French
perfume. The smell was disturbing. It smelled like danger. It
smelled like hunger. It smelled a wet dog. She walked back to the
front door and opened it. “You are polluting my neighborhood with
eau-de-fear,” she whispered into the darkness.
The interior van light went on as Ellie
opened the driver’s side door and hopped inside. Reaching across
the dashboard to pick up Beastie Bear, she could see through the
passenger side window that Helena was now standing on the porch
watching her every move.
“What? Does she think I’m a baby or
something?” she asked aloud. “If I’m going to have both Mom and Nan
watching me day and night, I might as well roll over and die a
virgin.”
She checked the windows. They were all
rolled up. “Hmm,” she thought. “That’s weird. It smells worse
outside the van than inside. What is that smell?” She plugged her
nose with one hand and slid over to the passenger side to get out.
As she reached for the door with her free hand, she heard a low,
rumbling growl. She jumped back in the seat. With the edge of the
shawl she rubbed away the fog that was forming on the inside of the
window. Through the condensation streaks she could see a wet, mangy
dog circling the van, marking its territory as it did
so.
“Okay, I’m a baby!” she gasped, rolling
down the window the tiniest bit. “Nan!” she screamed. “Help me! I’m
trapped by Cujo!”
Ellie saw the ears on the animal twitch
as it raised itself up on its hind legs and placed its front paws
against the van’s window. Its brown fur was matted, and the dried
blood around its mouth suggested it had just feasted on some poor
animal that wasn’t quick enough to get away. Its hollow eyes, one
blue and one brown, stared at Ellie like a wolf stalking its prey.
As if sensing the fear within her, it began to emit a blood-curling
howl.
“I’m trapped and it knows it,” she
gasped. “Nan, get it away from me,” she begged, banging on the
window with her fist.
Helena tried to creep up behind the
animal, but its hearing was insanely keen. As it turned to look at
her, its claws slid down the passenger door, putting deep scratches
into the van’s white enamel. It barred its teeth, the elongated
canine’s dripping with an unsightly mix of what Helena hoped were
only rodent guts and saliva. It looked at her with an expression
that was almost human. “Take me on, bitch,” it seemed to taunt her,
licking its snout in anticipation of the feast.
“Don’t even think of it,” Helena said,
coming menacingly close to it, a wooden rake in her hand. “I’ll
have you burning in a bonfire before the animal control people get
a whiff of you.”
Ellie’s eyes widened as she saw Helena
take the end of the rake and smash it on the cement sidewalk, just
inches from the dog. The rake had snapped like a
toothpick.
Helena pointed the sharp broken handle
right between the animal’s eyes. “Listen up, pup. You’re not
Lassie. There’s no happy ending here. Run along home. If you want
me to destroy you, I will. The choice is yours.”
The animal put its tail between his
legs and dropped its head in defeat. Helena watched as it slunk
down the road.
“Damn coyotes,” Helena said. “Come on
love, it’s safe to come out now. Let’s get you back inside the
house.”
Ellie quickly opened the door and
scrambled out, tucking Beastie Boy under the shawl.
“You,” she gasped, giving Helena a big
hug, “are totally awesome. I swear you broke that rake with
superhuman strength. Weren’t you scared?”
“Maybe a little,” Helena admitted. “But
I’m going to be more afraid of your mother when she sees what that
animal did to the door of the van.” She put her arms on Ellie’s
shoulder. “Let’s not tell her about this, all right? You know how
she gets. I’ll tell her some kids stole the rake out of the garage
and scratched the truck. Kids gone wild. This being hell night,
that sounds plausible.”
“You’re going to lie
perfume. The smell was disturbing. It smelled like danger. It
smelled like hunger. It smelled a wet dog. She walked back to the
front door and opened it. “You are polluting my neighborhood with
eau-de-fear,” she whispered into the darkness.
The interior van light went on as Ellie
opened the driver’s side door and hopped inside. Reaching across
the dashboard to pick up Beastie Bear, she could see through the
passenger side window that Helena was now standing on the porch
watching her every move.
“What? Does she think I’m a baby or
something?” she asked aloud. “If I’m going to have both Mom and Nan
watching me day and night, I might as well roll over and die a
virgin.”
She checked the windows. They were all
rolled up. “Hmm,” she thought. “That’s weird. It smells worse
outside the van than inside. What is that smell?” She plugged her
nose with one hand and slid over to the passenger side to get out.
As she reached for the door with her free hand, she heard a low,
rumbling growl. She jumped back in the seat. With the edge of the
shawl she rubbed away the fog that was forming on the inside of the
window. Through the condensation streaks she could see a wet, mangy
dog circling the van, marking its territory as it did
so.
“Okay, I’m a baby!” she gasped, rolling
down the window the tiniest bit. “Nan!” she screamed. “Help me! I’m
trapped by Cujo!”
Ellie saw the ears on the animal twitch
as it raised itself up on its hind legs and placed its front paws
against the van’s window. Its brown fur was matted, and the dried
blood around its mouth suggested it had just feasted on some poor
animal that wasn’t quick enough to get away. Its hollow eyes, one
blue and one brown, stared at Ellie like a wolf stalking its prey.
As if sensing the fear within her, it began to emit a blood-curling
howl.
“I’m trapped and it knows it,” she
gasped. “Nan, get it away from me,” she begged, banging on the
window with her fist.
Helena tried to creep up behind the
animal, but its hearing was insanely keen. As it turned to look at
her, its claws slid down the passenger door, putting deep scratches
into the van’s white enamel. It barred its teeth, the elongated
canine’s dripping with an unsightly mix of what Helena hoped were
only rodent guts and saliva. It looked at her with an expression
that was almost human. “Take me on, bitch,” it seemed to taunt her,
licking its snout in anticipation of the feast.
“Don’t even think of it,” Helena said,
coming menacingly close to it, a wooden rake in her hand. “I’ll
have you burning in a bonfire before the animal control people get
a whiff of you.”
Ellie’s eyes widened as she saw Helena
take the end of the rake and smash it on the cement sidewalk, just
inches from the dog. The rake had snapped like a
toothpick.
Helena pointed the sharp broken handle
right between the animal’s eyes. “Listen up, pup. You’re not
Lassie. There’s no happy ending here. Run along home. If you want
me to destroy you, I will. The choice is yours.”
The animal put its tail between his
legs and dropped its head in defeat. Helena watched as it slunk
down the road.
“Damn coyotes,” Helena said. “Come on
love, it’s safe to come out now. Let’s get you back inside the
house.”
Ellie quickly opened the door and
scrambled out, tucking Beastie Boy under the shawl.
“You,” she gasped, giving Helena a big
hug, “are totally awesome. I swear you broke that rake with
superhuman strength. Weren’t you scared?”
“Maybe a little,” Helena admitted. “But
I’m going to be more afraid of your mother when she sees what that
animal did to the door of the van.” She put her arms on Ellie’s
shoulder. “Let’s not tell her about this, all right? You know how
she gets. I’ll tell her some kids stole the rake out of the garage
and scratched the truck. Kids gone wild. This being hell night,
that sounds plausible.”
“You’re going to lie
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