by Keeley Smith
He skidded to a stop at the edge of the camp site, the fire was all but burnt out, it hadn’t yet taken advantage of the extra fuel he’d thrown on. His eyes darted in every direction trying to assess what had happened. Deyna was stood behind Phillip, his body shielding hers as she gave her lungs a good workout. Phillip was stood with his legs apart, his back bolt upright. He hadn’t noticed their quick entrance into the camp. His eyes were focused on something else.
Rather than speak, Stephen squinted his eyes in an attempt to see what was going on. Stephen slowly stepped towards the two of them, his steps quiet so as not to alert whatever was causing Deyna to scream so much. Lester didn’t take the same approach as Stephen, he shot towards Phillip and Deyna letting the sparks from the speed in which he travelled cast much needed light into the area. Stephen stopped dead, the air in his lungs stalled with shock.
The creatures appeared to be some sort of dog and they stood in their little camp almost like they were strategically surrounding them. He couldn’t help noticing that each and every time he nearly broke Lester and found out some truth, something was sent their way, and it wasn’t something nice like a large slab of cake.
He edged closer to his friends, aware that each disgusting creature bared their long, sharp teeth in an unwelcome greeting. The lips of the dog nearest Phillip and Deyna were pulled thinly over the sharp fangs. Their ears were low upon their heads. Their growls rumbled shaking the ground and making the hairs on his neck stand to attention.
What made him question the type of creatures was the lack of fur. The dogs were completely furless, like the sphinx cats. His great gran had once owned one of those cats and he remembered the feel of its skin, it was like hot, sticky rubber in your hand. He hadn’t touched the cat after that and he sure didn’t plan on touching the dogs that were slowly creeping towards them.
The wrinkled pink skin of the creature nearest them seemed to stretch as it took up an attacking stance. Its body quivered with excitement, its legs were positioned ready to run at them. There was no way they could fight off all these creatures. He turned around looking for a way out. There was too many of them. Stephen’s heart bounced hard in his chest as eight pairs of red eyes glared hungrily at them.
Deyna was stood behind Phillip, at least she’d stopped screaming. Lester’s body remained in front of them, blocking the way of the dogs. Surely Lester knew that if the dogs were going to pounce, they would go straight through him. He admired the fact that the ghost had placed himself in from of them at every sign of danger.
Stephen continued to edge closer to his two friends and as soon as he was in reach Deyna grasped his hand, it felt warm and clammy in his. He squeezed it trying to offer her some comfort, this was impossible, of course, but the thought was there. He pushed her behind him making sure the dogs had to get through both Phillip and himself before they reached Deyna. It wasn’t a thought he wanted to give much time to, the dogs wouldn’t get through. He wouldn’t let them.
They stepped back as one, forced by the pack of encroaching dogs. The dogs were backing them into a corner. This wasn’t good. Deyna started scrambling around behind them as they neared the fire. She looked liked she was going to jump. The fire wasn’t exactly burning bright but it was too high to jump over. If she did attempt to jump this would definitely start the attack. The dogs already looked on edge. They stopped with no place further to go. They were cornered by eight growling, blood thirsty dogs.
“Lester, what the hell do we do?” he whispered urgently.
Lester turned his head to look at him. In that one look, Lester conveyed his thoughts.
There wasn’t anything they could do.
He swallowed the small amount of saliva in his mouth. Yes they’d run away from the wolves but they’d been saved by falling through the floor. If they’d continued to run, they wouldn’t be here facing yet more angry creatures wanting to rip them into tiny little pieces. The wolves would have had quite a large dinner. He knew they couldn’t outrun these dogs.
Stephen made a quick decision and picked up a large piece of wood from the fire, its end now firmly alight. He waved it in front of the dogs like the maniac he was. The sound from the wood as it moved through the air made his skin crawl. It sounded exactly like the flap of the eagles wings above them. Phillip followed suit and grabbed more wood. They stepped towards the dogs, yes they were crazy, jabbing their burning pieces of wood at the furless creatures. Amazingly, they backed away from them which freed up a little room away from the fire.
Stephen continued to brandish the wood, the fire now billowing as it ate at the wood that remained in his hand. He was running out of options, this had been a good idea for the whole of five seconds but this wouldn’t stop the dogs for long. He held the wood out in front of him as a deterrent trying to reach back towards the fire and pick up another piece.
In the split second he wasn’t looking at the dogs, he felt something slam onto the wood jarring his shoulder but he kept his strong hold. The piece of wood was the only thing between him and the terrifying dog. The smell of scorched flesh filled the air around them but the dog continued to hold on even though the flames were melting its face. What the hell were these dogs? Its eyes glared at him, daring him to fight.
Stephen’s stomach convulsed as the smell took away fresh air. The dog moved its fangs up the wood completely oblivious and unfeeling as it left parts of its face smeared on it. He dropped the wood, fearing the next mouthful the dog took would be his hand. The wood bounced on the floor and the dog went down with it. Stephen watched in stunned silence as the dog pawed the wood making sure the flames died.
Dogs were intelligent at the best of times but they didn’t do that. They usually felt pain but that dog had simply continued despite the fact that its face had melted, leaving a huge gaping hole revealing black muscle and congealed blood.
Eight dogs stalked towards them. He took a deep breath; there was only thing for it.
“Run!” Stephen shouted.
Stephen grabbed Deyna’s arm and watched as Phillip threw his own piece of wood at a snarling dog that was already hot on their heels.
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CHAPTER SEVENTEEN