it's time for you to go before my mother comes down here and has a hemorrhage."

  "Yeah, I can't be late getting home. Again. So I'll see you guys at school tomorrow."

  While Adam escorted Kayla to the front door, Conner plopped down onto the sofa and tugged Trevor to sit with him. "Do you really think any of that is true?"

  At first, Trevor twisted his face in surprise. Then his features softened. "It seems unbelievable. I mean, I don't know if any of that stuff really happens to people."

  "Possession?"

  "Yeah. Have you ever met anyone that's been possessed? Or even heard a story by someone who knows someone?"

  Conner shook his head. "It's creepy, though. Could you imagine living in a house with someone that's supposedly possessed by a demon or devil or whatever?"

  "Hell no!"

  Adam returned and stood next to the coffee table. "Uh, I don't think that story's true. It can't be. It doesn't make any sense. I mean, how the hell is that possessed voodoo-crap even possible?"

  "Apparently he died of a heart attack," Trevor said. "And that's good enough for me."

  "Really?" Conner asked. "Jared used to be our best friend. And then something happened that changed him. He wasn't the same guy we grew up with. He was mean and violent. He changed in a bad way. And the three of us knew that there—"

  "So, you think the devil changed him?" Adam asked.

  "I don't know. None of us do. We don't know anything about him for like the past five months. Maybe something really bad was going on. Maybe it was"—he took a deep breath—the devil."

  Adam ran his hand through his unruly hair and lowered his head. "Does it matter?"

  "Well, yeah, it kinda does," Conner replied. "None of us liked him anymore. He wasn't—"

  "Whoa!" Trevor bellowed. "That's not fair."

  "Be honest," Conner said. "He was a complete ass at the end of our friendship. And none of us liked him anymore. You didn't want to be his friend anymore either. Right?"

  Trevor and Adam both nodded.

  "See? So, yeah, I think it makes a difference. If something really creepy and strange happened, like the devil changing him, then it wasn't his fault."

  After several seconds of silence, Trevor said, "We need to figure out what the real story is. Like, the whole truth. Not us guessing. And not some rumor from Kayla's religious aunt."

  "How?" Adam asked.

  Trevor shrugged. "Beats me. Can we just ask his parents, or would that be, like, really rude?"

  "Seriously? Ask them if their son was possessed by the devil?"

  "Kayla's aunt," Conner said. "Maybe she'll tell us. Especially if we convince Kayla to be there with us."

  "It could just be a stupid rumor." Yawning, Adam sat on the sofa. "Telling us the same story won't mean that it's true. She could be repeating something she heard at the church potluck."

  "Yeah, good point."

  Trevor faced the two. "Maybe we could ask the priest."

  "Hey!" Mrs. Wheeler called from upstairs. "Did Kayla leave?"

  "Yes, Mom."

  "Good. And what about Trevor and Conner? If they're spending the night, you guys need to get to bed soon. You got school tomorrow."

  Conner rose to his feet. "I need to get my ass home." He took off the jacket and tossed it to Trevor. "We can talk about this tomorrow."

  "Yeah, okay," Adam replied. He looked at Trevor. "You going home too or you wanna spend the night?"

  "I would. But I don't want to drive home in the morning for all my school crap. So, I'm going to head out too."

  "Okay."

  On the front porch, Conner said, "Let's keep this story to ourselves. Hopefully Kayla doesn't tell everyone. If she does, let's play stupid."

  Trevor and Adam agreed. The boys bumped fists, and then Conner jogged back to his house. Inside, he locked the door and then scanned the dark foyer. An unexpected fear of the unknown slithered into his mind, but he flung it aside and hurried up the stairs to his bedroom.

  He'd missed eight text messages from Mackenzie. When he hadn't responded, she'd sent a final text: whatever moving on BBYEE.

  Rather than send an apology, Conner planned to talk to her at school the next day. Or maybe he'd chalk it up as a failed opportunity. He certainly wouldn't be heartbroken by the end of their flirtation and stalled sexual encounter. Besides, it was all just high school crap.

  As he lay in bed, he tried not to think about the devil and hell and demons and exorcisms. Instead, he concentrated on God and Heaven and angels and miracles. And thankfully, he fell asleep easily.

  * * *

  As Conner searched his closet for clothes to wear, he silently chanted, I don't wanna think about it, I don't wanna think about it. Then he recalled the look in Jared's eyes that day in the restroom. The more he thought about it, the more he contemplated the possibility that Jared wasn't all Jared. He'd definitely behaved unlike his normal self. Maybe Conner now had an explanation—however outlandish—for Jared's severe personality shift.

  A knock on his bedroom door was immediately followed by Conner's dad walking into the room. "Hey. How are you feel—buddy, you're not even dressed yet."

  Conner smiled. "I'm in the process."

  "You stay up too late?"

  "No. I overslept, though."

  His father's good-natured morning expression dissolved into a look of concern. "You're doing good, though. Right?"

  "Yes."

  "All right." At the dresser, his dad surveyed the athletic trophies and framed photographs as if he hadn't seen them dozens of times. "Mason's school is having their Evening of Arts and Music."

  "I don't think he has anything in the exhibit."

  "Are you sure?"

  "He didn't mention anything to me. He didn't remind us at dinner last night either."

  "I'll ask him before I leave. If he does, will you be able to go?"

  "After practice, maybe."

  "Check in with him before you head out." He watched Conner pull on a pair of navy cargo pants and then sit on the bed. "I know Jared's death must be difficult to deal with."

  Conner's parents had always been the nurturing and sometimes overly attentive type. If they suspected that Conner was having a tough time dealing with Jared's death, they'd check on him more often than he cared for. At eighteen years old, he wanted to be treated like a young man, not a little boy.

  "I'm kinda shocked and sad, but I'm fine, Dad. I told you and Mom already, I'm okay. Please don't ask me twenty more times."

  "I just wanted to double-check."

  "Don't worry."

  "Okay. I won't."

  "Besides, Jared and I weren't really friends anymore. I guess that makes it easier to deal with."

  His father nodded as though satisfied by Conner's words and then walked to the door. "I never really asked why he didn't come around anymore. What happened?"

  "He changed."

  "Changed how?"

  Aside from becoming an angry and miserable person, allegedly he was possessed by the devil. "He just changed."

  His dad seemed to ponder the m
orsel of an explanation. "Even though you weren't friends, it might do you some good to go to the funeral. Go pay your respects."

  "I'll talk to Trevor and Adam about it."

  "Good." Stepping out into the hall, he said, "Have a good day, buddy. And make sure you check in with Mason."

  "I will."

  * * *

  When Conner walked out onto the porch, Adam was already seated on the steps, waiting. They recited their usual greeting, but Conner sensed a shift in the exchange. Although neither mentioned Jared or the devil, Conner suspected the previous night's story had affected them equally. For a moment, he was thankful for the lack of supernatural talk. However, the story about their former best friend scratched away at his skeptical mind.

  "My dad thinks we should go to the funeral," he said.

  "My mom and dad said the same thing."

  "What do you think?"

  Adam shrugged. "I guess so. He was our friend and all. I bet his parents are probably expecting us to be there."

  "Yeah. Probably."

  Trevor pulled up to the curb and yelled out the window, "Let's go, losers. Newman High awaits."

  On the way to school, they discussed attending Jared's funeral. Adam and Conner expressed their belief that they should go as a united trio in support of the friendship that had existed between the four. After brief consideration, Trevor agreed.

  The boys hung out near their lockers talking to Miguel and Levi while students meandered through the noisy hall. As they discussed the upcoming basketball game and wrestling match, Conner spotted Mackenzie walking in his direction. Prepared to apologize for bailing on their text conversation, he stepped forward with a smile. However, she barely glanced at him and continued to walk to her first-hour class.

  "Ah. Rejected!" Trevor blurted. "Looks like she's not falling for Casanova Conner."

  "Shut up." Conner thrust his elbow into Trevor's stomach. "I was going to apologize and everything. It's her loss."

  Levi grinned, his dimples on full display. "She didn't look defeated."

  "Hey, it's no big deal." He glanced at Adam. "Life goes on."

  The first bell rang, and students quickened their steps.

  Adam groaned. "All right. Let's get to it."

  In Miss Campbell's English class, the boys sat at their assigned seats—a tactic she'd employed weeks earlier because the three spent more time socializing with each other than studying. A minute later she entered the class and closed the door. Within seconds the bell rang.