Page 36 (1/2)

As hoped, it started to give and we could feel the rest of the twigs and branches snapping as the tarps came loose under our force We ran feebly, aardly, for a few seconds, going nowhere, until it finally gave away We plunged forward I al as the sheet covered hedand soon ere free The tarp fell behind us and ere running into a supernova of bright sunshine

We ran for a few feet before collapsing on the ground on our knees Our hearts could not take ato catch ot on his fours and had a coughing fit

When I felt well enough, I looked behind me at the tent It was completely flattened Bird was nowhere around but Rudy was still under that tarp As o back, we had to help hiot up and approached the tent, our senses heightened

"Rudy!" he cried out We stopped above a shape in the tarp It looked like a body lay under it I was afraid to look but we both picked up the tarp, expecting the worst

There was nothing under there The bucket was there, but the bag was gone There were no scorpions, no snakes, and no Rudy

"What the fuck?" I swore and put my hand to my head I looked over at his pile of clothes, neatly stacked next to ours Where was he?

Dex was just as perplexed

"I don’t like this," he said

"What? What’s going on?"

"I don’t know but it’s not good Not good" He looked behind him at the house and nodded at it "Come on, let’s see if they are inside"

I followed him into the house The backdoor was still open so we let ourselves in

I gasped as we turned into the kitchen

Boy Boy was standing on top of the kitchen table, growling at us The raised, tough hairs on his back gave him a porcupine effect, and his teeth snarled into vicious points His eyes were as wild as I’ve ever seen on a dog before

"Hey Boy Boy," I said softly but didn’t make anyanymore," Dex whispered into my ear It sent a chill down od What if that was a skinwalker the whole ti to Rudy?

Dex pulled me back towards the door "We need to leave now"

I nodded and sloalked backward The dog continued to stand on the table top, growling like a laer Drool dripped off of its fangs and fell to the table top with a sinister splash

We stepped outside and closed the door gently until it latched with a click

WOOF!

Boy Boy ju and snapping I screamed in surprise Dex ran for the side of the house and pulled me away

We rounded the corner and saw Bird’s truck still in the driveway Both their cars were there

We hopped in the red truck but of course he hadn’t left his keys in the ignition If this were a movie it would have been a different story

"Shit, shit, shit," I said hitting the dashboard

"Cal wires out of the area beneath the wheel

"Are you kidding me?" I asked How did he kno to hotwire a car? Oh, never with his years of theater school

"It’s an old truck," he mumbled and concentrated I looked out the windshield I saw Boy Boy standing by the side of the house, staring us down Heon two legs and physically opening that door, paws on the handle

"Um," I squeaked to Dex, "could you do that any faster?"

Dex paused, then kept going "The dog’s out there isn’t he?"

"Uh huh," I said through clenched teeth, not wanting to le movement I realize it wasn’t like Jurassic Park, and just because I was still that didn’t mean he couldn’t see me, but it still felt better to be on the safe side

"Okay, I think-"

"Dex!" I cried Boy Boy made a sudden dash for us and leaped onto the hood of the truck, its nails screaot it!" he yelled and the car suddenly vroo went flying off the hood He kept the truck going backwards all the way down the driveway until we reached the end and then he spun the truck around as soon as the smooth blacktop was felt underneath the wheels Dex popped the car in gear and ere zoo down the road

"Oh my God, Oh my God, Oh my God," I whimpered "What the fuck happened?"

He didn’t say anything but gave my body a quick look"Do you have any bites on you from those scorpions?"

I looked down at my feet They were caked in dirt but they looked fine, no pain and no swelling The sight of h, made one forever, along with my boots

"I’," he said

"But you saw the he did

"Yes, I saw them But that doesn’t mean they were really there"