Brothers of Darkness

Chapter 45

Wednesday, July 25th

On June twelfth Patrick turned twenty-six. His mom made him a cake and Michael stopped by for a few minutes after dark. Patrick appreciated the effort, but he felt better once his brother was gone.

The summer heat swelled. The redneck kitsch bar seemed a safe place to hideHailey would never be caught dead surrounded by seventies paneling and country musicso he spent the worst of the heat hunched on a stool. However, he couldn't sleep there, and by mid-June he gave up and bought a pair of window air conditioners. The set cost more than his rent and ate a hole in the car fund, not that he'd actually looked for a car. With nowhere to go except Claudius' and his mother's, it wasn't a pressing matter.

Despite his hermit existence, on the fourth of July he saw Anthony an