No One's Land

Chapter Three

I hit the door a half-half-second before the dog hits me. It knocks me off-balance and I fumble for the doorknob to keep from falling. Can't fall. I fall, I die. I find the knob just before I hit the ground and pull myself up.

A searing, aching pain tears into my left calf as I feel the dog clamp its jaws around my leg. I scream and shake my leg, but that just tears the wounds wider and sinks the dog's teeth even deeper. I scream louder and the dog capitalizes on my weakness and gives my leg a vicious tug. This new wave of pain blackens the edges of my vision. Have to stay awake. Have to. I scream louder, until I'm not screaming but roaring. I force the darkness from my peripheral and turn the doorknob.

Or try to. My hand, slick with sweat, slides from the doorknob and I lose my balance as the dog pulls my left leg backwards. I scream again and the wind is knocked out of me as I land on my back. For a solid second or two, all I can do is struggle to breathe and hope my end comes quickly. But I find the strength to scream again as the dog whips my leg around in its mouth. I regain my sense and look at the dog, pulling my right leg up for a kick. I slam the sole of my shoe down on the dog's face and scream once more as my own kick pulls the dog's teeth through the already gaping wounds. I suddenly become aware of the wetness in my jeans. I've pissed myself. Or maybe it's blood. I don't have the mental capacity to figure it out right now. I kick the dog again. Scream again. I shift my aim down the dog's body, at its throat. I put all my power into the kick and the crunch I hear is brutal, reverberating in my mind. I know immediately that I broke something vital to the dog, because its jaws slacken and then let go entirely.

My face is wet. When did I start crying? I hear labored breathing, laced with not a little wheezing. It's the dog. I turn over on my stomach. Plant my arms on the floor and turn myself towards the dog, grimacing at the embers of pain in my calf. Still prone, I pull myself with my arms through a pool of dark liquid that can only be my own warm blood. I can already feel the effects of so much blood loss. My stomach turns with every movement and I can't seem to focus my vision. Nonetheless, I manage to pull myself to where the dog lies. It still wheezes, and as I approach it, I see the sex. It's a she. She looks at me coming and tries to stand, but can't find footing and falls on her side. The impact knocks some air out of her and her breathing shallows even more. I reach her and I'm not surprised to find that I'm sobbing in a hoarse, zombifical voice. I delicately wrap my arms around her neck and attempt to fight off the panic and sorrow that threatens to overtake my mind.

I close my eyes.

Squeeze my arms.

Hear the snap of her neck breaking.