The dogs were getting closer. No, not dogs. Huge, vicious beasts, mutations created by the "government" and released when they grew large and uncontrollable. Xander ran as fast as he could, but he already had a huge gash on his leg were one of the three creatures had already bitten him. Xander spotted a fence, ran towards it, and scrambled up it. He looked behind him and saw the hounds still following. The largest of the three, the one that had bitten him, tensed its powerful legs and jumped over the fence, its companions following but not clearing the fence.
Crap! What does it take to stop these things?
He ran down an alleyway, the beast snapping at his heels. It was getting dark and hard to see. Therefore, Xander wasn't the least bit surprised when he ran right into a brick wall at the end of the narrow passage. He slid to the floor, nose mashed and bloody, and looked into the hound's fierce eyes. It was slowly stalking towards him, growling deeply. Xander patted his pockets for his gun but found nothing but his knife, barely enough to kill the gigantic creature in front of him. He closed his eyes tight, fearing the worst and hoping something miraculous would happen.
And suddenly it did. He heard a gunshot and the mutt yelp, then a heavy thud. He opened his eyes to see a big man and the mutt lying dead at his feet.
"Just this once, boy!" The man said with a booming voice. "I'm returning a deed of your father's from a long time ago. Next time don't expect me to come save your sorry butt again."
"You knew my father?" Xander exclaimed. "Who are you?"
"No one. Just don't tangle with these things again," he said, turning around and walking away.
"I wasn't- You can't tell me what to do!" Xander exclaimed, catching up to the big man and trying to block his path. "Hey! You knew my father! You can't just leave!"
The man pulled a gun out of a pocket in his jacket and pointed it at Xander.
"Yes, I can. Listen kid, you don't want to know. Now back off."
Xander glared at the man but put his hands up, backing up to the wall of the alley. The mysterious man stalked off into the darkening streets, disappearing into the night.
· · ·
Xander sat on the balcony of a tall building. He had left the dead mutt outside, covered by a tarp. The street wasn't busy, no one would steal it. He thought about the events of the night.
Who was that man? How did he know my dad?
Xander toyed with a bracelet he had made. Well, he had mostly made. He had carved charms out of soft metal and strung them on a leather cord. He crafted all of the charms except for one. That one had been in the cord for as long as he could remember. It was just a flat rectangle with strange marking on it. Of the ones Xander made, one was shaped like the skyline of the city. Another was a dog, not a mutt, but the smaller ones used for guards or even pets. Xander and his friends owned one. They had named her Shadow. She was a nice relief from the cruel world that they lived in.
After a while, Xander left and dragged the dead creature all the way to his "home", the underground bottom floor of what used to be a great skyscraper. He thought he could make a pretty awesome coat or blanket out of the fur, or at least trade it for something warm.
Shadow barked at Xander excitedly as he approached.
"Hey girl! Guys, I'm back!" he yelled when he reached the hideout.
"Bro, where did you get that?" asked Asper, slouching on some old cushions and furs, brown hair stuck together by dried blood. "And what happened to your leg? Don't tell me you fought that thing."
