The man stood up to stretch and straighten himself.

“You sound like you were there for the whole thing.” 

“Everybody knows the story like the back of their hand; except for the kids, they don’t need to know ‘til they get older.”

He waited for the man to say another thing about the incident, but remembered that his purpose wasn’t to just chat with him. 

“I guess coming here at this hour wasn’t a good idea then,” he told Cal.

“Hey now, give me that damn gun back! It ain’t mine!”

“That’s why you hesitated to shoot?” 

“It’s Clayne’s! He doesn't know we took his stuff. The dogs are his too.”

“Oh, all this to save Johnny huh…” 

“Yes.”

“One last question,” the man said. 

“What boy?”

“What about the girl I was with? Was she at the house that day too?”

“I don’t know nothin’ about that. I never seen you or her a day in my life.” 

“Alright, thank you.” 

“What about you?” Cal asked, beginning to do his own inquiries. 

“What?” 

“What you doin’ here this early?” 

Immediately the man had dozens of thoughts flood his mind thinking of what he could have given as an answer, yet he remained keeping himself from being open.

“I’m just trying to get by.”

“Kid, you said somethin’ about Anna saving you…what’d you mean by that?” 

“Huh?” 

“If you really went to that house, where’s Johnny right now?” 

Speechlessness caught the man. He refused to do anything but see Cal repeating his question. Sweat built, slowly coming down his forehead, and he was stuck on what answer to give. 

“Aye…tell me what happened to Johnny.” 

In the distance, a sound similar to rapid scratching and kicking of dirt could be heard, but Cal was preoccupied on knowing Johnny’s current status while the man was too focused on thinking of an answer to notice. 

“Johnny…”

“SAY IT! I told you everything didn’t I?!” Cal too stood up and confronted him, demanding the truth. 

“Why…why not go over there and see?!” 

That’s stupid he’s gonna make me come with him! I gotta leave!

That gun he borrowed is gonna slow me down! 

The sound came closer and became louder, at this distance, they would be able to see what made the sound if they were more attentive. Instead, they were distracted in their intense exchange.

“Did you get in a fight or somethin’ and he beat your ass? TALK!!”

“Go find out at the house let me go!” 

“What?! Why you dodgin’ the question?” Cal asked, holding tightly onto his collar while his anger boiled up again. 

“Hold on…Cal!” 

Bark

“Hold on! Move out the way!” the man said, pushing him away. 

“What? Why?!” 

The dog that had run off, made its way to their location. 

“LOOK!” 

The same one that looked seemingly bigger and more fierce. It sank its teeth deep into Cal’s upper arm. 

“HEY! HEY! GET THE HELL OFF!!!” 

The man saw him turn and spin, and shake his arm vigorously, even hitting the dog numerous times to make it let go. From its absolute weight dragging him downwards, Cal fell, almost colliding with the man that would have put him in harm’s way if he hadn’t moved. 

“WHEN DID YOU START ACTING U—” 

It started to bite his neck, so much that it took a portion of his skin off. Then at that moment he lessened his resistance—Cal was almost completely idle. The dog growled, scratching him more, and went to bite him a second time. 

BANG 

What is going on…

“Cal…”

The man assumed taking the bigger weapon would make for a larger impact when shooting at the hound. Regardless, he wouldn’t have wasted ammunition from his own pistol.

“Is that even your dog…it doesn’t even look the same.” 

It fell on its side but quickly rose up, withstanding the bullet. The dog showed all of its teeth, white, but stained in red. Despite not being very scared, it did stun the man, and made him not want to move. 

Are you serious right now? 

The best idea he could think of was to wait for the right time to obstruct the hound from continuing and somehow tire it. Yet nothing happened, no one made a move, in fact, the dog looked up at the man. 

What are you gonna do? 

Then the man looked at Cal’s body. Taking notice, the hound in return reacted and also looked. It proceeded to sniff it, lick it, and bare its claws again at it. 

“STAY BACK! GET OFF HIM!!” 

That inspired his uncontrollable impulse to shoot again.

I’m gonna lose my mind…. 

And as more shots went into its body, it eventually left Cal alone, however only then it started to have trouble standing on all four legs. It wanted to move to him, and upon closer look the man found that the dog was more of a grayish color than before, with some grayish fur that was covering the brown fur underneath. The dog laid down, choosing to rest its head right on the man’s foot and shutting its eyes. The man’s eyes flared to the utmost limit from anticipating the next thing this animal could do. Carefully, he moved his foot from its head and kneeled down to look at it more closely, and he saw the damage more clearly. 

It passed, shortly after Cal.  

He stood back up in disbelief, and in disappointment, anyone would’ve stayed longer out of the pure grief from the chaos that resulted in this conflict. But he didn’t feel as sad as or felt as much grief; which is a blessed—and concerning thing, depending on the set of conditions one is faced with. 

He shot off the rest of the bullets in the rifle until there was nothing left, since that was his original plan.

I can’t hide this thing on me, I don’t have time to bury it either.

And he tossed it aside and ran as fast as he could to reunite with the lady.

*** 

The further he continued the worse the land became. He thought to himself that he could have been in a whole other city, unsure of whether he was still going in the right direction. When he came across one ledge leading down to a lower level of the land, he turned and looked for another route. He didn’t go far enough to see.

Not risking falling off from there, even if it isn’t that deep. 

To his fortune, he found a path where the ground was at an incline and took careful steps to make it to the bottom. Much of the winds that were blowing strongly did not stand out anymore by the time he was on a flat surface relative to his surroundings.

Okay... 

That’s the other rifle, it’s bent.

He stepped over it, while remaining cautious but still determined and continued. 

There’s no way this is all real.

Through the ground full of bumps and cracks, downward slopes and upward, he reached a point where it didn’t look like a complete mess.

Three things caught his eye, Jarid’s corpse, the unconscious lady, and a massive dog with whitish fur, sitting beside her. 

Reality caught up with the man when he laid eyes upon the dog, he was immensely afraid. From a bloodied Jarid, to a motionless lady, he interpreted what he was seeing in a multitude of ways.

He reached for his pistol and pointed at the dog, even at his eye to ensure his best chance for surviving. He knew his ammunition would finish but there were very few options.

If I mess up, this dog will mess me up for good. 

After this, I gotta take this girl somewhere to stay then keep moving. I don’t want it to be my fault she gets hurt—again even.

He pulled the trigger, and nothing came out. 

I didn’t load this back up… 

Thinking about the lady and being concerned with Cal and Jarid made it so simple for him to forget, now he could do nothing.

In a way, he gave up. 

How did I get into trouble so soon? Not only I messed up things for myself, but for other people too. What is it—like five people dead? And more if this dog does something?

He closed his eyes, drowned in his thoughts, simply waiting for something to happen. 

It’s like it never mattered if I changed in the first place.

To him, this may have been what he deserved. 

People really thought I was a good person after a while… 

To him, perhaps dying would be the only good thing he’s done. 

But I messed up.

If only I had calmed down and forgave him, I wouldn’t be in this situation…

Maybe in reality, this was only a test—

A light breathing came from the lady, she moved her hair from her eyes and sat upright. And the large dog began walking away, moving past the man and leaving their immediate position 

The man opened his eyes to see what the footsteps from behind him were; then looking back, the lady was standing right in front of him. He had not much to say to her though he worried for her safety.

The man did look Jarid’s body a second time and frowned. 

“Did he do anything?”

The lady lifted her arm to dust the dirt off his own shoulder while looking straight at it. She looked back at him, then turned around to see the tall building ahead of them. 

Oh yeah. I never asked Cal about the building… 

“I have doubts, but it’s better than staying out here,” he said, looking around him. 

The lady walked toward the building first, forcing the man to quickly catch up to her. 

“Stay beside me, not in front, or behind.” 

The lady complied and walked the same pace as him

So you understand me for sure right?

***

When the wind finally blew much less harshly, everything became clearer visibly. A woman could be seen standing somewhere in the land.

“How great…” said Anna, in a flat tone. 

So this is what’s to happen. 

She could see the house in the distance in a slightly different location, and the decision to go back was clear to her.

This was very sudden, even for me.

Placing her hands behind her back, looking down at the ground and walking without so much of a stumble or misstep, she managed well on her way back through the broken land. 

Hmm…

Within her footsteps she could hear others. It piqued her interest enough for her to stop and look. 

“You don’t belong to me.” 

The large white hound growled at her. It didn’t attack straight away, but it was highly cautious, and any second it could jump at her. 

If this is what it has come to, I am not at fault.

Nonetheless, she was disappointed. 

Anna gently raised her hand. A black coating of some substance formed as a layer over her fingers. She approached the dog reaching out to it, in response the dog recoiled very far from her.

“Stay.” she told it, then proceeded to place her hand on the dog. It froze in place after her one word.

The black substance transferred to its neck, growing and forming as a knot around it and ever tightening more and more. Anna then left it alone, and continued forward. Seeing her leave, the dog fought to move freely, not letting up in chasing her. However soon it couldn’t move, and not at all make a sound. Its throat was completely crushed. 

Paying no mind, she traveled, at a steady pace but in a peaceful manner. 

Like them, I’ll be leaving too.