Soul of the Cerberus [NEW]

Chapter 5 - Shadows in the dark

I felt grungy as I woke up the next day. My hair was messy and my makeup was smudged all over my face. It wasn't surprising since I literally jumped into my bed last night, falling asleep the minute my face touched the pillow.

I wrapped my dark hair with an elastic band, washing my sleepy face and the rest of mascara off.

My parents were already up, but in the same dreadful-looking state as I was. We had to wake up early, to open the store and clean the disarray from yesterday. I remembered there were empty glasses and flyers lying everywhere.

"Good morning." My father said, watching me sympathetically as I mumbled something incomprehensible in return.

"Korina, me and your mother will take over the first shift. Can you manage the late one by yourself?" He said pleadingly.

"Of course. But I wanted to help, the store is a mess." I said, confused.

"There will be plenty left, believe me. Ivana needs to rest since she is exhausted, that is why I've asked you."

"I can make both shifts, no problem." I said, smiling encouragingly.

"Absolutely not. You will be working late hours as it is, besides we had Mark volunteering to help us." He told me, putting his hands around me. "You did a great job yesterday. I am very proud of you, we both are."

"I've promised I would, didn't I?"

"You did." He tugged at the collar of his shirt, trying to adjust it. He sighed as it didn't go as he planned, baffled expression painting his face. "This is impossible."

"Right." I patted him on the shoulder, rolling my eyes. "I will see you after lunch. There will be leftovers in the fridge!" I called out to him, going straight back to bed.

*

I woke as I heard loud barking somewhere in the house. Putting my bare feet on the cold floor I stood up to find out what was bothering our dog. "Barica? Where are you boy?"

I called him a few more times, but he was totally oblivious to me. I found him standing next to the front door, intently looking at them.

"What are you barking at?" I peeked through the glass, seeing no one. "Barica?" I said with confusion when I heard him growling.

His whole body vibrated with a deep sound while he bared his canines.

"What the hell?" Now I was feeling the fear creeping in. Our lazy, marshmallow of a dog never growled at anyone or anything. And right now, he looked downright terrifying.

I crept towards the kitchen, peeping through a window that offered a better view, but again, I saw nothing unusual or out of place.

I shook my head at how ludicrous this situation was. I was tip-toeing around the house like some criminal.

But then I heard it, it was unmistakable. It was clear to me that someone was sneaking behind the house. Barica went wild as he ran in the back, pressing his paws against the back door, leading to the garden. His teeth were bared, saliva flying everywhere. I was staring at him, dread paralyzing my libs. Who could this be?

Barcia's heavy weight pressed the door with such force, I was afraid he would smash them.

My paralysis broke, and I ran towards my room, searching for my phone in a sheer panic.

This had to be a prank, somebody surely wanted to scare me. But the anxious feeling in my gut grew, considering my dog wouldn't behave so wildly if it would be just some benevolent person.