On My Way - Eve Langlais Page 0,30

half expected it to remain dark.

“Nothing to be scared of,” I chanted. I said it a few times just because it helped.

Grisou ran ahead and disappeared amongst the antiques. I plopped into the chair and leaned over to grab the cord already plugged into the space. My phone showed a charging lightning bolt, but it took a few seconds before I could hit the power-on button. A few more seconds before the menu loaded and I could make a call.

Darryl was in my contacts. Not a big list of people thus far, but it was growing.

It rang once and then was answered.

“Hey, Naomi. How’s it going?”

“Not so good,” I admitted. “I think my car battery is dead, and I’m stuck at the shop.”

“I’ll be right over.” No hesitation.

“Are you sure?” It was what I’d hoped for when I called, but it felt kind of brazen at the same time reaching out to him like this. I could have tried Winnie or Trish first. Surely one of them had booster cables.

“No problem.”

“Awesome, I—”

The lights went out.

“Oh shit,” I muttered.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

Before I could reply, my phone, not yet charged more than a percent, died. The line cut off, and in that ensuing silence, I heard a click and the creak of a door opening.

8

My bladder constricted, and I peed myself a bit. I don’t think there any amount of Kegels would have stopped me.

Standing from my chair didn’t make me feel braver, but if something was inside the store, I wanted to face it on my feet. The air in the shop went from pleasant to freezing as the cold from outside infiltrated. It wasn’t as dark as the alley. The streetlamp on the sidewalk provided some illumination through the window, but it wasn’t enough to dispel shadows.

I retreated, taking slow steps away from the back door. It seemed safer toward the light and the door that would let me escape onto the street. Surely nothing would follow me there.

As I stared at the wall of darkness, I half expected to see the shining eyes from the alley. Nothing appeared. Nothing but a deepening darkness and a certainty I wasn’t alone.

A low growl rumbled from my left, but I welcomed the sound. Brave kitty. Grisou possessed the heart and courage of a lion. But when it came to size, a big rat could eat him.

“Grisou, no!” A dog might have listened. A cat? A cat did whatever it liked.

Grisou galloped across the floor, funny how he sounded as big as an elephant in that moment. I might want to look into the stability of the shop’s structure because it seemed odd how everything shook as if he were heavy enough to make the floor tremble.

My cat’s next cry was more of a roar than a growl. He sounded intimidating in the dark and nothing at all like my sweet, cuddly kitty. Goosebumps rose on my arms, and I would have sworn I could see my breath. The heating system must have died when the power did.

The cold intensified.

“Rawr-nn.” My feline made an awful sound, and there was a hiss, followed by a thump. What did he battle? A rat? Something worse? What if it were a raccoon? Didn’t those things carry rabies?

Poor Grisou might be outnumbered. I needed to find a weapon and help my kitty. I sifted through my recollection of what was in the room that might act as a good whacking stick. I could think of nothing.

“Grawr.” My pet let out a noise, and something uttered a guttural squeak.

“Leave him alone!” Because words would surely help. I was so useless. I grabbed a candlestick and took a step toward the storage room. I had to help. Although, with my luck, I was more likely to brain my pet than save him.

Thump. Bang. “Grawk!”

Silence fell.

And from the wall of darkness, a pair of glowing eyes appeared. Silvery like my cat, but glowing, and about six feet off the ground.

What the heck was that? I retreated until my butt hit the door, and my fingers sought the knob, only to belatedly remember it was locked. I’d have to put my back to the eyes to open it.

Quickly.

Turning, I reached for the deadbolt and twisted. Then I grabbed the knob and went to open the door, only to scream as the glass rattled. Something knocked on it, and I couldn’t see who—or what—because I’d pulled the blind.

I stepped away from the door. And froze. Eyes behind me, someone in the