Rock Bottom

Rule #2: Don't Rush

The strangely pleasing aroma of night dew surrounded Danielle as she sat on the curb. Looking around her, she took in every piece. It looked extremely similar to her hometown, but jumbled. Family Fare stood big and tall at the end of town, sunk back in property by a large parking lot. Closer to the road, however, was a quick stop. Behind her stood a neighborhood, as did across from her. Mixed into that neighborhood, however, against the street, was a run-down Little Caesars that appeared that it hadn't been open in years. Despite the calm setting of the town, it all made her uneasy. There was nothing frightening or alarming about the setting, but the air around her seemed tense; like someone was watching her every move.

Danielle stood and brushed off her shorts, but paused just in time to feel every hair on her back stand up. Her blood ran thick like paste and her muscles froze up. Something was wrong - terribly wrong! An unknown force seemed to force her to turn around, and she soon caught on to the issue at hand. Two glowing green eyes peeked through the veil of night and the rattling of chains echoed in the air like her head was a large, hollow room. White, shiny teeth revealed themselves below the frightfully luminescent orbs. It was her turn to widen her eyes as she took a step back. A low rumble began before her foot even touched the pavement. The chains rattled and dust wafted up, the creature creeping closer. The closer it crept, the more it revealed itself.

It was a large, pitch black Rottweiler. Danielle had no fear of dogs based on breed, but she knew Rotts tended to have stronger jaws than most, and this one didn't look friendly at all! Finding the nerve to move, she whipped around and bolted down the street, heading towards the heart of town where she could see lights glow a mile away. She never knew why she headed towards cities in most cases; possibly because there were more people or places to hide. The sudden jolt of rattling chains gave her the extra boost to run faster, but as soon as she tried to, an invisible force stopped her. She couldn't move!

Danielle peered over her shoulder and found the beast had been pegged to the ground on a chain, though as forcefully as he was thrashing and howling, it wouldn't hold long. She had to think fast. Catching a pace to her breath, her gaze turned forth again and she tried walking. It worked fine. Her brain quickly worked to conclude this was a strange anomaly that normally happened in dreams; like walking through a marshmallow puddle. How it weaseled its way into this dimension was beyond her comprehension, but that was all she could come up with at the moment.

Danielle stepped up her pace to a quick walk, which still worked! Finding a stroke of luck, she continued at this pace, but the second she broke into a run, she was halted once more.

"Okay... Jog it is." She muttered under her breath, managing to break into a steady jog. At this point, she'd take what she could get. Something was better than nothing.

The head start really benefitted her well, given when she made it a little over a block away, she heard the chain snap from its post. She felt ready to vomit, anxiety boiling in the pit of her stomach; ready to erupt. Every house on the block shut its lights off as she passed it, the darkness seeming to be the real threat here. Now, Danielle had never been afraid of the dark, but that was slowly beginning to contort into her biggest fear at the moment. Though town was growing closer, it seemed farther and farther away the louder the chains got. One house stood out, however.

A tall brick house that appeared to be built in the late 1800s or early 1900s. Two faded stone lions sat mounted at either end of the porch stairs. What stood out the most, was that the gentle flicker of dim lights in the first floor never faded away when she passed it. Finding this as an opportunity, she ran to it and furiously pounded her fists on the door. "Please help me, you have to help me!" She screamed. Her voice cracked on her words as if nothing but hot air wanted to come out. The sound of the chains were growing so close, and the house was so silent, she felt pure reluctancy build up. A few tears streamed down her cheeks. "Please..." She managed to croak, slumping to her knees, leaning her head on the door. The stench of the beast's slobber reached her and his nails skidded across the pavement at the base of the porch. She had nowhere to run.