Getting Home

Part 31

The cruiser slid to a stop in front of the alley, the front tire bouncing clumsily into the curb.

"Officer Mather!" Sophia yelped.

"Sorry," Sean said, hurriedly getting out. Fury scratched at the window as he passed by.

"No," Sean said.

Fury began whimpering.

Dammit, Sean thought.

"Alright, mutt." He opened the back door of the cruiser. "But you're on your own."

Fury dashed out of the car, disappearing into the dark alleyway.

Not all of the street lights on Henry Avenue had been replaced yet—most of the street still remained shrouded in night, with only scattered islands of soft yellowish light radiating into the silent and empty misty fog. The headlights from the cruiser revealed the entrance of the dark alley, before the light faded to black.

"What's with the dog?" Sophia said, coming up behind him.

"Ava," Sean said, continuing towards the alley. He unholstered his gun as he walked, checking the magazine. "She's got a soft spot for strays."

"That's sweet."

"Our Dad didn't think so," Sean said, giving a little smile without realizing it. "When we were kids, there were always stray cats roaming around on the front porch because Ava would leave food outside for them. Dad hated it, but that didn't matter—Ava never cared about getting in trouble."

And now...

Sean entered the alley, gun down at the ready position in one hand, his flashlight up with the other. The ground crunched under his boots as he advanced, Sophia following behind him. He swung his flashlight around the alley, the ground glittering back at him.

Broken glass.

He had a brief thought: Hope the dog's okay walking on this stuff.

A line of dirty, dull-yellow police tape labeled DO NOT CROSS lay crumpled in the muck and glass on the ground. He stepped over it, his mind flashing vividly back to this morning—

And the gory, horrible scene he had run away from.

"Maybe you should call for backup," Sophia said nervously.

"Everybody's got their hands full right now," Sean said, pretending not to hear the shakiness in his voice. "I just need to check—there has to be something here. I know it."

Fury began barking from somewhere in the darkness.

They both froze. Fury's bark bounced and echoed throughout the alleyway, urgent and amplified. Sean's pulse began to race, his chest tingling like it did whenever he started feeling anxious.

"Aren't you going to go see what he's barking at?" Sophia said.

Hell no, Sean wanted to say—but he knew she was right. Why had he even bothered coming back here if he was just going to run away again?

Because you've gone insane.

Sean brought his gun up, lightly resting it on his wrist holding the flashlight. "Maybe you should go back to the car," he said to Sophia.

Fury continued to bark.

"I'm good," Sophia said, pointing towards the back of the alley. "I see him."

Sean nodded.

Fury was sniffing at something on the ground. As they neared, it only took Sean a second to realize what it was—a cell phone, laying in the muck. An iPhone, to be exact. In fact, Sean could see the sticker on the case... a logo of a musical group... a musical group that Sean somehow recognized—