The Visitors

Of the End

                "HELP, SOMEONE HELP PLEASE!!" The woman shrieked as she burst through the doors leaving a trail of blood behind her. It had been a quiet day up until she came in. I filed, scheduled more appointments, and even swept and moped the floor. I was playing a computer game about mob hysteria and the mafia when she interrupted. There were tears streaming down her brown eyes and her curly hair was covered in blood as it was hanging over the dog she was carrying.

As I looked closer to take in the scene I realized the dog she was holding was a poodle. And the only two poodles in town belonged to Mrs. Matthews. If I remember right she had them trained well. In fact, the only time I've ever seen one of them act badly or out of the ordinary was earlier today.

"what happened" the Vet and I asked at the same time as he had just come from the back. He probably heard the yelling.

"she came out of nowhere. I didn't see her I swear I didn't at least not until it was too late"

"so, you hit her with your car then?" Dr. Ramirez asked while taking the dog from the frantic woman trying to figure out what the best course of action would be.

"yeah, I was driving home from the library and she just came into the road out of nowhere. It's like she wasn't even looking where she was going she just had to get there."

The doctor and I both wore puzzled looks on our faces. First of all, I don't think that in the whole time I've been alive a dog has been hit by a car in this town. We mostly just get sick dogs at the vet clinic that I work at. Secondly, we knew the poodles were very well behaved dogs and its unlikely that either one of them would have just run into the street without trying to avoid cars. Plus, it doesn't make any sense for one of them to be out by themselves anyways. I have never seen one of them without seeing a human companion with them - usually Mrs. Matthews. "okay, well you did the right thing bringing her in instead of just leaving her there. You probably saved her life. If you will just stay and answer a few questions with Emma and then you're free to go." He said as he disappeared with the dog to the back room.

The questions I had to ask were standard. What's your name? Jackie Johnson. Where did the accident happen? Right by the high school on Blessing road. When did it happen? At about 7:15. And so on and so on. Just as Jackie was about to leave I stopped her for one last question. "Hey Jackie, I mean Mrs. Johnson." I said tapping my pen nervously as she was about to walk out the door. She stopped looking at me flashing a small smile and nodding her head for me to go on. "Where was she trying to go?"

"Excuse me?" she asked not understanding the question.

"Earlier you said the dog was trying to get somewhere and that's why she wasn't looking where she was going and that's why you hit her."

"oh," she replied, "well I'm not one hundred percent sure, but I think she was trying to go to the mountain." Referring to the biggest mountain that hangs over our town.

"Thank you." I said waving her off. Strange, I thought as I gathered my things to go home since my shift ended already seeing as how trying to figure out the whole dilemma with the poodle took about 20 minutes and my shift ended at 7:30. The strange part though was about the mountain. I mean I've always heard stories about it. That people live there and they come down every so often or that a monster lives in a cave at the top and he only feeds every few years. Of course, these are all tall tales. But that still doesn't change the fact that ever since I was little I always got a strange feeling about that mountain. It wasn't good or bad just weird. I was so deep in thought about the mountain as I made my trek home that I didn't even notice no one else was on the street, probably due to the basketball game that was on, or the dog that was in front of me until I heard it bark. I jumped back putting my hands out in fists in front of me.