Page 37 of Until Now
“So Maggie’s parents left around eight. After she watched TV for a few hours, Maggie went to bed. Soon after she turned the light out, she heard a whimpering sound. Almost like a puppy whining. She felt a little afraid, so she put her hand under her bed, and her hand got licked.”
A smile lights one face. Dean’s. Pretty sure the other boys feel a chill up their backs. Asher’s voice lowers, and he makes eye contact with each of the boys for dramatic effect.
“Maggie tries to fall asleep, but she hears the whimpering sound again. So she puts her hand under the bed and gets licked again. Finally, she falls asleep, listening to her dog’s heavy breathing. When she wakes up in the morning, she calls for her dog, and he doesn’t come.” There’s a dramatic pause before he says, “He never comes.”
Eyes are wide now. “What happened to him?” James asks, completely believing his grandfather.
“Well, when Maggie stood up and looked out the window, she saw her dog, dead in the yard in a puddle of blood. And you know what was written in the snow?”
“What?!” three voices say.
“Bright blood-red letters spelled outHUMANS CAN LICK TOO.”
And that’s how Wes ended up with Dean and James in his queen-sized bed in his tipi.
