Helios showed them the escape route as he had promised. He knew where the rats would be patrolling, and with this knowledge, they were able to make it out discreetly.
Kevin climbed up the ladder and pushed aside the manhole cover. Once he was finally out, he drew a deep breath. Fresh air. It was invigorating. Standing under the sunlight, he raised his hands and enjoyed its gentle warmth. It felt great to be on the surface.
Andrew climbed up after him and closed the cover after Helios was on the street.
Kevin looked left and right. There was no sign of Genesis or Luna. “We must have ended up somewhere else.” While turning his head, he noticed someone slouched against the side of a car. It was a red-haired boy wearing a hoodie and baggy jeans. He was clutching a skateboard at his chest.
Kevin sighed. “Asleep on the street.”
“BOO!” The teenager jumped up, startling Kevin with a sudden shout. When he saw the stunned expression on Kevin’s face, the skinny boy pointed and laughed at him. “Oh, man! You should’ve seen the look on your face! Priceless!”
“You’re awake!” Kevin gaped.
The teen smiled. “Yeah. You’re awake too. The name’s Tom Schneider. I used to go to school around here.” Tom paused. “But as you can see…no school today! Isn’t it great?”
“Great?” Kevin shrugged. “I guess.” He gestured toward himself and Andrew. “I’m Kevin and this is Andrew. We’re trying to figure out what’s going on.”
Tom patted Kevin on the shoulder. “That’s cool. I’ve just been chilling. Thought I might as well enjoy the freedom while it’s there.”
Helios tugged on the bottom of Tom’s jeans. “If you are doing nothing, I welcome you to join us,” said Helios politely, looking up at him. “We could use a few more people on our quest. It’s a difficult task and we’re certainly short on hands.”
Tom goggled at the talking rat.
Noticing Tom’s amazement, Kevin decided to explain everything from the beginning. He told him about how they discovered everyone was asleep and how an organization of pets known as the HPC was working on the case. Then he talked about their little adventure in the sewer.
After Kevin finished speaking, Tom blinked rapidly as he tried to wrap his mind around what he was being told. “Right…dude, that is awesome.” He beamed at Kevin. “But I guess anything can happen now, right? It’s crazy. The streets are totally empty and all the animals are talking…it’s like we’re in a movie—or a book.”
“Speaking of talking animals,” Kevin said to Andrew, “did you try calling them again?”
Andrew shook his head. “Should I?”
“Yeah, call them. Let them know where we are. I don’t want them worrying about us.”
Andrew tried calling Kevin’s phone. After three rings, someone picked up. Andrew said quickly, “Hey. We’re out of the sewers.”
Through the phone he heard someone grunt, “Genesis speaking. Sorry it took so long to pick up. I had difficulty flipping open this device. Where are you now?”
Andrew searched for the street sign. “Felix Avenue.”
“Stay where you are. We’re coming.”
Andrew put his phone back in his pocket. “They told us to wait here.”
Kevin’s stomach growled. Patting his belly, he grimaced. “Well then, I think it’s a good time to grab a quick lunch. I’m starving.” He turned to Tom. “Any ideas?”
Tom interlocked his hands behind his head. “Hmm…I don’t have anything at home. I ate it all. But there’s a grocery nearby.”
“A grocery? It’s probably closed now.”
Tom grinned mischievously. “Does that matter?”
Kevin nodded. “If the doors are locked, yes, it does matter.”
Tom shook his head. “If it’s locked, we break in. It’s as simple as that.”
“Break in?” said Kevin, his brow furrowing. “What about the cops?”
“They’ve got bigger things to worry about than a bunch of hungry kids.”
Kevin said uncertainly, “Still—”
“Let go of that old way of thinking,” said Tom. “We’re hungry. We’ve got no choice, right? The law can’t hold us down. The law was made to protect the people. But right now, the law can’t protect anyone. From this moment forward, we do whatever we need to. Agreed?”
Kevin felt unwilling to accept, but the boy did have a point. “Agreed.”
“Cool.” Tom motioned for them to follow. “Come on. Let’s not keep our stomachs waiting too long.”
The supermarket was just a little further down the street. In big blue letters it was called the “Come-And-Buy-Stuff” or CABS for short. Kevin had never heard of this supermarket, but it was small, so it might not have been a part of a larger chain. There was a small neon sign on the window that read, “Open 24 hours, 365 days a year.” But it was definitely closed now. The lights were off and they couldn’t see anyone inside.
“What’s the plan?” asked Kevin.
Tom moved closer to the sliding doors. To everyone’s surprise, the doors opened automatically. “That’s the plan. I guess they were right about the doors being open at least.”
Kevin approached the opened doors. “I don’t believe it.”
“Must be our lucky day.”
Andrew said, “I’ll wait outside for Genesis.”
Helios added, “I’ll stay outside too.”
Kevin nodded. “What do you want me to get you?”
Andrew replied, “I definitely need a drink. Some cola, with caffeine…and, I don’t know, maybe some canned spaghetti or something. Anything will do.”
“Okay,” said Kevin, “we’ll be right back.”
Kevin and Tom entered the dark store. Their eyes slowly got used to the soft light that came from the windows. There were also few emergency lights on, coloring the aisles with a faint red. Kevin made a quick study of the area. The cash registers were near the front with the produce section. In total, there were only about fifteen aisles in the whole building. The refrigerated items were along the sides and the back. It was indeed a small store, and Kevin was confident it wouldn’t take long to get what they needed and get out.
Kevin noticed the music coming from the speakers around the building. It wasn’t the typical music he was used to hearing in a supermarket. Kevin was used to hearing pop, rock or sometimes oldies. But this CABS had classical music on—really soft and gentle classical music, the type of music that would lull anyone to sleep.
Kevin covered his ears on the way to the soda aisle. “Do they usually put this music on?”
“Not usually, no,” replied Tom, snickering, “Maybe it’s like a security system. They put on this classical stuff to make intruders fall asleep.”
Kevin stifled a yawn. “It’s working, I’ll give them that. We should get the stuff quick.”
“Sure. Then we’ll meet up at the back. They should have a kitchen or something where we can heat up the food.”
They picked up shopping carts and raced through the supermarket. Kevin went for the drinks, grabbing as much soda as he could. He left his cart near the front of the store. Tom went straight for the canned pasta. After they finished their tasks, they gathered at the back and found a door for employees only.
Tom opened the door and, after passing the threshold, froze.
Kevin asked, “What’s wrong?”
Tom looked down, squinting into the darkness. “I don’t know. There’s something on the floor here. Can you find a light switch?”
Kevin groped along the wall and flicked on the lights. He gasped. A man was facedown on the ground, motionless. “Is he asleep?” Kevin wondered out loud.
With his foot, Tom flipped the body over. The person was a middle-aged man dressed in an employee’s uniform. “Probably,” replied Tom. “But I wonder why he ended up here.”
“A sleepwalker,” said Kevin. “That’s my guess.”
They continued along, pushing the shopping cart full of canned pasta around the body, and found a small kitchen
area. There was a round table in the center, surrounded by several wooden chairs. Kevin placed a few cans down on the table. Tom tested the microwave above the stove to make sure it was still working.
“Now if we could just find containers to heat up the stuff,” said Kevin as he examined the cupboards. “I don’t see anything. Maybe there are some outside.”
“I’ll look,” said Tom, as he left the room.
While waiting, Kevin decided to recline on the couch. The cushion, though battered, ripped and discolored with odd stains, was comfortable. He sunk deeper into the seat, seemingly merging with it. Though Kevin was hungry, he was also exhausted. Maybe a few seconds of shuteye wouldn’t hurt, he decided. Just a brief rest to relief him from the exhaustion. The lights were on anyway. It wouldn’t be that easy to pass out. He closed his eyes and relaxed his limbs. His breathing slowed. The classical music was soothing and made him feel at peace. There was nothing to worry about…nothing to think about. The only thing on his mind was the wonderful tranquility. It was peaceful. It was nice.
Then he heard a scream.
Andrew jumped to his feet and glanced at the rat. “Someone just screamed!”
Helios scampered to the door. “I’ll check it out. You wait here.”
Andrew nodded with a worried expression, watching Helios vanish through the supermarket’s entrance.
Helios sprinted across the grocery store, skidding past the checkout and down the produce section. His night vision was not particularly good and his short stature made it difficult to see far, especially considering the mess on the floor. There were broken bottles, rolling jars, and dented cans scattered all over. The overwhelming scents of fruit juices and syrups tempted his senses, making it hard for him to concentrate.
Then he heard a voice say, “Get back! Go away! Shoo!”
The voice was coming from the back of the store. Helios scrambled into the aisle and climbed up the rows of shelves. When he reached the edge, he saw Tom on the floor, crawling backwards. Opposite Tom was a coiled snake that dodged whatever Tom threw at him. The snake was orange with thick dark stripes over its body. It was a copperhead.
Helios pulled out his blowgun from his clothes and shot a dart at the snake. The tiny dart bounced off harmlessly against the snake’s scales. He needed something else to draw its attention. The shelf below seemed to hold the answer.
Tom backed into an icebox. Hopelessly trapped, he chucked handfuls of ice at the slithering reptile, which also seemed to be snickering. But the grin disappeared from the snake’s face the moment a small object bounced off its skull. It glanced on the floor and saw a marble spinning away. The snake looked around. Then it was hit again.
That was when the copperhead finally noticed Helios on a top shelf. Helios hurled marble after marble with pinpoint accuracy on the snake’s head. Infuriated, the snake slithered toward the rat. It stopped. Kevin ran up from behind and swatted the snake with a broom, sending into a display full of ceramic mugs. The mugs clattered and shattered against the tiled floor, burying the snake in the broken pieces. Kevin helped Tom up and led him toward the exit.
The snake popped out from under the heap of debris. When it searched for the heat signature of the boys, it saw they were getting away. It wriggled out of the mess and slithered rapidly to chase after them.
Standing on one of the shelves, Helios pushed over opened bags of flour. The bags landed with a thud on the ground near the snake, flooding the aisle with a smoke of fine powder. Blanketed in white, the snake glared at Helios and rushed to ascend the shelf.
Now that he had the reptile’s attention, Helios ran down the other side. The snake went around the aisle after him, but he was unable to find him. The most visible source of heat came from inside an empty can. The copperhead approached it, careful not to be too loud. With a quick snap of its neck, it stuck its head inside the can. There it found only a smoldering piece of paper. The snake hissed angrily in vexation.
Wham! A powerful paw landed on the snake’s back, pinning it down. Genesis had arrived. Helios emerged from the can, coughing up smoke. He had been hiding behind the burning paper. The snake eyed the rat hungrily, striving to break free from Genesis’s grasp.
Genesis barked, “How’d you get inside the city? How did you pass our patrols?”
The copperhead snickered, “You’re naïve. You think the HPC is incorruptible? There are traitors within your ranks. Pets that have been mistreated by their owners are creating holes in your fragile alliance.”
Genesis growled, “So? There’s nothing for you here.”
“With the humans gone, everything is ours!”
“The humans aren’t gone.”
“Only a fool would cling to such fantasies. The humans won’t last.”
“Do you know what’s causing it?”
“Even if I did know, I wouldn’t tell you. You might as well kill me.”
Genesis looked to the front door and barked. Two dogs, a collie and a bulldog, entered into the store and approached Genesis. Genesis told the dogs, “Take him away.” The dogs nodded. With their jaws, the two dogs held firmly on the snake by its neck and tail, being careful not to let it escape.
As it was being carried out, the snake hissed, “Don’t think for a moment you have a chance at saving the humans. He will come, and when he does, it will all be over!”
Kevin and Tom came running back inside. Genesis turned to them and said, “We’re done here. Seems like we’ll have to watch our patrols more closely.”
Kevin exclaimed, “Is Andrew in here?”
Dusting off his tiny black garments, Helios replied, “I never saw him come in.”
His hands trembling in fright, Kevin said, “Andrew’s gone! I can’t find him. He left his phone on the sidewalk and disappeared…”
“Hey, get back here!” Andrew cried. He ran down the block until the crow finally stopped. The crow rested on a fire hydrant. It had in its beak a pair of eyeglasses.
Andrew took small steps toward the crow.
The crow put the glasses down. “Boy, do these glasses really mean that much to you?”
“I need them!” Andrew replied, slowly getting closer.
“No, you don’t.”
Andrew snapped, “I need them to see.”
“You’re going to sleep anyway. And when you do, you won’t need to see anything.”
Andrew straightened up. “I’m not going to sleep.”
“You are. Every human needs to sleep.”
Andrew shook his head. “I know that. But if I go to sleep, I won’t wake up.”
The crow flew over to the boy’s shoulder. “Oh, you poor, poor boy. How do you know you won’t wake up? Have you tried it?”
“I haven’t, but a dog named Genesis told me that.”
“A dog? You believe a dog?” The crow cawed in laughter. “Dogs are such pathetic creatures. They can’t properly hunt for food or groom themselves. They chase after their own tails and will eat anything! Those uncouth savages would rather sniff butts than flowers! The dog is yours to command. You shouldn’t listen to them. They should listen to you!”
Andrew said nothing, musing over the crow’s words.
The crow leaned closer to Andrew’s ear and said, “You’re putting your life at risk for no valid reason. Do you honestly think you can achieve anything by staying awake? I’ll let you in on a secret. I know the truth. This whole thing is temporary. If you sleep now, everything will be back to normal when you awaken. The dog lied to you. You said his name was Genesis. I know of that crafty dog. He’s a stray. He bit the hand that fed him and ran away! He could care less about you or your family. He’s just keeping you awake because he loves to see you suffer.”
Tears welling in his eyes, Andrew didn’t know what to believe.
“Is this true?” is all he could utter.
The crow nodded. “You understand, right? You can’t do anything anyway, especially without rest. Take a little nap and everything will be okay.”
&nb
sp; “Yeah,” Andrew mumbled, “a nap would be nice. I’m so tired.”
The crow whispered, “Just a little nap. It’ll feel great. Take all that stress and worry away. Don’t think. Just come with me. I know of a place with a warm bed. It’s really comfortable—amazing, even. Heck, as a bird I don’t even use beds, but that one is so special…even I love to sleep in it when I get the chance.”
Andrew nodded slowly as though in a trance.
“Hold it right there!” shouted a voice from above.
A streak of black and blue crossed Andrew’s vision. The crow jumped off Andrew’s shoulder and tried to fly away. However, it was only able to stay aloft for a few seconds before getting knocked down. A small bird zoomed quickly past, tackling the crow from behind. The crow plummeted to the sidewalk. As it got back up, it staggered before regaining its balance. The small bird perched itself on Andrew’s shoulder. Andrew looked curiously at it. It was a blue-bottomed, white-faced budgie, its back covered with alternating rows of black and white.
The budgie saluted Andrew with a wing and said, “Sorry I’m late. I’m Agent Terminus. I was sent by the HPC to assist you.” Terminus pointed at the crow with his wing. “He stole your glasses, right? Don’t listen to a thief! He’s only telling you what you want to hear, not what you need to hear. Always question yourself. Always question the world. If you desire truth, you’ll find it!” The budgie crossed his chest with a wing proudly and said, “That’s my motto.”
Andrew was astonished by the budgie’s confidence, something he found admirable.
The crow scowled at Terminus. “A little parakeet like you…you think you stand a chance against me? Don’t get cocky just ‘cause you landed a cowardly blow.”
“Cowardly?” Terminus said, “Ha! Surely you jest.”
Terminus launched off Andrew’s shoulder in a flash. The crow tried to fly, but before he could even spread his wings, Terminus headbutted him in the chest, knocking him back several feet. Terminus suddenly disappeared again, his movement too fast for the crow to keep up. The crow tried to parry the budgie’s next attack. But this time, the attack came from behind. Again and again Terminus zipped back and forth, diving at the crow with breakneck speeds and striking him from all sides. Finally, after several more strikes, the crow took a hit to the head and fainted.
Terminus landed on Andrew’s shoulder and offered some advice, “Listen, even a mouse frightens an elephant. Everything matters one way or another. No human can do everything but every human can do something. You, my young friend, need confidence.”
His eyes pink, Andrew bowed his head sheepishly. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t sure what to do…. It’s just that I—” Terminus fluttered over him, pecking Andrew on the head.
Andrew flailed his hands, trying to protect himself. “Hey! Ouch! What was that for?”
“Don’t apologize! I’m giving you advice. Just say thanks.”
“Oh, okay,” said Andrew, sounding doubtful. “Thanks.”
“Now the others are looking for you. We’d better hurry back.”