The nausea was on a full steam, but he thought his belly was sufficiently empty after that morning that he wasn’t worried about a mess if his body decided to empty his stomach. His breathing was quick, his heart rate high. He tried to keep his cool by thinking happy thoughts, so to speak. He didn’t panic just yet…
As he tried to keep a focus in front of him, and attempted to keep his thoughts far away, in an instant a figure appeared in the empty seat directly in front of him. It appeared from nowhere, right next to the old man sitting in front of Sal.
Little Joe quickly glanced to his left and right, expecting someone to say something, to scream or yell at this sight. But both his mother and his brother had no reaction whatsoever; they appeared not to notice it.
At first, the shap
