Almost there, this is going to be the best spring break ever. Julie and I, alone at a secluded cabin on Stag Mountain. I was all smiles as thoughts raced through my mind. As I maneuvered my old truck over rough log road I could hear howling in the distance. My truck rambled out into an open clearing, and as I was travelling through it, I caught the sight of a giant white buck running into the clearing straight for my truck. I slammed on the brakes, the buck coming to a stop right next to the right front fender of my truck. My heart was in my chest, and I was trying to catch my breath. I went to put the truck in reverse when the silent mountain air was shattered by a booming thunder, the head of the buck exploded, sending blood, gore, fur and horn acroos the windshield, a single eyeball staring at my through the windshield. I lost my lunch, I could feel it spew from me, felt it on my chin, my hands, everywhere.
In that moment, time went into slow motion. I could hear howling, louder now, more incessant, angry. Another shot echoed out, and the front of my truck lurched to the front right as my right front tire went flat from the gunblast. "What the @%#!" I grabbed my backpack, and jerked the driver door open falling out of the truck and running for the trees. I could hear the howling, and glancing over my shoulder I could see dogs, black as night, teeth gleaming through foam covered jaws as they hunted me down. The tree next to me burst into bark and leaves as another shot barely missed me.
I dove forward.
As I landed I caught the edge of a ravine, and as I rolled down ravine, I kept seeing images of dogs tearing into my flesh, or a bullet plunging through my eyeball. I came to a stop at the bottom of the ravine, there was a stream, I quickly jumped into it, attempting to wade to the other side, but it was deeper and faster moving than I thought, and I was quickly swept downstream.
I tried my best to fight the current.
Finally, I succeeded in getting to the other side. I smiled, it would take those hellhounds a while to find my scent again. I ran into the woods, and stooped behind a large outcropping of rocks. I peeled off my sopping wet close, pulled a pair of jeans and a t-shirt out of my backpack, thanks goodness it was waterproof, and pulled out my cellphone. It showed one bar of signal and one bar of battery. "Please God, let this work," I dialed Julie, hopefully she wasn't on her way. It rang a few times, then her voicemail came on.
"Julie, Julie, answer the phone! Don't come up the mountain, something is @%$W#ing wrong. I will call you again if I survive the night." I turned the phone off and looked around. It was starting to get dark, and if I strained real hard I could hear the distant howling, constant, impending, death. I left my wet close, put my cellphone back in the pack and headed off deeper into the woods, back towards the direction of the road.
As I moved through the woods, as quietly as I can, every motion, every sound set my hair on end. How could I make it through this? Why was this even happening to me? I finally came upon the road, I looked down the mountain, the road was clear, I looked up the road and I saw what looked to be a building, my heart leapt in my chest, maybe someone would be there. I started running, running like I had never run before, I had gone maybe 100 feet when I heard howling, I looked over my shoulder, a pack of dogs, and behind them a tall man dressed from head to toe in old camoflauge. In his hands was an old rifle. But he just stood there, then, the dogs came for me, I felt like a rabbit, and I ran. I reached the building, it turned out to be an old gas station, the windows were opaque from dirt and grime, the old pump rusted from years of disuse, the sign read 21 cents per gallon.
I didn't even stop at the door, I busted right through the rotten wooden timbers.
The gas station sitting room was nearly empty, a couple of chairs, a coffee table, and the counter with an old cash register. I grabbed the coffee table and shoved it up against the door, it wouldn't hold, but it would delay them a second. I ran into the garage, it was mostly empty.
I found a sledgehammer.
I could hear the howling getting closer, and as I readied myself for my final stand I head a sickening snap, I could only guess that one of the dogs had broken their neck as they tried to ram through the door. I smiled at the thought, but it was quickly interrupted as the glass shattered. I could hear the landing of feet, the sound of heavy breathing, the sniffing, and they came for me. I started swinging, my entire strength in every swing. I lost sense of things.
"Julie, pick up the phone, I killed the dogs, all of them, I don't know how I did it, but please don't come up to the cabin."
There is a tooth in my palm.
It makes my hand throb, but it is too deep for me to pull out. Tears are flowing down my face, blood has covered my clothes, the scent of death has filled my nostrils. What do I do now? Then I hear the footfalls of heavy boots, I hear the clicking of a hammer, and a shadow fills the doorway.
Looks like now I die...
