Page 63 (1/1)

"Thank you," I said distractedly I’m not sure he heardwas replaced by the sweet acoustic guitar hold music of the SymboGen communications system

I waited, none too patiently, and listenedas she was still barking, the man was still outside Hopefully the second wo some other avenue into the house I shivered a bit, despite the fact that it was a perfectly warot inside, I didn’t knohat I would do

The phone clicked "Sally?" said Dr Banks He sounded concerned but not panicked If anything, there was a note of relief in his voice, like he’d been waiting for the day I would call hiave Jeff a bit of a scare"

"I’ht now, Dr Banks," I retorted "I’, and three people with that sleepwalking sickness are here One of thelass" It see when I said it out loud like that, but it was impossible forsound was Her pal to look more red than white when she hit the door, like the repeated i the skin If it hurt her at all, she didn’t show it Her expression remained exactly the same, as blank as it had been the et out of there" Now Dr Banks sounded like he was on the verge of panic "Is there any way for you to get out of the house?"

"I’m in my bathrobe, I’m unarmed, and there are three of theht somehow make him understand how bad the situation was "I know one is in the side yard and one is in the back I don’t knohere the third one is So no, I can’t get out of the house, unless you’re absolutely sure they’re not going to attack uards here to save me"

Dr Banks took a deep breath "Are the doors locked?"

"Yes"

"I’ to send a security team If you think there’s any chance the people outside your house are going to get in, I need you to go and lock yourself in the bathrooet inside even if you’re not there to open the doors for thees Do you understand?"

"Yes, Dr Banks I understand" My parents would be pissed if they came home and SymboGen had kicked the front door in, but I assurier if they came home and found me dead in the kitchen

"Stay safe, Sally" The line went dead I loweredit into the pocket of my bathrobe, where I wouldn’t lose it The wolass door Beverly was still barking As long as I focused on those two things--those pieces of proof that I was still safely inside and the monsters were still outside--I was okay

I was okay

I was…

I wasn’t okay I found lass door, searching her eyes for so down the sidewalk less than a week before, laughing over her shoulder, engaged with her own life That wo at a corpse that just happened to be so around, and if I didn’t understand how that was possible, that was just because there were sointo her eyes, almost afraid toto rescuedefined by three sounds: Beverly’s barking, the slap of skin against glass, and the dru ofto sound hoarse, but she wasn’t letting that stop her As long as Mr Carson was at the , she was going to keep on barking at hi sickness What sort of scent did the infected give off, if a dog could detect it at a distance? She’d knohen her original owner first started getting sick She’d knohen Mr Carson and the others came up to the fence They had to s about Tumbleweeds, her store cat, and how he’d been standoffish with the customers for the first time in his pampered life What was it she’d said? "He even hissed at a poor woman yesterday" I had to wonder whether that poor woman had joined the ranks of the sleepwalkers shortly after being rejected by the norood-natured feline If aniht be the best way of avoiding it

Assuns of the infection, whatever those signs were Assu that the infection was passed person to person, and that it could be avoided Assus, most of which probably weren’t safe to assume, not with the li at the worowl I whipped around before I fully realized that I was going to otwith a so on the front door

"Miss Mitchell?" shouted an unfaht? If you are unable to come to the door, ill enter to confir entry on the count of ten One…"