The Story of the Black Dogs

Preface

      The engine hummed as Charles made his way across the long stretch of road, and the faint sounds of static came from the radio. He watched as the full moon blinked in and out of sight behind tall forest trees.

     Charles leaned to the side to spit the shells of some sunflower seeds into a Styrofoam cup, before grabbing the small, crinkled seed bag that he had kept in the other cupholder.

     'empty.'

     Charles rubbed his eyes as he fought back a yawn. He still had a while to go to be getting tired now. This was a job that he had high hopes for after all.

     New account and a new route. That's why he had decided to run this load himself. Managing a trucking company wasn't easy after all; even if it's a small one. You had to take every job seriously and be one step ahead of everyone else.

     For a while, life had put him at a stalemate, and growing his business had become difficult. Charles was starting to accept that he had reached his ceiling. That's when life handed him a golden egg on a silver platter. A new contract where he would be paid more than what was necessary for his service.

     But as Charles had expected, there was a catch. The route he'd have to take to deliver his load on time was not a friendly one, but you get nowhere in life without taking a few mild risks.

     At least that was what he kept telling himself as the once wide and smooth roads became narrow and cracked, and the comforting city lights gave way to darkness. No matter. It wasn't the first rough route he'd taken, and it likely wouldn't be the last.

     Charles squinted at the dark road, grateful for his headlights that continued that illuminate his path, but as he continued, the darkness only seemed to grow more intense as the trees fought to cover the light of the moon.

     Drowsiness began to cloud his senses and Charles attempted to tune the radio for music to fight the haze. Glimpses of song and moments of melody moved in and out of the static until it settled on the sonorous voice that spoke consistently through the radio.

     It seemed to be a documentary of sorts.

     'Boring.'

     But it was better than static or silence.

     -ore about the hanging hills. A warning to travelers that was both real and myth. Many thought the lore was formed due to wild dogs such as wolves or coyotes. But for many, they believed these were thehuntinggroundsofhellhoundskuqgcvsayfukajaighkxguosh

     Once again, a drowsy fog clouded his mind, and the once clear words turned into far-away mumbles. The road ahead turned hazy as his eyelids began to droop.

     That's when something dark darted across his field of vision. Something quickly seemed to appear out of nowhere and moved in front of his truck. His body tensed and he gripped the wheel. Too late. He braced for impact, but nothing came. He hadn't even felt so much as a bump in the road.

     He eased on his brakes, slowing the truck, but did not come to a complete stop. His heart hammered against his chest, as he peered into the side rearview mirror to get a glimpse of what he'd just missed. For a moment, there was only darkness, and just as he was about to look away, he was met by a pair of moving eyes in the distance that glinted in the reflection of his taillights.

     Charles slapped his hand against the wheel. "Damn coyotes!"

     Charles had no time for this, but despite the annoyance, he was grateful. If it wasn't for the scare, he would've fallen asleep. Now, with the adrenaline pumping through his veins, he was wide awake.

     He forged on ahead; putting the scare behind him. He focused on the road ahead and even widened his awareness to the side of the road to spot any animals before they ran onto his path.

     An hour passed. Perhaps two.

     Soon the near miss faded into memory, and like glinting hope the trees began to thin out as he rode the incline of the hills. He finally broke free of the forest, and he was glad for the view of the moonlight shining brightly across the forested hills. It cleared his mind like a breath of fresh air.

     For a moment he was at peace. But the once sweet moment had turned bitter when he heard a low guttural sound emanating from behind him, and felt the waves of wet hot breath wafting against his neck.

      Charles's neck stiffened; his heart hammering against his chest.

     'What?'

     Slowly. Charles turned his head ever so slightly, and his eyes shifted to glimpse behind him.

     For the first time in many years, Charles found himself unable to process what his eyes were seeing. 

     Eyes. Deep glowing and red like that of a devil. Its body was a mass of rippling smoke.

    Its lips curled as it bared its jagged yellow teeth. It was as if the thing knew that Charles had seen it. 

     He could do nothing but look in terror, as the creature began to shift and ripple and unhinged its jaw. Its mouth grew into a wide dark void letting out terrible screeching cries before it lunged.      

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Hello readers,

    I hope you enjoyed the beginning. It's my first time writing something like this and to be honest, this genre isn't my strong suit, but I wanted to try my hand at it anyway. That being said, any comments or advice would be greatly appreciated.

     Thanks for reading!