Chapter 43: S2 Wisdom: Friendly and Loyal

Sophia Mahoney

A door slams in the darkness, and Sophia jumps.

Thor's head whips around, and he voices a low, throaty growl. The hair on his back stands on end.

Sophia's heart pounds in her chest.

"Thor." She reaches for him more out of comfort than to contain him.

Footsteps pound the concrete. Movement catches the corner of her eye, and she takes several steps back. She glances between the back door of the bookstore and the direction of the steps now drawing closer.

The moving mass of a person steps out of the shadows of the darkness.

"Did I scare you, dearie?" A woman in a white flowery housecoat, with a southern drawl, rounds the corner. She's carrying a bag of trash in one hand, and a recycle bin in the other.

Thor continues to growl. He positions himself between Sophia and the elderly woman.

Sophia pats him on the head. "Down, Thor," she whispers under her breath. "It's okay."