Page 1 of Love & Monsters
One
It was a lovely night for a run through the local park. The wind was a calm breeze rustling the leaves together is a soft whisper. Through the breaks in the overhead branches, I caught glimpses of the intensely twinkling stars and a few wispy clouds floating across the full moon shining brightly on the park trail under my feet
After an exhausting day at the office, I needed this late-night run to clear my head. The running trail near my apartment was empty this late at night, and the full moon seemed to keep the sane people at home. Better for me to have the trail all to myself as I jogged with my music blasting in my headphones.
Nothing cleared my head better than a starry night and some loud rock music.
Each breath I took was slow and controlled as I rounded a bend in the trail. The trees were thick, and I couldn’t see around the corner until it was too late. My rock music blasting through my ears blocked out the sounds.
As I rounded the curve, I stopped in my tracks to see a massive brown dog with matted fur pawing through a turned over trash can. Its wide head swiveled in my direction. I didn’t need to hear to know the wild animal snarled at me. When its body crouched low, and the dog snapped its jaws, my heart dropped.
I knew trouble found me before the wild dog lunged. As fast as I could, I turned and bolted back in the direction I came from. The perspiration on my brow began pouring profusely down my brow as my jog turned into a full-blown sprint.
Claws of panic curled in my gut and my heart pounded against my ribs like the hooves of a galloping horse. I turned my head to look over my shoulder and one of my ear buds fell out. Now I could hear the sharp claws of the dog on the pavement as it chased me and the feral growls and untamed barks.
In my two years of jogging this trail at night, I had never encountered a wild dog that looked so utterly wild. Not out here in the middle of the city. Thanks to my lack of knowledge about angry animals, I didn’t know what to do. Except for run.
Keep running and don't stop.
I’d never left the trail before. But in a blind moment of panic, I dipped into the trees. I thought that if the dog didn’t see me anymore, it would stop chasing me for interrupting its scavenging. That only worked for a second.
In one ear, a fast-paced metal song blared and in the other, I could hear the beast behind me, crashing through the foliage of the wooded park. The dog frothed at the mouth, and I swore it had red eyes. Anxiety clutched me with the irrational fear that I was being chased by a demon dog from hell under the full moon.
“Oh, fuck!” The curse spilled from my lips as my foot hit a branch jutting out of the ground. The woods were darker directly under the trees and off the trail. I couldn’t see the ground beneath my feet anymore, or the fact that the earth dipped away.
My body flew over that branch that caught my foot, and I tumbled over a hill. I did the best I could to brace myself, wrapping my arms around myself as gravity pulled me over a steep, rocky incline. Twigs and sharp rocks left painful marks on me as I toppled over myself repeatedly.
My other ear bud fell out, and a broken end of a branch hit me on the side of the head. The hit made my eyes snap open to see the dog at the top of the hill fading away like a ghost in the wind. And murky water at the base of the hill I was quickly plummeting to.
“Ah! No!” I screamed. My hands shot out, and I desperately tried digging my fingers into the loose leaves and dirt I sailed over as I fell. I couldn’t grab any purchase, and barely slowed my descent.
Frigid water enveloped me, and all the air left my lungs as I hit the surface. My blood turned to ice as the cold water pushed me deeper and deeper. Darkness filled my vision. I twisted and pumped my arms, moving as hard as I could to reach the surface of the water.
I was a decent swimmer, but there was something wrong with this water. It was too cold for this time of year, and it was heavy. Water shouldn’t feel heavy like this, as if it was alive and forcing me deeper into the black depths. Massive air bubbles slipped past my lips, and my body forced me to gasp. It stung my lungs to pull in that wretched, murky water. I kicked hard and reached, but my limbs were aching from the effort.
Even though I could see the large, pale moon through the surface, it was getting further and further away. I couldn’t help myself when I screamed, because I knew that despite my best efforts, I was drowning. It had to be true because the water rippled, and it washed away the moon as my vision went dark.
Was this the end for me? Is this how Mina Varlet died? Chased by a wild ghost dog into a pond that was determined to drown me.
Water filled my lungs and my arms felt stiff. It became harder to fight against the pull of the water, and something in my mind grew heavy. More than anything, I needed to close my eyes.
So, I did. My eyes fluttered, and I saw nothing but darkness. And in that darkness, I drifted away. A shiver raced down my spine and suddenly I felt like I was floating.
Until a wave of warmth undulated against my skin. The shock of that scalding heat jolted my eyes open and through the water, I saw red. A massive expanse of crimson. Some last instinct in the back of my mind pumped a fresh wave of adrenaline through my limbs.
This time when I kicked, the water moved and propelled me upwards. The knowledge that I actually moved that time sent me into overdrive. Now pushing myself harder and faster before the black returned to my vision. That need to survive, the human desire to stay alive kicked me into action in a last ditch to save myself.
My vision tunneled on the red light above and I was glad for the unfamiliar warmth of the water. It was strange, but all I could focus on was getting out. I kept forcing my weakened limbs until my hand shot from the surface and I flailed into the air.
Sucking in large gasps of air, my body instantly revolted against me. My lungs were still full of water, and I coughed and sputtered, trying to breathe fresh air. Everything was blurry and my lungs burned with the effort to breathe.
I didn’t stop pushing with every ounce of the last of my strength. Until I felt ground beneath my feet in the shallower water and stood on my trembling legs. Still coughing and spitting up foul water, I stumbled out into the warm air to the dry land ahead.
At first, I didn’t notice the missing hill I fell from or the fact the trees were thinner than in the wooded park, and the bark appeared blackened, as if they’d all burned. All I could focus on was laying somewhere dry to regain some air and rest my weary body.
I collapsed on the hard ground a few feet from the edge of the water. Little rocks dug into my skin and the coarse ebony sand poked my back. The smell of the ocean filled my nose and my face scrunched up. My eyes were closed, and I tried to control my panting breaths to listen to the world around me. Everything was silent, save for the gentle crashing of small waves. Despite my jogging clothes being soaked and clinging to me like a second skin, I was comfortably warm. If I didn’t know any better, it felt like I was at the beach.
After several long moments of controlled breathing and resting my exhausted body, I found the strength to roll myself over. It felt like sand under my palms, and I wiggled my fingers through it. Inhaling through my nose, I could smell the salty tinge of the ocean and heard the crashing waves.
