Pantomaniac

Chapter 15

The pounding of Kef's heart pierced through the silence of the forest. Staring at the bungalow, his mind raced to make sense of it. A voice somewhere deep inside him whispered that he had found the place. Whatever that bungalow was, that would be the answer.

But Kef didn't move.

The still building, wrapped in moss and broken wood, stared at Kef. The windows on the top floor eyed him, daring him to come forth. Tall grasses fenced the premise. Within that mess, patches of white, parts of the mansion that somehow seemed untouched, glared back at Kef. They threw him into a fit of confusion. He wasn't sure whether to turn around and run or walk ahead and get the answers he wanted.

The air turned almost ice-cold on Kef's skin. He brought his arm to his forehead and wiped the trickle of sweat. Slowly, he took one step forward. Then another. And another...until he was standing right in front of the bungalow's front door. The gate had crumpled over the years. Kef merely had to step over a pile of rotten steel bars.

The door was wooden. Even though its carvings were infested by dust, Kef could make out the delicate curves of the pattern. The flowers that burst from every corner of the frame, the spiraling weeds that snaked behind dozens of petals. If circumstances were different, Kef would have truly admired the workmanship. But in that moment, there was only one thing on his mind. The very door he was facing was probably the only thing keeping him from his answers. He needed to get to the other side. That, or he'll be back to square one.

Kef twisted the knob. Nothing. He leaned forward and pressed his shoulders against the door. Using his weight, he once again twisted the knob. There was a soft click. But when he tried to push the door, it moved just a little before getting stuck.

When the click died, something else sneaked into Kef's ears. At first, he thought the trees were messing with his hearing. But there it was again seconds later. He had to slow his breathing just so he could really hear it again.

The faint wailing of children.

He could barely make out their voices but they sounded high-pitched. Soft, but high-pitched. One voice drowned the other, and another drowned that voice. It went on and on. It was almost soothing. As Kef continued listening, the overlapping voices started to sound like humming. Like a gentle music.

At that moment, he became more and more aware of the silence in his surroundings. The voices were the only thing he could hear. Everything else was dead silent.

Kef had half the heart to turn around and flee but whatever he heard only confirmed he was at the right place. He walked away from the door and made his way to the side of the bungalow. As he progressed further to the back, the wailings grew stronger. They were definitely children. With each cry, the image of the child mime flashed in Kef's mind. Was that her? Was she trapped? Did she want Kef to save her?

He reached the back. There was a window but it was too dusty for Kef to see anything through it. He leaned forward and pressed his ears against the wall. The wailing became clearer. But then, he heard something else.

It was like someone breathing. Except that it was heavier, more...menacing. The breaths soon grew faster, and between each inhale there was the sound of saliva. It was as if the person was sucking on something while trying to take in as much oxygen as possible. Then he heard a growl. Kef staggered backwards. He stared at the wall.

The growling continued. It was low but heavy. Steady but crazy. Kef waited. His legs were prepared to flee had anything jumped out from the wall.

A loud growl made Kef turn his head. He staggered backwards and nearly fell down when he saw a dog. It was only a few feet away, staring at him with hungry eyes. It bared its teeth. Kef could see drops of thick saliva falling onto the ground. The dog wasn't very big but its muscles were large enough to hold Kef down if it wanted to.

And it clearly wanted that.

Kef took one step back. His eyes fixed on the dog. As Kef took another step, it barked. Kef froze.

His mind raced. Should he run? Would he make it? His eyes scanned the area for a weapon. But there was none. The only thing he saw were twigs and grass. And he was pretty sure that by the time his hand grabbed any of those, the dog would be on him, devouring every inch of his body.

The dog moved forward. Its snarl getting bigger. Its growl getting deeper. Kef matched its movement and retreated. All that while, his eyes not leaving the dog. Every drip of the dog's saliva matched the pounding of his heart. They were like a duo in a sick musical.

Then it started. The dog barked and barked. Its barks echoed throughout the forest. A bird flew out from a tree and soared across Kef. The leaves rustled. He knew that he had no choice. It was either he took his chances and ran or stay there and get bitten, or very possibly eaten alive, by the dog.

Kef took a deep breath, turned and ran for his life. He could hear the tapping of his feet and that of the dog's. They were both sprinting. With each second, the barking behind him got louder and louder.

But Kef did not turn around. He kept going. Until his eyes spotted something that made his heart sink.

A dead-end.

Several feet away from him was a brick wall. He was about to corner himself. And the dog would have had an easy pounce.

Kef continued running until he reached the end. Jumping, he tried to grab the top of the wall but to no avail. It was way too high. Kef turned and pressed his back against the wall. His eyes staring at the approaching dog.

It had slowed down. It was almost as if it was smiling at Kef. It was a smirk. A smile because it knew its prey had nowhere to go.

The dog stopped about five feet away from Kef. Growling, it seemed like it was ready to pounce. It advanced several steps, baring its teeth. Like a tiger ready to pounce in its fresh meat.

The dog jumped into the air. Kef brought his arms up to shield his face seconds before a piercing pain shot through his arm.

"Argghhhh!!!!"

His scream echoed. The dog sank its teeth into Kef's skin. He tried to get up but the weight of the dog held him down. He pulled and pulled. The dog refused to let go. Blood was starting to drip out of his Kef's skin. Screaming, he brought his leg up and rammed it into the dog. It bit even harder.

Kef was about to go for another kick when the dog released its bite.

Suddenly, it backed away from Kef, leaving drops of saliva on his pants he got off him. It did not stop retreating until it was at least five feet from Kef. Then, it dropped its body onto the ground, whimpering. Its eyes never left Kef but gone was the predator the snarling teeth. The hunger that shone through its eyes had disappeared, replaced instead with a shadow of fear. Seconds later, it got up and ran away.

Kef did not move. He did not turn around. Something behind him must have scared the dog. Whatever it was, it had saved his life. But it might come after Kef next.

Kef sat down on the dirty ground. He checked his wound. Thankfully, it didn't seem that deep a cut. It stung like mad but Kef was certain he could treat it himself. Still refusing to turn around, Kef started walking.

He had to find a way to get inside the bungalow but not in that condition. All the while, as he walked out of the premise, he felt something behind his shoulders. Kef gulped but not once did he slow down. Not until he was back on his street.