Assumptions
Five
Throughout the night, Melissa had been asked by a number of boys to dance. She had barely taken five minutes to rest herself when another boy, looking awkwardly handsome in a suit would offer his hand. She didn’t mind the attention, although it did sting a bit when who she wished to dance with wasn’t present.
She was now dancing with Marcus, the priest’s son, who was a very smooth dancer. The next song was a slow one, so Melissa took this chance to rest her head onto his shoulder and allowed the mellow song to swallow her up. She was tired, after all. Marcus blushed deeply but took it in stride, placing his hands gently above her waist and swaying her to the music.
They heard screaming.
It was so sudden that Melissa had taken a startled step back and almost toppled over a nearby chair. Thankfully, Marcus was quick and was able to grab her before she fell. They looked over to the source of the blood-curdling cry. It seemed to be coming from the gym’s bathrooms.
The rest of the students had stopped dancing now and were looking at the bathroom entrance apprehensively.
They jumped as one when they heard barking. Wild, angry barking. Several people screamed as something large and brown leapt from the bathrooms and landed in the middle of the dance floor.
The students stood there, stunned to silence by what they saw.
It was a dog. Or a wolf.
Whatever it was, it was very large—larger than any canine any of them have ever seen. It did not have fur, except on its head, like a person’s hair and a line of short black curls running down its chest. They could easily see its dark veins pulsating through its translucent skin. Its torso looked stretched, and it had very long, muscular limbs. Its paws ended in long, black-clawed fingers. It did not have a tail.
In fact, except for its elongated face, pointed ears and generally canine pose, it looked nothing like a dog. It looked more like a malformed fetus with long limbs and a long face.
It stared at them all with feral curiosity, searching their faces. Thick saliva was dripping down its ugly mouth. Sharp, yellow teeth poked out of its thin, black lips. Its snout wrinkled as it sniffed the air, its thin, almost-invisible whiskers twitching.
Everyone was frozen and silent, afraid that if they made a sound or so much as twitched, this monster was going to rip their throats out.
Melissa, knowing she was out of the creature’s line of sight, started to slowly back away. Marcus, however, remained where he was, legs frozen stiff. She was trembling as she walked backwards, inch by inch, careful not to make a sound.
One of her bracelets, which had clung to the skin just below her elbow slipped down towards her wrists. The sound of metallic ringing filled the silent gymnasium.
The dog monster turned its head quickly towards the source of the sound. Melissa froze. The creature padded slowly towards her. It looked strangely like a baby crawling. An ugly baby with a dog’s face and very long and muscled limbs.
Her body began to shake uncontrollably as the monster’s canine face approached her own. She could smell its feral sweat and warm breath.
But the monster did nothing. It crouched there, its face very close to Melissa’s, doing nothing. Melissa straightened up slowly. She looked at the creature, and she realized that the creature was staring at her. Its big brown eyes were fixed upon her unblinkingly.
Melissa frowned. There was something about the creature’s gaze that told her she was not, as she had originally thought, going to be eaten. She backed away slowly, stepping away from the dog’s fetid breath.
The monster whined and followed her, like an eager puppy. She held up a hand to stop it. The creature paused and pressed its long face against her palm. Its eyes closed in apparent contentment at the touch.
“Oh my God,” Melissa said under her breath, overwhelmed by what was happening.
Slowly, the creature reared its head back and howled.
It was a long, mournful note. Something out of a horror movie. Melissa could see the veins on its throat throbbing as the sound flowed out of its lips.
There was a flash of silver, and Melissa screamed when she saw Christian strangling the giant dog with his necklace. The monster retched and thrashed, its clawed arms trying to reach back and throw Christian off. Smoke was starting to billow from the creature’s neck where the silver touched it.
Finally, it managed to throw Christian off by shaking its back wildly. He landed on the buffet table, his crash cushioned by the food.
With difficulty, the dog ripped the necklace off its throat, for it had clung to the melted skin. It barked angrily and headed to where Christian lay. He was conscious, but he couldn’t move fast enough. The dog was above him in seconds. Warm saliva dripped on his face.
She was now dancing with Marcus, the priest’s son, who was a very smooth dancer. The next song was a slow one, so Melissa took this chance to rest her head onto his shoulder and allowed the mellow song to swallow her up. She was tired, after all. Marcus blushed deeply but took it in stride, placing his hands gently above her waist and swaying her to the music.
They heard screaming.
It was so sudden that Melissa had taken a startled step back and almost toppled over a nearby chair. Thankfully, Marcus was quick and was able to grab her before she fell. They looked over to the source of the blood-curdling cry. It seemed to be coming from the gym’s bathrooms.
The rest of the students had stopped dancing now and were looking at the bathroom entrance apprehensively.
They jumped as one when they heard barking. Wild, angry barking. Several people screamed as something large and brown leapt from the bathrooms and landed in the middle of the dance floor.
The students stood there, stunned to silence by what they saw.
It was a dog. Or a wolf.
Whatever it was, it was very large—larger than any canine any of them have ever seen. It did not have fur, except on its head, like a person’s hair and a line of short black curls running down its chest. They could easily see its dark veins pulsating through its translucent skin. Its torso looked stretched, and it had very long, muscular limbs. Its paws ended in long, black-clawed fingers. It did not have a tail.
In fact, except for its elongated face, pointed ears and generally canine pose, it looked nothing like a dog. It looked more like a malformed fetus with long limbs and a long face.
It stared at them all with feral curiosity, searching their faces. Thick saliva was dripping down its ugly mouth. Sharp, yellow teeth poked out of its thin, black lips. Its snout wrinkled as it sniffed the air, its thin, almost-invisible whiskers twitching.
Everyone was frozen and silent, afraid that if they made a sound or so much as twitched, this monster was going to rip their throats out.
Melissa, knowing she was out of the creature’s line of sight, started to slowly back away. Marcus, however, remained where he was, legs frozen stiff. She was trembling as she walked backwards, inch by inch, careful not to make a sound.
One of her bracelets, which had clung to the skin just below her elbow slipped down towards her wrists. The sound of metallic ringing filled the silent gymnasium.
The dog monster turned its head quickly towards the source of the sound. Melissa froze. The creature padded slowly towards her. It looked strangely like a baby crawling. An ugly baby with a dog’s face and very long and muscled limbs.
Her body began to shake uncontrollably as the monster’s canine face approached her own. She could smell its feral sweat and warm breath.
But the monster did nothing. It crouched there, its face very close to Melissa’s, doing nothing. Melissa straightened up slowly. She looked at the creature, and she realized that the creature was staring at her. Its big brown eyes were fixed upon her unblinkingly.
Melissa frowned. There was something about the creature’s gaze that told her she was not, as she had originally thought, going to be eaten. She backed away slowly, stepping away from the dog’s fetid breath.
The monster whined and followed her, like an eager puppy. She held up a hand to stop it. The creature paused and pressed its long face against her palm. Its eyes closed in apparent contentment at the touch.
“Oh my God,” Melissa said under her breath, overwhelmed by what was happening.
Slowly, the creature reared its head back and howled.
It was a long, mournful note. Something out of a horror movie. Melissa could see the veins on its throat throbbing as the sound flowed out of its lips.
There was a flash of silver, and Melissa screamed when she saw Christian strangling the giant dog with his necklace. The monster retched and thrashed, its clawed arms trying to reach back and throw Christian off. Smoke was starting to billow from the creature’s neck where the silver touched it.
Finally, it managed to throw Christian off by shaking its back wildly. He landed on the buffet table, his crash cushioned by the food.
With difficulty, the dog ripped the necklace off its throat, for it had clung to the melted skin. It barked angrily and headed to where Christian lay. He was conscious, but he couldn’t move fast enough. The dog was above him in seconds. Warm saliva dripped on his face.