He grabbed both Jason and the dog and scooped them up with a strength he never knew he possessed. The dog barked and struggled in the boy’s arms, but Sean clasped them both tight to his chest. “Uncle Sean, what’s happening?” He heard Andi and Reed yell for him to hurry. To his left, he heard movement—the crunching of leaves, the sound of heavy breathing and the snapping of sticks. But mostly he heard his own heartbeat pounding in his ears as he ran. He got a strong whiff of something rotten-smelling and tried not to gag. He bounded up the steps and inside Megan’s house, pushing Reed and Andrea with him. The screen door slammed shut behind them, and he turned to see Andi shutting and bolting the wooden door too. She and Reed peeked past the curtains. “See anything?” Sean asked, still trying to catch his breath. He set Jason down and the dog, free from constraint, charged the door, barking and growling. Andrea knelt down and tried to quiet him.
