A sense of despair about their impending doom hung heavily over Helen and Amanda. Knowing escape was impossible, they could only pin their hopes for survival on Charlie.
Meanwhile, Charlie stood firm, facing the large hound. They locked eyes, perhaps in confrontation, perhaps in some unspoken exchange, but there was no fighting. He simply said, "I'm back!"
"Woof!" The hound lunged at Charlie without hesitation. Helen and Amanda, unable to flee any farther, cried out in unison, their voices trembling with despair, "No!"
Only at this moment of mortal peril did they realize just how much the man before them had come to mean to them.
Their anguished cries echoed as both women squeezed their eyes shut in desperation. Helen, overwhelmed with fear, burst into tears and stammered, "If I'd know
