Silverside Academy

Man Down

Eilidh watched from the window as her dad picked up the heavy stack. “Go, Daddy!” She cheered him on with the pure joy only a child could muster.

In her mind, they were already sitting down for dinner. She was challenging him - soda in hand - to a real rematch.

This time, I’m going to win.

Jared paused as he walked past the car, turning as if someone called his name.

Eilidh couldn’t quite see him well enough between the dim lighting and the stack of drinks that obscured most of her view.

She thought he might be preparing to showboat for her. He usually did whenever she egged him on.

But something was off. He seemed… different.

His body was stiff, and she could see well enough to know that he faltered his grip on the bottom-most pack of water. Something he never did.

There was an odd pressure in her ears. She felt it like a weight on her head, as if the atmosphere itself was trying to push her down. The heavy silence seemed to whisper to her to hide.

For a moment, a long stretch, nothing happened. Her dad just stood there, gazing out at something that she couldn’t see.

Then, out of nowhere, a huge, black dog - larger than any she’d ever seen - ran up and sank its teeth into her father’s ankle. Its fangs shone in the dim light, reflecting it back at her. She didn’t know much about dogs, but it didn’t look normal. Not at all.

Her heart leapt into her throat.

The dog tugged at Jared, nearly toppling him over. It was pulling him further into the darkness of the street. Further away from her.

The boxes of sodas fell first, breaking open as they hit the driveway. Some of the cans busted, sending bubbly spray everywhere. In her panic, her brain connected it to a popular soda commercial, where spirals of foamy soda and bright colors mingled together to make a visually loud statement.

Then the water toppled down, causing the bottles to squeal and groan against each other.

The beast pulled at Jared again, dragging him further into the shadows.

For the first time in her life, Eilidh felt genuine terror. It blossomed in her chest before it spread out like a sickness. Her guts felt like they turned to liquid, and her throat burned like she might throw up.

Get help. Go help him! Don’t just cower!

For some reason her voice just wouldn’t come out. By the time she was finally able to cry out for her mother, Janet was already running towards the door, drawn by the commotion.

“Jared!” Her mother’s voice rang out, but her father didn’t respond. Instead, he fought against the beast, punching and kicking at it. After a moment that felt like an eternity, Jared turned towards the house.

“Go back inside! Now!” His voice was hoarse, angry.

Janet didn’t argue. She snapped her mouth shut, and nodded. She slammed the door closed behind her and locked the deadbolt without any hesitation.

Much to her horror, Eilidh saw another large, dark dog run up. Then another - this one bigger than either of the other two. Each of them clamped their teeth down on a different limb.

It was like the three of them were trying to tear him apart.

Even with the monsters working together, they couldn’t make her father fall.

But they were successfully tugging him far away.

“Daddy!” She screamed his name with all her heart. Her voice reverberated against the window panes, giving it an eerie echo.

One of the beasts looked right at her. Like it understood what she said. It caused something inside of her to stir. It wasn’t fear, but something more… primal.

But she was frozen, unable to force herself to move so much as her finger.

In the last few moments that her father’s face was illuminated, he locked eyes with his daughter.

And smiled.

It looks wrong. The way his teeth were gritted a little too tightly, the way he was sweating even though the wind had a chilly edge to it.

But the love that shone in his eyes was just as she always remembered it.

It reassured her. Somehow, it made her feel like everything would be okay.

Daddy is strong, she thought in a way that was both childish and mature. Nothing can hurt him.

But was that true, really? She was watching something - somethings - hurt him right now.

He gazed at her a moment longer. For a moment, Elidh was certain her dad wanted to say something. His lips parted.

She leaned in closer, willing her eyes to see more; willing her father to speak. Whatever it was, she wanted to hear it. She needed to hear it.

Dad, please -

But her thoughts were interrupted when Janet pulled Eilidh away from the window. In one practiced motion, she tugged the curtains closed as she turned them away from the horror show outside.

She screamed and fought against her mother, squirming and pulling away with all her might. “Momma, no! No!” She kicked her feet against her. She didn’t want to hurt Janet, but force her to let go.

Caught off guard, Janet let her slip through.

Eilidh made a mad dash towards the door, but Janet was quicker. Barely.

She slammed against it, pulling her away and fumbling to bolt the topmost lock. The one she knew her daughter couldn’t reach.

“Stop!” Janet’s voice rang out, but Eilidh didn’t listen. “Baby, stop.”

Tears threatened to overtake her. To render her useless at such a desperate time.

Instead, Janet sat with her back against the cold door.

Her daughter writhed and thrashed in her arms, flailing and desperate.

She’d worked herself up so much in such a short amount of time that holding her was like holding a furnace.

What else can I do? Jared…

She felt helpless. Hopeless. She wanted to comfort her daughter. She wanted to keep her safe. She wanted to go and defend her husband. But deep down… She knew she would just be a distraction, an obstacle.

Jared was a wall of a man. Stronger than anyone she’d ever met.

So what the hell was going on?

The only certain thing she knew at that moment was that she had to keep Eilidh safe.

With one arm, she held her daughter. With the other, she managed to pull her phone out of her pocket. Her fingers trembled as she dialed the emergency line.

Lifetimes seemed to pass as she waited for the operator to answer. In reality, it only took a few, excruciating rings.

“9-1-1, what’s your emergency? Do you need fire, ambulance, or police?” The bored, tired tone of her voice was so out of place for the situation.

The sick sound of growling and snapping cut through her thoughts, threatening to distract her from what needed to be done.

She did her best to hold herself together, then put on a mask of bravery for Eilidh. “I’m not sure,” she tried to keep her voice level, but knew that her words wavered. “Ambulance? Police… animal control.” She let out a long, shuddering breath.

It did nothing to steady her nerves.

“My husband,” she plodded onward, doing her best not to picture what might be happening to Jared. Each word felt heavy in her mouth. “We need help. Dogs or something… Some kind of big dogs - a pack. They attacked him.”

Please, God. Let them get here fast.

Eilidh let out a scream that became a wail. She cried, begging for her father.

Janet’s heart softened, even as it broke. “I know, baby,” she whispered. All she could do was hope that her voice was soothing. “I know. The police are coming, they’re going to help Daddy, okay?”

Her only response was a renewed attempt to escape.

Even in her sleep, Eilidh knew that was a lie. She had seen the way it turned out. All the hope that reached out to her through the years was useless.

Because she knew what happened next.

They’ll roll him by on a stretcher. Her sleepy mind whispered.

It was one of the most painful things she’d ever had to see. A sight that still plagued her, even so many years later.

His death had started the very sudden shift from her cozy, happy life to whatever mess she was living now. It signified the death of everything she’d known and created a divider between the before and the after.

Her dream, her memory, began to fade, replaced by unsettling nightmares. Her fear was an inescapable monster. She was every bit as trapped in its jaws, as her father had been in theirs.

Though she knew the outcome, she couldn’t know what happened for sure.

For her, the last time she saw her father alive was that smile. That loving glance. A reassurance that was never fulfilled.

But for Jared, that was just the beginning of the end.