Last Hero Read online

  DANNY SAT at the school lunchroom table with his friends the next day. Not the phonies who partied with him on the beach. These were his real friends. Becky, Kevin, William, and Bianca.

  They had all stood with him last night when he faced Jonathan after killing Ty. Jonathan believed him when he surveyed the damage in the barn. They told him that Snake Lady, Frog Lady, and the Sphinx were still out there. He thanked them and said he’d take care of it.

  “What about my parents?” Danny had asked.

  “Don’t worry, Danny boy,” Jonathan said. “Your parents are safe. No one’s going to hurt them.”

  Danny took a deep breath and focused on his friends. “We make a great team.”

  Bianca wiped a crumb off William’s lips. “Yes we do.” She untied her ponytail and let her hair drape over her shoulders.

  William stared at her like she was the Nobel Prize. “Unequivocally.”

  Danny laughed and shook his head. He had a feeling about these two. “Get a room.”

  Mr. Griffin walked by with a broom. “I hope you enjoyed the train ride, young lad. There’s always some place new to go.” He winked.

  Danny nodded when Mr. Griffin tipped his hat. The janitor was the only being now who could choose to be a man or a creature. He was the most powerful creature Danny had ever seen. If only Danny had listened to Mr. Silen sooner then maybe half of what happened yesterday wouldn’t have happened. He wouldn’t make that mistake again.

  “What do we do now?” Kevin asked.

  Danny wasn’t sure. Snake Lady, Frog Lady, and the Sphinx were still out there. They dispersed when Ty was sent back to Tartarus. None of them came back to school today. Even Dog Breath wasn’t polluting the hallways. Danny suspected he would never see them again. They didn’t have a leader, and they knew he was more powerful than them.

  “They’re still out there,” Danny said. He stood and looked around at his friends. “We train our bodies, our powers, and our hearts. The day will come again when the fate of the world is in our hands. We are protectors of the universe.”

  William raised his hand. “The universe? That could take a while. There are four thousand—”

  “Shut-up,” Bianca said, shaking her head. “I’m going to get a really good story out of this.”

  Danny sat back down and sighed.

  Becky leaned over and nudged her shoulder against his. “You’re amazing, Danny Neumann.”

  Danny smiled. That was what his birth mother had said. “You’re pretty amazing yourself.”

  “Hey,” someone said from behind Danny. “Did you guys form a new club and leave me out of it?” The high pitched voice was unmistakable. It was Marc.

  Marc snatched an empty chair from the next table over and shoved it between Danny and Becky. “Move over, Lover Boy. You’re not leaving me out of this.”

  Danny looked around Marc at Becky. She giggled and nodded at him. Danny knew Marc would do anything to protect Becky. Maybe it wasn’t a bad idea.

  Danny looked at his friends. They all nodded. “Marc, if you want—”

  Marc held up a hand. “Oh, I want. Now make it happen.”

  They all laughed and talked amongst themselves. Bianca had a great idea for a story. William tried to convince her to write about something with science. Kevin kept apologizing to Becky. It was clear that the two of them were done, but would work on being friends. Becky winked at Danny. He wondered where their relationship would go from here.

  Sure, they were all dysfunctional, but he couldn’t ask for better friends.

  CHAPTER 26

  THE NAME ON THE MAILBOX

  ECHIDNA STOOD on the sidewalk in front of a cozy three-bedroom brick house. She watched though the front window as a middle aged man and woman sat down for a hot lunch. It looked like they were about to eat baked chicken leg quarters and mashed potatoes.

  “It’s time,” she said to the Sphinx, Lamia, and Cerberus.

  She walked toward the front door, knowing they were close behind. She didn’t grieve her husband’s death. He had escaped from Tartarus once. He could do it again.

  Echidna looked at the gas cans in her daughter’s hands. The matches were in her pockets. It was time to play with fire. Echidna rang the doorbell then turned and looked at the mailbox. “It’s a shame,” she said to Lamia. “I’m sure they’re nice people.”

  Echidna smiled when the door opened and took one last look at the name on the mailbox.

  NEUMANN

  OTHER BOOKS BY

  TIMOTHY D. MCLENDON

  TWISTED ENDINGS is a mind-blowing collection of mystery and suspense stories with unexpected endings. One man’s patience will be tested at an amusement park. One man will be the judge of life and death. One group will determine the best way to fight crime. One boy will decide how to beat the school bullies. One woman will find a way to deal with the desecration of her body.

  TWISTED ENDINGS 2 is a collection of five mystery and suspense stories with unexpected endings. This collection revolves around a workaholic who believes his wife is cheating on him with the pretty boy next door. A lesbian teenager who tries to convince her parents there is nothing wrong with her lifestyle. Two veterans who stand up for what they believe is right, no matter the cost. A soap opera star searching for her birth mother. An insomniac who will do anything to sleep.

  TWISTED ENDINGS 3 is a collection of four mystery and suspense stories with unexpected endings. This collection picks up where TWISTED ENDINGS left off. A father fights to save his daughter. An aunt fights to save her niece. A crook fights to save a hostage family. And Jake returns to run the soap store, and fight for the lives of the innocent.

  One Last Thing…

  When you turn the page, Kindle may give you the opportunity to rate the book and share your thoughts through an automatic feed to your Facebook and Twitter accounts. If you believe your family and/or friends would enjoy this book, I’d be honored if you’d post your thoughts.

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  All the best,

  Timothy

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