Chapter 34: The Price of Violation

My relationship with Tom fell into an icy silence. My world had shrunk to the suffocating confines of this house, the air thick with the smell of dust and fear.

I was on the verge of madness. I needed an escape.

Finally, one afternoon, I called him. I used the only "normal" lie I could think of to explain my spiraling paranoia. "Tom, I think… I think Emily is cheating on me."

On the other end of the line, Tom's shock quickly turned to righteous, brotherly fury. "That bastard! Why didn't you say so sooner? I'm coming over tonight. We'll sort this out."

"No! Don't come!" The words ripped out of me. "Don't come over at night!"

"Jack, what the hell are you so afraid of? Forget it, I'm coming. I need to see what son of a bitch is messing with you." He hung up before I could protest further.

Panic, cold and suffocating, drowned me. I had to stop him.

I stormed over to Emily. "I have to go out tonight!"

She looked up, her beautiful eyes utterly devoid of emotion. "Darling, the protocol says you cannot leave after sunset."

"But Tom is coming! He'll be in danger!" I roared.

"A friend," she stated, her voice flat, "is not more important than 'safety'." She put down the flower she was arranging and walked toward me. "Here, eat a muffin. You'll feel better."

Looking at that plate, at that inhumanly perfect smile, something inside me finally snapped.

I swatted her hand away. The plate crashed to the floor, shattering. For the first time, the smile vanished from Emily's face. There was no anger, no sadness. She simply stared at me, her eyes hollowing into two cold, bottomless pits.

I grabbed my car keys, ignoring Biscuit's frantic barking and nipping at my ankles. I twisted the brass key in the lock and threw myself out into the jaundiced twilight.

The moment I stepped across the threshold, I violated the first rule.

And in that instant, the world warped and tore itself apart before my eyes.

The familiar suburban street was gone. In its place was a desolate wasteland of churning, thick grey fog. The sky was a sickly, bruised purple, and the buildings in the distance had become shifting black silhouettes, like the rotting corpses of a city.

I finally understood. The "Shelter" wasn't protecting me in my world. It had ripped me out of my world and imprisoned me here, in this nightmare realm.

Then I saw him. A blurry figure walking through the fog, heading toward my house. It was Tom.

"Tom! Don't come any closer! Run!" I screamed, my voice raw.

He stopped, looking at me with confusion. Then, slowly, his face began to contort into a horribly grotesque smile. His features started to melt and stretch, like wax held to a flame. That wasn't Tom.

I scrambled back inside, heart hammering against my ribs, and slammed the door with all my strength.

The world fell silent.

But what was the price?

A sound, like skin being seared by a branding iron, sizzled from the walls. A new line of text was slowly burning itself into the plaster, written in what looked like scorched, coagulated blood.

[EMERGENCY SHELTER PROTOCOL V. 1.2 UPDATE]

WARNING: PROTECTOR, YOU HAVE COMMITTED A SEVERE VIOLATION.

YOU HAVE ALLOWED THE "OUTSIDE" TO SEE THE "INSIDE." THEY NOW KNOW WHAT YOU HAVE. THEY NOW KNOW WHAT TO IMITATE.

ONE OF THE PEOPLE WITH YOU IS NOW AN "IMPOSTER." IT IS WAITING FOR YOU TO LOWER YOUR GUARD. THE DOG KNOWS. TRUST YOUR DOG.

YOUR VIOLATION HAS TORN A RIFT IN THE SHELTER'S BARRIER. A "SACRIFICE" MUST BE OFFERED TO REPAIR IT. OTHERWISE, THE BARRIER WILL COLLAPSE ENTIRELY.

I read the last line, and the world plunged into ice.

At that moment, Emily, who had her back to me, slowly turned around. Her face was adorned with that familiar, gentle smile as she walked toward me.

But this time, Biscuit, who had been cowering in the corner, suddenly shot forward like a bolt of lightning. He didn't bark at the door, or at the walls. He barked at the Emily standing right in front of me, letting out the most savage, most desperate roar I had ever heard.

The dog knows. Trust your dog.

My blood, in that one, horrifying moment, turned to ice.