Claimed at dark

Fear is never something I really had to deal with. As a child I never was scared too often and when I did become frightened, it took a lot to do so. One of my all time favorite movies as a child was The Exorcist. Does that make me strange? No, But needless to say I do tend to stray from all things normal. In the situation I'm in now, fear would be something that most girl my age would feel. The auditorium is filled with college sponsors and parents, so many people that not a seat in the house was empty. Except for the two that were reserved for my parents. Where were they?

"Rebecca, You know peeking will only make a dancer more nervous!" Olivia said from behind me.

She is performing first and I was last. For the past ten minutes while everyone warmed up, she has been pacing back and forth, anxiety smeared into every inch of her face. This performance was to be the last chance to show our talents to the college scouts. It was only the beginning of our senior year, but these select college elites only toured once, starting with our school. For me, I was performing with dreams of being accepted into Juilliard, New York City's top performing arts school. Today would sign my fate and determine who it is I would become in the future.

"Okay students gather around! We are about to begin!" I took a quick look out into the audience one last time to see if they were here yet and only disappointment was what I saw. As our Instructor talked and wished us luck, I pulled my phone out and sent them a text message.

"WHER R U? We're About to start!"

By the time I hit send, the huddle was over and Mrs Forrester was heading to center stage to introduce herself and us to the crowd. Her speech was short and simple, complimentary and thoughtful; not over done. It wasn't about her or her background; It was about us. Quickly after ending her welcome, she introduced Olivia and the crowd went into loud applause. I watched as she walked out with poise, and confidence. The nervous girl who was just sweating bullets back stage was no longer in this building. She gave a quick curtsey to the judges and scouts and turned to face the curtain. The music began and she sprang into her routine. I've watched her rehearse it before but never has she delivered it with such power and ferocity. She was an excellent dancer, but I was better. I was number one in our class which is why I was asked to go last. Mrs Forrester wanted the scouts to remember me, to be blown away with my technique. She assured me this was the best thing to do, however now watching Olivia completely destroy all of her fears, and knowing I had to watch eight more girls perform before me, was now starting to weigh on me. Not because I was scared, but because I would soon grow impatient.

Olivia ended her routine and the scouts seemed very pleased. I saw a few begin to jot things down on their notebook, Others did not; including the one from Juilliard. She would not be attending NY with me, but to know she was going to be accepted somewhere or even considered was very pleasing to me. The next few girls came on and performed well also but my attention was on the two empty chairs with my name on it. Where were they? I suddenly started to feel like something might have happened but I didn't want to think too negatively. I glanced at my phone and saw that I missed a text message from them.

"Running Late! be there shortly. Love you"

A weight was lifted off my chest and I felt like I could breath again. I looked out at the audience again and saw my dance partner Miguel. He waved with high energy and mouthed "Good Luck" to me. He was my gay best friend and really supported me. IT sucks that I couldn't perform with him since we worked so well together but he understood the necessity of showing of strengths as a solo dancer. Finally after all the girls have went, and the scouts looked irritated, it was now my turn. Mrs Forrester approached the mic and began to introduce me.

"Last but not least, We have an amazing dancer who is sure to have everyone entertained, and feeling things they haven't felt in a long time. She is a joy to have here at Lancaster High school and I'm sure a lot of you will remember her name. Rebecca Rhodes."

The applauds were loud but not distracting. My chin was held up high as I pranced out on stage. One last glance over the crowd showed that my parents had not arrived, but I couldn't let this stop my performance. I gave my curtsey to the judges and scouts, winked at Miguel who had tears building up in his eyes with a smile that stretched across his face and turned toward the curtains. I took a deep breath in, and exhaled as the piano began playing. The song is called "Dancing" and it is by Elise. As her hypnotizing voice comes on, I launch into my routine. A routine I've kept private for I didn't want to spoil it for anyone. Not even Miguel has seen this routine so it was a very special moment. I've worked so hard on perfecting it and that definitely showed. My Leg extensions were perfect, my back arched at the correct angles. My hands floated through the air as I executed each move at the correct marks. The powerful lyrical routine showed all my strengths, which is what I needed to do If I were to get the attention of the Juilliard scouts. I glanced at him as I launched into a pirouette and saw that he finally looked like he had saw something he liked. I couldn't help but smile as I spun across the stage.

One spin, two spin, three. The third was the last before launching into a mid air split that was sure to catch the everyones attention leaving their mouths open, jaws on the floor. It was the opening of the doors at the back of the auditorium that caused almost everyone to turn around, missing the perfect landing. "DONT STOP" I say to myself, so I kept going. As I lifted myself up, I saw Mrs Forrester run to the back of the room to yell at whoever it was who rudely entered as well as the Juilliard Scout smile at my continuation of dance. It wasn't until I over heard the loud gasp and sob that I decided to quickly glance at the back of the auditorium. It was the two cops who spoke to a shocked Mrs Forrester who now had my attention. A strange gut feeling hit me and I faltered in my dance routine. I tried to regain my footing and press on, but when I saw her look then point at me, then the cops as well, I knew something happened.

The routine was no longer important. I knew it was my parents, something happened. Something bad. I froze on stage as everyone watched the cops walk toward me. The music either stopped playing or everything went silent in my head. My heart pounded and for some reason I knew what happened. The police were now inches from my feet asking me to step off the stage with them. I felt a lump in my throat and in defiance, said no. I demanded they tell me right there what was going on, but I knew. They looked at each other and back at me. Everything became blurry then as my tears welded up in my eyes.

"Rebecca..." Mrs Forrester now said fighting through her tears. Her hand was on my foot, she looked up at me from under the stage.

"Rebecca dear, there was an accident..."

"Mom ... Dad..." I couldn't even fight the words. They just came out in a voice that was unfamiliar to me. I sounded like a wounded child asking for her parents.

"I'm sorry my dear ... they didn't make it"

If the shock wasn't there, I'm sure I would have felt the pain inflicted on my knees when I landed on them. If my heart beat wasn't so loud as it pounded in my chest and broke into a million pieces, I'm sure I would have been able to hear my screams. Everything was a blur as my tears fell from my face. Hands were reaching for me but I pushed them away. One of the police officers then lifted me off the stage and began to carry me out as I still screamed for them. One moment I had everything I wanted and was about to get one more of my dreams turned into a reality and the next, everything was gone and taken from me.

They died on their way to my recital. On their way to watch me perform for the most prestigious college scout in the USA. They died because of me. The reports state that they lost control of their speeding vehicle and crashed into a large highway pole. The police said that they were driving so fast that they died on impact and there was no time for suffering. Their bodies were so severely burned that there was no burial; instead they were cremated. We still had a wake for them as well as a celebration of life with some of our closest friends.

I remember staring at the Urns and becoming more angry at myself for letting this happen. Maybe If I hadn't of rushed them they would have been able to make it safely. After the Wake it was time to being moving on; begin getting over my tragic loss and become an adult. My Uncle Chris decided to keep their remains in his house in Wallace, Idaho. That is also where I'll be living and attending school for the rest of my senior year.

If you think Wallace sounds like a small town with a whole bunch of nothing going on, then your absolutely correct. The most that has ever happened in this town was back in the 90's when movie about a dormant volcano erupting was filmed here. My uncle tried to throw that in as a way to make the move exciting or something but nothing can make this move exciting. Mainly because it wasn't my first choice. Due to my lack of family and not being of the age of consent, I was forced to move in with the person my parents deemed most fit to raise me, according to their will. Don't get me wrong, I love my uncle but living in such a small town is definitely a setting for lots of drama, especially when it comes to schooling. Small town + small groups of friends + tight clicks equals No room for the new girl

Interstate 90 is a long and quiet highway surrounded by trees and mountains. It seemed as if we were going to just keep driving until we finally veered off the highway and into an exit. I could do nothing but shake my head as the exit of the highway landed smack dab in the middle of the town I will be calling home. "Welcome To Historic Wallace" The sign read as we drove by it into the city. Historic? Right... The towns small buildings and old fashion architecture surrounded us on both sides of the road and were filled with people who began to wave at my Uncle and slowly just stared at me. I sunk deeper into the hood on my jacket and wished I was invisible.

"Did you tell them or did they hear through the grape vine" I asked him. We haven't really spoken since everything has happened. I kind of shut everyone out.

"Well, you know how people are. One person hears it then the next thing you know ... its out there" he said as he waved back. I was hoping for a less uncomfortable welcome. Now They will always look at me with that sad "Poor girl who lost her parents" look. I sunk deeper into my seat and turned up my head phones.

My uncles house wasn't too far from downtown but it was in a private enough area; that meant I would at least get the quiet peaceful settings I hoped for. His long narrow driveway could probably only fit about one car at a time and was surrounded by trees. We pulled up to the house which had two vehicles there waiting. One, was his work truck which was white and housed large construction equipment and a crane type thing with a bucket attached. Must be for when he needs to reach something high while doing repairs. On the front of the truck was snow plow. I'm guessing he and his company do everything this little town needs. Thats probably why everyone was so happy to see him when he arrived off the highway. He's been away for a month now helping me with the funeral and moving so I can imagine how many repair calls he would have to catch up on.

The other vehicle belonged to his ex wife who left him for another woman almost ten years ago. That couldn't have been good on his ego but he seems okay with it now. The only thing he got out of that divorce was the house, the car and Spud. Spud is a mutt who he wasn't too fond of at first but now cant seem to live without. He got him from a pound when his ex wife begged for a puppy. She hated him.

"Still have the Olds Mobile I see" I said as I looked at the brown car. It seems pretty clean and in good shape for having sat for so long. It seemed to have brand new tires on it as well as an extremely clean interior.

"Yeah ... I was hoping to have you drive it since, you'll be around now and will probably be needing ways around the town." He said. My chest tightened for the pain was a bit surprising. He didn't have to have to give it to me. I know for a fact that he had plans to sell it this month.

"Chris, you don't have to..." I tried to squeeze out but he quickly waved me off as he grabbed a suit case out of his trunk and began walking to the house. I bit my lip and went to grab another bag when I heard a bark and a loud shout. I turned on the ball of my feet like I was going to run or something but I stopped when I saw spud running at me with his tongue hanging out the side of his mouth.

"Spud get inside!" an unfamiliar voice said from the screened in front porch. As I tried to recover from the excessive licks to my face, I saw a man with long stringy hair exit from the house. He was tall, wore a flannel shirt and held a bear in his right hand. His jaw was tight and had not been shaved in a few days. His hands seemed dirty like he had been working on a car or something and his jeans had matching stains on them. His black boots were not tied so the shoe laces made lots of noise as he walked towards us and off the porch.

"Rebecca this is Carson, a good buddy of mine. He stayed here and watched over Spud for me while I was in Chicago with you." Chris said. The man walked over and as he got closer something felt uneasy in the pit of my stomach. Spud agreed apparently because he let out a low growl.

"Ah shut up dog. Stupid Mutt doesn't like me, really never has. Anywho, Nice to meet you" he said with a sinister smile on his face. The stench of beer on his breath almost made me dry heave in his face and it was not setting the best first impression. I cleared my throat and smiled at him. His baby blue eyes looked as if he might have been attractive back in his day but now he just appears washed up. The Beer gut does nothing for him either.

"Hi" I said in my driest of voices while still holding down the vomit. He nodded his head at me and took a drag of his cigarette. It seemed that he was drunk because standing still seemed to be a project on its own for him. I watched him as he swayed back and forth for a minute before turning back around and addressing my Uncle.

"Well since your home I guess I can run off now Chris. Call me later we should go down to the bar and shoot some pool! Maybe Lorraine is working, she seems to get frisky on Sunday nights!" he said proving that he is not the charming gentleman all men should try and be.

"Not tonight Cars, I think I'll stay home and make sure Rebecca gets settled in. You want a ride?" My uncle asked. It was apparent then that there was no other vehicle there meaning he didn't drive. Thank god for that because in his current inebriated state, he might be a danger to himself and others.

"Nah ... I'll walk it off! I Feel a vomit chucking up soon." He said as he burped and walked off. He wasn't the only one feeling one of those. As he walked away, I took a deep breath of fresh air and grabbed my other suitcase and walked towards the house.

"Charming fella" I said. My uncle laughed before answering.

"He takes some getting used to, but he means well" He replied. He was mistaken about his friend. Not sure I will ever get used to him but I'll be forced to give him a chance.

We walked into the two story house which he and his ex wife got at a pretty decent price. Its not too much yet perfectly simple at the same time. From the screened in porch you walk into a living room with a set of stairs that great you at the left wall closest to the door. The living room is relatively large for a small house and has a dining area thats attached to it. Now looking at it, thats what makes it look large. In the dining area theres a round dining room table with stacks of papers and contracts. He must not have guest over often. Judging from the smell of booze and smoke, it seems like the only person he ever has over is Carson.

Just past the dining area is a kitchen and a bathroom. I don't bother to go check them out right now; I'd rather begin to unpack my things. I make my way up the stairs following my Uncle as he shows me where to go. On the second level there really isn't much to see other then a small hallway with a bathroom on one end and two bedrooms on the other. One his and the other mine. The hallway housed a few pictures of him and his coworkers but the one of me in my cap and gown caught my attention. We had just sent him that a week before the accident. As we got to the end of the hallway I regained focus and stopped staring off into space. He opened the door and stepped aside so I could walk in. The room wasn't huge or anything but I didn't need much space. The hardwood floors looked like they were recently cleaned or redone, maybe for my arrival, and there was a desk in the one corner next to a book shelf. In the center of the room below the window was a bed that had new sheets folded nicely on them. This was the only room so far that hasn't been tainted by Carson's cigarette smoke so it felt comfortable and good to be in it.

"I know your thinking it's too small but..." he started to say but I stopped him.

"It's fine Chris... perfect almost." I said with a smile. It seemed to make him feel better and he also smiled.

I grabbed a bag and placed it on the bed and unzipped it as he went downstairs to grab my two boxes I brought as well. The closet space wasn't anything to be excited about but I would have to run to town to get some more shelf space or something that could house the stuff that didn't fit in the dresser and closet. I wonder if he would go with me if I needed to get there. Its not like I could get lost or anything being that the town is as big as my old high school, but to have him there I guess for support would be nice. People were already staring at me as we drove in I could imagine the sad somber looks I would get if it were in person. I have done a lot of grieving and didn't need complete strangers giving me sympathy that would only cause more hurt.

By the time I hung everything in that suitcase, Chris had returned with the two very large boxes and placed one on the desk. I threw him a razor blade that I carry in my back pocket and he sliced one open. I grabbed the next suit case which was filled with more clothes and some shoes and began to unload it. To think that had I not donated most of my clothes that I would have probably had two more suit cases made me giggle. We needed to sell a lot of the stuff in the old house so most of my shoes were at least bought as opposed to given away. I HAD a shoe obsession at one point but now my priorities would have to change dramatically. As I turned around to put more clothes in the closet I noticed Chris stopped moving and was holding something. As I took a closer look I saw that it was a picture of my Mom and I. It was taken this past summer at our family vacation to the Dominican Republic. It was one of my favorite pictures.

"She loved you unconditionally Rebecca" he said with a slight crack in his voice.

I knew he missed his sister a lot and this entire time he's been helping me he has yet to crack. Maybe this was about to be that time. I placed the clothes on the bed and walked over to him. I haven't looked at the picture since I put it in the box but even then I didn't really look at it. Standing next to him now, I took the picture from his hand and analyzed her face. Her hair, her eyes and smile. I missed her so much. The picture became very blurry then as I realized I had began to cry. I felt my throat close around a loud sob but it was muffled by Uncle Chris as he pulled me into a tight hug. He held me there as I let it out for the first time since hearing the news of their death. Though the feeling of being alone was strong still, it felt good to have someone know how it felt to feel the emptiness in my chest. I knew he understood and he too was crying with me.

After I'm unpacked, I change clothes and begin to untie my red curls from the sloppy bun I had it in all day. I grab a brush and stand in front of my mirror. I used to care about my appearance and used to care how my hair looked but as of lately, that was a thing of the past. Now I just stood there in sweats and a T-Shirt staring at my very thin and still toned frame. Thats due to my dancing but I can slowly see that disappearing. My light green eyes looked tired and as I stared into them, I sense a ping of hunger in my stomach. An ache I need to cure soon for I haven't eaten since yesterday. I looked at the clock and see that is almost 8:30pm. Does this man eat dinner anytime soon? I put my slippers on and head downstairs in search of food. Once downstairs I see that the tv is on and no one is watching it; I turn to see Chris staring into the opened fridge. The look on his face is troubled and I smile because he truly looks confused. I being to giggle when I he turns to look at me.

"Well, I'm not much of a cook or anything ... but I do know how to cook some things."

"Okay well, what did you have in mind?" I asked.

"Well, what I did have in mind is now not an option. Carson left my fridge bare without a single thing in it other then some butter and old milk... oh and an Egg" He says as he holds up the single oval object.

"Well, we can go to the diner if you don't mind... we'll go shopping in the morning." He added as he closed the refrigerator door. He really looked disappointed by not being able to cook dinner for me. I think he is really trying hard to be a parental figure. I shook my head and smiled in agreement.

"As long as I can drive ... then sure!" I said with a large grin. Might as well get used to the car and making my way around town. He smiled back and threw me the set of keys that were hanging next to the fridge.

The car drove pretty smoothly for not being touched for so long. Its a miracle I even remembered what to do with a vehicle in the first place. Its been a while since I've been behind the wheel of a car so I was nervous at first. Once we made it out of the residential area and into the town, my anxiety started up again because even though it was evening, the streets and sidewalks were filled with people still. The stairs would all still be there but at least Chris was with me. He guided me through the town and told me where to go but it was so small that even after the one trip through it earlier, I remembered where the Diner was. We parked and made our way inside. It was definitely an old time diner which was ripped right out of a 50's movie but everyone smiled as we walked in.

"Well hello Christopher! Are we having the usual?" The hostess asked as we entered. "Oh and who is this beautiful young lady?" She asked as she looked me up and down. She knew who I was, everyone at this point had to of, but the fact that she was so nice to not make me feel uncomfortable, won her points in my book. Uncle Chris looked at her gratefully and turned to introduce me.

"This is my niece Rebecca. She is going to be living with me now. Rebecca this is Carol."

"Nice to meet you Carol" I said as I shook her hand.

"Likewise honey! Follow me, we have a table right over here!" She said as she guided us to the back booth by the window.

"Can I get you anything to drink?" She asked.

"Water with Lemon please" I said.

"Water with lemon and a black coffee and sugar for You?" She asked as she jotted down in her note pad. Chris nodded his head and smiled at me.

"Come here often?" I asked.

"Girl he's here every night after his shift is over. The man doesn't cook. Don't let him fool ya!" she said as she hit his shoulder in a playful way. His cheeks turned red and he passed me a menu. "Ok look over the menu and I'll be right back with your drinks." she said as she giggled and walked away.

"It's not every day... Somedays I pick up a pizza. And we have a new Chinese Take out place that's pretty good." he explained as he acted as if he was looking over the menu.

"Well, lucky for you, I cook so we wont always have to eat out." I added.

"Yeah thats right, John was a chef. He must have taught you a thing or two." He said of my Father. He was right, Dad taught me a lot of different things in the kitchen so I was well off with some good ingredients.

"Here you two go, Water with lemon and here's your coffee chris. Have you decided?" Carol asked as she placed our beverages off. I looked at Chris who smiled at me and looked back at Carol who nodded her head at him.

"The usual Im guessing?" I said teasing him. I looked at Carol and asked for the Pulled Pork sandwich with a side of fries. She jotted it down and walked away. Before we could get a chance to begin talking a man shouted my uncles name and walked over.

"Well look who the hell it is! Chris we missed you down at the bar! Not to mention the Animal Shelter needs some of their pens fixed!" The large man said as he pulled up a chair to our booth.

"Dylan this is my niece Rebecca, Rebecca this is Dylan. He works for Animal Control." Chris said.

"Hello little lady welcome to Wallace" He said as he nodded his head. I smiled and took a sip from my water. I listened on as he and my uncle talked about things that have happened over the past month. Dylan gave him a run down of things that were needing fixing as well possible plans for snow storms since November is a big month for them here in Wallace. By the time our food came out they were still mid conversation. My uncle tried to get me involved in the conversation as much as possible but I let them do most of the talking. He needed to play catch up especially being that he was getting back to work tomorrow. It was a cell phone ring that broke their conversation. Dylan reached in his pocket and answered the call.

"Hello? ... Yeah this is Dylan ... A what? Jesus Christ I'll be there" He said as he slammed his hand into the table.

"What happened?" Chris asked.

"Pedro just hit a very large dog out on interstate 90. Its in bad shape and so is he. They want me to go take a look at it down at the shelter. I gotta go. It was nice meeting you Little Lady" he said to me as he pushed the chair back in place and walked out.

"Sorry about that ... A lot of people in town rely on my services. Guess tomorrow is going to be a long day" He said smiling.

"So school, you don't have to go tomorrow if you don't feel up to it. Feel free to get accustomed to the area" he said as he bit into his double bacon cheeseburger.

"Nah, I think I'll go anyway. This way Im not bored at the house thinking about things that I don't need to." I said truthfully. He understood and shook his head.

"Well they are all ready for you in the am. Your signed up and all your files have been transferred over. You'll have to go to the main office as soon as you het in so that they can give you your schedule. Im pretty close with the Principle so she'll be expecting you. I told her all about you and your dancing so she's excited to have real talent added to their arts..."

"No..." I said cutting him off.

"No? What do you mean?"

"I won't be dancing." I replied.

"Well why not?" he asked sounding irritated. "You have a huge talent why would you let that go to waste..."

"BECAUSE I JUST DON'T WANT TO!" I said in a tone three octaves higher then I should have. Everyone in the diner stopped what they were doing and looked over at me. Chris, looking embarrassed just nodded his head and took another bite from his burger.

"I'm ... I'm sorry..." I said.

"It's fine, I shouldn't have brought it up." he said as he took a sip of his coffee.

I shouldn't have reacted the way I did but it was something I felt strongly about. The rest of dinner was ate in silence and even though for a second I might have thought this town and this new beginning would help me move on, I realized then that somethings will take a lot more then running away from to get over.

Dylan revved the engine to his animal control van as he pulled off away from the diner. One of his closest friends has gotten into an accident and it involved some type of large animal; both of which were important to him but a choice had to be made. He turned his truck onto interstate 90 and headed toward the scene of the accident to see how bad the damage was for himself. The full moon was large in the sky and shined brightly into the vans interior. The traffic build up was not on his side of the highway but the accident was on the way to the animal shelter.

He would beat two birds with one stone by going to the Animal Shelter. As he got closer, the lights from the police vehicles and ambulance made him more anxious but he didn't slow down.

The Car was ok from the back but as he rounded the turn, the front of the vehicle exposed the damage. The entire front of the car looked like a soda can that was just stepped on. The windshield was completely shattered and there were red stains that were turning into a deep crimson; blood. The animal Pedro hit must have been massive. He slowed the car down just as he saw giant silver scratches down the side of the car. Almost nearing a complete stop, he analyzed the silver markings which now almost looked like giant claw marks.

It wasn't until the cop started shouting for him to keep moving that he regained focused on driving and sped off. Dylan pulled his phone out and began to dial Pedro's phone. He wasn't sure anyone would answer but he called anyway. The phone rang and rang until the voicemail picked up. It was pointless leaving a message so he just hung up and began to dial another number. As he sped down the interstate the rings kept coming and still no answer. This time he became even more worried for now the animal shelter was where he was attempting to reach.

As he exited off the freeway he didn't bother slowing down for the now yellow light and blew right through it as it turned red. The animal shelter was located in the back of town by mining caves. It never saw much action but tonight they were going to need help with whatever it is they brought in tonight. As Dylan made his way into the parking lot, he noticed that Maribeth's black ford explorer was there as well as Diane's silver Impala. Diane was the usual third shift bookie at the shelter but seeing Maribeth still being here meant that they were either really excited about this new animal or they were having trouble. The fact that there was no answer when Dylan called means that they were only having trouble.

Dylan parked the van and immediately heard the animals barking and screaming from the inside. Distressed animals and no answer on the phone caused a panic in him. He reached in the back seat grabbed his tranquilizer gun loaded it with enough ammunition to choke a bear and headed toward the building. As he reached the first step which lead into the lobby, the first thing that caught his eye was the fact that it was empty. Something was wrong, terribly wrong. He reached for his phone but it was not in his pocket; he must have left it in the van. As he took a foot off the step, a faint sound of a scream could be heard mixed in somewhere with the howls and he decided to say fuck the phone. He pressed on forward into the lobby and held the gun up high, aiming it at anything that might come his way.

The dogs and other animals were still going nuts in the back but he pressed on further into the lobby. He checked behind the desk to see if anything was out of the norm. Diane's phone and cup of coffee sat there as well as a pad of paper that had some scribbles on it. He picked it up and read it which only had information regarding breeds of animals. Husky, Pit bull, Burmese Mountain Dog and Wolfhound were all written down but the word "Wolf" in Wolfhound was underlined. She must have been looking into what kind of animal it was they brought in but one thing was for sure, it had K-9 somewhere in it.

A crunching noise caught his attention now, almost like the sound of bone being separated when preparing a chicken or when chopping up dear. He slowly walked towards the two double doors that separated the lobby from the kennels and readied his weapon. He now regretted leaving his real gun in the glove compartment of his van, for now he felt as if his tranquilizers might now do the trick.

He slowly pushed the doors open and the barking soon turned into whimpers as some of the dogs recognized him. One dog was standing in a pool of his own urine and he trembled with fear as he looked on at Dylan. He didn't pay the whimpering animal too much attention for at the end of the long corridor was another swinging door where they held the new or aggressive animals at. The light was flickering from the other side and he knew thats where the beast was going to be at.

As he got closer, the sounds became louder and he now remembered what the noise was. The sound reminded him of when a lion attacks an animal in the wild; flesh being torn from bone and large jaws with powerful teeth breaking through the bone as well. Dylan became sick and started shaking. Whatever happened beyond this door, he knew it wasn't going to be pretty. He would have to shoot the animal with as many tranquilizers as possible and make a run for it to avoid being attacked. He took a deep breath and pushed the door open.

Blood was everywhere. Splattered on the walls, the cages and light fixtures. The stench was horrid, strong and smelled of death. Dylan looked to his right at the first kennel closest to him and saw the remains of what could have been a human. The blood soaked name badge read Maribeth and it was all apparent what happened here. He couldn't hold back the gag from his throat but fought hard not to make a sound as he dry heaved. The crunching continued but with a loud pop, followed by the sound of flesh being chewed. Dylan lifted the gun again and began to walk away from the death and toward the beast. He turned the corner and looked into the kennel where the sounds were coming from.

Diane's head and arm was all he saw peeking from behind the large black fur. Her eyes lifeless as her hands still twitched from what ever feeling or nerve was being struck. The beast was massive, looked almost primate if it weren't for the long k-9 tail. To size it up, it was almost as large as a small black bear but definitely bigger then any dog he's ever seen. Dylan's gasp caught its attention and its massive head snapped back and looked at him. Blood and flesh smeared all over the massive snout. It snarled and started to turn all the way around slowly pushing the remains of Diane behind it. The bright yellow eyes looked almost florescent as they stared into Dylan's light brown eyes. It continuously growled as it stepped closer to him.

Dylan realized he hesitated enough and began shooting the rounds of tranquilizers at the beast. One missed but two others hit it. The monster leaped at Dylan, long arms extended ready to kill. Dylan fell back into the Kennel directly behind him and kicked the fenced door shut, separating him and the wolf like monster. The impact of the beast and the kennel caused a portion of the wooden beamed ceiling to fall in between the two. Dylan saw this as an advantage and shot two more rounds into it; the wolf kept coming. It's massive arm ripped through the fencing and reached for Dylan but the beam prevented it from getting him Dylan reached into his pocket for his knife and pulled it out. He swung it hard and fast slicing open the giant hand like paw and then monster pulled back.

It howled and ran off in the direction of the front door. Dylan back up further from the fencing and laid his head down. He breathed heavy and felt safe now for the tranquilizers should be taking affect soon. He assessed the damages done to his body and was impressed that nothing too bad happened. The beast killed two of his closest friends and coworkers and almost killed him. He felt accomplished by surviving the attack but a sudden and repetitive warm gust of wind and thud soon snapped him out of his self evaluation. It was then he remembered that each kennel had doggy doors which lead to the outside kennels. As he laid on his back very still he slowly glanced up at the one that was only inches away from his head.

He had no time to react or move away. The bright yellow eyes were there and the warm air he felt was coming from the monsters breath. The wolf reached in, sunk its claws into Dylan's chest and pulled him through the opening.