Diatomaceous Earth - Williams H.

Summer is winding down and strange days have hit the town of Needles, Massachusetts. Barry Drinkwater, a pool-boy for his parents, is unsure how to proceed when cryptic messages land in his lap while floating in the backyard. Whenever Barry thinks he is alone, he catches someone spying on him from behind shrubbery, gazing at him from around the corner, or peering at him over a newspaper. Then, one day, he happens upon a peculiar help wanted ad: an open position for a Courtroom Abstract Artist via Mirro Enterprises. Meanwhile, his guilt-ridden, morbid, and eccentric friend, Wayne, is obsessed with preparing for the impending apocalypse and introduces Barry to a fantastical realm – a realm that raises more questions than answers. While pursuing the truth, Barry finds himself haunting the local cemetery, wandering through an abandoned mental hospital, and exploring a mysterious highway off-ramp. Important questions remain: Can Barry exist as a pool boy forever? Will Wayne perish as he fears? Will their fates intertwine? And, most importantly, what is the story behind Exit-Thirty-Three-B?