Dog Days: Book One

19

"Take one more step and it will be your head. Who are you and what are you doing here?" The figure said in a gruff voice. It sounded familiar.

"How about you put the gun down and we'll talk like civil people. Are you trying to alert a whole horde of those things?" Austin shouted, his voice quavering.

"Dante?" Arryn asked the man.

The heated tension between everyone seemed to fall. Austin turned towards her with a quizzical look on his face.

"Arryn?" he gasped. "Jonathan! Come out here now!" Dante rattled on the door before stepping out into the pale moonlight.

A scratch ran down his temple, onto his eyelid, and ended where his brown skin met the stubble of his five o'clock shadow. His black hair was cut nearly on the sides, while slightly longer hair sat in waves on top. He dressed in a grey long sleeve and a pair of blue jeans.

Austin moved cautiously behind Arryn, stowing his gun for now. He glared at Dante distrustfully.

"How did yo— you're alive!" Dante exclaimed.

"So are you!" She replies in awe.

"Who is this guy?" Austin asked with a scowl.

"He works with my dad. Dante works on renovating the houses and my dad sells them. My father has had him over a lot. Normally after they close a deal."

"Mmhm," Austin muttered, still not sounding happy. "I'm going to go let everyone know that Dante is a friend." Air quotations were used on the words Dante and friend with eye rolls accompanying them.

The squeaking of a door's hinges caught her attention. Out from the glass door walked her father. A hardened expression lay on his face. The happiness she always saw in his eyes seemed to have fled.

He turned towards Dante, and after a brief second of exchange, he turned in Arryn's direction. His mouth hung open slightly. His hands cupped over his mouth as he fell to his knees. Tears stung his eyes.

Arryn felt tears pool in her own eyes. The dam of emotions she had kept inside burst. Without even knowing it, her feet carried her forward. The ground was damp and muddy, sloshing underneath her shoes. Droplets of the rainwater flew up and hit her hands. Eventually, her feet hit the solid wood of the porch with an echoing thud.

Her dad met her halfway and pulled her into a tight hug. The air was knocked out of her as he riddled her head with kisses. A sob shook his body. His fingers grasped the shirt on her back, tugging and pulling on the fabric, trying to pull her closer and closer.

She wanted to talk to him. Tell him everything. But for right now, all that she could muster was gasps. She never wanted to let go. An unsettling fear that if she did release him, she may lose him forever.

"I didn't think you made it," her father whispered after a few minutes in between sniffling his nose. His eyes were red and puffy now. "The news and the radio are calling it a massacre. I'm starting to run out of stations to tune in to. They all keep turning to static."

He paused for a moment, pulling back slightly but not completely. His eyes took in her features, lingering over her bruises and scratches. An audible sigh slipped past his lips. An ugly sniffle followed the fresh tears rolling down his cheeks.

"Your mom, she—she didn't make it did she?"

Her heart caught in her throat as she let out a whimper. The pressure in her throat made her lips tremble. She choked out another whimper, this time louder, as she shook her head side to side. The tears came again, pouring out of her like a stream. Her father pulled her into his chest, gripping the back of her head with his hand. Warm droplets fell on her hair, steadily seeping down to her skin.

A chill ran down Arryn's spine as the cool evening air settled in. Her father's grip around her loosened. He pulled back, wiping his eyes.

"Who's your new friends?" He asked, looking up above her head. Arryn turned around to see her friends ascending the stairway to the porch. Dante was talking with them.

"Well, you know Claire and Austin. The small girl with Claire is Trinity. I found her in the hospital. Both of her parents didn't make it. She thinks they are just sick. I don't know how to tell her they aren't getting better. Then there's Mateo. Austin and I found him trapped in a car surrounded by rabids. We rescued him and in turn, he gave us gas to get here. He's quiet, but I can tell he's grateful. His parents owned the Santiago farm in town."

"Sounds like you've been through a lot." He stood, helping Arryn up.

"So much," she said with flashes of the hell she's been through playing in her mind.

"Well let's get you guys settled. There's plenty of room," he announced as her friends and Dante stopped in front of them. "I'm sure you guys are tired and hungry."

"Yes, please," Claire said with a smile. "I'm starving."

"Alright," her father smiled. "Follow me."