After Dark by Mikey Campling

Author:Mikey Campling [Campling, Mikey]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Mikey Campling
Published: 2016-01-29T23:00:00+00:00

THE CRESCENT, WHITBY

Johnny pressed himself back against the high stone wall. They wouldn’t see him from this distance. They wouldn’t even look back. They were too busy fumbling with their keys and maneuvering their heavy bundle in through the door.

Johnny smiled. A nice little house, he thought, and quiet neighborhood too. It was very promising. He waited until they’d shut the door behind them, then he pushed himself away from the wall and sauntered past the holiday cottage. The front door wasn’t ideal. It was overlooked by neighboring houses. But a lot of these little places had a back garden or a backyard. It was worth a look.

He checked the street was clear then strolled to the corner and turned left. There. The entrance to a narrow alley. No doubt it ran along the backs of the houses. And the best thing about it–there wasn’t a street light in sight.

***

As he led the way into the cottage, Matt fumbled for the switch and turned the light on.

“Come on,” he said. “We’ll put the dog in the kitchen.”

“All right,” Jen said, “whatever you think.” It wasn’t like her to blindly follow Matt’s lead, but now that they had made it back to the cottage, her tiredness and hunger had suddenly caught up with her. It seemed selfish, but all she wanted to do was sit down with a hot drink. No, she thought. We must sort the dog out first, then we can relax a bit.

The cottage’s hallway was narrow and cluttered with antique furniture. The old-fashioned hat rack, the hall table, and the umbrella stand had seemed quaint at first, but now they were just in the way.

“Careful,” Matt said.

“I know,” Jen snapped. “Just look where you’re going.”

Matt stumbled on the threshold as he crossed into the kitchen, and cursed under his breath. Still, at least, the kitchen was a decent size. They shuffled across the tiled floor and gently lowered the dog to the floor near the heater.

The dog whimpered and rolled its eyes, then laid flat; still and listless on the cold floor.

Matt and Jen stood side by side and looked down at the helpless creature.

“I’ll go and figure out who to call,” Matt said.

Jen smiled gratefully. “Thanks. I’ll go and get some towels, give it a rub down.”

Matt patted her on the arm and headed for the stairs. The bedroom was the only place he could be sure of getting a phone signal.

Jen went to the bathroom and fetched their towels. It was a shame to make a mess of them, but there was nothing else to use. She knelt down by the dog and rubbed a towel gently down the length of its body. Its damp coat was matted and ingrained with sand, and as she smoothed the tangled fur down, the dog’s muscles twitched as though she’d knocked a sore spot. “I’m sorry,” she murmured, “I didn’t mean to hurt you. But you’re all right now. We’ll look after you.” The dog wagged its tail, just twice, as if it had understood; a feeble gesture of friendliness.

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