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

“Maybe he can sense emotions? Well, I know he can. He’s proved it more than once, like just before those guys came after Mack and me. He knew what they were planning.”


“Uh-uh,” Guy protested. “He felt it, I know.”


Tone seemed thoughtful as they made their way back to where they were crashing. Before they got to the edge of the trees, he put one hand on Guy’s arm to stop him. “So you’re saying you, umm, might be interested in me that way?”


“I think so. I don’t have much to base it on since you’re the first guy I’ve met who seems to like the idea, but, yeah…” Guy nodded.


Tone let out a long, relieved breath. When Guy cocked his head in question, Tone said, “I’ve wanted to say something ever since you told me you’re gay but I was afraid to. First I was sure you and Mack would hook up. When you didn’t, there was that gardener guy because Mack was pretty sure you were interested in him.”


Chapter 23