After Darkness Falls: Volume One Part 6

"That little pup?" The cop asked with his eyebrows raised quizzically.

"It's vicious," Daniel offered meekly.

"I really don't have time for silly games sir," the cop said tiredly. "And wasting police time is an offence."

"But I'm telling you the truth," Daniel insisted.

"Oh yes I can see that it's a menace to society," the cop scoffed as he started to walk towards the small dog.

"DON'T DO THAT!" Daniel suddenly shouted panicked.

The cop reached the dog and unbelievably Daniel could see its small fluffy tail wagging. The dog leapt up into the cop's arms and began licking his face. He couldn't believe what he was seeing; it was hard not to take it personally.

"Yeah we've got a real Hound of the Baskervilles here," the cop laughed as the dog licked his face.

Daniel could only look on as the dog leapt from the cop's arms and proceeded to run around in playful circles as the cop laughed.

"Where are you from girl?" The cop asked the dog. "How are you going to get home?" The dog's ears seemed to p.r.i.c.k up at the word home and it took off running. "Well that answers that question," the cop said satisfied.

As the cop turned back to face him, Daniel could see over the man's shoulder that the dog had stopped and was now looking directly at him. The dog's eyes were suddenly hard and hateful and Daniel knew what the look meant; you f.u.c.ked up buddy, you f.u.c.ked up big time when you tried to involve someone else in our little game.

"Perhaps you might have better things to do sir?" The cop said forcefully. "I'm not a big fan of pranks and I'm even less fond of paperwork, so on your way."

Daniel walked away slowly, wondering what the h.e.l.l to do next. The tiny ball of cuteness could not look any less threatening to anyone else. But he knew that the dog was just acting for the cheap seats. It would run and play, showering other people with kisses and affection and all the while it would be storing up its hate for him. He couldn't ever remember seeing the dog before and he had no idea as to its motives. It should have been a ludicrous thought that the dog had an agenda or that it possessed the intelligence to carry one out. But he had looked into its deep dark eyes and he had clearly heard its thoughts and read its intentions.

As he walked his mail bag swung, lost and forgotten. He could no longer see the dog, but he could feel its eyes on him. Every now and then a shadow from the corner of his eye would disappear as soon as he turned his head towards it. It suddenly occurred to him that he didn't want to head home, the dog would surely follow, and he would never be safe again.

He started to feel anger towards his predicament. He wasn't a bad guy, he didn't carry laxative laced treats like some of the other mailmen that he knew. Some of his peers carried all sorts of self defense equipment against four legged attacks and some carried heavy resentment towards the animals due to past experience. But Daniel had never held the same sort of resentment. Dogs were dogs and they did what came naturally to them, it was just nature. So he had no idea why he had been singled out for canine retribution.

He started to head back towards the depot figuring that he'd have to make up some story to his supervisor. He had a spotless work record so if he feigned illness there wouldn't be any questions raised. But every turn that he tried to make he found them blocked. The dog was suddenly visible again. Its hard glare was challenging him to try and make another pa.s.s.

This went on for the next half an hour or so. His heart was pounding as his path was blocked at every turn. His panic b.u.t.ton was being pressed and he started to sweat profusely. He began to rush and then run. The streets were deserted and he could see no help coming.

Eventually he stopped, exhausted through effort and stress. He looked around and recognised the street that he was on and the empty lot coming up ahead. This street was mainly empty as the houses were all due to be pulled down in favor of swish new apartment blocks. He realised with dawning horror that he had somehow been herded this way. The dog had shepherded him into a deserted landscape devoid of help or witnesses.

He stood there on the vacant street. Suddenly he felt eyes on him and he turned. The dog was now no more than twenty feet away sitting in the middle of the road. Whatever was going to happen, he knew instinctively it was going to happen now. He looked around desperately for any kind of weapon but there was none.

He started to walk backwards as the dog stood. He turned and bolted through a garden and down an alley. He ran through the empty building plot and skipped over a low fence into the rear yard of an abandoned house. Fortunately the back door was unlocked and he ducked inside. He closed the door quietly behind him and found himself breathing heavily. He was not a young man anymore and he wasn't used to infusions of sudden exercise. He sat with his back against the door when something hard and heavy thudded against it. He was jerked forward as the door bulged inwardly. The door was struck again and again with tremendous fury and he thrust his full weight backwards. His arms were trembling with fear and strain and his heart pounded painfully. Suddenly the attack stopped and he sat there panting, trying to get his breathing under control again. It made no sense that the tiny animal would have been able to summon the remarkable force from its puny body, but his aching back said otherwise.

A window suddenly shattered towards the front of the house and the gla.s.s landed noisily on the floor. He heard the unmistakable sound of pattering paws approaching fast across the bare floorboards.

He dragged himself to his unsteady feet and lumbered towards the stairs. Razor tipped fangs suddenly tore into his ankle from behind as he tried to climb the stairs and he fell forward. He felt his flesh being shredded and the pain was immeasurable. He crawled forward and tried to kick backwards with his free foot. The pain was abruptly released from his ankle but only transferred to his kicking boot. Inexplicably the st.u.r.dy work boot was pierced and he felt the cold breeze rush into the tear. The teeth were now on his toes which were poorly protected by his sock. He screamed as his big toe was severed and he pulled himself forward with adrenaline fuelled strength. He risked a look back and saw the tiny dog munching on its prize. The toe was b.l.o.o.d.y and the animal was hungry. In three quick bites the toe was gone and the dog licked its lips. He kicked back hard and enraged. This time he caught the dog by surprise as it was still licking the blood from its furry chops. His shredded boot struck the dog solidly on the side of its snout. The dog was sent spinning backwards with a high pitched squeal.

"Good!" Daniel half laughed and half screamed.

He heaved himself to the top of the stairs and staggered along the corridor. He flung himself into the nearest room. At last something went his way when the bedroom offered a glimpse of salvation. Despite being abandoned there was still some furniture left.

He limped across the floor and grabbed hold of a bulky dresser. He dragged the solid object across to block the door with the last of his strength. He had lost his phone earlier and now he was isolated in the middle of a large city.

He sat down on a musty bed as a cloud of dust rose into the air in reaction to his weight. He looked around the bedroom and saw that the window was boarded despite the backdoor being unlocked. He supposed that the transients or crack heads had probably affected entry to the house a while ago.

He stood on shaky legs and limped towards the window. He tested the wooden boards and found them not quite as secure as he'd feared.

Suddenly the wall beside the bedroom door shook as the dog attacked it. The walls were only plasterboard and he could hear the distinct sounds of drywall being shredded. He grasped the first of three window boards and began pulling at it desperately. In his panic his fingers slipped and he tore a fingernail almost off the digit. He grimaced and suppressed the scream bubbling in his throat. He didn't want the d.a.m.ned dog to hear his pain.

The board bowed and jiggled as he planted a foot against the wall and pulled. The nails squealed in protest as they tore free. He used the first board to act as a lever under the second as he slammed the palm of his hand down to pry it free. He didn't dare turn to see the dog's progress; only prayed that he would be quicker. The second board came free easier than the first and he started on the last. He could hear the dog forcing its way through the hole in the wall that it was making as pieces of plaster flew across the room.

The last board was hanging on for dear life and his strength began to waver. He couldn't stand it any longer and he turned to check on the dog's efforts. He was terrified to find that the animal was beginning to squeeze through the hole. Its eyes were wild and ravenous and its tiny teeth looked like a miniature b.l.o.o.d.y chainsaw.

He threw all of his weight to lever the board free and felt it give. He knew that he held a weapon now in his hands, but his courage had deserted him.

He used the board to smash the gla.s.s as the window's opening would be too small for him to maneuver through. There were still jagged pieces in the frame but he knew that his time was spent.

He pulled himself up and into the ledge. He squeezed through the hole twisting his body as jagged edges of gla.s.s still embedded in the frame tore grooves in his side. He had one hand on the ledge as he hung out of the window when he felt the pain in his hand.

The dog had bitten down heavily and deeply into his flesh. It looked up at him with a cruel mocking smile before he felt the agony as his little finger was severed. His remaining three fingers and thumb now held his weight and he looked outside for hope. The drainpipe was too far away for him to reach and he dangled, holding on with one depleted hand.

This time he did scream in agony when another finger was sliced from the bone. He twisted his head and looked below and prayed for a pool or at least heavy shrubbery to break his fall. There was a thick rosebush below him some twenty feet down but little else.

He was still thinking about jumping when he fell, his ruined hand unable to hold him any longer. He tried to go limp but his right leg buckled underneath him as he hit the ground and shattered. The monstrous pain ripped through his body and he fought hard to stay conscious. He cracked his eyes open a tiny touch and saw the white bone sticking through his leg. He realised that he was still holding onto the window board and used it to help himself up. He knew that the dog would be on him soon and he would be finished if it caught him. He had fallen out onto the front lawn but that wouldn't slow the dog down for long.

His head spun dizzyingly and he had to swallow the river of bile that threatened to explode out of his mouth. He lurched forward, dragging his shattered leg behind him with each movement a mountain of pain. Blood fell in large splats on the ground from his ruined hand as he moved slowly.

He lurched unsteadily across the empty road and prayed for someone to see him. Even the b.u.ms and crack heads would have been enough he knew. The dog would surely not show its true face in front of strangers, but the whole scene was barren.

The empty street ran parallel to the busy main road and he knew that he had to make it there to be safe. He gritted his teeth and dragged his useless leg faster behind him.

The dead air was suddenly pierced by a small high pitched howl. It was a miniature wolf howling at the moon, a small fluffy monster of the night announcing its impending pounce.

Daniel tried to move faster as he felt his consciousness slipping away. His clumsy crutch helped him limp forward as he fought the waves of nausea. He knew that any second the beast would drag him down from behind and tear out his throat.

He was staring at the houses in front separated by a narrow alley. Flashes of light and color sped past at the alley's dark end and it took him a moment to realise that they were cars on the main road. He limped and shuffled with increasing speed, ignoring the pain and focusing on the alleyway ahead. As he drew closer he could hear the sounds of life beyond. Blissful noises of people and the modern world where small handbag dogs were not savage murderers.

He dragged one foot after the other as he headed towards the world. The alleyway stank of urine and G.o.d knew what else. He kept his focus on the small end of the path and the victory that lay ahead.

He closed the distance. 20 feet, became 18, became 15 as he willed himself onwards. His leg was roaring with pain and his two fingered one thumbed hand ached with razorblades. 15 feet became 12 and then 10 as his vision began to worryingly blur and he wiped his throbbing hand across his clammy brow.

10 feet had just become 8 when he slipped. His window board crutch buckled and snapped under his weight and he pitched forward. His shattered leg bones ground together agonizingly but the pain was welcomed as it staved off his slip into unconsciousness. He began to crawl forward, dragging himself through the filth of the discarded alleyway.

He was no more than 6 feet from help when the dog stepped in front of him at the end of the alley. He had no idea just how it had managed to get in front of him, but he wasn't surprised. Its eyes burned with fire and its jaws salivated and drooled.

Daniel lay there in the mud and the filth unable to move or run. His tank was empty and his strength was spent. His eyes were locked with the animal's and he refused to show his fear. They stayed that way for what seemed like an eternity. Eyes locked in mortal combat as the end drew near. Despite its exertions the dog appearance was still pristine. Its pretty pink bow was still resplendent and spotless.

Daniel closed his eyes and waited for the end to come; he could only hope that it would be swift if not merciful.

Instead he heard the faint sounds of someone talking. It sounded like a woman's voice and the woman seemed to using some kind of delighted baby talk.

"Oh my little sweetness," the woman cooed. "Where have you been you naughty girl? Mommy's been looking everywhere for you. Do you want a biscuit? Does mommy's Little Princess want a treatie?"

Daniel opened his eyes to see the dog scooped up into the meaty arms of its owner. He was still shrouded in the darkness of the alleyway and unseen by the woman more concerned with her precious pup.

The woman turned and walked away as the dog stared back over her shoulder. Daniel waited until they had gone until he tried to shout for help, but his voice was weak.

It took him almost an hour to crawl the last few feet into the road and it was a journey that would last in his mind until the end of his days. He would sometimes move through rivers of pain and sometimes the darkness would overtake him and his shallow dreams were full of tiny teeth and scampering claws.

Eventually two construction workers found him and he was rushed to hospital. He never told anyone the origin of his injuries figuring that the last thing he wanted was to be locked away as a nut. He feigned a loss of memory and the doctors wrote it up as a wild animal attack. Animal Control was dispatched to the area to look for a rabid dangerous guard dog or possibly a cougar that had strayed down from the mountains, but they found nothing.

Alvin Durham opened his mail bag and checked his route planner again. It was his first day on the job and he was already lost. He was considering calling the depot for directions, and no doubt a fair amount of ribbing, when he saw the dog. He wasn't the biggest dog person in the world, but it was a tiny little cute thing with such a pretty pink bow.

tale 6.

"careful what you wish for"

Albert Desade watched the world pa.s.s by idly outside of his window. He had taken the detour from the main highway in an attempt to break up the boredom of his journey, but it wasn't working.

He had been driving for almost eight hours straight now and his head was fuzzy and jaded. The rental trailer jogged along merrily behind him and he had mainly forgotten it was there until a side swipe of wind jerked his memory. It was strange to believe that his entire 37 year life was contained inside the metal box that he towed.

Albert was another statistic of the divorce industry. He was a man of portly build and receding hair. His face was open and kindly which more often than not was taken for weakness and vulnerability.

He was a graphic designer by trade and you may well have seen his work for the "Puppy Chow" dog food campaign, although within his company he had received little credit for his efforts. Praise was ferried up the line to his boss, a smug man called Dougray. Dougray had taken pretty much all of the acclaim and promotions that should have belonged to Albert and not satisfied with that, he had taken Albert's wife as well. Alice had always been several pay grades above Albert in the looks department but his dogged persistence and puppy pleasing nature had been welcome to a woman high on looks but short on personality. Every ounce of Albert's strength had gone towards making his wife happy. It didn't matter how big the loan he had to take out, Alice's happiness came first. He had remortgaged his parent's house that they had left him several times over and secured more financing on his inheritance than he'd thought possible. Every time that Alice had one credit card cut up in front of her she had just ordered another. Eventually the well had run dry and the markers had all been called in and rats did what rats did and she had abandoned the sinking s.h.i.+p. Albert had been left financially ruined and homeless, but he had still wished Alice all the best as she left him for Dougray. Hate had just not existed in his heart and he found it so hard to hate her or even Dougray. Even when his boss had suggested that it would be best if he left the company as Alice would find it a little awkward that she would have to run into him at company functions, he had smiled and agreed.

Now here he was, a handful of sentimental but worthless possessions in the back of a U-Haul trailer and a road to who knew where. He had sold the house to the bank and been shocked to find that the market had s.h.i.+fted and he'd actually come out in the black. Of course he had immediately written Alice a check for her half.

He was taking a trip across the country in the hope that he would find a home somewhere. He thought that perhaps a town or a city would call out to him as he pa.s.sed through; a sign from the heavens that he had found a new home, but so far it was all bird s.h.i.+t and bug splats on the car winds.h.i.+eld.

He was driving through another pokey town in the middle of nowhere. The houses were pretty enough and the streets were clean; the fences were painted white and the flags flew proudly.

He pulled over into a parking bay at the side of the road on what must have been Main Street, opposite a small diner. He hadn't eaten in a while and his eyelids were heavy and getting heavier. He decided to find a little sustenance and maybe a bed for the night.

The diner was called "Nan's" and a small bell jingled merrily over his head as he entered. It was standard operation with boots and tables and pictures of impossibly perfect food displayed over the counter.

"Hi there hon," a pleasant faced young woman greeted him as she appeared from behind the counter like a jack in the box. "What can I get you?"

"What's good?" Albert asked shyly. He had barely spoken to another woman in the last 10 years or so, and the only one that he had spoken to was often full of derision towards him.

"You mean apart from me?" The waitress joked and Albert flushed a deep dark red. "We have an apple pie to die for and our shakes are the best in the state."

"Fine," Albert said, quickly eager to retreat to a booth far away.

"What kind?" The waitress called after him.

"Huh?" He said turning back.

"What flavor milkshake do you want?"

"Anything," Albert said as he made his retreat complete.

He sat in the booth knowing that the waitress probably thought he was a complete nutcase, but knowing he could do little about it, h.e.l.l she was probably right. It had been so long since he had engaged with other people outside of his marriage and isolated workplace that he wasn't sure how to any more. He was rusty as a human being and he needed the practice before he ended up alone save for the army of stray cats that would undoubtedly gravitate towards him.

"Here we go," the waitress said, surprising him as she set down a slice of pie and a brown milkshake. "I put a little scoop in your shake. You look like you needed it," she smiled.

"Thanks," Albert mumbled.

He was thinking of a way to prolong the conversation when the doorbell jingled again and three large beefy men entered.

"Hey Susie," the beefiest man bellowed.

He was thickset with a farmer's build and a drinker's gut. His companions were equally rugged and their very appearance intimidated Albert as he subconsciously sunk into his booth.

"Afternoon boys," Susie greeted them pleasantly enough but to Albert's ears it sounded a little forced, or at least he hoped.

For the next 20 minutes or so Albert ate his pie and drank his shake under the echoes of the three other patrons wild guffaws and clinking beer bottles. Susie seemed to bear their clumsy pa.s.ses and innuendos with a professional's patience and Albert felt sorry for the woman. She seemed sweet natured and he knew from bitter experience just where that seemed to get you in life.

He was pus.h.i.+ng his plate and gla.s.s aside when Susie reappeared at his side.

"Everything ok for you?" She asked.

"Very nice," he managed without looking directly at her.

"Can I get you anything else?"

"Just the check thank you."

"Are you pa.s.sing through?" She enquired as she wrote the check on a pad that she produced from her ap.r.o.n pocket.

"Yes. Is there anywhere to stay around here?" Albert said rus.h.i.+ng through the question for fear of stammering.

"Sure, there's a nice B&B just up the road a little way. Tell them I sent you and you'll get a discount," Susie winked as she pointed to her name badge on her chest.

"HEY SUSIE!" The big farmer yelled out from across the room. "TODAY!" He shouted shaking the empty beer bottle in his hand.

She rolled her eyes theatrically at Albert and they shared a small moment as he smiled back shyly. "Hope I see you again," Susie said demurely as she moved away from the booth.

"So me, do I," Albert garbled nonsensically as she walked away.

He left a more than generous tip on the table and walked towards the door when the big farmer suddenly stood and moved to intercept him.

"The girl's taken," the big man said, standing way too close and Albert cowered under the intimidating presence. "What you doing here?"

"Just pa.s.sing through," Albert whined.

"Then I suggest that you get going," the big man smiled cruelly through a mouth of browned teeth devoid of basic maintenance.

"You tell him Al," one of the farmers buddies egged him on.

"What's your name boy?" Al demanded.