Typo Squad, page 1
part #1 of Typo Squad Series
TYPO
SQUAD
STEPHEN LOMER
Copyright © 2017 Port Nine Publishing
All rights reserved.
The events and characters presented in this book are works of fiction.
Any similarity to persons or places living or dead is purely coincidental and unintended.
No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system without the proper written permission of the appropriate copyright holder, unless such copying is expressly permitted by federal and international copyright law.
www.stephenlomer.com
DEDICATION
I would like to dedicate Typo Squad to all the unsung heroes out there. That’s right, I’m talking about the proofreaders and copy editors of the world. It’s a thankless profession. If you do your job correctly, no one knows it. But if you miss a single edit, the entire world comes crashing down on your head.
Just know that I appreciate all you do, and I hope that you’ll all continue doing it.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Thank you to my wife, Teresa,
for all her patience, love, and support
as I continue on this journey.
Thank you to my fellow writers
Christopher Valin and Chris Whigham
for always having my literary back.
And the biggest thank you of all to
Stacey Longo Harris, for taking this sow’s
ear of a book and editing it into a silk purse.
CONTENTS
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
PROLOGUE
Dick was not a fan of math.
The quizzes in fourth grade had given him headaches and made him want to jab his No. 2 pencil in both of his eyes. Now in fifth grade, he found himself wishing for those fourth grade quizzes.
Mrs. Hitz was at the front of the class, preparing to hand out the test papers, when two men in dark suits entered the classroom. They asked to speak to her privately, so she stepped out into the hallway with them. Dick turned to his best friend Kenny and mouthed the words, What’s going on? Kenny shrugged.
When Mrs. Hitz returned, she had a new stack of papers in her arms, and she looked anxious.
“Class,” she said sharply, “today’s math quiz has been canceled.” There was a stunned sort of silence in the room; to everyone’s knowledge, Mrs. Hitz had never not given a scheduled quiz. She began making her way up and down the rows, handing out the new stack of papers.
“These are . . . study aids,” she said vaguely. “Don’t open them until I give the word.”
She passed by Dick’s desk and handed him a booklet. It had a blank cover and a bright red seal on the right-hand side that read STOP! DO NOT PROCEED UNTIL TOLD TO DO SO. As Mrs. Hitz passed, Dick once again turned to Kenny and mouthed What the hell is this? Once again, Kenny only shrugged.
When Mrs. Hitz had finished handing out the booklets, she made her way to the front of the classroom. She looked everyone over, and then said simply, “All right. You may begin.”
Dick used his pencil to break the seal and turned to the first page. It was a series of sentences, but there were no instructions saying what to do with them, no questions about them or lines to provide answers.
Just sentences.
Dick raised his hand. “Yes?” Mrs. Hitz said.
“Mrs. Hitz, what are we supposed to do?” he asked. The rest of the class seemed to be wondering the same thing, and waited for an answer.
“Just read what’s in the booklet,” Mrs. Hitz said. “That’s all.”
Looks were exchanged, but with no more information forthcoming, Dick settled in to read. The sentences were odd. He’d never seen anything quite like them before. They were mostly right, but there were commas in odd places, missing punctuation, and words that seemed out of order.
As Dick read them, he became aware of an odd feeling. It was a tingling that felt like it was in the center of his brain, and the more he read, the stronger the sensation got. He could feel his body getting warmer, and the tingling was quickly turning to dizziness. What in the world was happening?
By the time he got to the final page, he was deathly afraid he was going to pass out right in the middle of Mrs. Hitz’s classroom. But he bit his bottom lip, read the last few words, and closed the booklet with a long, controlled exhale. He sat back and realized that his back was coated with sweat, but oddly, he didn’t much care. He felt light and free, and as though he were glowing from within.
About ten minutes later, the last of the class had finished their booklets as well. Mrs. Hitz looked around and asked, “Now then—how many of you feel ill?”
Everyone but Dick raised their hand. His euphoria evaporated in an instant and was replaced with a sense of dread. No one was looking at him, but it still felt like he was alone on a stage and a white-hot spotlight had been turned on him. He wondered if he should put his hand up, too. Was he feeling the wrong thing? Was something wrong with him?
After giving the room a once-over, Mrs. Fitz’s eyes landed on Dick. “You feel all right, dear?”
Now everyone was looking at him. He nodded nervously.
“Then report to the principal’s office. The rest of you may step outside to the playground for some fresh air.”
There was a loud scraping of chairs on linoleum as the rest of the class, all looking queasy to some degree, headed for the door. Dick remained behind, certain he must have heard Mrs. Hitz wrong.
“Mrs. Hitz?” he asked timidly once the room had emptied. “Did you say the principal’s office?”
“Yes, dear,” Mrs. Hitz said.
“Am I in trouble?” He hated the quaver in his voice, but he couldn’t help it. It was hard to believe that only a few minutes ago he’d felt so blissfully at peace.
“Oh no, nothing like that,” Mrs. Hitz said. “They just want to talk to you. Run along now.”
Despite Mrs. Hitz’s assurance, Dick felt his knees buckle with each step he took on the way to the principal’s office. He’d never been there and had made a vow to avoid doing anything that would land him there. The stories of Principal Pade and his bellowing lectures were legendary.
When he arrived at the office, the door was ajar and he could see Principal Pade’s desk, but the principal wasn’t behind it. An older man in a black suit and tie was there instead, wearing tinted sunglasses even though he was indoors. Two younger men, also in suits and shades, stood on either side of him.
The man behind the desk spotted Dick and gestured him into the office.
“Let me guess,” he said in a gravelly voice. “You don’t have a stomachache.”
Dick shook his head. He didn’t seem to be able to speak.
“Come in; sit down,” the man said. “There’s nothing to be afraid of.”
Dick took a seat across the desk from the man. One of the other two crossed the room and closed the office door.
“What’s your name?” the man behind the desk asked.
“Dick,” he said quietly.
“Nice to meet you, Dick,” he said. “My name is Mister Flite.”
Dick nodded.
“So tell me, Dick,” Mister Flite said. “How are you feeling?”
For a fleeting second, Dick entertained the notion of telling him that he was feeling ill, that maybe whatever had affected everyone else had just taken a little extra time to affect him. But then what if he started asking specific questions? All he knew was that all of his classmates had felt ill when they’d finished the workbooks. But what if he lied and then offered up the wrong symptoms? It all flashed through his mind in a split second, and he guessed it showed clearly on his face.
“It’s okay, Dick,” Mister Flite assured him. “Just tell the truth. How do you feel?”
“Fine,” Dick said at last, although at that moment he felt anything but.
Mister Flite nodded, and then turned to the man on his right. The man stepped forward and pulled out a small stack of index cards, which he handed over before resuming his position.
“Dick,” Mister Flite asked, tapping the index cards on the top of the desk, “do you know what a typo is?”
Dick shook his head.
“A typo is a misspelled word. I don’t imagine you’ve ever seen one before, have you?”
He shook his head again.
“That’s because the government goes to great lengths to make sure no typos ever reach the general public. Do you know why?”
“No,” Dick said, not sure what to make of all this.
“Because typos are lethal,” Mister Flite said gravely. “Just reading a typo—one single misspelled word—can kill you.”
Dick’s eyes were wide.
“Sorry, I’m not trying to scare you,” he said quickly. “I’m just trying to explain why you’re here. Now, for reasons that we don’t fully understand, there are some people who are born with an immunity to typos. Instead of killing them, typos have some sort of other effect. I knew a gentleman who would cry hysterically whenever he saw one. Another who would get a loud buzzing i n his ears. But they wouldn’t die. These people are very unique, and very special.”
He glanced down at the stack of cards, and then back up at Dick.
“That test you took today was designed to see if you are one of these special individuals, and since those minor grammatical errors didn’t make you ill, it seems you might be. But to be sure, I’d like to test you further. Would you be willing to look at these cards for me?”
Dick stared at the stack. “Do they have typos on them?”
“Yes, they do.”
“Well,” Dick said, his breath coming faster now, “what if you’re wrong? What if they kill me?”
“Dick, trust me, I’ve had a lot of experience with this. I wouldn’t expose you if I didn’t think you could handle it. But if you really don’t want to, you don’t have to.”
“I don’t want to,” he said automatically. His chest felt tight, and panic was beginning to take hold.
Mister Flite nodded. “All right, then. You can return to class. I just ask that you keep this conversation strictly between you and me.”
Dick nodded and got up quickly from the chair. His hand was on the doorknob when he paused and thought for a moment.
What if he was special? What if he had this . . . something that none of his friends or classmates had? If typos were watched as carefully as Mister Flite said, he might never get another opportunity to find out.
Dick made his way back to the chair, taking slow, deep breaths.
“Yes?” Mister Flite said, raising his eyebrows.
“Okay,” Dick said in a small voice. “Show me the cards.”
CHAPTER ONE
The midday sun shone down on the lone figure standing in his waders in the middle of the flowing, crystal clear stream. He was casting out his line and reeling it in, but so far had no fish to show for it. This didn’t seem to bother him, though; the mere act of fishing on a beautiful clear day seemed to calm him completely.
Behind him was his cabin, sitting on the rocky shore of the stream, and beyond that were towering pine trees as far as the eye could see. There wasn’t another soul for miles.
He reached down and grabbed a bottle of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale that the stream was keeping cold for him. He took a long swig, wiped his bearded chin with the back of his hand, and placed it back between two small stones that were keeping it from being swept away by the current. He took a deep, cleansing breath. And smiled.
He could hear the familiar sounds of rushing water, tweeting birds, and humming cicadas, which is why he noticed the sound of an approaching car long before he otherwise might have. The tires sounded like they were struggling with loose soil and steep angles, and the engine didn’t sound too much happier.
The car, a black SUV as it turned out, emerged from little more than a walking path nestled among the trees, then crested the hill, coming to rest with its front tires sitting on the stream’s highest bank, a spot that would not see water until the spring runoff. A woman stepped out from the driver’s side, slammed the door shut, and looked around. He could tell immediately by the way she was dressed who she was, and he had a pretty good idea of what she wanted. But as he was quite sure he wasn’t interested, he turned his attention back to his fishing as she approached.
She stood there for a minute or so, arms folded, watching him, but neither of them said a word. At last, her voice carried clearly in the near silence as she called to him.
“Are you Richard Shonnary?” It was less a question and more of a statement of skepticism, as though she could not believe that he was who she thought he was.
He looked over his shoulder at her. “I prefer Dick.”
“Some guys do,” she said, without missing a beat. “That doesn’t matter to me.”
“Good one.” He grunted. “Never heard that before.”
He cast his line back out and reeled in a bit, hoping the conversation was done, but knowing it was likely far from over.
“You’re not an easy man to find,” she said after a time.
“That’s by design,” Dick replied. “I prefer the solitude.”
“Doesn’t it get lonely up here, all by yourself?”
He looked back at her. She had plopped herself down on the bank and was sitting cross-legged, absently playing with some pebbles scattered on the silt. Her bright red hair, pulled back into a tight ponytail, had turned to flame in the sun.
“See now, I thought that uniform meant that you were with Typo Squad,” Dick said. “I didn’t realize you were a therapist.”
The woman smiled. “I am with Typo Squad.”
“Well, good for you,” Dick said. “Now if you don’t mind?”
“Don’t you want to know who I am? Why I’m here?” she asked.
“No, and no,” Dick answered.
They lapsed back into silence. Dick could feel the young woman staring at him, waiting. The minutes ticked by, and still she said nothing. On the opposite bank, a fawn poked her head out from the tree line and cautiously dipped her head down for a drink.
“Oh, all right then,” Dick said at last. “Make your pitch and get outta here.”
“My name’s Thea,” she said brightly. “Thea Saurus.”
Dick said nothing.
“And a pleasure to meet you too,” she said. “Anyway, I’m here to bring you back.”
Dick looked over at her. “Bring me back? Back where?”
“To Typo Squad.”
Dick laughed out loud, and the sound echoed over the stream. “That’s a good one, sweetheart. I needed that. Haven’t had a good laugh in ages.”
“Tanka sent me,” Thea said simply.
Dick looked at her thoughtfully. “Did he?”
“Yes.”
“And why, I wonder, did Tanka not come himself?” Dick asked. When Thea didn’t respond, Dick pressed on. “I bet he thought if he sent a pretty young thing like you, I’d be more easily persuaded.”
Thea smiled again. “Was he right?”
Dick couldn’t help grinning. “No. Now go away.”
“Tanka gave me a message to give to you,” Thea said. “If you weren’t, y’know, cooperative.”
“Is that right?” Dick asked. “Well, I’m definitely not being cooperative, so you may as well convey it.”
Thea hesitated, then said baldly, “It’s time you stopped hiding. It’s time you got over what happened five years ago, you dumb shit.”
Dick looked at her sharply. She raised her hands. “Look, don’t shoot the messenger. Those were his words, not mine.”
Dick’s heart was suddenly pounding. He reached down, grabbed the beer bottle, drained it, and then threw it at a nearby boulder. It shattered into shards only feet away from Thea, but she didn’t so much as flinch.
Dick waded quickly back to shore, dragging his nearly forgotten fishing pole behind him. He strode right up to Thea, who was a full head shorter than he, and jabbed a finger in her face. “You turn around, get back in that car, and get the hell out of here,” he said menacingly. “And you tell Tanka to go fuck himself.”
He strode past her, headed for the cabin.
“I can tell Tanka to go fuck himself, at some point,” she called after him, “but I’m afraid I can’t leave.”
Dick stopped, looking back. “Why not?”
She shrugged. “My orders were to bring you back,” she said. “I’m not leaving unless you’re in the passenger seat.”
“That’s not going to happen.”
“Then I’m not leaving.”
Dick shook his head and spread his arms wide. “Fine. Do what you like. Goodbye.” He stalked off toward the cabin, yanking the door open and slamming it behind him.
Dick paced back and forth in front of the living room’s picture windows, trying to walk off his anger.
Tanka, he thought. That son of a bitch. He can eat shit and die for all I care.
He took deep, calming breaths as he broke out of his pacing and headed to the kitchen. He grabbed another beer from the fridge and was about to twist off the top when a bright flash of orange caught his attention through the kitchen window. His mouth fell open. At first he couldn’t process what he was seeing, and moved closer to the glass to be sure of it.
