The wail of an air-raid siren was an unfamiliar sound to the people of this country. Even during the Second World War, that ominous sound had rarely rung out across North America, let alone in this peaceful age.
So when the first round of sirens sounded, the customers in the supermarket did not panic and flee in every direction like people in a movie. Instead, they whispered curiously among themselves or peered outside, wondering what had happened.
An elderly white man with graying hair and a hairline that had receded almost to the crown of his head staggered into the parking lot and rushed straight toward the supermarket, as though something terrifying were chasing him.
"Dan? My God, what happened?" A pretty young cashier seemed to recognize him and cried out.
Blood covered the area around the old man's nose and mouth, as well as the shirt over his chest. But it did not look like his own blood; it looked as though it had splashed onto him from somewhere.
"There's something in the mist! There's something in the mist!" The old man started shouting the moment he rushed into the supermarket, without even stopping to catch his breath. His panic gave everyone a fright.
"John Lee was dragged away!" the old man screamed, his voice raw with anguish, repeating the same words over and over. "Something in the mist dragged John Lee away."
The supermarket employees all seemed to know him. A short, stout employee wearing small, round glasses hurried forward to steady him and pulled out a handkerchief. "Calm down, Dan. What happened?"
"Something in the mist dragged John Lee away. I heard him screaming. I'm fine, this is his blood. Close the doors, hurry, close the doors! Oh my God!"
Mist?
Nick had just sent Martin away