Confronting the Fallen by J. J. Thompson Page B

tell him who you are, and he'll take it from
there.”
    She
obviously noticed Chris' look of confusion and said gently, “The
Nest is kept under tight security at all times. We have patrols on
the grounds and Mr. McKenna will have to notify them that you are out
and about, so you aren't stopped and questioned.”
    “ Oh,
I see,” Chris said. He had wondered why he needed to check with
anyone if all he was doing was getting some air. “No problem,
Ms. Quaid. I'll make sure I talk to him first thing.”
    “ Excellent.
Well, off you go. Enjoy your stroll.” She nodded and went back
to staring at her computer screen.
    Chris
headed for the door. It was huge but opened easily and smoothly,
making no noise at all. Once outside, he looked around for the man
that Ms. Quaid had mentioned. But before he had a chance to do more
than glance around, a tall, dark-skinned man with black hair, wearing
the usual dark suit that most of the staff seemed to wear, was
standing in front of him.
    “ Good
evening,” the man said with a polite nod. “May I help
you?”
    “ I
think so,” Chris replied. “Are you Mr. McKenna?”
    “ I
am indeed. And you are?”
    “ Chris,
sir. Chris Wright. How are you doing?”
    Mr.
McKenna extended his hand and shook Chris' firmly. “I'm fine,
thank you. So you are Mr. Wright. A pleasure. What brings you out on
a lovely evening like this?”
    The
man waved his hand upward and Chris looked at the darkening sky,
amazed at how many stars he could see now that he was outside of the
city.
    “ Well,
actually sir, I just wanted to get some fresh air. You know, stretch
my legs a bit.”
    Mr.
McKenna smiled warmly. “I know how you feel. I prefer
patrolling the grounds to inside duties.” His smile widened.
“At least until winter hits.”
    Chris
laughed and nodded. “I hear that,” he said. “Winter
has always been my least favorite season, except for hockey, of
course. So, it's okay for me to wander around?”
    “ Of
course. Just let me inform the rest of the team that you are out and
about.”
    The
man pulled out a cellphone and quickly tapped out a message. He
waited a moment, nodded and looked at Chris. “All clear,”
he said. “Just one more group to inform of your presence.”
He put two fingers in his mouth and whistled loudly.
    Chris
looked at Mr. McKenna in confusion. What the heck? Then he heard a
distant baying, like a pack of wolves on the hunt.
    “ Um,
what's going on, sir?” he asked the man nervously.
    Mr.
McKenna made a reassuring gesture. “Not to worry, Mr. Wright.
The grounds are patrolled by dogs as well as guards. Once I introduce
you, you will be safe to come and go without them bothering you.”
    “ Oh.
Okay,” Chris said dubiously. The barking was coming closer and
the deep voices of the dogs told him that these were definitely big
animals. He swallowed and hoped that this man knew what he was doing.
    And
then from around the far corner of the house, a pack of dogs appeared
and raced toward Chris and Mr. McKenna, baying at the top of their
lungs.
    Chris
stood frozen. He'd never seen dogs this large before. The head of the
lead animal was level with his elbow. All of the dogs were covered in
brown fur and they looked heavy and strong.
    The
pack came to a sliding stop just a few yards in front of Chris. He
counted ten of them. The leader stared at him with its huge brown
eyes. Chris felt like it was sizing him up. Then slowly, one foot at
a time, it stalked toward him.
    “ Mr.
Wright,” Mr. McKenna said calmly, “this is Eliza. She's
the leader of the pack. In fact, most of the others are her children.
Eliza, this is Chris Wright. He's a guest.”
    The
dog stopped and looked at the man. Wildly, Chris thought that she
seemed to know exactly what was being said. Then the dog looked back
at Chris and shook her tail once. He took a deep breath, knelt down
on one knee and extended a hand toward Eliza. Her head was now higher
than his own.
    “ Mr.
Wright, I don't think that's