Ryder's heart hammered against his ribs. The world was a tableau, an unsettling snapshot in time. He scrambled down from the lookout, his sneakers pounding on the stairs. Reaching the bottom, he barked, "Chase! Marshall! To the Lookout!"
Silence. No answering barks, no whirring of pup-mobiles. A cold dread filled him. Even if the pup pad was malfunctioning, surely he could hear his loyal pups if he called loud enough. Yet, there was nothing but an eerie quiet.
Ryder raced outside. The normally vibrant green of the grass seemed muted, the bright blue sky dulled by a hazy film. He called out to Alex, but the boy remained frozen, a statue in a park. Panic clawed at Ryder's throat. Adventure Bay, usually teeming with life, had become a ghost town trapped in a glitch.