Alex was hiding in his room when the doorbell rang. It was a man in a white uniform with a huge net. His parents answered as he peered through the blinds.
"Hello, I am Van Helsing the dog catcher. Earlier today, I chased a dog near here. He was captured, but he is infected. I was wondering if you had a dog that might have been exposed to it?"
"Rusty? No, he's been in the yard all day, except while our son Alex took him to the dog park."
"Could I examine the dog?" asked Van Helsing pushing his way into the house.
"Well, I don't know? We should take him to our vet, if he was exposed."
"As you like," Van Helsing said begrudgingly and backed out of the house. He'd been on the trail of the dog plague for weeks. The Petersen family lived in a nice home, but so had many of the other victims. Van Helsing shivered involuntarily, as he recalled. The whole town of Middleton was now populated by dogs. Van Helsing had to find the lead dog which was spreading the virus to other dogs and from them to people, he had to. He noted a gate around the side of the house. He got into his white truck and drove around the block. He parked up the street, and dashed toward the Peterson gate. He carried a black leather case.
Alex slipped down the backstairs to check on Rusty. Could he have caught this from his dog? The fur was getting thick, so he shed his t-shirt and wore some loose shorts as he slipped into the backyard. The sun was setting and his parents would soon be sitting down to dinner. They would expect him. As he knelt down to pet Rusty, he felt a pain in his spine and a sudden tightening of his waistband accompanied by a draft. He turned to see a tail pushing its way out of his shorts. He was amazed and terrified as he realized it was his tail.