A Small Gray Dot

“Hey, Dave, I don’t think it’s only the building this time. Looks like the street lights are out, too.” I started through the door but then it struck me that somebody should call the power company. Letting the door swing back shut, I stopped and pulled out my cellphone. Still no signal. It was annoying, but I knew Dave’s apartment was equipped with an old-fashioned landline, so I said, “My phone’s not getting reception but landlines should be working. Call the power company. Someone going too fast in this mess could’ve hit a power pole somewhere.”

He nodded and pushed his glasses up his nose. “Okay.” He shook his head as he headed back towards his apartment, muttering, “Some folk just won’t slow down for nothing. Damned fools…”

Pushing through the door, I paused on the small porch for a moment, frowning. It was cooler than I’d thought it would be, though, with the fog blocking the sun, I supposed that was to be expected. One would think it would’ve been humid or damp but there was no hint of moisture in the air, and I guess fogs don’t always swirl but this one was sitting out there rock steady, as if someone had dropped a solid sheet of gray down on the world.

Feeling as though there were a film on my eyes, I blinked and gave in to the urge to rub them, which of course didn’t help. I glanced up. I could see a marginally lighter patch in the east where rays from the morning sun were losing their battle to break through. The rest of the sky was an overall even gray.

A sense of wrongness tugged at me and my anxiety level rose. Zoni wouldn’t have gone out in that. It must’ve been a fast mover that came up after she got to the Quick Mart. I considered that she may have tried to call and hadn’t been able to reach me, and was already on her way back. I needed to get moving.

I hustled down the steps and out into the haze, barely able to see two feet ahead. A little more and I would’ve needed a cane to find my way through. I got across the front parking lot and out to the sidewalk only knowing I’d reached it when the lamppost appeared in front of me. I veered in the direction of the store a block away. Glancing around, I couldn’t see much; the buildings were merely dark blobs. I’d have to be careful not to step off the sidewalk and into the street or actually run into and knock Zoni down if she was on her way back.

It was around six-twenty, about fifteen minutes since I awakened, and though most folk were probably still pulling themselves from bed or preparing for work, there were usually a few out for an early morning jog or walking the dog. But, if anyone else was out and about, I didn’t hear them and I definitely couldn’t see them. I didn’t hear any barking dogs, either, and normally there would be at least one out there yapping. It was dead quiet. Too quiet, even for that early in the morning. It was a bit strange that I also wasn’t hearing any traffic. I shrugged. Likely, it was due to the heavy fog. Not many would want to venture out into it and I thought perhaps it was muffling the usual morning noises.

I didn’t run into Zoni, but I almost fell off the curb when I got to the corner, barely managing to stop in time. I looked up towards the traffic light. Couldn’t see it but since I saw no red, orange, or green winking at me from above, I knew it was dead, too. I peered through the mist trying to make out the store across the street but it appeared the power outage extended into the next block and all I saw was a faint blur slightly darker than the fog.

I got to the building and pulled open the door. Inside was full of shadows, but I could see no one was at the front checkout counter. A trickle of worry inched into my mind. Shouldn’t anybody in the store be at the front? Perhaps commenting about the fog or complaining to each other about the power outage? Then, I shook my head. I was getting paranoid. The clerk had likely gone to the back to call the power company, and with it being early, there wouldn’t be many customers. Maybe they’d gone with him, and perhaps Zoni was in the ladies room.

“Hello? Where’s everybody?”

There was no answer. The place felt empty and my sense that something wasn’t quite right ratcheted up. I stretched my eyes trying to force them to see better in the darkened, quiet interior, wishing I had a flashlight. Then I remembered I did – on my phone. It wasn’t getting reception but I didn’t need a signal to work the light. I flicked it on.

“Zoni? Where are you babes?” I hadn’t run into her on the way there, so she had to be in the store. But I got no answer.

I started toward the back, and out the corner of my eye, I caught movement to the left. I swung in that direction. At the aisle next to the long ceiling to floor window that formed the wall on the side, I got an impression of a shadowy outline.

“Zoni?” It came out softly from my suddenly dry throat.