Beaten and thrown out of his home by his father, Guy ends up on the streets. A few days later he's 'adopted' by two strays, a German shepherd mix and a gray kitten. Later that night, when he returns to a vacant house he'd found the previous day, he meets three other homeless teens -- Mack, Tone, and Dani. After a false start, because they think he's a punk looking for trouble, they become friends. Dani insists the animals need names, and she decides to call the kitten Ghost, while the dog becomes Shadow. When Mack and Guy are threatened by two real punks in the alley behind the house, Shadow defends them, with Mack's help. This leads to their decision that it isn’t safe to remain where they are. As they move on, the quartet's friendship deepens, and Guy eventually trusts them enough to tell them he's gay ... which they accept with no problem, as it turns out so are Mack and Tone. Now they have to continue dealing with life on the streets while COVID ravages the country, making being homeless a fight for their very survival.

Strays in the Time of COVID

“Uh-huh. Why don’t I believe you?”


They turned when they heard footsteps, and Shadow sprang to his feet, growling low.


“It’s just us,” Dani said, taking off her mask as she came into the room. As Mack had predicted, she had a carry-out bag.


Tone was right behind her, with two more. “Dinner has arrived. We even got enough for you, Guy. Dani was that sure you’d be back.”


They put the bags down and Dani distributed the food, including small sodas for everyone. Of course Shadow and Ghost instantly joined the group, looking hopefully from one person to the next. Dani grinned. “We didn’t forget you.” She unwrapped a package holding three burgers without the buns. “Two for you,” she tossed them to Shadow, “And one for you.” She set it in front of Ghost. “Hope you like them rare. I mean you are animals, so you should.”


Chapter 10