Arelia Mitchel wandered all over town for an hour, only to find that all roads to the school were gone. In their place were ragged ends of pavement leading to deep, dark chasms of fog and depth. She shook her head and sighed upon approaching the last possible road, and could see from ten feet away that it only lead to another dead end. But upon further progression toward it, she found papers again. Most were blank, but two had left another message for her.


Dog House

Levin St.


She set down the papers and glanced at the area map. Levin Street was not far from her position. Arelia looked down at the swirling, growling mists of the chasm before leaving.

Upon returning to Levin Street, Arelia noticed the abundance of roaming, soulless dogs. She took out only three, not willing to waste the bullets. Finally, on the left side of the street, she came to a house with a doghouse in the front yard. It looked to be for a small dog, maybe a terrier or beagle. The entrance was dark, and she could not see if there were anything in it.

Rather than to reach in her hand blindly and risk it being bitten off, she fired two rounds into it. Not only did it illuminate the small space enough to see that there was nothing inside, it also illuminated a house key that had been hidden in the doghouse for safe keeping. Arelia crouched on the dew-soaked grass and retrieved the key with a small smile. The smile faded as she wondered what was in that house. She glanced up at it and scanned its dim windows. No shadows moved behind them. It looked as if it were all right to proceed.

Don't just assume it is because you can't see anything, her mind warned. You know better. Arelia climbed the short flight of steps to the front door and hesitated. Then she knocked to see if anyone would answer. When no one did, she slid the key into the lock, turned it until she heard a snap, and opened the door with her gun drawn.

The house was nice, if small. She hit the light switch on the wall to her right, filling the entryway with bright, warm glows from the fixtures on the walls. It was cleaned well. The kitchen the hallway led to was spotless. Arelia collected the two first-aid kits, medicinal bottle, and two boxes of handgun bullets on the counter, then raided the refrigerator for something to make a sandwich out of. She found slices of turkey and cheese wrapped in ziploc bags from a grocery store. She flipped them over to inspect the dates they were packaged. About a month old. Damn. She took out the turkey and did not smell anything too repugnant, and the cheese seemed to be all right.

There was a loaf of bread in one of the cupboards above the counter. Arelia made a dry sandwich and ate it quietly, trying hard not to think about the odd taste. She sighed through her nose and leaned against the counter edge. How long had it been since these people were taken away? When had they eaten their last meal? Arelia glanced at her sandwich and wondered if it would be hers. There had been no trace of anyone ever inhabiting the house. She found it a little sad to think that people could be so easily abducted and forgotten.

Arelia walked through the rooms of the house, chewing and swallowing her sandwich, glancing in rooms for any sign of previous or current life. Bloodstains on the bed sheets of a child's lonely bed. Stuffed animals on the dresser. Cookie Monster staring back at her with dead, plastic eyes. Drapes blowing in the wind of a lazy ceiling fan like a ghostly sigh. No child.

A washing machine came to life behind a locked laundry room door. The lights flickered. It was time to leave.

She tried to leave through the back door. It too was locked. She stuffed the remaining part of the sandwich into her mouth and tried to force it open. It wouldn't budge. She swallowed and tried again. No dice. Arelia took a quick drink from the tap water in the faucet and wiped the back of her mouth with her jacket sleeve. Should have gotten a napkin. You were raised better'n that.

Next to the back door, she found a map on the wall. It was of the locations for something called the "Keys for Eclipse". Arelia copied them down onto the residential area map she had just in case. She was opening the front door when she realized she had overlooked the writing on it. It had been opened from the other side before. Now she could see the blood-like ink running fresh down the wood.


Derek's in school now


Arelia glanced back at the child's room and shuddered before leaving.