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

He had no illusions about his being able to do the same. His father hadn’t wanted him around when he’d lived there. He was certain that hadn’t changed since he’d left. He’s glad to see the last of me, I know. It hurt, but there was nothing he could do about it. I’ll never be what he wants. I’ve accepted it. Like Dani said, I’ve got a new family now. One that cares. I won’t give that up no matter what.


Later that evening, Guy and Tone took Shadow for a walk before bed. Dani didn’t come along, which she generally did, because she was in the midst of a game of Monopoly with Kurt and Velma. “I can’t stop now. I’m about to get my hands on Boardwalk.”


“Over my dead body,” Kurt retorted.


“He’s not kidding,” Velma told her. “He’s like a kid. He’ll tip the board over before he lets anyone else land there and buy it.”


Chapter 33