1

At the far end of the parking lot, Elizabeth got a glimpse of Alaric Saltzman, who was the only person who wasn't running. She felt she could detect movement in both his hands and lips despite the fact that he was standing quite still.
Everywhere else was mayhem. Someone had acquired a hose, and they were trying to get it towards the middle of the pack, but it had little impact. It was as if the dogs had lost their minds. When Chelsea pulled her brown and white muzzle away from her master's body, a hint of blood could be seen on her muzzle.
The rapid beating of Elizabeth's heart made it difficult for her to take a breath. She yelled out, "They need assistance!" just as Katherine disengaged herself from the window and started walking down the steps.
dividing them up into groups of two and three at a time. Elizabeth was about halfway down the steps when she realized two things: Dominic was not following her, and she could not let herself be seen. The first realization came first, followed by the second one.
She was unable to. The panic that it would create, the questions that it would raise, the terror and anger that it would incite once those questions were addressed. She was pushed up against the wall and her back was twisted, but it wasn't pity or compassion that did it; it was something far more fundamental than that.
She peered into the gloomy and cold inside of the church and had a glimpse of a hive of activity within. People were yelling and running back and forth between the two locations. Mr. McCullough, Reverend Bethea, and Dr. Feinberg are here today. Denis, who was unconscious and laying on a pew with Merit, Aunt Judith, and Mrs. McCullough hunched over her, served as the focal point of the circle's silence. She was wailing about "something awful" at the time when Elizabeth's Aunt Judith's head popped up and turned in Elizabeth's way.
Elizabeth crept up the stairs as swiftly as she could, hoping without hope that her aunt Judith hadn't spotted her. Dominic was over at the window looking out.
"They believe I've passed away, therefore I can't go down there!"
"Oh, you've recalled that. Good for you." "Oh, you've remembered that. Good for you." "Oh, you've remembered that. Good for you."
There is no doubt in my mind that he will consider you to be an intriguing creature.
"Then it seems like I won't be able to go, but you can. Why don't you take some action?"
Dominic's eyebrows raised in a puzzled expression as he continued to glance out the window. "Why?"
Elizabeth's fear and overexcitement reached a boiling pitch, and she was on the verge of slapping him when she said, "Why?" Because they need assistance, and because you are in a position to provide it. Don't you care about anything other than yourself?
Dominic wore the smile of polite inquiry that he'd worn when he invited himself to her place for supper; it was his most impenetrable mask. However, she was aware that below it, he was furious, and that anger was caused by the discovery that she and Katherine were together. He did it on purpose and seemed to take a perverse pleasure in provoking her.
And she was unable to control her response, the wrath that came from feeling helpless and angry. She made a move towards him, but he grabbed her wrists and held her back as his eyes stared intently into hers. She was taken aback when she heard the sound that emanated from her mouth at that moment; it was a hiss that resembled a purr more than a human sound. She suddenly became aware that her fingers had transformed into claws.
Where am I going with this? Are you going to assault him because he won't protect them from the dogs who are attacking them? What type of logical reasoning is it supposed to be? She let out a deep breath and then loosened her hands while wetting her lips. She took a step back, and he allowed her to do so.
They seemed to be staring at one another for a considerable amount of time. Elizabeth said in a low voice, "I'm going down," and then turned.
"No."
"They need assistance."
Dominic's voice had never sunk to such a low pitch before, nor had she ever heard him sound so enraged. "All right, then, damn you." "I'll," he said, but then he cut himself short, and as Elizabeth hastily turned around, she watched him smack his fist against the window ledge, which caused the glass to shake. But he was paying attention to what was going on outside, and when he stated calmly, "Help has come," he sounded completely collected once again.
It was the fire department that was responsible. They had hoses that were far more powerful than the garden hose, and the jet streams of water were forceful enough to drive the dogs to retreat when they lunged at them. When Elizabeth spotted a lawman armed with a pistol, she chewed the inside of her cheek to distract herself as the man leveled and sighted his weapon.
There was a break in the floor, and the enormous schnauzer fell through it. Once again, the sheriff took aim.
After that, everything came to an end quite soon. Once the first crack of the pistol, some dogs were already on their way away from the onslaught of water; but, after the second shot was fired, further canines broke away from the pack and proceeded toward the perimeter of the parking lot. It was as if the goal that had been driving them had all of a sudden freed them from its grasp. When Elizabeth spotted Katherine standing uninjured in the center of the commotion, she experienced a wave of comfort. Katherine was pushing a golden retriever that seemed to be confused away from Doug Carson's body. Chelsea approached her master in a cowardly manner and gazed directly into his face while lowering both her head and her tail.