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“CASSIE, TAKE OUT the garbage.”
“Why can’t Allie do it?” I asked, closing the refrigerator door, pickle jar in hand.
“Because it’s your job,” replied my mother, who was sitting at the kitchen counter leafing through the mail.
I pulled out the largest dill I could find and crunched down. “Mom,” I said between chews, “come on, she needs more chores. She’s twelve.”
“Don’t talk with your mouth full.”
“Sorry.”
She peered at me over her glasses. “Tell you what... you can do the dishes and I’ll have her take out the garbage.”
“Fine, I’ll take out the garbage.”
“I thought so,” she answered with a wry smile.
I rolled my eyes and swallowed the last of the juicy pickle. Before I could reach for another, she pointed to the trash can. “The pickles will still be here when you return.”
“I still can’t believe you’re making me do this in the middle of the night,” I pouted, glancing out the window into the darkness.
“That’s funny, coming from a seventeen-year-old who keeps begging me to extend her curfew.”
“Yes, but not to go wandering alone in the dark.”
Her eyes softened. “Honey, there’s nothing to be afraid of. We live on a quiet cul-de-sac in the suburbs.”
Even though my mother was trying to comfort me, I just couldn’t shake the feeling of dread or quiet the niggling voice inside, whispering of something wicked lurking in the darkness. But then again, it could just be the fact that I’d been watching a horror flick earlier and it’d totally freaked me out. “Ok, well, if I’m not back in two minutes, send dad out.”
“Right,” she snorted. “Little Ms.BlackBelt.”
I couldn’t help but grin. Last week I’d received my Black Belt after four years of intense discipline and training. It took a lot of patience and commitment, but earning the Belt was worth it.
As I stepped outside, a warm breeze lifted my brown hair, blowing it across my face. I glanced up at the sky and shrugged off my anxiety; it really was a peaceful evening. The stars glimmered brightly and the moon was full.
As I rounded the corner of the garage, Charlie, one of the neighbors’ dogs, began to bark; which was a pretty common occurrence. As annoying as it typically was, tonight it was somewhat comforting to know I wasn’t alone.
“Hey, it’s just me, Charlie!” I called, my voice echoing across the dark cul-de-sac. A lone streetlight flickered on his side of the circle.
Charlie’s barking increased and he tossed in some obnoxious growls. As far as I was concerned, this dog had some serious trust issues.
There was a sudden loud crash from behind the Hendrickson’s Rambler and the motion-detector light flickered out. Charlie growled angrily in the darkness for a few seconds and then, without warning, let out an ear-piercing yelp.
Oh crap, that can’t be good, I thought.
A knot formed in the pit of my stomach as I began to panic. Really, I wanted nothing more than to take out the garbage and hurry back inside. I also knew that if I ignored Charlie, and he was hurt, I’d never forgive myself.
Dropping the garbage bag, I started walking toward his house when I heard a deep, strangled moan. I froze in my tracks; that wasn't Charlie.
I shivered. “Hello? Mr. Hendrickson?”
A tall shadow emerged from the darkness and my breath caught in my throat. I watched, motionless, as the figure shuffled through Charlie’s yard toward me. It was about a hundred yards away when the figure stopped directly under the streetlamp. I sighed with relief when I recognized Scott, a guy from my karate class, who I’d dated a few times. It certainly was creepy, though, that he was lurking around the neighbor’s yard in the middle of the night.
“Scott, what are you doing out here?” I called out.
He just stared at me, swaying slightly.
“Is everything okay?” I tried again, wondering if he was drunk. He’s my age, seventeen, and I’ve never known him to drink alcohol or use any kind of drugs, so his behavior was odd. I stepped closer and noticed that he held Charlie in his arms. An alarm went off in my head, and I froze. “Um, is Charlie hurt?”
Scott growled and then dropped his face down toward Charlie, who lay motionless. When he lifted his head back up, there was a dark red stain covering his mouth. He smacked his lips and moaned in some kind of twisted pleasure. I shuddered in horror as my brain finally registered what was happening. Scott was feeding on Charlie!
“Oh...my...God!” I choked, backing away. Bile rose in the back of my throat as the guy I once kissed assaulted the dog again with that very same mouth.
I turned to run, stumbling over the garbage bag I’d dropped, my ankle twisting in pain. I cried out and struggled to stand when something grabbed my leg firmly. I looked back and froze in shock; it was Scott, only it wasn’t him. His green eyes were now black as death, cold and lifeless. His skin was gray and riddled with bloody sores. His mouth, which still dripped with Charlie’s blood, twisted into a grimace and he let out an unearthly screech.
“Scott?!” I screamed as his teeth tore into my skin.
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- Writer
