Page 45 (1/2)

Alex pauses for just a fraction of a second "Ready?" he says toback

"Yes," I choke out

The smell that hits us as we enter nearly jettisons rade It’s the sether, underneath the stinging, burning scent of industrial-strength bleach and cleanser Overlaying it all is the s pipes,behind walls and in all the little twisty places visitors are never allowed to see Check-in is to our left, and the wo the desk behind another panel of bulletproof glass is wearing a ely, as we approach her desk, she looks up and addresses Alex by na curtly Her eyes flicker to me

"Who’s that?"

Alex repeats his story about the incident at the evaluations He’s obviously on pretty fauard, because he uses her first na any kind of nas our nah to security Alex says hello to the security personnel here too, and I ad a pretty hard tiso badly The guards at the Crypts seeer than normal people, with hands like tennis rackets and chests as broad as boats

And they’re all carrying guns Big guns I’ my best not to seem utterly terrified, but it’s difficult to stay calm when you have to strip down practically to your underwear in front of giants equipped with automatic assault weapons

Eventually we ain in silence, and I’e to tie h five only," one of the guards calls out, as Alex gestures for me to follow him down the hall

The walls are painted a sickly yellow color In a hoht be cheerful; but illuhts that keep buzzing on and off, and stained with years and years of water and handprints and squashed insects and I don’t- want-to-knohat, it see s teeth

"You got it," Alex says I’ this means that certain areas are restricted from visitors

I follow Alex down one narrow corridor, and then another The hallways are eh as we continuebegin to float to us, as well as strange ani, like a bunch of people are i a barnyard We must be near the h, no nurses or guards or patients Everything is so still it’s al: silent, too, except for those awful sounds, which seem to emanate from the walls

It seems safe to talk, so I ask Alex, "How does everybody know you here?"

"I coh this is a satisfactory answer People don’t "come by" the Crypts It’s not exactly up there with the beach It’s not even up there with a public restroo he won’t elaborate further, and I’m about to press him for a more detailed anshen he blows air out of his cheeks and says, "My father’s here That’s why I co could further surprisein ht you said your father was dead"

Alex told o that his dad had died, but he’d refused to give any details "He never knew he had a son": That’s the only thing Alex had said, and I figured it meant that his dad was dead before Alex was born

Ahead of h

"He is," he says, and ht turn down a short hallway that ends at a heavy iron door This is n It says LIFERS

Underneath the word, someone has written in pen, HA HA

"What are you--" I’m more confused than ever, but I don’t have ti my question Alex pushes his way out the door and the ss--is so unexpected and welcoulps of air Without realizing it, I’ve been breathing through my mouth

We’re in a tiny courtyard, surrounded on all sides by the stained gray sides of the Crypts The grass here is ale tree twists upward to our left, and a bird is twittering in its branches It’s surprisingly nice out here, peaceful and pretty--strange to be standing in the arden while enclosed by theat the exact center of a hurricane, and finding peace and silence in the e

Alex has , head boith his eyes on the ground He must have a sense too of the peacefulness here, the stillness that see in softness and rest The sky above us is darker than it e first entered the Crypts: Against all the grayness and shadow, the grass stands vivid and electric, as though it is lit up from inside It will rain at any second It has to I have the sensation of the world holding its breath before a giant exhale, balancing, teetering, about to let go

"Here" Alex’s voice rings out, surprisingly loud, and it startlesup crookedly frorass is broken up by dozens of these rocks, which at first glance appeared to be naturally, haphazardly arranged Then I realize that they’ve been deliberately ta black nize the word RICHARD and on another DIED

Tombstones, I realize, as the purpose of the courtyard dawns on raveyard

Alex is staring down at a large chunk of concrete, as flat as a tablet, pressed down into the earth in front of his feet All the writing is visible here, the words neatly printed in what looks like black h so period of time