Hound

It wasn't going to stop. The constant pounding in his chest. The murky fog was getting heavier by the second and the frightful gusting was adding horridness to his already scared mind. Police officer Gregor couldn't hear anything over the sound of his heartbeats. He could feel sweat streaming underneath his blue uniform. He reached for his radio with his gun rattling in one hand. "Dispatch, this is unit one requesting backup for unknown number of hostiles." He could feel that he wasn't alone but he couldn't see anything, yet.

Giant trees and thick bushes continually gave him discomfort as he crept through the endless trail of the woods. He spoke through his radio again,

"Dispatch this is unit one, requesting backup." He stopped. The deafening heartbeats were making things worse for him. The radio in his hand rustled sounds of bad signal. "This is officer

Jason Gregor. If anyone can hear me, I need backup."

The uneasiness reached its peak. His uniform felt dumb with sweat adding to the bad quarter of the hour. The only thing worse than losing his way was the thought of getting attacked by a wild animal. Suddenly all his survival skills had faded like repressed memories at a time when he needed them the most. The fog would give the animals perfect cover. They were probably watching devilishly as he walked through the fog.

It began clearing like smoke settling on low altitude. Higher ground became clearer. He could see over his shoulders dark, unclear forms of that evening setting. Something caught his eyes. Holding on to a tree up ahead was a humanoid form. Its visage had a dark complexion and its eyes even more so. Marred grey hair hanged loosely from the side of its slender face. At the sight of him, it sunk below the fog and the next thing he heard were the footsteps of it stomping away.

This wasn't one of those bad dreams he would wake up from. It was real. His feet grew numb instantly. The feeling of unimaginable terror snaking up and down his spine. Suddenly a glimpse of life in the form of a little girl in a white dress. At first it seemed like a blurry apparition inside the fog. She got closer and closer bringing into sight her dirt besmeared face and hair in terrible condition. Her bare legs seemed sore and bruised. She seemed not more than ten years old but disturbingly appearing calm and without pain. He saw her earlier that evening crossing the road. It was unsettling and spine chilling. He pulled over on the side of the road and got out of the car. By then she had disappeared into the woods. He was off duty and he could have just got in his car and drove away but he just had to play cop. Now he was in the middle of nowhere with the ghostly girl standing in front of him.

"hello there" his voice echoed. "what`s your name sweetheart?"

"My name is Anna" she spoke softly.

"what are you doing in the woods all alone Anna?"

A moment of silence. She was already making him uncomfortable just standing there. Then she broke into tears. Her voice sounding like a siren. Jason watched from where he stood still contending with his thoughts whether she was human or something from a horror movie.

The crying came to a sudden stop. Something was coming. Her eyes widened, maybe with fear. She looked around her examining the fading fog as her breathing spoiled into audible breaths. She ran to his side and grabbed his hand without consent,

"We have to go, he is coming." She sounded sure of what she was saying. "Who`s coming?"

"Darius, he shouldn't find us here, he will punish me." She was already yanking his hand to get him to move but he still wanted to ask further. He saw the fear in her eyes explaining the sore legs and the bruises on her body. This girl had been abused and this Darius, whoever he was, was going to face serious charges. He crouched down in front of the girl holding both hands in place. He lowered his voice hoping to ease her fear and get her to calm down.

"It`s ok, no one is going to hurt you. I am a police officer, it`ll be alright." His words did nothing to calm her. She kept shaking with fear swinging her gave back and forth as if meaning to run. Perhaps there was something worth telling about this Darius.

The humanoid creature came to his mind again. He was certain he wasn`t hallucinating but he couldn`t explain it in his head without sounding crazy. In his efforts of trying to help this girl, he was also struggling to build up courage to get through that night, let alone the ability to see through it. It was past six `o clock.

"let me get you to my car and I'll drive you to the police station" he assured.

"No! I can`t go with you!" she screamed. Her heartbeats now being felt through her wrist. Her screaming echoed sky high and then the silence. A disturbing presence filled the atmosphere. The bushes rattled and shock behind them. The noise kept getting louder and louder. It was coming for them. They could hear it clearly speeding towards them. The girl broke free from his grip. She gave him a look that said `it`s not safe here` then she took off running into the fading fog.

Hail town

West of creeper's woods

8 p.m.

She breathed in deeply. Cecilia could hear it. She stole a quick gaze above the wooden desk to catch the sharp shadow being spawned through the window. It moved again and she crouched down in terror. The lights were turned off. Her heart hammered against her chest as fear consumed her in its horrible depths. Someone was trying to break into the house. There was another relentless heart beating beside her sounding fainter than her own. Her eyes trailed below the edges of the desk to meet the unclear form of her son, Samuel. His four-year-old eyes now retained a gleam of fear as he looked up meeting his mother`s eyes.

The shadow stood still behind the window pane outside, examining his way in. he walked to the door and assessed the locks. His shadow crept below the door giving them notice of his presence. Her eyes flicked with despair. She needed to call 911 and fast. A memory flashed and she remembered where she placed her phone. "stay here" she whispered below her breath. Samuel nodded with unwilling obedience. She crawled to the living room sofa and groped for her phone on the seat. It took an awful amount of willpower to keep her breathing at ease.

Hopefully the burglar wasn't aware anyone was in the house.

"911 what`s your emergency?" an operator responded immediately.

"Please send help, someone is trying to break into our house" she whispered underneath her breath.

"What`s your address?"

"Hail street, house W203"

"We`ll send police officers right away. Stay with me on the line-"

Her voice went down a level trying to catch the sound of the intrusion. Suddenly it was quiet, disturbingly quiet. She peeked from the side of the couch and the living room floor was empty of the shadow that laid there. She swallowed hard as she prepped herself to reel to her feet. Breathing heavily, she wiped the dampness off her temple with the sleeves of her shirt. The last thing she wanted was sweat obscuring her view. "Ma'am, are you there?" the voice from the phone.

"I think he is gone" she whispered abruptly, paying little attention to the phone and how far she was holding it from her ear. She had her fingers crossed. Her heart kept pounding in her chest.

Eyes were wide open in a manner that could have been amusing in a different situation. Suddenly an earth quaking knock on the door. Her heartbeats skyrocketed. She felt herself jump a little but she couldn't tell whether it was the fear for her life or her son`s. she dove to the floor face first hoping not to be seen. She looked back at the dining table assuring herself of her son`s presence.

"Cecilia, it`s me, Victor, open up" voice from the front door. He tried the door but it was locked. He moved to the window and peaked from the blinds. "Hello! Is anybody in there?!" He held his hand against his brows adjusting his eyes for the view through the window.

"Cecilia, it`s me. Open up" he thought he heard something move inside. Clatters of hurrying steps came to the front door. He heard the door keys jingle, right before the door squeaked open.

"Victor you scared me. I thought it was a burglar" she called from the front door. He met her on the door. She couldn't see him clearly but she could tell from his heavy breathing that something wasn't right. "Where`s Sam, is he ok?"

"Yes, he`s fine. Is everything alright?"

He stomped into the house uninvited. He took out a flashlight and searched the house. She trailed behind him fearfully demanding answers.

"Has Jason called you today?" his voice settled in beats. "We spoke this morning after he left for work." "what did he tell you?" he asked.

"nothing much, he just told me that he would take me out for dinner," she paused. "Victor you`re scaring me. Is Jason alright?"

He swung around garnering her attention with his silence. His flash light hardly gave light but she could see something like sweat streaming from his brown curly hair.

"Has anything strange....... happened to you today?"

"No, not that I can tell."

He walked to her, he drew in a lungful of air and swallowed. "Cecilia, your husband won`t be coming home today."

9:20 p.m.

Victor sighed purposefully. His head fell in his hands on the sofa trying to avoid the heat of the stare she was giving him. She was burning with anxiety but he couldn't tell her, not yet. He looked up from the palm of his hands. She was sitting across the table staring at him intently. His silence at this point was only giving her chill bumps in all the wrong places. Steeling his blue eyes against her gaze, he heard her say,

"Are you going to explain what is happening"

"I am, but you just have to be patient for a few more minutes. She will be here any time soon." He laid back in his chair stalling her as best as he could. There was an awful beat of silence. Then they heard it, the knock on the door, right in the neck of time.

"She is here" he turned to her as he jerked to his feet. He hurriedly paced the length of the room to the front door. A teenage girl stood there. A pony tail on her head, a pink top and a grey sweater tied to her waist.

"You called for a babysitter?" she asked with uncertainty. Her voice even more innocent than her look.

"Come on in." he scanned her with his eyes, "Aren`t you a little too young for the job?"

"I am turning sixteen this year.?" She countered.

"Thankfully you won`t be doing any heavy lifting. You just have to stay here till we come back" he instructed as he led her to the living room. Cecilia, with eyes of uncertainty, turned to Victor still claiming an explanation.

"Cecilia, this here is...."

"Victoria Greyson" she chimed in preening herself as she came into the light.

"She will baby-sit Sam until we get back. I promise I will explain everything soon" his voice still rippling steadily.

'something is wrong' she said to herself. The last time Victor acted this way was when Jason had an accident a few years back. Grabbing her coat from the hunger, she followed him unwillingly. She couldn't tell whether it was pity she was seeing in his eyes. He was definitely hiding something

As soon as they stepped outside, she looked to the sky. It wasn't the usual July night sky speckled with bright stars. This time there were clusters of thick black clouds giving the sky a forbidden grimness awaiting the light from the rising moon. Something about this evening felt like Halloween's eve. Her eyes flittered with the sound of the whispering wind as she went down the stairs. Victor already had the car door open as if asking her to hurry. He threw his gaze to the ground as she approached, informing her that a conversation was not necessary. It wasn't always like that between them. They used to be close, very close, up until she got married to Jason, his best friend and from there, they rarely met eye to eye. But this had to be important. She could tell.

* * * * *

He hardly said one word to her. Cecilia turned to her side resting her head on the cold glass watching as the shadows hustled past her. She could hear the car engine running and the radio playing inertly in her ear. Two hours now and the car was still moving. The fuel gauge was beginning to tip away from the center. This lonely road was endless. Finally, the car pulled over on the side of the road. They both stepped out of the car. Cecilia wondered what they were doing here. She looked around her. It was pale and desolate. It was pallid in its most dreadful form.

A grassy hill overlaid the landscape towards the horizon. Withering dandelions in the grass watched in sinister silence as they trudged up the hill. The crimson light from the moon was just beginning to peek a little over the hill. Cecilia followed him wearily as he kept walking with heavy steps.

"Victor, what are we doing here?"

"You`ll see" he said. Suddenly she didn't feel safe with him. Walking over the hill she was beginning to see her answer.

A disturbingly tranquil breeze washed over her coming down the other side of the grassy slope. She squinted she squinted over the light of the moon trying to catch clearly the unclear forms standing motionless ahead. She could make out five figures, men she presumed, all dressed like medieval priests. The crimson light only displayed them as malevolent, bloodthirst fanatics.

The malice in their eyes was confirming her fears. Right there before them stood an odd shaped, termite eaten wooden table with clasps on either ends for fastening ropes. Her heart jumped to her throat just looking at it. Judging from Victor`s reaction she could tell that he was aware of what was about to happen.

The one she presumed to be their 'high pries' greeted Victor with a nod before turning to his men and instructing them with a hand gesture. They pulled out the ropes, the stakes, holy water, wooden crosses and something like a moth eaten scroll.

"Victor, what`s going on?" she whispered in full fright mode with her gaze fastened on the 'priests'. He turned to her giving her the pitiful look again.

"It`s for your own good" he said. Her heart instantly fell to her stomach. Suddenly she felt like an animal about to be sacrificed. Nothing good was going to come out of this experience.

"Are you sure Darius has gotten to her?" one of the 'priests' questioned Victor.

"Am not sure but am not taking any chances. If Darius has gotten to Jason then he will surely come for her, if he hasn`t already."

"Very well then" the 'high priest' agreed. Judging from his voice, he should have been more than fifty years old possessing a slight stoop as he paced to the table. "Bind her" he ordered. His men reached for the ropes and gave her a possessive look. There was no way she could run from this. She figured fighting at this point was useless so she threw herself completely at their mercy.

They bound her wrists and twisted until she could fell the blood draining from her fingers turning them purple and cold.

They handled her roughly to the table ripping her light dress half way in the process. "They are about to rape me" she said within herself. "I never imagined it would be like this" she mused. Suddenly she felt cold water being sprinkled over her. One of them held her down as the others fastened the ropes on the clasps.

"By the power harvested in me, I speak." The high priest stood over her body, continuously sprinkling the holy water all over her and reciting incantations. "Acte divin sire. Elmeda acte sina demo nica." Victor stood at a distance, hands crossed to his chest. She caught a glimpse of him when she turned to her side and begged him for help with her tear filled eyes. She heard those words again and the liquid drizzling all over her.

"Acte divin sire. Elmeda acte sina demo nica." He frowned turning to his companions seeming shocked. Noting was happening. No smoldering smoke, no screaming or convulsions, nothing.

It was an exorcism. Her lack of compliance only made them try harder to remove the demon that was not in her. "Acte divin sire. Elmeda acte sina demo nica" his voice now agitated. "Be gone fowl spirit!" he rolled down the scroll and vainly impelled his eyes down the unclear writings.

"Mont Cain, she is clean," one of them addressed the high priest, "she has no unclean spirit."

The high priest turned to Cecilia and back to the scroll. He squinted as if seeing an answer on the leather thing. It wasn't helping. Cecilia turned to her side again locking eyes with Victor. He paced a little closer to the table. He could see the fear in her eyes, the 'bowel sickening' fear. The priest turned to Victor finally, they exchanged words with their eyes then he lowered the scroll in his hand. She could feel the tension subsiding. She was going to live.

"Unbind her," he said. "This is not the end. The night of the bleeding moon is almost upon us. We must find Darius before the prophecy is fulfilled. Before the monster roams the earth."

* * * * * *