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

“Time for you guys to move on,” a police officer said as he and his partner approached them. “Find somewhere else to hang out.”


The tone of his words made it clear they weren’t welcome on the plaza, or probably anywhere else in the area, Guy thought. He was glad he hadn’t untied the rope from Shadow’s collar, otherwise they might have written him a ticket for an unleashed dog. Or worse, taken him away.


“Yes, sir, officer,” Mack replied submissively, although his expression was tight with anger. He stood, picking up his backpack, and the others did the same before they walked to the street.


“We can’t go back there, now, can we?” Guy said morosely as they headed toward the river


Tone shook his head. “Sure we can. That happens all the time. We’ll just have to wait a day or two before we do. They know it’s a losing proposition, but they have to do their job.”


Dani grinned. “We’re like roaches. You can’t get rid of us.”


Chapter 21