Joshua was asleep when a scream tore through the silence, sharp and panicked. His eyes flew open. Lucky jerked upright beside him, ears perked. Joshua blinked into the dark, adrenaline flooding him fast. That hadn’t sounded like a drunk shouting or a couple arguing. That sounded like danger.
He got up quickly, grabbed his bag, and crouched low. “Quiet,” he whispered to Lucky, holding a finger up. Lucky stilled, alert and tense. Another voice echoed faintly—muffled, male, aggressive. Joshua squinted toward the alley across the street. It was dark. Too dark. But something was happening there.
He crossed carefully, every step quiet against the damp pavement. Lucky padded beside him, silent and sharp-eyed. Joshua edged up to a dumpster near the alley mouth and peered around. What he saw next made his blood turn cold…..