Available Darkness Season 2

Duncan said if he won’t, they’ll turn Abigail into a soldier for them. She has already demonstrated remarkable feistiness.
    John agreed, so long as Abigail was set free, and they continued to leave Hope alone.
    John secured Abigail’s safety and asked Larry to look after her until such time that his job is over.

    Now, we pick up one year later with Available Darkness: Season Two …

    * * * *

EPISODE 7:

PROLOGUE

    February 2013
    Anchor Harbor, Washington

    Something was wrong.
    Emilia wasn’t sure exactly what that something was, but a chill or a scent or a feeling curled through the air like a whiff from distant fire. She could almost feel it bleeding from the creaking branches, whispering in the sway from the angry breeze above as she and her daughter walked their dog down Crestview at dusk.
    Even though it had been more than five years since they swapped city for suburb, there were some instincts born on concrete that never left and barely faded, even after you traded asphalt for grass.
    Like the inescapable feeling that something horrible was about to happen.
    Emilia looked up and down the street, casting her eyes across both rows of overpriced, two-story homes and equally exorbitant vehicles lining either side of the street. Nothing seemed out of place. Lights were on, families were eating dinner and kids were playing outside. There were a few neighbors on their lawns trading gossip over their fences, many of which were of the white picket variety.
    Yet, even with nothing out of place, Emilia couldn’t shake the bad vibe.
    “Stay close, honey,” she called to Kayla, her 7 -year-old daughter, who was walking Mocha, their pain-in-the-ass Chihuahua two houses ahead.
    “OK,” Kayla said, slowing her gait and pulling back on Mocha’s leash. The Chihuahua tugged back hard, wanting to go faster, probably so he could piss all over the fire hydrant a half block up, just surfacing into view.
    Emilia reached into her jeans, curled her fingers around the zapper Leo bought her the year before when that sex offender moved in down the street, then looked up and down the avenue, guiding her eyes from window to window. They weren’t near the offender’s house yet, but Emilia couldn’t shake the feeling that they were being watched.
    She felt vulnerable and exposed, out on the street at dusk, even though she shouldn’t have, surrounded by the sprawling lawns of Luxury Lane. The temperature seemed to suddenly drop, maybe 10 degrees, agreeing with the wind’s sudden momentum and swelling Emilia’s sudden desire for home.
    Mocha moved to the sidewalk, and Emilia hoped the damned dog was finally ready to do his business. Mocha sniffed, then pulled away.
    Nope, not there. He has to get to that damned fire hydrant down the street.
    “Come on, dog,” Emilia said through a sigh.
    Kayla laughed. She loved the stupid little barking rodent, and didn’t care if the tiny beast took 25 minutes to eliminate. Kayla was patient, like her father. Of course, it was easy to be patient when you saw your kid once every two weekends and didn’t have to care for the world’s most annoying dog.
    Emilia never wanted a dog, but if it was a maternal must, then she wanted a real dog — a big, sturdy animal to protect them. Not a hyperactive rat. Which is probably why Leo went out and bought Mocha for their daughter’s sixth birthday. He got to be the good guy, and give his daughter a “cute” dog, while also inserting another annoyance into Emilia’s world.
    Leo was gone, but his mark, like the dog’s territorial pissings, remained.
    It could be worse. Just be glad he’s gone and you got Kayla. Emilia forced herself to smile, thinking of her annoyingly happy friend Susan’s constant advice, “Always smile and never forget to count your blessings.”
    Emilia counted her blessings; she was healthy, had a job and a happy, well-adjusted child. But she still couldn’t shake the creeping dread. As if the weather were reading her mind, smoky clouds began to gather ahead of them, at an almost alarming speed as an icy wind started to scream.
    Something’s wrong. Get back home.
    “Come on, Honey, ” she said to Kayla.
    Mocha started barking like crazy as Kayla turned. “What is it, Mom?”
    Mocha ripped himself from Kayla’s grip and tore into a run, dragging the leash behind him as he raced up the street and toward the oncoming storm.
    “Mocha!” Kayla screamed, chasing her dog.
    Emilia’s heart pounded in her chest as she