The monster settled in front of me, leaves crackling under foot, paw, or hoof—whatever this thing had. Its breaths were not labored like mine. It hadn’t even exerted itself.
Its hands folded in a claw like manner, probably preparing to shred me to pieces, to mark me up the way it had the woman on the internet. And, like her, tomorrow I would nothing but a statistic—an unanswered question posted alongside a picture in the newspaper.
It opened its mouth wide, howling as it had before, and I reared my arm back and flung the soap. God must have been feeling cheeky, because it landed right in the monster’s open yap.
It grabbed its throat and starting heaving, choking on the soap.
I scrambled to my feet, not sure where I was going, but ready to get anywhere where this beast wasn’t.
As quick as my bare, pedicured feet would take me, I ran deeper into the woods. The monster probably wouldn’t choke to death on soap, but I might be able to find a hiding place to duck into to wait the horrible thing out.
I ran so far and so fast that my lungs burned. I kept imagining the monster behind me again, paws galloping after me. I had to keep running. Maybe there was a ditch, or a cave, or a …
Or a two story house with front porch furniture?
There, sitting in the middle of the woods, like the greatest mirage anyone could ever imagine, stood a house.
I slid to a stop, bracing myself against the pain in my bloody and bruised feet. A light shone from a second floor window. Not only was there a house out here, where a house had no business being, but there was someone in it.
I might actually survive this.
A howl shot through the woods; the monster was undoubtedly back on track, so I pooled what little energy I had left and made a beeline for the front door. My hands slammed against it in panicked knocks.
“Help me!” I screamed. “Help!”
No one answered. With little time to waste, I turned the knob, and to my great relief (and surprise), the door actually opened.
I clamored in, slammed the door closed behind me, and bolted the lock.
The first floor was dark, but I switched on a nearby light.
“Hello?” I yelled again. “I know I shouldn’t be here, but there’s something out there!” Tears stung my eyes. “I need help!”
No answer.
I ran toward the stairs, to the burning second floor light. At the very least, if the monster found me here, I needed as many closed doors as possible between us.
Two rooms sat at the top of the stairs. I grabbed the handle straight ahead, but it was hot and singed my fingertips. For an instant, my mind traveled to the door inside The Castle. But then a sickeningly close howl shook me back to the present.
I darted inside the other room. But no sooner had I crossed the threshold than the window shattered in front of me. Glass flew everywhere, and when it settled, the monster stood before me.
It was on its hind legs again, like a man. Bits of the soap were clutched in its ‘hand’ and the look in its yellow eyes said it would enjoy whatever hell it was about to put me through.
I turned toward the open door, hoping I could at least run for it, but to my utter shock, I was met by a second beast. This one was even larger than the first. Its body was even more hulking, covered in coarse black fur. It also stood on its hind legs, but this one looked past me, toward the other monster.
Just when I was about to burst into defeated tears, it leapt over me. I had never seen anything so big move so quickly, so fluidly.
In an instant, it was on the other monster, tearing into it with claws and teeth.
Before they could finish fighting over which of them would get to eat me, I turned toward the stairs to make my escape. Maybe they would kill each other, or maybe they would get over their differences and split me down the middle. Either way, I wasn’t planning to hang around and find out.
I grabbed hold of the railing to start down the stairs, but the old wood snapped beneath my touch. I fell in a series of painful tumbles. My head hit hard against the floor, but only enough to rattle me—not enough to stop me from trying not to die.
But when I attempted to stand or even move, it was no use. My vision darkened. I struggled, pulling myself across the floor, but I didn’t even make it half-way to door before things went black.
I was about to become the world’s best-dressed doggie treat, and there was nothing I could do about it.
Chapter 9
Stretching against the cool, soft sheets, memories filtered in the way they often did in the morning. But when the image of the beasts came along, my mind snapped to attention, and my eyes flew open.
I wasn’t on the floor anymore. I was in a lumpy bed, satin sheets covering me and pillows propping up my head. How did I get here? What happened to the monsters that seemed so intent on making a meal out of me?