Kyle’s unshaved cheeks bristled as he smiled. “Well I can’t wait to see your family again. Yes, even your sister,” he added as he took a sip of his coffee, rolling his eyes in the process with a playful expression.<br/><br/>He nodded agreeably as he took another few bites of his breakfast and she finished her thoughts on the day.<br/><br/>“Well that sounds de-lightful,” he answered in his terrible impression of an overdone southern accent. As a northern boy, he needed to be careful who was on the receiving end of his impression. Truth be told he liked living down south more than back home, especially in the winter!<br/><br/>After that he took her hand and threaded his fingers between hers, smiling broadly. Once she had finished taking a bite he slid his chair closer and wrapped his other arm around her. “This is going to be a great day,” he said, his voice low and gravelly with the hint of barely restrained passion, before moving in for a kiss.<br/><br/>Through the kiss, he did his best to remind her just how crazy he was about her. The touch of her lips on his caused Kyle to become instantly dizzy with anticipation. It was in that perfect moment when the dog started barking off in the distance.<br/><br/>Separating, Kyle broke off with a heavy sigh. He hung his head in resignation for a moment before making eye contact again.<br/><br/>“To be continued…” he said with a wry smile before standing up. “She’s off chasing squirrels. I need to get her back. Why don’t you finish your breakfast and then we’ll get of here,” he said, standing. “No need to shower – we can clean up in the lake. I have soap and stuff there for us. Throw on some jeans and we’ll be good to go.”<br/><br/>Kyle answered any questions she might have before stepping away, breaking into a jog as he chased after his dog, whistling loudly for her.<br/><br/>Oddly, it didn’t sound like Alex was running – instead it seemed she was standing still and barking. The barking wasn’t the fun, hunting bark that she usually made, either. It sounded like she was barking at a stranger. Kyle began to ran faster.<br/><br/>Eventually he caught up to the dog at an oversized, ramshackle shed that he was using for construction storage. It was an original outbuilding of the old house and was in terrible shape, with light pouring in from holes in the roof and walls. The dog stood just outside, barking nervously. Kyle kneeled and put his arm on the dog to try and comfort her. The dog, trained as it was, instantly quieted – though her outstretched, stiff tail told Kyle she was still very concerned.<br/><br/>“Hello?” Kyle called out. “It’s alright, the dog won’t hurt you. You can come out now,” he said, thinking that it might be a local kid who had wandered close to the estate. For good measure, he took Alex’s collar in hand to steady the animal. A moment passed without any sound coming from inside the shed. In that moment the hair on Kyle’s neck began to stand on end.<br/><br/>“Stay,” he said to his dog confidently, and the animal reluctantly sat down without taking her eyes off the darkened interior. All those months of training were working, Kyle thought to himself, as he stepped into the crowded interior of the shed.<br/><br/>Paint cans, pipe benders, spools of electrical wire, and everything else a builder might need could be found in roughly organized batches on makeshift wooden shelves. A sense of worry began settling over him as he entered the place, which seemed much cooler than it did outside.<br/><br/>He listened intently as he walked, but saw nothing. Eventually he noticed the sound of the breeze faintly whistling through the holes in the structure, which he suspected may be the cause of the dog’s distress.<br/><br/>“It’s nothing, Alex,” Kyle said before letting out a sigh, relieved. “It’s just the wind, he added as he turned to face his dog.<br/><br/>It was just at that moment that a standing pile of tall, thin framing boards – 2x4s – inexplicably fell right on top of him with an enormous clatter, violently knocking Kyle to the ground. Alex jumped to her feet and began barking ferociously in the direction of her master, who lay immobilized on the ground.