Hugendubel.info - Die B2B Online-Buchhandlung 

Merkliste
Die Merkliste ist leer.
Bitte warten - die Druckansicht der Seite wird vorbereitet.
Der Druckdialog öffnet sich, sobald die Seite vollständig geladen wurde.
Sollte die Druckvorschau unvollständig sein, bitte schliessen und "Erneut drucken" wählen.

The Hole In the World

J.D. Robinsonerschienen am01.07.2019
Klem Antrim would go to the ends of the Earth to see his father alive again-but he'll have to travel much farther than that.
Klem's life in picturesque Sea Scarp has just taken a turn for the worse. The car crash that killed his father knocked Klem straight out of reality, and since that day nothing in his life has seemed quite right.
Not only is Klem being followed, he keeps stumbling into invisible tunnels that snake through town. But when he peers through one tunnel's glassy walls and catches a glimpse of his father-alive and well-Klem realizes the town outside the tunnels isn't his Sea Scarp at all. Such things aren't possible, of course. But if Klem is losing his mind, then how has the mysterious stranger who's been tailing him already mapped out every invisible hole in town?
Now Klem will set out to find the one tunnel that leads to his father. But unraveling the truth behind his father's death is about to unravel a much more dire truth-a truth that's been hidden in plain sight.mehr

Produkt

KlappentextKlem Antrim would go to the ends of the Earth to see his father alive again-but he'll have to travel much farther than that.
Klem's life in picturesque Sea Scarp has just taken a turn for the worse. The car crash that killed his father knocked Klem straight out of reality, and since that day nothing in his life has seemed quite right.
Not only is Klem being followed, he keeps stumbling into invisible tunnels that snake through town. But when he peers through one tunnel's glassy walls and catches a glimpse of his father-alive and well-Klem realizes the town outside the tunnels isn't his Sea Scarp at all. Such things aren't possible, of course. But if Klem is losing his mind, then how has the mysterious stranger who's been tailing him already mapped out every invisible hole in town?
Now Klem will set out to find the one tunnel that leads to his father. But unraveling the truth behind his father's death is about to unravel a much more dire truth-a truth that's been hidden in plain sight.
Details
Weitere ISBN/GTIN6610000153053
ProduktartE-Book
EinbandartE-Book
FormatEPUB
Erscheinungsjahr2019
Erscheinungsdatum01.07.2019
SpracheEnglisch
Dateigrösse506
Artikel-Nr.5348040
Rubriken
Genre9200

Inhalt/Kritik

Leseprobe





11








⧠⧠â§



A copse of trees stood like guards at the southern entrance of High Park, their shade a welcome respite from the sun. Mays led Klem along the loose network of paths snaking their way through the trees, passing a handful of clearings set up as picnic spots, complete with grills and benches. Statues of stately historical figures stood at forks in the path, metallic figures gazing out into infinity.

Mays stopped at the end of the tree-lined path. There, a thicket of low-lying brush circled the lone statue of a thin man in a tricorn hat. The figure had one hand out, as if he´d been caught in the middle of a monologue delivered to the surrounding trees. But there was nothing noteworthy about the statue itself.

Klem noticed Mays´s stare.

This? he asked.

Look.

Klem made a show of inspecting the area, but what was there to see? A yellowish patina had stained the statue´s base over the years. The shrubs looked like they needed more sun. And the clearing itself was unoccupied.

Klem shrugged. I give up.

Right by the statue, Mays insisted. Look again. Look closely.

Klem frowned at her. If she was wasting his time, it was back to Plan A. But she nodded him closer to the statue. He took a few careful steps, but as he approached the base, his foot sank into the earth. As Klem hopped back, his shoe was pulled from his foot.

Holy crap. There´s some kind of sinkhole, I think. He looked back at her, but she only grinned. So this was it. With a sigh, Klem leaned over, fished his shoe from the hole, and put it back on, prepared to leave her where she stood.

Yeah, so? she asked finally.

Klem hopped on one leg as he pulled the collar tab of his shoe out from behind his heel. Holy crap-a sinkhole, I think I said. He put his hands out.

Klem, it´s like the one by your house.

What was she talking about? I don´t think so.

Fine, I´ll show you later. For someone whose head was on fire less than an hour ago, you give up too easily.

That´s exactly why I don´t have time to be- Klem shook his head, then pointed at the hole he had left in the soil. I looked, Mays, but I can´t get any closer than that.

It´s not just some loose dirt. Check out the plants around where you stepped.

His eyes lingered on her. He had no reason to trust this woman, yet something in her voice kept him there. She was so sure of herself. Had he missed something?

Shaking his head, he turned back to examine the flora. It wasn´t particularly pretty. In fact, it all seemed grayish and heavy. Overhead, the leaves rustled in the breeze, but the plant life around the statue was as still as a photograph. Klem went around to get a look behind the statue, using the base of it for support as he stepped down into the bush. But he lost his grip and nearly fell into a ditch.

Whoa, you okay? Mays called down to him.

Klem clapped the dust from his hands and climbed back up. Fine, he said. I thought I had a good- But something about the statue looked off. The edge where he had braced his hand was notched, as though a bite had been taken out of the stone.

It´s not just the plants, Mays said. It´s everything around here.

Klem leaned in close to the new notch and tested it with his finger. The material was soft like ash, even though it looked solid. Klem pushed a little harder, and his hand passed right through the statue´s base. It was no more solid than a pile of soap bubbles.

As soon as he took his hand out, traces of fine dust began to cascade down from around the edge of the hole he had made. Within seconds, the sliding material had become a silent avalanche, eating away bronze and granite alike. As they watched with mouths agape, the entire twenty-foot statue collapsed into a pile of grayish dust, until nothing of the original structure remained.

What. The. Hell. Klem said.

It´s a dead zone, Mays said, nodding. That´s what I´ve been calling them.

Dead what? Where? Klem asked, suddenly concerned.

Mays shrugged. Pretty much where you´re-

Klem leapt away and ran halfway back down the footpath before stopping. You weren´t gonna say anything? You were just going to let me . . . soak in it?

Mays rolled her eyes, It´s not going to hurt us. It´s another exit, like the one that pooped you out on the pier. The only difference is that I can´t get a read on where the entrance to this one is.

As Mays kicked at the dust pile, Klem thought of the crumbling wood at the dock, right where the tunnel let out. Things aren´t nearly that bad by the dock, he told her, unwilling to get any closer.

Right, I know, Mays called back to him. Like I said, something about this one is different.

Klem thought about it. The exits-they don´t make me dizzy, just the entrances. But you . . . ?

I don´t get dizzy at all, Mays said, approaching him, her ankle boots gray with the statue´s remains. It´s definitely different for me. When I sense them, they´re in clusters, all at once, like I´m staring at a magic map. But until you told me about your tunnel experience, I´d never made the connection that I was seeing entrances and exits. I could only feel they were paired off in some way, like the two poles of a magnet.

But not this one.

Not this one, she repeated, looking back at the ash pile. It´s like the outs are exhaust pipes.

Something´s leaking out, breaking things down.

It´s worse than that, Klem. You remember how interested that starfish was in your hand? I´ve seen things like that all over Sea Scarp, and it all leads back to these portals. They´re not just dissolving things.

Klem thought of the pier. That tunnel only connected from the cemetery. So what was this one connected to?

Now follow, Mays insisted, tugging his arm as she walked by him.

There´s more? He felt like he had seen all he needed to see in one day. After witnessing the effects of the High Park exhaust pipe firsthand, Toq´s interest in them raised as many questions as it answered. And now parts of the world were literally dissolving? Klem needed some time to think through everything.

Klem, I promise, she said, looking him in the eyes. It know it´s a lot to take in, so just one last thing, then we´re done for the day.



⧠⧠â§



They backtracked through the park, then cut west through the bustling business district. Office parks of low-set, mirrored buildings were nestled among perfect lawns and evenly spaced trees. Klem had never had a reason to visit that part of town, but Mays seemed to know her way around.

So, what about you? asked Klem.

Mays laughed without slowing down. Vague.

She was so reluctant. But she was asking a lot of him not to give him any cue about who she was. And if there was something tying the two of them together-something related to her so-called portals-then it might be useful to compare notes.

I barely know anything about you.

I am what you see, she said. So, what do you see?

He put his hands up in resignation. I see someone who tries to come off as normal, but who´s actually opaque as hell.

Whoa! she said, stopping dead on the sidewalk. Careful with all those compliments at once, Mister. Opaque, am I?

Klem shrugged. The word had come up during an argument between his parents. Now he thought he understood what it meant.

Well, this way, smooth talker. Almost there. Mays put a hand on his back and showed him around to the rear lot of the nearest building, adjacent to the parking garage. How is it for you at home?

Klem frowned at her.

I ask for a reason.

Klem shrugged. You mean before my dad was killed in a car accident with me sitting right next to him? Not always perfect, but it´s been better, Klem said, feeling a rush of adrenaline. The words had just come out, but he had to be more careful about what he said. It wasn´t like she was a friend. All she needed to understand was that this wasn´t a game to him.

Sorry, Klem. Seriously. I mean, I knew something bad had happened, but . . . that´s awful. She looked away. I guess I don´t really have a family. It´s just me and my portals. So, I know it´s a small consolation, but be glad you still have someone who cares when you´re late.

She gave his shoulder a squeeze, then left his side and headed in toward a row of loading bays. Klem watched her, feeling more like a kid than ever. Even if they were going to be friends, he couldn´t just say things without thinking. For someone who had no one to talk to, Mays seemed to be taking the portal stuff...


mehr