Chapter 3: The Waiting Darkness

Thursday February 12, 2026

The dogs were the first priority. That was obvious to both of us without it needing to be spoken. Alasie moved with practiced efficiency, setting down the wounded Siku before guiding the rest of the team to the dedicated dog shelter behind the main building. The dogs were still restless, ears back and hackles raised, but they clearly trusted Alasie.

Grabbing the emergency veterinary kit from the equipment shed, I ran back to where Alasie knelt beside the injured dog. Siku lay on his side near the gate, his breathing fast but steady. Alasie rested a gloved hand on his chest while murmuring softly in a language I didn’t recognize. His tail gave a weak thump in response to her attention.

“He took the hit meant for me,” she whispered while stroking his fur. “We were going so fast; whatever it was misjudged the timing. It came out of nowhere and nearly took us out.”

I crouched beside Alasie and examined the dog’s injury. The fur near Siku’s paw was matted with blood and the shoulder was bruised, but it wasn’t as bad as I’d feared. Whatever that thing was, it could knock down trees, so it must have only grazed Siku. Otherwise, the damage would have been much, much worse.

“I think he’ll be okay,” I said reassuringly.

Alasie nodded before lifting her head and letting out a slow breath of relief. It seemed like she had been holding her breath since the first attack. We carefully cleaned Siku’s wound and wrapped it as best we could. Alasie was much more skilled with dogs than I was, so I mainly just handed her what she needed.

“Just some light bruising and a cut; he’s lucky,” she let out a breath. “He’ll bounce back in a couple days.”

“Good,” I replied. “That’s good.”

“He’s not staying out here,” Alasie stated firmly. “Not like this. I can’t put him with the others, they’ll step on him without meaning to.”

“There’s an isolation stall in the shelter,” I told her. “Or we can take him inside.”

“He’ll rest inside,” she nodded, moving to pick him up.

“What about the others?” I questioned. “If that thing could take down a tree, I don’t imagine a thin chain-link fence will stop it.”

“They’ll let us know if there’s trouble,” Alasie replied confidently.

Back inside the station, Alasie used a couple of spare blankets to make a spot for Siku in the kitchen. She stayed with him for a few minutes to make sure he was comfortable, then she helped me move all the supplies. Some went in the outside storage locker, but most were piled up inside the station. I’d deal with them later.

Once everything urgent had been dealt with, I shut off the outside lights. I was uneasy, but I knew the generators couldn’t handle leaving them on constantly. Especially not until I replaced the regulator. Alasie ran outside to check on the dogs before joining me at the kitchen table for some hot chocolate I had made.