Maggie stopped to catch her breath in an alley five blocks away from the Safeway. She waited to see if Tom had followed her. Would a store manager even do that? Maggie had no idea. She needed to find her dad fast. It was getting dark. She held back her tears. She told herself she was mature enough to handle this, but that didn’t make the rising panic subside. She stepped outside the alley anyway as boldly as she could muster.
She wasn’t sure where to go. She could probably find her way back to the store, but she didn’t want to risk seeing creepy Tom again, and she wasn’t sure how to find her way home from where she was. She decided to attempt going around the Safeway to find her way back to the apartment. Her dad was probably there wondering where on earth she was.
As she walked down the sidewalk, she saw other people. It occurred to her that she might raise more suspicions if she were obviously avoiding people so she stopped crossing the street. The shadows on the sidewalk were getting longer. A man and a woman in dark clothing began walking behind her. She walked a little faster.
They walked a little faster too. Surely it was a coincidence. Maggie slowed down. They slowed down too. She turned left at the corner. They turned left too. She turned left at the next corner, and they turned left too. She wasn’t sure how much protection Abbey would be. She didn’t know what to do. She turned left again. So did they. She turned left one more time and was back where she’d originally seen them. They were still behind her.
She spotted an alley and ducked into it, hoping they would walk right by. She waited, listening for footsteps. She could hear them now. They were getting louder … and faster. Then there they were staring at her smiling. They were an odd couple. The man was young, thin, and tall with skin a little darker than hers. The woman was short, but carried herself with authority. She was probably the same age as her dad and had pale skin with straight, graying hair.
“Hey there,” said the woman. “Cute dog! We saw you walking alone and thought you might be lost. Could you use some help?” Her voice was as soothing as Tom’s had been irritating. Maggie wanted to trust them. She was lost. She did need help. But something told her not to.
“Oh, me? I’m good. Don’t worry about me. I’m just waiting for my dad.” She really hoped there were no tear stains on her face undermining her forced casualness.
“Oh! Do you often wait for your dad in alleys?” said the man. He didn’t sound unkind, but Maggie was kicking herself for not realizing that wasn’t a normal thing to do.
“You know, we’re trained to help kids like you. We’re not just random people,” said the woman.
“What do you mean, kids like me? I’m fine.” They were blocking her exit. “You can move along.” It was almost dark. She needed to get home to her dad.
“You know, Tom at Safeway was just trying to help. He called us,” said the man. “We can get you home and help you find your dad, Margaret.”
She thought about it. She didn’t know how else she was going to get home. But she couldn’t shake the feeling that she shouldn’t trust them. Maybe it was just her dad’s constant warnings about the world outside. How bad could they be? Maggie glanced at Abbey. His hackles were up, and his eyes were glaring. He didn’t trust them either.
Then it hit her. “How do you know my name?” Maggie noticed the woman give a split second glance at the man. Something about them wasn’t right.
The woman answered. “Oh, Tom told us. Why don’t you just come along with us?” She stepped to the side and motioned out of the alley.
Maggie was sure she hadn’t told Tom her name. She saw the opening between them. It was maybe her only chance. She ran.
She ran about five feet before the man grabbed her and said “So much for doing this the easy way.” Panicking, Maggie screamed, but the man sprang forward and shoved a gag in her mouth. Abbey was growling and biting the woman’s leg. Then a dark bag went over Maggie’s head. Maggie heard a thump and Abbey yelped. She kicked hard, but she found herself pinned to the ground. Her hands were roughly pulled behind her back and held together with plastic. The smell of the alley ground was putrid. She heard the woman’s voice. “I know we need her alive, but we don’t need the dog. Kill it.” Maggie tried to scream again.
The man laughed. “The great Song is scared of a little dog? Come on, he’s cute!”
“He didn’t bite you! And don’t use my name!” the woman said.
“What the –?” The man started coughing and loosened his grip.
“Activate the relics! It’s an attack!” shouted the woman.
Maggie wondered what was going on. The smell had suddenly changed from alley trash to dust. Where was Abbey? She listened for him. But she didn’t hear Abbey. She heard a clear voice in her head. Margaret, I’m a friend of Asari’s. Maggie thought she must be losing oxygen or going into shock. The voice came back. When I say, pull your hands apart and run. Bewildered, Maggie felt the plastic against her skin change. It felt like paper.
The man and woman were dragging her back into the alley now by her feet. The movement lifted the bag over her head and sent a cloud of dust inside. She kept her eyes shut and started coughing as she felt her face scratched against the concrete.
Then everything happened quickly. She heard something hit above her head. She blinked. Margaret! Now! She pulled apart her arms easily and stumbled to her feet. Follow your dog home! Glass bottles and empty cans flew past her as the man and woman cried out. Run!!
She ran. As the dust cleared, a woman came into view. Dark skin, blue dress, white hair, and an eye patch. Maggie kept running. Abbey … he was running with her. “Take us home, Abbey!”
She ran until her lungs hurt. Her legs hurt. Abbey paused periodically to wait for her to catch up, then kept running until they were at the building. She ran up the stairs. Her floor. Her door. And then it was locked behind her.
She collapsed to the floor. Abbey laid down on top of her facing the door. She needed to breathe. What had happened? Why had it happened? She needed to tell her dad right away.
Time froze. The apartment was dark. No one was home.
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