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perched in the tree house, he wrapped himself in the blanket and gazed up at the night sky. He let his mind wander until he fell asleep.
     
    Micah heard his dad calling for him. He opened his eyes. He was still in the tree house.
    “Micah…hey Micah,” his dad repeated. He sounded as if he had sobered up.
    Micah stood and looked out the window. His dad was down in the driveway, looking up at him. It was dark, but Micah could still see clearly. Something was wrong. His father looked pale, and his disfigured head bobbled on his trembling frame. His white t-shirt dripped with black ooze, or was that just the shadows? Micah rubbed his eyes. “Dad? You look weird. Are you okay?”
    “I’m sorry, son. I’m so sorry. I didn’t think about you. I couldn’t stand my pain, so I—”
    “Dad, Dad, it’s okay. I’m fine,” Micah interrupted.
    “It’s going to be hard. You need to be brave, braver than I’ve been,” his father continued.
    “Are you still drunk?”
    “Good bye, Micah.”
    “Dad? Wait, I’m coming down.”
    At that moment, the brown pit bull appeared next to Micah. It was barking at his dad. No…wait…it was barking at the shadow floating up the driveway.
    “Who’s there?” Micah shouted. “Dad, someone’s coming.”
    “Stay there, son. Don’t come down. You have a job to do. I’m sorry I won’t be here to help you. Everything you need is in the house. Remember what your mother taught you.”
    The man dressed in the suit stepped out from the shadows and stood next to his father. The dog went crazy, barking and snarling at the stranger, just as he had done in the last dream.
    “Dad, what’s going on?” Micah asked.
    “I have to go with Mr. Grimshaw. Stay here. When you see your mother again, give her my love and tell her I’m sorry. Don’t worry about them—your mom and Owen. They’re safe, and they’re together. You’re the one who’s alone…and who has to fight.”
    With that, Mr. Grimshaw put his hand on his father’s shoulder and whispered into his ear. His dad waved to Micah and walked down the driveway towards the street. Grimshaw looked up at Micah and then turned to follow his dad.
    “Dad…don’t go! What am I supposed to do?” Micah had a bad feeling. He needed to stop his dad before it was too late.
    Grimshaw looked back over his shoulder and spoke in a deep whisper. “He belongs to me now—one more for my army, one less for yours.” The corners of his lips curled up into what Micah, at first, thought was a smile but ended up looking more like a sneer. Grimshaw reminded Micah of a wild animal about to attack.
    Micah charged toward the ladder of the tree house, but by the time he reached the first rung, Grimshaw and his dad were gone. He fell back onto the cold wood of the tree house floor. The dog sat down beside him. Micah peered into the dog’s eyes and thought for a moment that it looked worried.
     
    Micah sat up. The dog was gone, and he was alone. The sun filtered through the reddish-brown leaves of the oak tree. A cardinal perched above him made an annoying peeping sound. That thing sure made a lot of noise for something so small. He rubbed his eyes, relieved that it was only another dream.
    He climbed back into his bedroom and checked the time—almost 7:00. “Shit! I’m gonna be late.” He had to hurry if he wanted to meet his friends at the park. Not only did he want to see Jess, but he also wanted to make sure that Dustin didn’t have any more alone time with her.
    He dressed quickly, but before he left, he had to check on his dad. Maybe the old man would be able to string a sentence together this morning. Better yet, maybe his mom was back. After all, he would like to know whether Owen was missing or not. Maybe he could even help look for his brother. So, instead of leaving out of his window, Micah went through the house.
    He checked his parent’s room first, but the bed was empty. Certain that his dad had passed out on the couch, he headed