The Colour Of Shadows

The Pit - Part 13

I made my way back to the car, elated to finally have some leads.

I met up with George and we exchanged what we’d learned over a bite to eat at the hotel, he’d picked up a little more than I had and between us we managed to piece a few things together.

The mother and child had definitely arrived at the town, they had gotten to the hotel and eaten there, as noted by the hotel clerk on duty and the hotel register that they’d signed in to stay overnight.

I asked George if they had any pay phones at the hotel and he nodded, clearly having thought the same thing as me ‘Why hadn’t she contacted her husband?’

When he asked the clerk if she had tried the phones, he explained to George that the night before they arrived there’d been a storm and the phone lines had gone down and that’s what he’d told our missing person too.

They’d made to leave later in the day, but had car trouble. They then waited a few days for their car to be fixed up before heading on their way.

None of it really seemed all that suspicious except for the fact that what had seemed to be a perfectly happy woman had up and left her husband for no reason we could find.

By the time we talked it over and finished up comparing our notes, the sun had begun to set behind the mountains.

We decided to take a room at the hotel and stop over for the night, continue our investigation in the morning and see if we could uncover any more.

I was convinced this town had more to give us and George was of the same mind.

If we didn't get anything else, perhaps we could go on to look into where our missing people could have possibly gone from here.

Exhausted after our inquiries and our early start, it took me no time at all to fall asleep.

A second night of horrible dreams plagued me.

I dreamt of a dirt path, thick with bushes and tree’s either side.
I Ran along the path while the light faded from the sky above me.

Something was chasing me, a pale dog.

I’d see it shuffling through the brush alongside me, then lose sight of it.

Then some of the bushes cleared and I saw it clearly, saw that it was no dog but an abomination.

Its long face, human eyes, snarling muzzle and sloping forehead glaring at me with every step.

I’d run but no matter where I looked, there it was keeping pace with me.
Toying with me.

I tripped and rolled and stumbled and as I turned and looked around through the leaves and the mud, there it was, slowly stalking toward me.

It’s long canine face with its pale muzzle and human  eyes staring at me, it’s bony, thin body and limbs stretching up as it raised up on its back legs.

I rolled over and tried to scrabble away, it lifted up its three toed paw-like foot and pressed it into my chest, pushing me to the ground and pinning me there with ease.

It’s long, skeleton-like body leaned in, doubling over until the face came down to within inches of mine.

The stench if decay became overpowering as its thick, moist breath hit my face.

Thick globules of saliva dripped down on to my face, as it snorted and sniffed at me.

The maw opened and milky white canines flashed before my eyes as a rasping but familiar voice echoed out from the beasts throat.

“You’re asking questions in the wrong place, Detective…”