The Fort
Aric Davis
Language: English
Pages: 233
ISBN: 1611099390
Format: PDF / Kindle (mobi) / ePub
During the waning summer days of 1987, a deranged Vietnam vet stalks Grand Rapids, Michigan, abducting and murdering nameless victims from the streets, leaving no leads for police. That is, until he picks up sixteen-year-old Molly. From their treehouse fort in the woods, three neightborhood boys spy the killer holding a gun to Molly’s back, they go to the police—only to have their story disregarded. But the boys know evil lives in their midst. A growing sense of honor and urgency forces the boys to take action—to find Molly, to protect themselves, to stand guard for the last long days of summer.
At turns heartbreaking and breathtakingly thrilling, The Fort perfectly renders a coming-of-age story in the 1980s, in those final days of childhood independence, discovery, and paradise lost.
since they’d been here, but that was the reality of it. When he looked at his friends he saw smiles, and he didn’t know if he’d ever been happier to see anyone in his whole life. “Think you’re going to get caught?” Scott asked, and Tim smiled even wider. “No, but you probably are.” All three of them erupted into tired giggles at that, and, not for the first time, Tim wondered at the logic in banning a kid from his best friends in the world. “All right, all right,” said Luke. “That’s enough
all of the other noise. It didn’t make any sense, but above the screaming, AK fire, and explosions, the crack of the sniper’s rifle was the sound of an angry but faraway God. Pain erupted in his right calf, dropping him and tearing a scream from Hooper’s throat. When Hooper woke up, it was the middle of the night and he was covered in a slick sheen of sweat. He ignored the clock; time didn’t matter right now. His leg was killing him, and he wasn’t going to be able to sleep, possibly ever again,
it. Molly was either telling the truth or lying well enough that her mom believed her.” “You know,” said Dr. Martinez. “Molly has something in common with those girls who keep showing up at Riverside, other than being missing, of course.” Van Endel raised his eyebrows. “Rubbers, Dick. Every single working girl on Division Avenue has them on her.” “I have a picture of Molly in my car,” said Van Endel. “Let’s go for a ride.” He looked at his watch. “It’s a little early, but we should be able to
The two girls from the couch were standing together just a step or two away on the front stoop, smoking cigarettes. They were younger than Van Endel had initially figured, twelve or thirteen, most likely. “Dispatch, I need CPS and backup now.” He looked back at the girls. “Send some EMTs too. And tell them to hurry.” He set the walkie-talkie down, shaking his head at just how fucked up the world could be, as the twins smoked and stared through him. The first squad car was there about three
not being there for his girl as his guilt over her death. “Tell it all to me again,” said Van Endel as he looked deep into the suspect’s eyes and saw the same thing, that same electricity he’d seen so many years before. The man began talking, but Van Endel already knew he was telling the truth. He knew exactly what to look for. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS My first four novels were dedicated to lives taken far too young, and it is with no small amount of pleasure that I’m able to say that