The feeling of anxiety grew and she walked even faster, her senses heightened. She was aware that her breathing had quickened and a faint layer of sweat was forming on her skin. Wiping her palms on her pant legs, her gaze darted from side to side as she stumbled down the drive, no longer watching where she placed her feet. A noise to her left had her whirling around to face the source and her breath caught in her throat.
At first, all she was aware of was teeth. Large, shiny white teeth with pointy ends designed for puncturing and tearing flesh. Then her focus widened as she noted black noses and gleaming eyes, surrounded by thick fur. A pair of very large guard dogs were staring at her, licking their chops as if she just became the main selection on tonight’s dinner menu.
Some instinct told her they weren’t too pleased to see her—or maybe they were; she’d be a change from a diet of dry kibble, she thought inanely as she stood frozen in place. A low rumbling sound came from one of them and snapped her out of her statue-like state. They were holding their heads low and had raised the fur on their backs. She was sure she’d read somewhere that indicated an attack was imminent. Mel started to back away, not wanting to lose eye-contact. The fact that these might not be dogs was niggling at her mind but she shied away from examining that thought at the moment. Adding additional reasons to fear for her life would not be helpful at this point.
Slowly, the beasts followed her, exactly matching her pace. Icy terror was working its way through her body despite the rapid beating of her heart. Surely, her blood should be rushing through her veins right now, oxygenating her muscles in preparation for flight? Where was that adrenaline rush everyone talked about? That super human strength that came out of nowhere when faced with horrible danger? She blinked, realizing that her vision seemed to be blurring, the world was darkening. Oh great. Passing out in fear. How lame was that? If only she’d had sufficient coffee fixes today, Mel lamented to herself, she would have been better able to cope with the situation.
Shaking her head and refusing to give into the panic invading her system, Mel continued to back away. She kept one eye on the creatures stalking her, while shooting glances from side to side, looking for a sturdy stick to grab onto and use as a weapon. It wouldn’t be overly effective, but it was better than defending herself barehanded.
Just when she thought she saw a suitable branch, her heel came down on a large stone. Her foot twisted to the side and she lurched to the left, flaying her arms wildly as she tried to maintain her balance. Fear made her overcompensate and instead of righting herself, she made matters worse. As she stumbled against a tree trunk, the animals took exception to her sudden movement. They rushed towards her, barking and howling. Mel opened her mouth, inhaled deeply, and resorted to the age-old solution of screaming for help at the top of her lungs.
*****
Ryne groaned as the sound of howls and barks penetrated his alcohol soaked brain, forcing him from his sleep. He was seriously hung over from last night and was contemplating the benefits of death over the way he was presently feeling. Dark thoughts ran through his mind as he determined the source of the noise that had dragged him from blessed oblivion.
Obviously, Bryan and Daniel were out acting like idiots and it was the last thing he needed today. If they wanted to go out hunting, it was fine with him, but keep it quiet. No rabbit or squirrel or whatever they’d cornered, warranted that much noise. He rolled over and winced as his head pounded. How many beers had he consumed last night, anyway? It was all sort of blurry. The favoured team had won the hockey game and everyone had started buying rounds and then...?
Gingerly, he opened one eye and squinted against the assaulting rays of light that streamed in around the window shade. He swore and let his eyelid fall shut, raising his hand to his throbbing head. At least his stomach wasn’t protesting the treatment he’d subjected it to. Having a cast iron stomach was one of the genetic benefits his parents had passed on to him.
The sounds from outside continued, and he was muttering darkly under his breath when a scream pierced the air, drilling into his brain with unmerciful sharpness. He shot upright, ignoring his protesting body and swung his legs out of bed. Some corner of his mind noted that he was still dressed in last night’s clothes and only needed to slip on his shoes. A second scream followed the first, and he was out the door before the sound even died out. What the hell were Bryan and Daniel doing? They were scheduled for patrol duty and shouldn’t be fooling around. He muttered darkly about their demise as he ran down the front steps, moving with surprising ease for someone who, just moments before, was feeling like death warmed over. They knew better than to bring a female here. And what were they doing to make her scream like that?