Chereads / Escaping The Darkness / Chapter 2 - A Disturbing Gift

Chapter 2 - A Disturbing Gift

 The following morning, Alisa was awakened at 7:30 a.m. by gentle nudges from Red, signaling that he, along with Sam and Bing, needed to go out for their morning walk. She rose from her bed and glanced out the window, noting that it was still raining. Accordingly, she dressed in a pair of sweatpants, a long-sleeved shirt, and rain boots. Before stepping outside, she donned her raincoat and attached leashes to the collars of Red, Sam, and Bing. As Alisa and her pets strolled through the rain-soaked streets, they encountered a child walking with his father. The young boy expressed a desire to pet her animals. With a warm smile, Alisa responded, "Of course," and watched as the boy gently stroked Bing's ear. When Bing began to lick the boy, Alisa gave a gentle tug on the leash. The father, observing the scene, remarked, "I've never seen a cat enjoy walking in the rain." Alisa chuckled and replied, "I think Bing is the only cat in the world who loves the rain." After bidding farewell to the father and son, Alisa and her pets resumed their walk. However, their peaceful walk was interrupted when Red suddenly stopped, causing Sam and Bing to halt as well. All three pets began to growl. Alisa looked ahead and saw a figure standing a few feet down the sidewalk. Feeling uneasy, she tugged on the leashes and led her pets back home. Once inside, Alisa attended to her pets, feeding them before preparing her own breakfast of scrambled eggs and bacon. She then settled in front of her computer to complete some work for her online data entry job, which required only one to two hours of effort each day. Upon finishing her tasks, she checked the time and saw that it was 10:30 a.m. Despite the continuing rain, she decided to go grocery shopping. Alisa hopped into her blue Subaru and drove to the grocery store.

When Alisa got home from the grocery store it was 12:30 pm and still raining. Alisa couldn't remember the last time it had rained all day, she grabbed all 5 bags of groceries and headed for her front door, she noticed a medium sized brown box in front of the door. After getting the groceries inside, she brought the box inside, and ran to the bathroom to puke after seeing what was inside the box, at the bottom of the box was a dead rat with a note that said "Hope you like it", Alisa called her friend Ronnie who rushed over with his Belgian Shepherd, Hades, after Alisha wouldn't stop freaking out. Sheriff Boone showed up to take a report, Sheriff Boone was familiar with Alisa as he was one of the cops who responded to the crash that killed her parents. Sheriff Boone told Alisa " We'll do our best to find who did this ", before Sheriff Boone left Alisa asked him " Can you have the rat cremated and return the ashes to me, I don't want the rat to be thrown away like garbage ", Sheriff Boone said " Yes, I'll take it to the vet tomorrow and bring the ashes by after". After Sheriff Boone left, Ronnie put the groceries up while Alisa gathered herself on the couch with Bing in her lap and Red and Sam on the floor next to her feet. After Ronnie finished putting the groceries up, he sat next to Alisa and asked "Would you like me and Hades to stay a few days so you'll feel better", Alisa nodded her head, Ronnie was a big guy standing at 6 foot 1 towering over her with her size of 5 foot 10, with muscular arms, a six pack of abs, and tattoos on his arms, chest and back, and Alisa knew she would feel safe with him around. They spent the rest of the day watching movies and playing board games, until it was time for dinner, so Alisa made fish tacos for her and Ronnie while she fed Red and Sam some dog food mixed with hot dogs and fed Bing cat food mixed with tuna.

 After finishing dinner, Ronnie ventured out to his car to retrieve his overnight bag. This bag contained clothing and hygiene products, which he kept in his car for instances where Alisa might need him to stay for a few days. Additionally, he collected Hades' dog food, as well as the food and water bowls. By the time he returned inside, he was thoroughly drenched by the rain. He remarked, "I'm guessing someone made God angry, because I don't think the rain will stop." Initially intending to sleep on the couch, Ronnie noticed a nervous look on Alisa's face. He offered, "I can sleep in your bed with you if it will make you feel better." Alisa responded, "I'd like that." Ronnie took a shower and, upon returning to Alisa's room, was dressed only in his boxers. Alisa appreciatively looked him up and down. Observing her reaction, Ronnie inquired, "Are you okay with me sleeping in just my boxers?" Alisa reassured him, "Yes, I sleep in my bra and underwear anyway." As they lay down next to each other, Bing, settled into his cat bed by the window. Red and Sam cozied up in their dog beds near the closet, while Hades rested on a pallet Alisa had prepared for him beside Red's bed. Alisa expressed her gratitude to Ronnie, saying, "Thank you for staying a few days." Ronnie responded with a simple, "No problem," and together, they drifted off to sleep.