Katie shook her head emphatically. “No, not yet. I’ve got to be sure of the details before I start making crazy accusations.”
Aaron felt a knot begin to form in the pit of his stomach. “And those details are …?”
“I want to check out the factory—tonight.”
The knot in his gut grew uncomfortably tighter. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea, Katie.”
“It’s the only way I can think of to prove that something’s up here. Don’t worry,” she added with a nervous grin. “I’ll be fine. I’ll just poke around a little, get the evidence I need, and be back here in no time.”
Alarm bells were ringing in Aaron’s head, but he doubted there was anything he could say to sway the woman’s resolve. The voice of reason told him he was going to seriously regret what he was about to say, but he hated the idea of Katie going alone even more. “I’ll go with you,” he said quickly before he could change his mind.
Katie approached him, a look of genuine gratitude in her eyes. “You don’t have to,” she said, and reached out to touch his shoulder. “This is something I have to do, just in case Kevin—”
“No, I’m going with you,” Aaron interrupted.
He shrugged. “After all, we out-of-towners have to stick together.”
Before they could say any more, the door opened and a mother and two children entered with a pet carrier containing a yowling cat.
“The four o’clock, I’d guess,” Aaron said, looking at his watch. “A little early.”
“Thank you, Aaron.” Katie looked hard into his eyes before stepping out from behind the counter to escort the family into the examination room. “What would I do without you?”
CHAPTER EIGHT
Gabriel awoke with a start.
He’d been dreaming about chasing a rabbit through a dense forest, weaving and ducking beneath thick bushes and low-hanging branches, when his drowsing reverie turned unexpectedly to nightmare. The rabbit had stopped and spun around to glare at him with eyes that did not seem right. They were unusually dark, almost liquid in their shininess, and when they blinked, a milky coating seemed to briefly cover them. Gabriel had seen many rabbits in his years—but never one that looked like this. It was wrong—the bunny was wrong.
Its body had begun to writhe—to undulate as if something inside of it were trying to get out. Slowly, cautiously, Gabriel had backed away, growling in his most menacing tone. The animal lay flat on the ground. Its body had continued to pulse and vibrate, its scary eyes never leaving the dog. Gabriel barked: a succession of sharp staccato bursts and snarls, hoping to scare the rabbit away. He had wanted to run, but didn’t want to turn his back on the creature. How embarrassing, he had thought in the grip of his nightmare, to be chased by a rabbit.
The rabbit had suddenly stopped moving, although its unwavering gaze never left Gabriel. Slowly its mouth began to open—wider—and wider still. The dog heard a disturbing wet crack as the animal’s jaws popped from its socket. He wanted to run—but he was afraid. The rabbit’s lower jaw dangled awfully, its mouth a gaping chasm of darkness. From within, the sound of movement came. Gabriel had whined with fear and was turning to flee, when something exploded from the rabbit’s body…
Still shaken from the disturbing dream, Gabriel glanced about the room from his post atop the bed, nose twitching—searching the air for anything out of the ordinary. Everything seemed to be fine, but then he caught a whiff of something that made his mouth begin to water. Food, and if his senses could be trusted, it was meat loaf. He’d had his breakfast and half an apple before Aaron left for work, but the thought of a snack was quite alluring.
Gabriel turned to sniff at the wound on his leg. Aaron had wanted him to stay off of it, but it was feeling much better. The dog jumped to the floor and stretched the hours of inactivity from his limbs. It felt good, and he barely noticed any discomfort. He walked around the room in a circle, just to be certain. There was a little tightness in the muscles of his thigh, but nothing that could prevent him from heading downstairs for a handout.
He stood at the door and hopped up on his back legs to take the doorknob tightly in his mouth. Slowly, he turned his head, pulling ever so slightly until the door came open. Gabriel made his way down the hallway and carefully descended the stairs. At the foot of the steps, he again sniffed, pinpointed the kitchen as the source of his treat, and made a beeline for the doorway.
Mrs. Provost was sitting at the kitchen table and was about to take a bite from a meat loaf sandwich when Gabriel appeared.
“Well, look who it is,” she said with a hint of a smile. She took a large bite and began to chew.
Gabriel padded into the kitchen, tail wagging, nails clicking on the linoleum floor. His eyes were fixed on the plate of food, and he licked his chops hungrily.
“Now don’t go giving me the hungry horrors routine,” Mrs. Provost said as she wiped her mouth with a paper napkin and looked away. “Aaron said I wasn’t to give you anything, even if you came begging.”
He watched closely as she took another bite of the delicious-looking meat-and-bread combination. How can Aaron do this to me again? he wondered, remembering the incident at the rest stop. He felt the saliva begin to drip from his mouth and land upon the floor beneath him.
“Don’t stare at me,” Mrs. Provost said, finishing the last of the first half. “He was very serious, made me promise and everything, so you might as well just go on back to your room.” She picked up the other half.
Gabriel was sure he’d never been so hungry, and couldn’t believe the woman wouldn’t share even a small piece of her sandwich. It was very selfish. Remembering his success with the little girl and her family, he reached out with his mind to reassure the woman that Aaron wouldn’t be mad if he was given only a bite.
I’m sure it would be fine if you gave me a bite of that sandwich.
Mrs. Provost convulsed violently as his mind gently brushed against hers. The table shook, spilling the cup of coffee next to her plate. Gabriel stepped back, startled.
She had set her sandwich down for a moment, but picked it up again, opening her mouth to take a bite. Again, Gabriel lightly prodded, suggesting that it would be very nice of her to share. She froze and gradually turned in her chair. His tail wagged in anticipation as he came closer. But the old woman stared at him, a strange expression on her face, as if she had never seen him before. She was still holding the sandwich in her hand, and he continued to hope that he would get some of it, but a primitive instinct told him that something was wrong. He felt the hackles of fur on his back begin to rise. Quickly the dog looked about the kitchen for signs of danger, his nose twitching eagerly as he searched for a scent that was out of the ordinary. There was a hint of something, but he did not know what it was.
Mrs. Provost made a strange noise at the back of her throat, and the skin around her neck seemed to expand, like a bullfrog. And then she blinked, a slow, languid movement, and Gabriel saw that same milky covering over her eyes that he’d seen on the rabbit in his dream.
Suddenly he didn’t care whether he got a bite of the meat loaf sandwich. He backed toward the doorway never taking his eyes from the strange old woman. Her scent had changed. It was like the ocean—but older. He had to get to Aaron.
Gabriel spun around and bolted for the front door. Again, he jumped up and grabbed the knob with his teeth. He could hear sounds of the woman’s approach behind him. The knob turned, and he heard the click of the latch—and another sound. The woman was coughing loudly, hard. Gabriel had just pulled the door open when he felt the first of the projectiles hit his left leg. He chanced a quick glance and saw a circular object, smaller than a tennis ball covered in wet, glistening spines, sticking in his thigh. He wanted to pluck it out with his teeth, but feared the spines would hurt his mouth. Aaron will get it out, Gabriel thought as he turned back to the open door.