Matthew wiped his sweating palms across the legs of his pants before he stepped into the high school parking lot. The hot summer sun beat down on his head, but it was nerves that made moisture bead along his forehead. He always felt uneasy when he went into the Red Eye compound. He took a deep breath and strode toward the double doors with a false air of confidence. The broken glass had been boarded over, so he could not see into the foyer. He lifted a fist to knock, but before his knuckles hit the plywood the door was opened by a robed guard with a baseball bat in hand.
“Howdy,” Matthew said with a fleeting smile. He couldn’t tell if the guard smiled back, since only his white chin was visible under the hood. He pointed a long, pale finger toward Rebecca’s office like a grim rea
