People Watching

Milo Kablukov’s car, nicknamed Bertha, is struggling to make it to the top of a hill on a deserted country road. After Milo mumbles prayers and promises, the car finally makes it, and he pulls into a dilapidated train station, where he picks up his sister, Nadia Kablukov. Milo hasn’t seen her in years, but he is glad to see that she’s gained back a little weight and appears to be less skittish.

After growing up with parents who abused them emotionally and physically, Milo is protective of both Nadia and his brother, Nik Kablukov. When they were younger, the siblings decided on an emergency code that they could use to ask for unquestioned help from each other, called a “1-1-9.” Nik has used his to summon Milo and Nadio to Baysville, a small town in Ontario, Canada, near where they grew up, but they don’t know why yet.

Because Nadia is in the car, Milo takes a winding route to his brother’s new home to avoid hills or difficult terrain that he doubts Bertha could handle, not willing to risk the danger to his sister. On the way, Milo babbles about his made-up “plan” to die while having rough