FROM THE FALL ARCHIVES CHARACTER STORY: DARYL
The first sign something was wrong wasn’t the news. It was the silence. Daryl stood behind the counter of his small shop near the shopping centre, watching the empty pavement through the dusty front window. Normally, by this time in the morning, the street would be busy with parents walking their kids to school, delivery vans making their rounds and the usual chatter of everyday life. Today there was nothing. His radio crackled on the shelf behind him. Every station carried the same message. Stay indoors. Avoid contact with anyone displaying signs of aggression. Daryl turned the volume down. The words didn’t sit right with him. Aggression didn’t cause entire towns to shut down. The bell above the shop door jingled. Ellie stepped inside, Zak trailing behind her. Their son clutched a toy dinosaur in one hand. “You’ve heard the announcements?” she asked. Daryl nodded. “Aye. Doesn’t sound good.” Outside, somewhere in the distance, a siren wailed. Zak wandered over to the shelves of ca...