On a night like this, he would not have been out. But tonight, it was different.
The city lay trembling in terror tonight. And she was out there and calling to him for help.
He paused on the way out to turn off the television. The local channel’s announcer looked shaken, her face white. “More bodies have been found with their throats torn out,” she said. “Is there a pack of savage dogs on the loose? Or is there some other explanation, something more evil and ancient? Tonight …”
He shivered, and hesitated. But he remembered her terrified voice on her cell-phone. She was stuck on the other side of the city, without transport. He had only met her three weeks ago, and already he could not imagine life without her.
The wind struck at him like a knife. It was so cold that his face and hands were instantly numb. Overhead, heavy clouds scudded across the sky.
It was only eleven, but there was nobody in the streets. He trotted to his car, afraid, instinctively, even in this familiar neighbourhood, and fumbled for the door handle. He heard the howling of some lonely stray dog a street over, and shuddered. It was one of those nights.
He fumbled out his cell-phone. “I’m on the way, love. Are you all right?”
“Yes,” she answered, “but hurry. I’m frightened. I can hear nothing but dogs howling…”
He drove as fast as he could, the clouds above patchy, the moon appearing and disappearing, its white splashes of light making him uneasy. He reached for the phone again.
“Where are you?” She sounded terrified. “I can hear the howling. It’s right in the next street…coming closer.”
“I’m coming, darling,” he said, twisting the wheel savagely to avoid something in the street. “Hold on, I’m coming.”
He parked the small car near the bridge and jumped out. She ran out of the shadows to him, and desperately threw her arms round his neck.
“Oh, love,” she said. “You’re here at last. I was so afraid. All the howling. And tonight’s the full moon…”
“Full moon?”
As if on cue, the clouds parted, moonlight shining down on him.
She screamed then, a terrified shriek, and tried to back away, but he was already down on all fours, tearing at her with his teeth and snarling.
Copyright B Purkayastha 2008
The city lay trembling in terror tonight. And she was out there and calling to him for help.
He paused on the way out to turn off the television. The local channel’s announcer looked shaken, her face white. “More bodies have been found with their throats torn out,” she said. “Is there a pack of savage dogs on the loose? Or is there some other explanation, something more evil and ancient? Tonight …”
He shivered, and hesitated. But he remembered her terrified voice on her cell-phone. She was stuck on the other side of the city, without transport. He had only met her three weeks ago, and already he could not imagine life without her.
The wind struck at him like a knife. It was so cold that his face and hands were instantly numb. Overhead, heavy clouds scudded across the sky.
It was only eleven, but there was nobody in the streets. He trotted to his car, afraid, instinctively, even in this familiar neighbourhood, and fumbled for the door handle. He heard the howling of some lonely stray dog a street over, and shuddered. It was one of those nights.
He fumbled out his cell-phone. “I’m on the way, love. Are you all right?”
“Yes,” she answered, “but hurry. I’m frightened. I can hear nothing but dogs howling…”
He drove as fast as he could, the clouds above patchy, the moon appearing and disappearing, its white splashes of light making him uneasy. He reached for the phone again.
“Where are you?” She sounded terrified. “I can hear the howling. It’s right in the next street…coming closer.”
“I’m coming, darling,” he said, twisting the wheel savagely to avoid something in the street. “Hold on, I’m coming.”
He parked the small car near the bridge and jumped out. She ran out of the shadows to him, and desperately threw her arms round his neck.
“Oh, love,” she said. “You’re here at last. I was so afraid. All the howling. And tonight’s the full moon…”
“Full moon?”
As if on cue, the clouds parted, moonlight shining down on him.
She screamed then, a terrified shriek, and tried to back away, but he was already down on all fours, tearing at her with his teeth and snarling.
Copyright B Purkayastha 2008
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