Once Henry had finished his business, he attempted to avoid eye contact with the mirror as he washed his hands. But it was like trying not to look at an accident on the side of the road. He turned on the faucet and glanced up for a quick peek. Hit the soap dispenser—took another peek. Rinsed his hands—took another peek.

Nothing. He breathed a sigh of relief, dried his hands, and grabbed the door handle.

He should have taken one last peek.

Henry stepped outside, nearly tripping into a barricade. He thought it was odd that he hadn’t noticed it on his way in. The barricade was the type of portable metal fencing used to control crowds at parades and concerts, and it blocked him from going back in what he thought was the direction that he had arrived.

Attached to the end of the fence was a length of yellow CAUTION tape that extended to the far end of the building. Henry hesitantly followed it. The alley was deserted, yet an uneasy feeling of being watched nagged at him. As he reached the end, a light went out, leaving him in hazy darkness.

He decided to backtrack when something in the darkness skittered past like a shadow that moved of its own accord. He nervously rubbed a hand through his hair and turned around, only to run smack into the barricade. He spun in a circle, looking for someone who might be playing a trick on him.

He caught a glimpse of more movement in the darkness. Suddenly, the light that had gone out began to flicker on and off rapidly like a strobe light.

His feet were riveted to the pavement as several black animals the size of large rats appeared. Within seconds, six of them were in place, sitting in a perfectly straight line less than ten feet away. He rubbed his eyes, as the strobe effect made him feel disoriented. Squirrels? He had never heard of a black squirrel, and his imagination began to churn up images of some kind of genetic mutation that liked to eat young boys.

He took two steps backward. They took two steps forward, but no closer. Another step back. He expected to feel the barricade behind him. He didn’t want to take his eyes off the creepy squirrels but glanced quickly, only to find the fencing had disappeared.

His temporary good fortune turned bad as more and more squirrels appeared, blocking him in a tight semicircle with his back against the wall. In the distance he could hear voices as groups of people were leaving restaurants. He could shout for help … but didn’t know how the squirrels would react.