She quickly turned to David, the almost sinister smile from the previous evening returning to her face. “I’m going to go for it.”
“Go for what?” David asked, an edge of fear in his voice.
“You know what.”
David said nothing as his eyes widened.
Nicole grabbed him by the shoulders and looked straight into his eyes. Serious message delivery. “You stay with Ryan. All right?”
David nodded, and Nicole returned the gesture. She then took one last look around. Noting that the argument between the mob and Will the orderly was still escalating, she bolted for the door and went in without being noticed
ALEX
A low hum and click woke Alex up, but when he opened his eyes, the sound was gone.
Shadow scrambled clumsily to the floor out of his way as he stretched and sat up.
“Oh well, I’m sorry to bother you,” he said to his dog. Shadow looked only long enough to force him off the couch and into the kitchen where she expected breakfast.
“Eat up, buddy,” he told her, dumping a heaping scoop of kibble into her dish. She needed no prompting.
His own stomach rumbling, Alex looked in the fridge. He didn’t remember eating anything substantial since breakfast the day before. When was that? What time is it now? The clock on the microwave was dark. The fridge was also dark.
No power. Great.
He quickly pulled the jug of milk from the fridge and slammed the door. He went to the pantry, got his cereal, and poured himself a bowl. As he did so he looked at his watch.
6:58.
Where’s Dad? Or the evacuation people? Or anyone? They should have been here by now. He looked out the back window: a lovely sunny day. Nice green grass; leaves in their bright fall colours; it looked like all the trouble had ceased.
They must be still sleeping.
He almost spit out his cereal when he heard a scratching at the door. He looked up sharply and then sighed with relief. It was just Shadow looking to get out.
Now he had a dilemma.
He wasn’t supposed to open the door—no matter what. Only when his dad or the evacuation people got there, that’s what he had been told. Plus, he was in this mess in the first place because of the dog.
However, it was obvious why Shadow wanted to get out. She had just eaten her whole bowl of food, and she hadn’t been out all night. He did not want to have to clean up whatever she would soon do on the kitchen floor or to make her suffer through waiting.
Her whining made his mind up for him.
He made another quick scan of the yard from the back-door window: grass blowing in the breeze, the sun sitting just on the horizon. Just like any other day. He slowly unlatched the door and even more slowly opened it. He looked around again before he opened the screen door. Still looked good and welcoming.
“Go quick,” he told the dog as he put her on her chain. She impatiently fidgeted until he opened the door. Then she bolted to her usual ‘bathroom’ spot.
Alex decided to call the school one more time. Now, instead of no answer, the call didn’t go through at all; just the clicking of the busy signal. Regardless, he suddenly felt cold and clammy. Why had no one come? He hung up the phone and heard Shadow barking to get back in. At least she had been quick, like he asked.
He looked out, but Shadow was not at the door scratching to get in. Instead her chain was stretched taut as she barked at something around the corner between his house and the Wattses’.
The first image that entered his mind was of the woman from the news—the one from New Brunswick—just before she got hit by the car. He wondered if she had gotten up too, like the man in the street in Halifax. These thoughts were interrupted when, to his relief, he saw Mr. Watts walk around the corner. It was good to know he wasn’t the only one left in the neighbourhood. He could stay with the Wattses while they all waited to get picked up. His cold feeling was replaced by an almost overwhelming relief.
Only, something was off.
Why is Shadow barking like that? She knows Mr. Watts. Is there another dog out there?
Mr. Watts walked with a limp. He must have gotten hurt, and that’s why he’s coming over. Only, he was not walking toward the house. He was walking toward Shadow, and Shadow was getting more and more upset. She had her haunches up, her teeth bared. She went from a bark to a snarling growl. Slobber flew from her mouth.
He quickly opened the door. “Mr. Watts! Are you okay?”
Shadow’s eyes never left Mr. Watts, but the old man’s gaze shifted to Alex. Slowly he turned his whole body toward the open door.
His eyes were milky white; not seeing, but still looking for something. His eyes only caught Alex’s attention for a brief moment because then Alex saw all the red. Blood, smeared all over the old man’s face and hands.
Whatever was happening out there, it had already happened to Mr. Watts.
Alex froze. Mr. Watts slowly walked toward him, arms outstretched just like the people he had seen on the news. He wanted to scream or cry, but fear wouldn’t allow it. Then he heard Shadow’s barking.
Mr. Watts was between Alex and his dog.
Shadow, still in her attack position, inched closer and closer to the old man.
“Shadow!” Alex yelled, the sound of his own voice making him jump. “Shadow come here! Now!” His eyes darted back and forth between the dog and the old man, who was getting very close to the door; if he got there first, Alex knew he’d had to lock it and leave his dog outside. But, his dad gave him this responsibility: keep Shadow safe. Even if it was just a
