Small Town Terrors

Chapter Eight: The Devil Dog of Port Saint John

Shelby stood shaking defiant in the earthy smelling rain holding a length of a tree branch between her and the ghoulish beast just feet away from her. Both the beast’s and her breath showed in that cold Halloween night air. The demonic mastiff looking beast snarled at the girl as in circled and sized up the last child to take its challenge.

Shelby screamed at the Port Saint John Devil Dog on that desolate old dirt country road in hopes someone would come to her rescue, “Leave me alone. I didn’t knock and run.

"I don’t want any wishes. They forced us too.” The great green and translucent creature almost seemed to laugh. It shocked Shelby to hear a guttural almost human voice come from the creature, “Doesn’t matter.”

Shelby turned to keep the Devil dog at bay with her branch, “You can talk?” The beast chuckled and leaped left then right seeking an opening, “Child, let us keep this brief. After all damn approaches and I refuse to give anything away.” Shelby stayed defiant and turned to match the monster’s gait and facing, “Keep the wish I want to live.”

It laughs again green bile dripping from its maw and sizzling with each drop to hit the ground, “Knock on the door. Survive until dawn. Get a wish. That’s the game. Loose and I take you screaming to hell with me and your fallen friends.” Shelby cried in the rain, “They made us do it.” The beast jumped and snapped, but she kept the branch between them.

This time the weight of the beast was too much for her and its mass d**g her to the ground. She held the branch with all her might. She screamed out with it atop her, “No, get off!” She pressed the branch against its neck. Its demonic maw inches from her face and neck. It drove the air from the raven-haired fourteen-year-old girl’s body, as it pressed down against her stomach with a single massive clawed paw.

“Jesse and the others made us do it. They forced us into the car and took us to your house. We just wanted to go trick or treating,” she begged. The devil dog sneered at her as it pressed down against the branch, “They’re all dead you’re all that remains. After you, I rest until the next fool tries.” Shelby struggled under its weight, “why do you do this, to people?”

Shelby shifts quickly side to side offsetting its balance and slipping free from under it. The devil dog hits the ground with a thud and turns to face the girl, “it hurt The Master and I submitted to save him. If I don’t, he hurts the master.” Shelby sits crouched and panting on one knee, “What?”

The Demonic Hound looks to the ground its furrowed brow shows the intensity of the memory, “I loved my mast my boy, but his father was cruel. He hurt my boy and then I hurt him, but I was young and dumb. He took my life instead of the masters that day.” Shelby’s lower jaw quivers as sorrow for the monster grew. “That’s when the man in white found me. He asked me why should he fix me. I said to protect my boy.”

“Then what?” Shelby asked as she struggled back to her feet. The beast shook in the rain to dry itself, “He fixed me and said if I do as I’m told he will let me live and protect my boy.” Shelby nods in understanding, “So all year long you live as a ghost dog with your dead boy.” The beast nods and continues, “but should anyone knock three times on the old house door I have to kill them.”

“Why?” Shelby demands. “If I fail the man in white takes my boy. I will not let that happen,” its massive head levels at Shelby. She sees its eyes narrow just as it had always done before each of its vicious attacks. She sidesteps the attack and hammers down with all her might, but her branch breaks as it hits the Devil Dogs' head.

“Good, there’s still fight left in you. Most usually tire by now or quit,” the demonic hound sneers. Shelby smiles, “There’s plenty of fight left in me.” She throws the broken half of her branch at the beast and runs as it flinches from the branch's impact, “and not more than a few minutes till dawn.” It glares at the girl as she flees south along Curtis Blvd towards Fay.

The hellish hound bolts after the girl at full speed. Shelby can hear the heavy beast large paws and waits until there is no sound. She then feints left and leaps right. The beast misses its pounce and slams hard against the ground. She never stopped her flight from the beast.

It only takes seconds as the beast reclaims the distance between them. It bites at the girl who again barely dodges the attack. She can see the lights from the railroad tracks near the intersection of Fay Blvd and Curtis Blvd and it gives her renewed hope of survival.

Shelby pushes herself to stay just beyond the beast's next attacks. She smiles seeing the sun morning rays rising off the Indian River Lagoon. The beast fakes its next attack and trips Shelby. She lands hard and exhales loudly on impact.

She tries to get back on her feet, but hope escapes without her as the beast’s massive paw slams her back to the ground. Shelby cries, “No, please.” She feels the demon’s maw at the back of her throat, “Do not fear child as with your death. It allows my boy and me to stay together for one more year.” Shelby cries and cries out, “Someone please help me!”

Shelby felt the pressure build in her neck, but then she heard the snapping and crunching of the vertebrae in her neck. She felt her limbs and body go limp but was very much still alive. She tried to scream, but no sound was uttered.

She could feel the beast talons rending her abdomen. She knew it had laid her body open, but could do nothing. The pain was intense as the beast took mouthful after mouthful of her insides and shook them free from their fleshy tethers. She could feel her organs slowly sliding down the monster’s throat.

The creature shook her whole body again she felt her body land hard again this time on her face. She had landed with her head turned to witness the horror of her consumption. She watched it devour what she knew was once inside her now laid stretched across that old dirt road.

Shelby’s anger turned to sadness as she thought of all the promises broken and the family she would leave behind. The worst part of her death was the thought no one would find her and her family would live out their days not knowing what had happened to her or her friends that night.

As the last breath rose into the cold rainy night air Shelby watched as a wall of ghostly children walked from the woods, where each had fallen previously, and welcomed her into the realm of the lost but never forgotten. As the sun rose the next day families sat broken at the knowledge their children never returned from the previous night’s Trick or treating.

There is one thing that everyone knows; never knock three times on the door to that old house on Mayflower Street on Halloween night as you will summon the Devil Dog of Port Saint John. Then you must run, run for your life.