Free Darkmouth by Shane Hegarty Page B

over the graffiti.
    Â 
    From A Concise Guide to the
Legend Hunter World, vol. 3:
Blighted Villages, Known and
Unknown , 16th Edition
    Â 
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    There are many theories as to why the gateways between the Infested Side and this world have become so rare.
    Some believe that the Legends grew weary of failed attempts at invasion and withdrew into their own world to contemplate the error of their ways and acknowledge the clear superiority of humans such as the Legend Hunter clan of Cemitério, Brazil. This theory is somewhat undermined by being solely the work of the Legend Hunter clan of Cemitério, Brazil.
    Another idea is that the atmosphere between worlds has thickened to such an extent that it can no longer be penetrated. Suggested reasons for this include industrial pollution, global warming, the proliferation of mobile-phone radiation, volcanic eruptions in Iceland, and methane released by the, as it were, “emissions” of cows.
    Evidence gleaned through interrogation of the decreasing number of invaders informs us that the Legends’ ability to break through the wall between our worlds has diminished in recent years for reasons even they do not fully understand. It should be noted, however, that there is some doubt about the veracity of such revelations, as transcripts show these to be punctuated by such sentiments as “Please, not the stabbing device again!”
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18
    F inn woke, blinking against the sunlight that pierced a gap in his bedroom curtains and fell directly on his eyes. From way down in the house, he could hear drilling again. Skreeeump. A pulse. Then another. Then quiet.
    Sticking his feet into a pair of oversize slippers shaped like grizzly bears, he shuffled downstairs, meeting his mother on her way out to her Saturday-morning dental clinic.
    â€œGood morning, Mam,” he said, stifling a yawn.
    â€œI wish it was, Finn,” she said. “I’m tired, and that racket your dad’s making woke me early. Thankfully, a busy morning of staring into people’s rotting dental cavities will be just the thing to perk me up.”
    She grabbed her keys and left. A moment later, the doorbell rang. “What did you forget, Mam?” Finn asked as he opened the door.
    â€œNice slippers,” said Emmie. “Did you kill those in a hunt?”
    Finn half hid behind the door, while Emmie waited outside, jumping around to keep warm in the crisp morning. Eventually, she gave him a look that said, “Aren’t you going to let me in?”
    He let her in. Then he darted upstairs to get some proper clothes on. He reopened his bedroom door to find her standing right outside it.
    â€œWhat’s your bedroom like, Finn?” she asked, walking straight past him to have a look for herself. “Whoa, I thought my bedroom was messy.”
    She spotted the goldfish and gave its glass a tap. “What’s his name?”
    â€œBubbles,” Finn answered. “I was younger when I got him,” he added in response to Emmie’s giggle.
    â€œWhat are you reading? Is this The Most Great Lives ?” Needing two hands, she picked up the large book, only for the other, smaller book hidden inside to fall from between its pages.
    Before Finn could get to it, she had already grabbed it.
    â€œ So You Want to Be a Veterinarian, ” she read. “You want to be a vet?”
    â€œNo. Yes. Maybe.”
    â€œAren’t you supposed to be, I don’t know, killing creatures rather than wrapping them in bandages?” She handed the book back to him. “Like, I didn’t see too many stethoscopes in those portraits downstairs,” she said, now nosily scanning the things on his windowsill.
    â€œMaybe I won’t be like all the others on that wall,” said Finn.
    â€œReally? Thought you had no choice. You know, only son of the only Legend Hunter and all that.”
    â€œYeah, well, maybe it’s because—” Finn was struggling to