side to side as she stumbled down the drive,
no longer watching where she placed her feet. A noise to her left
had her whirling around to face the source and her breath caught in
her throat.
At first, all she
was aware of was teeth. Large, shiny white teeth with pointy ends
designed for puncturing and tearing flesh. Then her focus widened
as she noted black noses and gleaming eyes, surrounded by thick
fur. A pair of very large guard dogs were staring at her, licking
their chops as if she just became the main selection on tonight’s
dinner menu.
Some instinct told
her they weren’t too pleased to see her—or maybe they were; she’d
be a change from a diet of dry kibble, she thought inanely as she
stood frozen in place. A low rumbling sound came from one of them
and snapped her out of her statue-like state. They were holding
their heads low and had raised the fur on their backs. She was sure
she’d read somewhere that indicated an attack was imminent. Mel
started to back away, not wanting to lose eye-contact. The fact
that these might not be dogs was niggling at her mind but she shied
away from examining that thought at the moment. Adding additional
reasons to fear for her life would not be helpful at this
point.
Slowly, the beasts
followed her, exactly matching her pace. Icy terror was working its
way through her body despite the rapid beating of her heart.
Surely, her blood should be rushing through her veins right now,
oxygenating her muscles in preparation for flight? Where was that
adrenaline rush everyone talked about? That super human strength
that came out of nowhere when faced with horrible danger? She
blinked, realizing that her vision seemed to be blurring, the world
was darkening. Oh great. Passing out in fear. How lame was that? If
only she’d had sufficient coffee fixes today, Mel lamented to
herself, she would have been better able to cope with the
situation.
Shaking her head
and refusing to give into the panic invading her system, Mel
continued to back away. She kept one eye on the creatures stalking
her, while shooting glances from side to side, looking for a sturdy
stick to grab onto and use as a weapon. It wouldn’t be overly
effective, but it was better than defending herself barehanded.
Just when she
thought she saw a suitable branch, her heel came down on a large
stone. Her foot twisted to the side and she lurched to the left,
flaying her arms wildly as she tried to maintain her balance. Fear
made her overcompensate and instead of righting herself, she made
matters worse. As she stumbled against a tree trunk, the animals
took exception to her sudden movement. They rushed towards her,
barking and howling. Mel opened her mouth, inhaled deeply, and
resorted to the age-old solution of screaming for help at the top
of her lungs.
*****
Ryne groaned as
the sound of howls and barks penetrated his alcohol soaked brain,
forcing him from his sleep. He was seriously hung over from last
night and was contemplating the benefits of death over the way he
was presently feeling. Dark thoughts ran through his mind as he
determined the source of the noise that had dragged him from
blessed oblivion.
Obviously, Bryan
and Daniel were out acting like idiots and it was the last thing he
needed today. If they wanted to go out hunting, it was fine with
him, but keep it quiet. No rabbit or squirrel or whatever they’d
cornered, warranted that much noise. He rolled over and winced as
his head pounded. How many beers had he consumed last night,
anyway? It was all sort of blurry. The favoured team had won the
hockey game and everyone had started buying rounds and then...?
Gingerly, he
opened one eye and squinted against the assaulting rays of light
that streamed in around the window shade. He swore and let his
eyelid fall shut, raising his hand to his throbbing head. At least
his stomach wasn’t protesting the treatment he’d subjected it to.
Having a cast iron stomach was one of the genetic benefits his
parents had
no longer watching where she placed her feet. A noise to her left
had her whirling around to face the source and her breath caught in
her throat.
At first, all she
was aware of was teeth. Large, shiny white teeth with pointy ends
designed for puncturing and tearing flesh. Then her focus widened
as she noted black noses and gleaming eyes, surrounded by thick
fur. A pair of very large guard dogs were staring at her, licking
their chops as if she just became the main selection on tonight’s
dinner menu.
Some instinct told
her they weren’t too pleased to see her—or maybe they were; she’d
be a change from a diet of dry kibble, she thought inanely as she
stood frozen in place. A low rumbling sound came from one of them
and snapped her out of her statue-like state. They were holding
their heads low and had raised the fur on their backs. She was sure
she’d read somewhere that indicated an attack was imminent. Mel
started to back away, not wanting to lose eye-contact. The fact
that these might not be dogs was niggling at her mind but she shied
away from examining that thought at the moment. Adding additional
reasons to fear for her life would not be helpful at this
point.
Slowly, the beasts
followed her, exactly matching her pace. Icy terror was working its
way through her body despite the rapid beating of her heart.
Surely, her blood should be rushing through her veins right now,
oxygenating her muscles in preparation for flight? Where was that
adrenaline rush everyone talked about? That super human strength
that came out of nowhere when faced with horrible danger? She
blinked, realizing that her vision seemed to be blurring, the world
was darkening. Oh great. Passing out in fear. How lame was that? If
only she’d had sufficient coffee fixes today, Mel lamented to
herself, she would have been better able to cope with the
situation.
Shaking her head
and refusing to give into the panic invading her system, Mel
continued to back away. She kept one eye on the creatures stalking
her, while shooting glances from side to side, looking for a sturdy
stick to grab onto and use as a weapon. It wouldn’t be overly
effective, but it was better than defending herself barehanded.
Just when she
thought she saw a suitable branch, her heel came down on a large
stone. Her foot twisted to the side and she lurched to the left,
flaying her arms wildly as she tried to maintain her balance. Fear
made her overcompensate and instead of righting herself, she made
matters worse. As she stumbled against a tree trunk, the animals
took exception to her sudden movement. They rushed towards her,
barking and howling. Mel opened her mouth, inhaled deeply, and
resorted to the age-old solution of screaming for help at the top
of her lungs.
*****
Ryne groaned as
the sound of howls and barks penetrated his alcohol soaked brain,
forcing him from his sleep. He was seriously hung over from last
night and was contemplating the benefits of death over the way he
was presently feeling. Dark thoughts ran through his mind as he
determined the source of the noise that had dragged him from
blessed oblivion.
Obviously, Bryan
and Daniel were out acting like idiots and it was the last thing he
needed today. If they wanted to go out hunting, it was fine with
him, but keep it quiet. No rabbit or squirrel or whatever they’d
cornered, warranted that much noise. He rolled over and winced as
his head pounded. How many beers had he consumed last night,
anyway? It was all sort of blurry. The favoured team had won the
hockey game and everyone had started buying rounds and then...?
Gingerly, he
opened one eye and squinted against the assaulting rays of light
that streamed in around the window shade. He swore and let his
eyelid fall shut, raising his hand to his throbbing head. At least
his stomach wasn’t protesting the treatment he’d subjected it to.
Having a cast iron stomach was one of the genetic benefits his
parents had
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