“Shadow! Shadow!” Alex yelled, over and over, his voice growing more and more ragged with each gasp of breath. He kept saying it even when he found himself outside on the sidewalk. He continued saying it when he saw all the diseased people he had seen the day before, now just a few houses away, clambering at something—or someone—else. He caught their attention.
He ran away, once again not thinking about where he was going. He could only think: She saved my life. She gave her life for mine.
Shadow.
KAITLYN
Kaitlyn was amazed that she had been able to sleep at all, let alone to sleep in. Her mom almost never allowed that—she either had to get ready for school or had plenty to do on the weekends. But even when there was time, her mother made her get up. Sleeping in would only make her “lazy.”
She had been worried the night before that visions of what she had seen would keep her awake, but, as far as she could remember, she passed out as soon as her head hit the pillow. When she woke up, the sun was shining and, although she couldn’t immediately remember where she was, she thought for a brief, wonderful moment that the day before had been a dream.
When she saw Hannah sleeping on the couch across from her, everything came back.
She rolled over and saw the sunlight wasn’t pouring in through the window, but merely slanting through cracks between boards. Everything that had happened—everything that she had seen—was all too real.
Looking to keep the kids busy now that things had calmed down, Dave asked Hannah to give the Laheys a tour of the house. To show them the kitchen and her room. Her face lit up when he mentioned her room. She was very proud of it.
“This is the dining room,” she said as she led Joanne and Kaitlyn out of the living room. “That’s where Daddy sits, and this is where I sit. Though, we usually watch TV in there when we eat.”
“Where does your mommy sit?” Joanne said, looking at the other two chairs that Hannah hadn’t labelled.
“My mommy died when I was born,” she said, very matter-of-factly. “That’s why I’m so little.”
“Oh,” Joanne said, sounding aghast at her mistake. “I’m sorry, honey.”
“That’s okay,” Hannah said with a nod. “I have Daddy, and he takes really good care of me for him and Mommy. Right, Daddy?” she yelled.
“That’s right, Boo,” Dave called from the living room.
Kaitlyn was at a loss for what to say to the very mature little girl.
After a brief pause, Hannah continued the tour. “Come on upstairs! I’ll show you the other bathroom if you need to use it. And Daddy’s room and my room.” She was already at the stairs before Kaitlyn started after her. “My room is at the end of the hall. You can see it from the street, ‘cause I have two windows! Come on, I’ll show you!”
The two girls ran up the stairs. To anyone watching it would have seemed like any day, with any kids just being kids—no connections to the day before.
Hannah ran on ahead to her bedroom at the end of the hall. Kaitlyn stopped at the top of the stairs, waiting for her mother. She could see her mother’s shadow stretching up the wall, but she wasn’t coming any farther.
“Joanne?” she heard Dave say quietly.
“Yes?”
“Could you make sure the blinds are closed up there?”
“Sure.” Her shadow moved away from the stairs, only a step. “What’s happening out—”
Before Kaitlyn could hear an answer—how Dave really felt about what was happening—she felt a tug on her sleeve.
“C’mon, Kaitlyn!” Hannah said, grinning up at her. “My room is the best room in the house, really. If you want, we can probably sleep there tonight instead of the living room.”
Kaitlyn smiled at her. “Sure. That sounds good.”
“Daddy?” Hannah yelled, her voice made huge in the silence of the hallway. “Can me and Kaitlyn sleep in my room tonight?”
After a pause Dave’s voice called up. “Sure, Boo. Whatever you guys wanna do is fine by me.”
This might just work out okay, Kaitlyn thought, taking it all in. A moment later, her mother was at the top of the stairs, took Hannah’s waiting hand, and was led down the hall. She smiled and followed behind them.
Everything will be okay.
ALEX
Luckily, Alex didn’t run into any diseased people, but he had no idea where he was going. Tears blinded him and after a few minutes he collapsed in someone’s front yard. If anything attacked him just then, he was dead. He didn’t care.
“Stupid, stupid,” he berated himself. “Of course they were down there! How could I think it was Buster? Idiot!” His grief quickly turned to anger. “Where’s Dad? If only he’d come back for me, then ... then Shadow would be ... would be ...” He broke down sobbing again.
When he sat up and wiped his eyes with soaked hands, he realized it was still raining. The house in front of him looked familiar. He must have passed it hundreds of times with his friends. With Mark—the boy who tried to kill him—who’d killed his dog. The house looked untouched, like it was somehow spared. It hadn’t seen any pain. Not like the pain that Alex felt.
He got mad at the house.
He scrambled on the ground to find something to throw at it. He found a branch on the side of the road and hurled it at the front window, breaking it with a very satisfying shatter. He had no tears left as he stared at the hole he had just created, hating everything.
He heard footsteps.
While destroying the window had been therapeutic, it had also been noisy. It had drawn the attention of local residents. Diseased residents.
They stumbled into the street—at least as many as the day before—from all sides. If they couldn’t run, he could get away. He’d be safe. If not ...
They left an
