FIFTY-THREE

The bark of a dog disrupted the trance that Clarissa had stepped into. Her fingers slightly uncurled from the knock, and then, she turned. It was like she didn’t see anything at first, and the overly bright area had turned dark.

But as her eyes adjusted, she realized that there was a stream of light coming from somewhere around the area.

The dog barked once more jolting her slightly. She looked down, and caught the blue eyes of a dog looking right at her, as she kept barking. Clarissa swallowed the sudden lump in her throat.

“Tommy, what are you doing out there?” A voice echoed through the walls.

Clarissa turned and found herself staring at a cop. He was looking at the dog, obviously unaware that someone else was in the ally with him. Clarissa swallowed hard as she looked right at him.

The dog barked again.

This time, its owner followed his gaze to Clarissa. She noted the frown on the cop’s face and watched with a sigh as he pointed the torch everywhere around her like he wanted to b