Present day.
“Sit,” Bonnie said to her seventy-pound golden retriever General.
General calmed down and sat. He drew his ears back, wagged his tail and whined.
Bonnie laughed. “You’re such a faker.”
General licked her hand.
“You’re a good boy.” She scratched his head and attached a chain to his collar. “Maybe I can take you to work so you can bite that creepy doctor right on her ass.”
General barked.
“Yeah, I know. She probably tastes bad,” she said as she patted his back. “Come on.”
General charged toward the door and pulled Bonnie along. She yanked back on his chain, but he didn’t slow until he reached the door.
“Don’t pull on me when we get outside. The ground is wet, and you’ll make me fall.”
Bonnie pulled the hood of her raincoat over her head and slipped her feet into rubber boots.
“Let’s make this quick,” she said. “I want to be back inside before the downpour starts up again.”
She opened the door and General pulled her down the steps. He pulled Bonnie across the driveway and stopped at his favorite tree.
Bonnie slipped in the mud and sighed at a sudden downpour. “So much for beating the rain, General.” She squinted and turned away from the driving rain that pelted her face.
“Just what I want running around the house—a wet dog.”
General didn’t seem to notice the rain. He sniffed the base of the tree and became fixated on one spot. He lifted a leg and peed.
“You’re crazy,” Bonnie said. She tugged on General’s leash. “Just like Michael.” She shook her head. “He’s denying the curse and yet I’ve seen what it can do! People have died,” she said. “A lot of good people.”
Never in her twenty-plus years of service at Sunnyside had anyone make it through the night after communicating with Alister. And after years of no activity surrounding Alister, this doctor comes out of nowhere and not only lives through the night after seeing Alister, but she also puts the curse’s existence in question.
“Something bad is coming,” she said, and a shiver rocked her body. “I can feel it.”
A motion-activated light blinked on around the backside of the house. She tightened her grip on General’s leash and watched the illuminated area. General growled and the hair on the nape of his neck stood up.
“Quiet,” Bonnie said as she tugged on his leash.
General continued to growl. His eyes were fixated on the light and his tail was pointed straight behind him.
“Come on, General. Let’s get inside.”
Bonnie walked toward the house but could only go as far as the length of the chain. General remained unmoved, his stare transfixed and his growl deep.
“General,” she said as she tugged on his leash. “Come.”
General took off. His sudden burst of speed caught Bonnie off guard. Her head snapped back and her shoulders were ripped forward. She slipped in the mud and fell face down in a puddle. She looked up to see General disappear around the back of the house.
Bonnie struggled to her feet and wiped the mud from her eyes. She took a step toward the light, and General yipped.
“General?”
The rain stopped and the light flicked off. The yard was filled with darkness, and ominous shadows backed her up and encouraged her to run to the front door and into the house. She slammed the door behind her and locked the deadbolt.
She pressed her back against the door and panted. The beat of her heart was so intense it made her limbs tremble. “What in the hell was that?”
“You should learn to mind your own business.”
Bonnie’s eyes went wide and focused on the silhouette of a person that walked toward her.
“I want to know what you are doing in my house.”
“But this is my house,” Bonnie said, and she reached for the doorknob. She twisted the handle and pulled on the door.
The deadbolt held.
“I think you’re mistaken,” the shrouded person said. “This is my house and I want you out!”