Chasms of Copper

Chapter 18

[Edited]

Morgan

The brunette could scarcely get a scream out before she felt a sharp jolt against her abdomen. In a swift motion, Roy had snagged her around the waist and pulled her out of harm's way; the large dog missed her by inches. Its large jaws closed with a snap just before it crashed to the ground. Too shocked to do anything else, she clung to Roy's large coat---grasping the upturned collar in her panic.

Her breath came in erratic huffs and she felt her rising hysteria. She could just make out the shape of the advancing large dog in the thin sliver of moonlight. She barely heard its footsteps over the sound of her hammering heart. It came closer, still, and let out a slight growl. Its loud bark was the only other warning before it leapt at the her again.  

The wind tore Morgan's scream away from her. She clung to Roy as he bodily lifted her up and out of danger for the second time that night. She whipped her head around in time catch a glimpse of his foot connecting with the viscous dog---sending it flying backwards. It crashed into the nearby trees. Before she could even breath a sigh of relief, it was back on its feet and more demented than ever. 

There was one thing that Morgan was certain of---this was no normal dog. No mere dog could hit their spine on an oak tree and still spring up with renewed anger. Not to mention how incredibly humongous it was. It was more aggressive than any other dogs she'd seen in her life. Most canines only barked or attacked when aggravated, but this one seemed to have a personal vendetta against them. Come to think of it---the dog seemed to only have it out for the brunette. Sure, it swiped at Roy, but he didn't seem to be its target.

The jolt of Roy's arm around her waist grounded her to reality and she was once again in the air. Arms still wrapped securely around her, he started to run through the foliage. 

"Hold on tight!" 

She jumped at his voice in her ear, startled by how much deeper and sharper it was. Mo gasped as a patch of moonlight flitted across the man's face. It was brief but she was certain that her eyes weren't playing tricks on her. She'd remarked about Roy's unusual and mesmerizing eyes before, but this was a new development. Instead of their usual warm brown, she found them to be a striking full-blown copper and that his pupils had practically contracted into pinpricks. Had she not seen them with her own green eyes, she would have thought she had imagined it. But there they were, as copper as Honest Abe's famous penny----and they were glowing.

It was that moment that she realized how fast they were going. Trees whipped past at breakneck speeds. The neighboring houses were all but blurs. She knew that Roy was strong---she'd admired the muscles, herself---but there was something unnatural about it. The way he navigated the dark forest, dodged low branches, and leapt over tree roots made it seem like he had a built-in sonar.  And all the while he was carrying Morgan whilst they were being chased by some rabid hound from Hell. Seriously, someone should call the pound.