Chapter 1Heavy rain lashed against the house, rattling the window panes and echoing through the small kitchen. In a frenzied struggle against the wind, branches from the old oak tree scraped wildly at the side of the house and dragged at the roof’s edge. I peeked through the blinds but my vision was mostly obscured by the wide rivulets of water streaming down the glass; I saw a sliver of light from the lone streetlamp on my cul-de-sac, some dark shadows moving with the wind. Clouds had rolled in hours ago, blotting out the sun long before the rain had started.
Muted thunder sounded in the distance, barely audible above the roar outside.
At the sound of a whimper, I glanced down at my dog and smiled. “Yeah, buddy. No way I wanna to be out in this, either.”
Argus barked in agreement and r
