Wired Read Free Page B

the family awoke. George Peck opened his eyes
     slowly and stared at the white ceiling far above him. A now forgotten dream had left him frightened and unsettled. He stirred
     uncomfortably in his bed. The noises downstairs told him that the rest of the family had already started their day. As always,
     his father had left for work more than an hour ago and his sister Mary was probably gone before his father left the house.
     Only his five-year-old brother Jeff would still be asleep across the room from George's bed. He turned the thick blanket back,
     but didn't get out of bed. His heart kept pounding. George lay there, thinking about how strange everything in his world had
     become.
    His parents had warned him and Jeff about going outside alone. No longer could he wander the neighborhood like he had done
     for all of his eight years. Everyone was tense, frightened, weird, and George didn't like it, but he was too young to do anything
     about the problem except gripe. He simply had to accept what he was told to do or find himself in deeper trouble.
    Things were like that at school, too. The teachers kept huddling together outside their classrooms, whispering all the time,
     and watching with raised eyebrows as if any moment someone was about to do something spooky. Even the principal Mrs. Hammond
     acted defensive. She stood around the halls with her arms crossed over her chest as if she were running a state prison. Guards
     were posted on the playground during recess, and they sniffed around like police dogs, making the children run from them.
     Everyone felt tense, and nervous; although they wouldn't say so out loud, they were scared.
    Even last night had been difficult. A red cast overshadowed the moon, leaving it shimmering in a strange crimson glow that
     sent a disconcerting facade over the entire city. Earlier in the day fierce winds blew a pounding hailstorm across Chicago,
     hiding the sun and battering roofs and cars. Weather forecasters warned the children to stay inside in case the pounding started
     again. George had never seen anything like the sight of huge hailstones pounding on the roof, and it only added to his apprehension.
    “George?” a small voice said from across the room. “Are you awake?”
    “Yeah.”
    “You getting up?” Jeff asked.
    “In a minute.”
    “Okay.” Jeff rolled over and closed his eyes again. “I'll sleep a while longer.” He turned back over. “Is it still hailing?”
    “No. Go back to sleep.”
    Living at the end of Crown Point Street in the Chicago suburbs of Arlington Heights, George and Jeff Peck knew the local neighborhood
     like the backs of their hands. They always thought there was nothing to be afraid of out there. Even with their older brother
     Matt off to college, the two youngest boys in the family weren't to be restrained from their usual jaunts up the street and
     around the block. But last night elongated shadows from the tall poplars lined the streets with strange interlacing shapes,
     looking like long pointed spears or jagged swords, and changed the peaceful neighborhood's appearance into a web of intrigue.
     Few door lights were turned on. The affluent neighborhood felt more like a city jungle.
    The strange sights deeply bothered George. Everything had changed when all of those people disappeared. No one had ever fully
     explained to him what had occurred and the entire event left him unnerved. The night before, Mary had tried to explain it
     to them, but the conversation hadn't gone very well. Of course, part of the reason was that Mary always treated him and Jeff
     like they were nuisances. She had caught them in the street a half-block away.
    “You think you're big time,” George had challenged his sister. “’Cause you're fourteen doesn't make you better than us.”
    “Better than
you
?” Mary had sneered. “Always and forever.” She always managed the best put-downs any young teenager could muster.
    “We're scared!” Jeff had blurted out,