Winter fell upon the small town overnight, a month early and harsher than any other in memory. Frost crept along the ground, connecting each door like a giant web, enveloping the whole town. Tension and desperation grew without cause or reason. The real problem was that no one noticed. No adult anyway.

Billy Randall noticed. He had trained himself to be a great detective like Encyclopedia Brown, but so far had suffered from a disappointing lack of cases. Still, he hoped to solve one one day and become rich and famous. For now though, he just watched.

He watched tempers shorten with the days and walked softly lest he attract attention. Men began to threaten anyone that caught their eye and blood flowed. Worse, women hunted in packs, quick to pull down the defenseless. He had seen them chase down a second-grader and leave the remains splashed all over the snow.

That was when Billy knew he had to hide all the time, from everybody. He just hoped he could keep hiding until Spring.