Read Online Demon's Door by Graham Masterton - Free Book Online

to crystal meth. Maria wasn’t the usual type he would have flagged as a substance abuser, but she had spoken to him very aggressively when he asked her about winning the lottery and getting married, and she did have those crimson bruises on her wrists and her cheek. She obviously had some underlying problem, even if it wasn’t simply drugs.
    He carried on writing comments about the Death Row menus. Like the last meals ordered by real condemned murderers, most of them were very plain, with a predominance of cheeseburgers, steaks and fries. He wondered what he would order, himself, if he were about to be executed. He would have to have a large slice of his mother’s key lime pie – or he would do if his mother was still alive.
    Kim raised his hand and said, ‘ This idea is very interesting, Mr Rook. “Each Self Is Many Selves.”’
    â€˜Oh, yes?’
    â€˜Do you think he means that our self changes day by day? Tomorrow we will be different self from now? Or does he mean that we are many different selves all at once? I am child that I was, but also old man that I will be?’
    Jim cleared his throat and tried to look as if he understood what Kim was talking about. ‘What do you think?’ he asked him.
    â€˜I think that life is similar to book. Beginning of story and end of story exist at same time. You can read beginning, then turn to end. Or maybe you can read end first. You can read half of book, and never finish, but end still exists. It is still there. If you wanted to, you could pick book up again and read it. Or not.’
    â€˜I don’t think I’m entirely sure what you’re trying to say here, Kim,’ said Jim.
    â€˜I am saying that tomorrow is today, and yesterday is today. And the day we were born is today. And the day we die is today.’
    â€˜Pretty busy day we’re having today,’ put in Teddy, without looking up from his frantic scribbling.
    Kim turned around in his chair and said, ‘It is not difficult. All you have to do is open door.’
    Jim was about to ask him to explain further, although he could see by the baffled expressions on the faces of the rest of Special Class Two that he had already left them way behind.
    Arthur said, ‘If yesterday is today, what am I doing here in class? I should still be bowling.’
    â€˜Don’t worry about it,’ T.D. told him. ‘Tomorrow is yesterday, too, so you’ll be bowling tomorrow.’
    â€˜Yes, but I’m going to be born tomorrow. I won’t have the time to go bowling. And I won’t know how to. And I’ll be much too little.’
    â€˜OK, OK, that’s enough!’ said Jim. He checked his watch again. Maria had been gone for over ten minutes. ‘Janice . . . do you mind going to the restroom and making sure that Maria is OK?’
    â€˜Hey, I’ll go,’ Billy volunteered. ‘I love those Latin looks. Penélope Cruz, mmm-mmmh!’
    â€˜Penélope Cruz is a vegetarian,’ said T.D. ‘She eats things that can’t fight back.’
    â€˜Who cares? With an ass like that? You could serve lunch for six people off of that ass.’
    Jim raised both hands for quiet. ‘Let’s get back to Mr McClure, shall we? We can finish our existential discussions tomorrow. Those of us who are not going bowling, anyhow.’
    He was sitting down again when Janice came back in. ‘Maria’s not there, sir. I knocked on all of the stalls, but she’s not in any of them.’
    â€˜OK,’ said Jim. ‘She wasn’t looking too good, was she? Maybe she went to the infirmary, or went home. I’ll go check in a minute.’
    But he had only just lifted up his pen again when the classroom door burst open with a shuddering crash. Judii and Tamara both screamed, and even Leon said, ‘Shit, man!’
    Maria was standing in the open doorway, holding out both of her hands as if she were pleading for