OCCASUS

CHAPTER4

It was normal to hallucinate. She held the steering wheel and stepped on the gas pedal. She imagined herself in a hot bath when she got home. She would have a good night afterward. She deserved it.

A few meters in front of her vehicle, weird figures seemed to dash through the street. Sophie blinked twice to make sure she wasn’t hallucinating. The figures seemed to have disappeared into the darkness. Sophie sighed and shook her head. Her friend was playing games with her. It was a mistake to get drunk. She should only have a few drinks. But the liquor had cleansed the rough emotions that had gripped her. She had entered the bar with a heavy heart and left it light-footed. She had barely felt her legs when she touched the ground. That was all it took for her to acknowledge that she was intoxicated.

The sounds of growls could be heard as she drove along. Suddenly, an object dashed out of the woods. It happened too fast for Sophie to see. Before she could blink her eyes, the object was in front of her. Adrenaline ran through her veins and she stepped on the brakes, bringing the car to an abrupt halt. The force jolted her forward and she smashed her head on the steering wheel. Sophie winced in pain and looked up slowly. What she saw made her gasp.

Before, she was a huge dog with black fur looking at her. It had silver eyes and its fur was too thick. Sophie had never seen a dog that size before. She was both frightened and flabbergasted. The animal stared at her, and she could see the anger and confusion in its eyes. For some moments, the only thing they could do was stare at each other. Sophie was trying to analyze the situation. Was she seeing things? Was the liquor playing tricks on her? There was no way a dog could be as huge as that.

It was impossible!

The dog growled at her as it stood in front of her completely bathed with her headlights. It shows its huge canines before hopping off into the darkness. Sophie’s eyes watched it as it traveled into the darkness at tremendous speed. She was still trying to understand what had unfolded. When she was able to feel her muscles, she took off her seat belts and stepped out of the vehicle. Sophie walked to the hood of her car and stared at the spot where the animal had been barely moments ago. It looked so surreal. She slammed her palm on her forehead and concluded that she was seeing things. The huge dog left no evidence that it had been here just a few minutes ago; not even a strand of hair.

Sophie shook her head and got into her vehicle. Her mind was playing games with her, and it was all because of the liquor. She wondered what other drama would unfold before she got back home. As she switched the gear, she murmured to herself never to get drunk again. After making such a delirious promise, she stepped on the gas and drove home.

Sophie sighed and lay in the bath filled with warm water and soap. In her hand was a glass of wine. She was exhausted, and the bath was meant to be some sort of physiotherapy. As she took in the sensation the warm water bestowed on her body, she bit her lips. It was relaxing and therapeutic. Sophie took a sip of her wine and placed it in the frame of the bath as she dipped further into the bath. Today had been hectic and it was going to end crazily.

What had she seen earlier tonight? It seemed too surreal, but she couldn’t deny the fact that it felt real. When she locked eyes with the huge dog, she felt like it was actually there staring at her. What if it was? She scoffed at that. There was no way a huge dog would be running around Silver Heaven without anyone noticing it. If the townsfolk were aware of this, it would have been heard all around. She had been told that Silver Heaven was a quiet town filled with culture and exuberance. If a huge dog was running through the town every day, it wouldn’t have escaped the papers.

Sophie sighed and shut her eyes. She didn’t want to believe what she had seen. It was easier and safer to stay delusional. Having at the back of her mind that a huge dog was running around town at night would ruin her mental health, which was currently fragile. She had also seen some shadows dash past in the darkness ahead of her. Could they also be huge dogs too? It was scary to think that. Why would Silver Heaven cover up something as scary as that? Every town had its secret, but it was hard to believe a town like Silver Heaven, which wasn’t even on the map yet, would hide something this dangerous.

She reached for her glass and took another sip. Sophie sat up in the bath and something struck her mind. Back at the bar when she was intoxicated, she couldn’t feel her feet. But when she stepped out of the vehicle after that incident, she could feel her feet properly. Could this mean that she was less drunk on her way back home? The evidence was looking obvious. Sophie gulped hard. Was there a possibility that what she saw this evening wasn’t mere delusions?

No! She didn’t want to believe that. She had worked too hard to stay away from drama. That was why she had moved to Silver Heaven too. Tomorrow was going to be another hectic day. It would be her first day teaching at their college. Sophie wasn’t sure she was ready for that. Her mind was still on the huge dog. It seemed like her mind wouldn’t be at rest until she came to a reasonable conclusion.