{"id":1167,"date":"2026-01-03T21:16:42","date_gmt":"2026-01-03T21:16:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/broken-promise-02-far-from-true-barclay-linwood\/"},"modified":"2026-01-03T21:16:42","modified_gmt":"2026-01-03T21:16:42","slug":"broken-promise-02-far-from-true-barclay-linwood","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/broken-promise-02-far-from-true-barclay-linwood\/","title":{"rendered":"Broken Promise 02 – Far From True – Barclay, Linwood"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Book Preview<\/h3>\n
\n

<\/span>TWO<\/h1>\n

THEY <\/span>decided Derek was the one who should get into the trunk.<\/p>\n

Before heading off, the four of them, Derek Cutter included, thought it would be cool to smuggle someone in. Not because they couldn\u2019t afford a fourth ticket. That wasn\u2019t the issue. They just felt the situation demanded it of them. It was the sort of thing you were supposed to do.<\/p>\n

After all, this was the last night they\u2019d ever have the chance. Like so many other businesses in and around Promise Falls these days, the Constellation Drive-in Theater was packing it in. What with multiplexes, 3-D, DVDs, movies you could download at home and watch within seconds, why go to a drive-in, except maybe to make out? And given how much smaller cars had gotten since the drive-in was first conceived, even that wasn\u2019t much of a reason to watch a movie under the stars.<\/p>\n

Still, even for people of Derek\u2019s generation, there was something nostalgic about a drive-in. He could remember his parents bringing him here for the first time when he was eight or nine, and how excited he\u2019d been. It was a triple bill, the movies becoming <\/span>successively more mature. The first was one of the Toy Story<\/em> flicks\u2014Derek had brought along his Buzz Lightyear and Woody action figures\u2014which was followed by some rom-com Matthew McConaughey thing, back when he was only doing crap, and then a Jason Bourne movie. Derek had barely managed to stay awake until the end of Toy Story<\/em>. His parents had made a bed for him in the backseat so he could zonk out when they watched features two and three.<\/p>\n

Derek longed for those times. When his parents were still together.<\/p>\n

This night, the Constellation was showing one of those dumber-than-dumb Transformers movies, where alien robots inhabiting Earth had disguised themselves as cars\u2014usually Chevrolets, thank you very much, product placement\u2014and trucks. Morphing from car to robot involved a slew of special effects. Lots of things blew up; buildings were destroyed. It was the kind of movie none of the girls they knew were interested in seeing, and even though the guys tried to make them understand the movie itself didn\u2019t matter, that this was an event<\/em>, that this night at the drive-in was history<\/em>, they\u2019d failed to win them over.<\/p>\n

Even the guys knew this was a dumb movie. In fact, there had been agreement among them that the only way to see a movie like this\u2014whether at a drive-in, at a regular theater, or at home\u2014was drunk. Which led to a decision that they would try to sneak not only a person into the drive-in, but some beer, too.<\/p>\n

Thing was, this was a milestone piled on top of a milestone. This was the last night for the Constellation, and it was the end of the academic year at Thackeray College, which Derek had been attending for four years, and was now leaving. For what, he had no clue. He had no job prospects, other than maybe working for his dad again, cutting lawns, planting shrubs, trimming hedges. Had he gone to college for four years to run a leaf blower? Even his dad didn\u2019t want that for him. And yet, there were worse things than working alongside his father.<\/p>\n

<\/span>For this one night, he wouldn\u2019t think about his job future, or a couple of other things that had been weighing heavily on him.<\/p>\n

The first was the death of a friend, just about the most senseless thing ever. This guy, he comes to college, goes to class, writes essays, tries out for some school plays\u2014he\u2019s just doing his thing like everybody else\u2014and then one night campus security shoots him in the head while he\u2019s supposedly trying to rape somebody.<\/p>\n

Derek still hadn\u2019t been able to get his head around it.<\/p>\n

But then there was the other thing. Even bigger.<\/p>\n

Derek was a father<\/em>.<\/p>\n

He had a goddamned kid.<\/p>\n

A son named Matthew.<\/p>\n

The news hadn\u2019t come as a shock just to him. Even the mother was surprised, which sounded kind of weird, but it was a pretty weird, fucked-up story, and Derek still didn\u2019t know all the details. He\u2019d known that she was pregnant, but had believed the baby died at birth. Turned out not to be that way. He\u2019d talked to her\u2014Marla was her name\u2014a few times since finding out the baby was alive, been over to visit her with his father in tow, and he was still kind of feeling his way through this, trying to sort out just what his responsibilities were.<\/p>\n

\u201cHello?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHuh?\u201d Derek said.<\/p>\n

It was Canton Schultz, standing next to his four-door Nissan, the driver\u2019s door open. Flanking him were Derek\u2019s other friends from Thackeray, George Lydecker and Tyler Gross.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe just took a vote,\u201d Tyler said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile you were off in la-la land, daydreaming, we took a vote,\u201d said George. \u201cYou\u2019re it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m what?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re the one going into the trunk.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo way. I don\u2019t want to go into the trunk.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, tough shit,\u201d said Canton. \u201cWe\u2019ve been standing around <\/span>here talking about it, and you had nothing to say, so we made a decision. Thing is, it\u2019s a very important job, being the guy in the trunk, because you\u2019re the one protecting the beer.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFuck it, fine,\u201d Derek said. \u201cBut I\u2019m not getting in now. It\u2019s a ten-minute drive from here. We\u2019ll pull over when we\u2019re almost there\u2014then I\u2019ll get in the back for a couple of minutes till we get inside.\u201d<\/p>\n

The thing was, the trunk was very much a place he did not want to be. He didn\u2019t want to be cooped up in there for two minutes, let alone ten. Back when Derek was seventeen, while hiding in the basement crawl space of a friend\u2019s house, he\u2019d had to listen while three people were murdered.<\/p>\n

And hold his breath so the killer didn\u2019t find him, too.<\/p>\n

It was a big story in Promise Falls at the time. Prominent lawyer, his wife and son, all executed. For a while there, the police even wondered if Derek had done it, but they got the killer in the end, and everything worked out, so long as you didn\u2019t count the fact that Derek was pretty much scarred for life.<\/p>\n

Okay, maybe not for life. He\u2019d managed to move on, pull his life together, go to school, make friends. His parents splitting up had actually hit him harder. But it didn\u2019t mean he was happy to jump into a car trunk.<\/p>\n

Derek was not a fan of confined spaces.<\/p>\n

But he wasn\u2019t a fan of looking like a wuss, either, which was why he\u2019d proposed getting in just before their arrival at the drive-in. Everyone agreed that was reasonable. So, after putting a case of beer into the trunk, they piled into the car. Canton behind the wheel, George shotgun, and Derek and Tyler in the backseat.<\/p>\n

It was already dark, and it would be after eleven by the time they got to the Constellation. The first feature would probably already be nearly over, but they weren\u2019t interested in it anyway, since it was always something for kids. Not that a Transformers movie wasn\u2019t for kids, but the opening flick would most likely be a cartoon that wasn\u2019t all that scary. And even if they ended up late <\/span>for the Transformers flick, how hard would it be to catch up? And before long, they\u2019d be too drunk to care.<\/p>\n

While Derek had not volunteered to be the guy in the trunk, he had stepped up to be the designated driver on the way home, and everyone was fine with that. One or two beers for him, and that\u2019d be it. He\u2019d get everyone back safely.<\/p>\n

And after that, Derek didn\u2019t know when he would see any of them again. Canton and Tyler would be heading home to Pittsburgh and Bangor, respectively. George Lydecker, like Derek, was a local, but Derek didn\u2019t see himself hanging out with him. Derek was reminded of a phrase his own grandfather used to say about people like George. \u201cHe\u2019s not wrapped too tight.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

The words that came to mind for Derek were \u201cloose cannon.\u201d George was always the one who acted first, thought later. Like turning over a professor\u2019s Smart car and leaving it on its roof. Slipping a baby alligator from a pet shop into Thackeray Pond. (That little guy still hadn\u2019t been found.) George had even boasted about breaking into people\u2019s garages late at night, not just to help himself to a set of tools or a bicycle, but for the pure thrill of it.<\/p>\n

As if George could read Derek\u2019s thoughts at that moment in the car, he decided to do something monumentally stupid.<\/p>\n

George dropped the passenger window, allowing cool night air to blow in as they sped down a country road that ran around the south end of Promise Falls. Next thing Derek knew, George had his arm extended out the window.<\/p>\n

There was a loud bang. And an instantaneous PING!<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cJesus!\u201d Derek said. \u201cWhat the hell was that?\u201d<\/p>\n

George brought his arm back in, turned around in the seat, and grinned. He showed off the gun in his hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust shooting at some signs,\u201d he said. \u201cI fucking nailed that speed limit one.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you out of your mind?\u201d Canton shouted, glancing over. \u201cWhat the fuck!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPut that away!\u201d Derek screamed. \u201cAsshole!\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>George grimaced. \u201cCome on, lighten up. I know what I\u2019m doing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere did you get that?\u201d Tyler asked. \u201cYou steal that <\/em>out of someone\u2019s garage?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s mine<\/em>, okay?\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s no big deal. I figured I could take a couple of shots at the screen. I mean, they\u2019re going to be knocking it down in a week or two anyway. Who cares if it\u2019s got a couple of holes in it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you really that stupid?\u201d Canton asked. \u201cYou think you can fire that thing off with hundreds of people there, lots of them with little kids, and they won\u2019t call in a goddamn SWAT team and arrest your stupid fucking ass?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPromise Falls has a SWAT team?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s not the point. The point is\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI figured when the Transformers are knocking over a bunch of skyscrapers, nobody\u2019ll even notice. It\u2019ll be so loud anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re unbelievable,\u201d Tyler said.<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay, okay, okay,\u201d George said, lowering the weapon, resting it in his lap. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t really have done that. I just wanted to shoot some signs, maybe a mailbox.\u201d<\/p>\n

The other three shook their heads.<\/p>\n

\u201cIdiot,\u201d Derek said under his breath.<\/p>\n

\u201cI said okay<\/em>,\u201d George said. \u201cGod, what a bunch of pussies. I\u2019m glad to be getting the hell out of here.\u201d George had already told them he was off to Vancouver the day after tomorrow.<\/p>\n

They traveled the next few minutes in silence. It was Canton who broke it. \u201cHow about here?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHuh?\u201d Tyler said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a good spot. No one around. Derek, this is where you get in the back.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAre we still doing this?\u201d he asked. \u201cIt\u2019s stupid.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s tradition<\/em>\u2014that\u2019s what it is. When you go to the drive-in, you smuggle someone in. It\u2019s expected<\/em>. If you don\u2019t do it, the management is actually disappointed.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>Derek felt resigned to his fate. \u201cFine.\u201d<\/p>\n

The car pulled over to the shoulder, gravel crunching beneath the tires. Derek got out on the passenger side, gave George a withering look, then went around to the back of the car. Canton had popped the truck from the inside, pulling on the tiny lever by the driver\u2019s seat, but had gotten out so he could close the lid once Derek was inside.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not exactly huge in here,\u201d Derek said, standing there, staring into the gaping hole.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou getting in or what?\u201d Canton asked.<\/p>\n

Derek nodded, turned around, dropped his butt in first.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo it\u2019s not an Oldsmobile,\u201d Canton said. \u201cStop whining. Once we get inside, you can get out. It\u2019ll be, like, five minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Derek said, \u201cI hate this.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s the big\u2014\u201d Canton stopped himself in midsentence. \u201cOh shit, it\u2019s about that thing that happened, isn\u2019t it? When you were hiding in that house?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s okay.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, I\u2019ll do it. I\u2019ll get in, and you get back in the car.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI said<\/em> I would do<\/em> it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Derek noticed, with some relief, the emergency lever inside the trunk that allowed it to be opened from the inside. He got his head in, then brought up his legs. He lay on his side, the case of beer tucked behind his knees.<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay, so don\u2019t start screaming or anything,\u201d Canton said, and slammed the lid shut.<\/p>\n

It was nearly pitch-black in there, save for some red glow from the back side of the taillights. Derek felt the car veer back onto the pavement, then pick up speed.<\/p>\n

Despite the rear seat between him and his friends, he could hear them talking.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust everyone be cool,\u201d Canton said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah,\u201d said Tyler. \u201cLike I\u2019m going to say, \u2018We got nothin\u2019 in the trunk!\u2019 I\u2019m not an idiot. Not like George.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cFuck you,\u201d said George.<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay, here we go,\u201d Canton said. \u201cJeez, there\u2019s still a line.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s only like ten cars. It won\u2019t take long.\u201d<\/p>\n

Derek struggled to get comfortable. He hoped it wouldn\u2019t take them long to buy tickets and get parked. He knew it was his imagination, but he felt as though he were running out of air, that he was having trouble breathing. His heartbeat was moving into second gear.<\/p>\n

He felt the Nissan turn. Canton would be pulling up to the gate, where there were two ticket booths. Right beyond them, towering over them, in fact, would be the back side of the four-story screen. Once the tickets were bought and the gate was cleared, the car would pass through an opening in a ten-foot wooden perimeter fence designed to keep people from sneaking in.<\/p>\n

The car would follow the driveway to the far end of the property, where the concession stand was located, then do a one-eighty to face the screen head-on. Derek figured once they\u2019d picked a good viewing spot, they\u2019d let him out.<\/p>\n

But first, they had to clear the gate.<\/p>\n

The car stopped, inched forward. Stopped, inched forward.<\/p>\n

Come on come on come on.<\/em><\/p>\n

Finally, Derek heard Canton shout: \u201cThree tickets.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then, not quite as clearly, a man\u2019s voice. \u201cJust the three?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYep, just us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTen bucks each.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere ya go.\u201d<\/p>\n

A brief pause, then the man\u2019s voice again. \u201cYou sure it\u2019s just the three of you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Canton: \u201cYep.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tyler: \u201cJust us.\u201d<\/p>\n

George: \u201cYou can\u2019t count?\u201d<\/p>\n

Shit,<\/em> Derek thought. What the hell was wrong with him tonight?<\/p>\n

The man selling tickets said, \u201cAnd you guys know there\u2019s no booze allowed. You can\u2019t be bringing anything in like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u201cOf course,\u201d Canton said.<\/p>\n

Another pause.<\/p>\n

Then: \u201cI\u2019m gonna have to ask you to pop the trunk.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry?\u201d Canton said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe trunk. Pop it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shit shit shit shit.<\/em><\/p>\n

Well, what was the worst that could happen? Derek figured, once this guy found him in the trunk, with the beer, he could do one of three things. He could deny them entry. Or he could charge Derek ten bucks, confiscate the beer, and tell them they could pick it up on the way out. Or the son of a bitch could call the cops.<\/p>\n

Derek figured bringing in the police was pretty unlikely. Did the Promise Falls cops really want to be bothered with someone sneaking into the drive-in for free?<\/p>\n

At this point, Derek didn\u2019t much care. Right now, he\u2019d happily endure a full body-cavity search if it meant getting the hell out of here.<\/p>\n

Canton said, \u201cUh, I don\u2019t think you have the right to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah?\u201d the man said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah. I don\u2019t think you have the authority. You\u2019re just some dick selling tickets.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cReally. Well, my name is Lionel Grayson, and I\u2019m the owner and manager of this place, and if you don\u2019t pop that trunk, I\u2019m calling the cops.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maybe it was more likely than Derek thought. Fine, so be it.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cOkay, then,\u201d Canton said.<\/p>\n

Derek heard the driver\u2019s door open. But then another door, on the other side of the car. Tyler had been sitting behind Canton. Which meant George was getting out.<\/p>\n

Tyler said, \u201cJesus, George, what are you\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

Derek didn\u2019t hear the rest as both doors slammed shut.<\/p>\n

Canton was saying, \u201cYou know, this being the last night you guys are open, we were just wanting to have a little fun and\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>The man, this Mr. Grayson, sounding closer now: \u201cJust open it up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay, I hear ya, I hear ya.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then, George. \u201cYou know, man, this is America. You think being a fucking ticket seller gives you the right to violate our constitutional rights?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGeorge, just let it go.\u201d<\/p>\n

All three voices at the back of the car now. Derek was still pretty sure Lionel Grayson wouldn\u2019t call the cops. He\u2019d just tell them to piss off. Turn their car around and send them on their way. Derek already had a plan. They\u2019d go back to his place, download a Transformers movie to the flat-screen, and get drunk on his couch.<\/p>\n

No need for him to be the designated driver any\u2014<\/p>\n

Bang.<\/em><\/p>\n

No, it was more than that. So much more than just a bang. In the trunk, it sounded to Derek like a sonic boom. The whole car seemed to shake.<\/p>\n

It couldn\u2019t have been something on the screen. One of the Transformer robots blowing up, say. You had to be in the car, have the radio tuned to the right frequency, to hear the movie.<\/p>\n

And even if this had been a regular movie, in a theater, the bang was too loud.<\/p>\n

It sounded very close.<\/p>\n

George.<\/em><\/p>\n

Could he really have been that dumb? Had he gotten out of the car with the gun? Had he started waving it at the manager? Had he pulled the trigger?<\/p>\n

That stupid, stupid, stupid son of a bitch. Surely to God he didn\u2019t think getting caught over something like this was cause to shoot a guy.<\/p>\n

There were screams. Lots of screams. But they sounded off in the distance.<\/p>\n

\u201cJesus!\u201d someone shouted. Derek was pretty sure that was Canton.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Then: \u201cOh my God!\u201d That sounded a lot like George.<\/p>\n

Derek frantically patted the back wall of the trunk, looking for the emergency release. His heart was pounding. He\u2019d broken out in an instant sweat. He found the lever, grabbed hold, yanked.<\/p>\n

The trunk lid swung open.<\/p>\n

Canton was there, and George was there. So was a third man. A black man Derek figured was Lionel Grayson, the manager. Not one of them was looking into the trunk. In fact, all three had their backs to Derek, their collective attention focused elsewhere.<\/p>\n

Derek sat up so quickly he banged his head on the edge of the opening. He instinctively put his hand on the injury, but he was too spellbound to feel any pain.<\/p>\n

He could scarcely believe what he was seeing.<\/p>\n

The Constellation Drive-in Theater\u2019s four-story screen was coming down.<\/p>\n

Dark smoke billowed from the width of its base as it slowly pitched forward, in the direction of the parking lot, as though being blown over by a mighty wind.<\/p>\n

Except there was no wind.<\/p>\n

The immense wall came down with a great whomping crash that shook the ground beneath them. Clouds of smoke and dust billowed skyward from beyond the fence.<\/p>\n

There was a moment of stunned silence. Barely a second. Then a strangled symphony of car alarms, whooping and screeching in a discordant chorus of panic.<\/p>\n

And more screams. Many, many more screams.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Read the full book by downloading it below.<\/p>\n

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Book Preview TWO THEY decided Derek was the one who should get into the trunk. Before heading off, the four of them, Derek Cutter included, thought it would be cool to smuggle someone in. Not because they couldn\u2019t afford a fourth ticket. That wasn\u2019t the issue. They just felt the situation demanded it of them. … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1166,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[45],"class_list":["post-1167","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-linwood-barclay"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1167","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1167"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1167\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1166"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1167"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1167"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1167"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}