Unfamiliar Territory [Book One]

Chapter Thirty-Two | From Dusk till Fawn Part Two

I ran as hard as I could towards the busted down back door, not looking back.

If I look back they'll have me. If I look back I'm dead.

I squeezed past the bent and twisted metal door, the snarling and whimpering right behind me. Perhaps a few got stuck.

The first few would get through. I wasn't safe.

I thought I would be running blind again, but instead I was reunited with that ability to see in the dark. I nearly cried. It couldn't have come back at a better time.

I ran through the hallway, racking my memory for the stairs. I couldn't outrun them, I had to find help. It was Mutt all over again. It was Mary all over again.

Mary.

"Damnit! I don't have time for this crap!"

I ran down another hallway. The sounds of dogs echoed through the darkness behind me--through my head.

I hadn't heard of Kat or Mr. Copper since the gunshot.

"Don't think about it."

I rounded a corner and there they were. The stairs. At the end of another damn hallway. The dogs had to be right on my heels.

They could have failed. They could be dead. Fawn and her children could be waiting-

"Don't think about it!"

I reached the stairs but, before I could even make it halfway up, something sharp came down on my ankle like a bear trap. My scream was cut off by the force of collapsing against the steps, nearly knocking the wind out of me.

I glanced back to see a large dog with a large mouth stained with blood holding firm to my right ankle. It looked back at me with glowing eyes before I kicked it square in the face, sending it falling back down the stairs.

I hardly had time to breathe again before another large dog was on top of me. All hair and growls and teeth. Purely out of reflex, I put up my arms-my hand luckily catching its neck. It snarled and snapped less than a few inches from my face, saliva splattering all over me. I could hardly feel my hand on its throat, but I still managed to push it off me just before its jaws could clamp down on my face.

The dog slipped through the railing and plummeted. I didn't watch it fall, but heard an audible whimper after it thudded against the concrete surface. The first dog I had kicked before was already making its way back up the stairs.

I turned and stood, but before I could make any more progress, its jaws clamped down on the back of my ratted shirt. I nearly fell backwards as it attempted to pull me down, but managed to grab hold of the railing before I did.

A sharp tear rang out in the hall as the dog pulled away a sizeable junk of my shirt before falling backwards. There was a terrible snapping noise as it hit the ground before silence. It wouldn't be coming back for me again.

I didn't look back. Not that far off was the frantic barking of the other dogs who were no doubt fitting through the opening and not far behind.

I left the whimpering dog and the silent dog behind as I went up the stairs, wincing and nearly falling over several times at the new pain flaring up from my ankle.

It wasn't any different from any other pains. I had to keep moving.

I reached the top and looked around. More hallways. Which way did Stallion go to take me to Mallard's office? Where could it-