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Mason PLM

Chapter One

On a cold January night, a nine-year-old named Gene Avrett walked down the hall toward his little brother's bedroom. Gene intended to kill the boy, because he wanted to see what it felt like. The idea excited him. His heart tripped fast, like he was on the first plunge of a roller coaster, and his palms were wet with sweat.

Quietly he entered the room and closed the door. As he did, several sheets of paper rustled. They were pinned to the door and each held a picture drawn with crayon, like the ones his mama taped to the fridge. The pictures were stupid...butterflies and flowers and a little girl in a white dress. Silly kid stuff and nothing more.

Gene crossed to the bed and gazed down. Moonlight poured through the window to cover his brother's face, and a small teddy bear rested near his head. His parents called the brat "special." Why they couldn't just call him a retard like everyone else did, Gene didn't know. There he lay in his bed, a bit of drool dripping out of the corner of his mouth. The dummy should have been locked in the attic. Instead, he was treated like a prince.

Gene was sick of it.

Leaning over the bed with his hands outstretched, Gene moved stealthily, as if he were trying to catch a skittish toad. He pinched the boy's nose closed. Then he pressed his palm over his brother's mouth and winced with disgust when the drool touched him. Otherwise, he liked the way it felt...his fingers pressing into the soft, warm skin. A faint pulse played against his fingers. He wondered how long it would take for the heart to stop.

Suddenly his brother's eyes shot open. Gene saw fear in them. He liked that.It made his heart beat even faster, but the thrill ended too soon.

From down the hall rose a terrible cry. The sound, muffled by two closed doors, still was enough to startle Gene. It was his daddy. Gene released the grip on his brother's face and leaped away from the bed.

He rushed to the door and opened it a crack. The hallway stretched before him, shadows on shadows. The door at the end of the hall burst open. His daddy, wearing blue boxer shorts and a white T-shirt stretched tight over his belly, rushed out. He dashed five steps down the corridor and paused by the railing. His eyes were wild. His mouth worked furiously, though he made no sound. He ran his hands through his hair, combing it madly with his fingers.

Then Gene's mama appeared, and Gene knew that his fun was over. She'd be up all night now. She would want to sit with her "special" boy and comfort him. But first she hurried to his daddy's side, grasped his arm, and tried to console him.

Gene's daddy started screaming again, shouting at the top of his lungs. He waved his hands in the air like he was being attacked by a swarm of bees. Of course, Gene had seen his daddy in a state before, but this fit was so bad, he was getting nervous.

Just then Gene saw what his daddy saw. A flock of black birds appeared in the hallway. They came out of nowhere, seeming to form from the shadows to fill Gene's vision. The crows swarmed the narrow corridor and covered the open space above the stairs, but only for a second. What the hell? Gene thought. He blinked and rubbed his eyes, and the birds disappeared.

When the brief shock passed, Gene saw his daddy was still there, waving his arms and screaming, but he was alone now. His mama seemed to have vanished completely.

Gene stepped into the hall, but he stopped when his little brother began to cry. It was a dreadful noise, part tears and part choking. He turned toward the sound. Looking at his gross little brother, Gene ground his teeth together.

Tears slid down the boy's face. His hands slapped at the blankets as his cry for "Mama" rose into the darkened room. Behind Gene, his daddy called out. This time the man was forming actual words...something about needing an ambulance...but for the moment, Gene kept his attention on the sobbing brat. . . .

Mama's "special" boy . . .

Mason.

Mason PLM. Copyright © by Thomas Pendleton. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Available now wherever books are sold.