Paddock

Sam sat bolt upright, spilling his bowl across the floor. The soup immediately began to seep into the worn boards as his sleepy mind tried to understand what was happening. He had fallen asleep on the couch again; apparently while eating supper this time.

He glared at the sloppy mess before leaning down to pick up the bowl. At least he had thrown out the old rug when his wife died. Sam never could understand why she liked that mustard colored aberration.

A quick look at his watch confirmed the late hour. It was three o’clock. It would be time to leave for work in a few hours. He’d better clean up this mess now. It wasn’t going to get any better with time.

Opening the laundry room door, he reached for the mop. Just as his fingers closed around the handle a chorus of angry barks rang out from behind the house. Sam sighed and released the mop, heading for the back door instead.

Looking out through the opening, the warmth of the lighted room faded away into the darkness. A cold breeze stirred the few remaining leaves sending a shiver down Sam’s spine. What the hell were the dogs barking at this time? It seemed like something was always running through the yard or howling along the ridges. There had even been that bear last year that tried to get into the seed bin. That one had been as big as his truck bed and still seemed to think it needed more food.

Sam’s flashlight clicked on and he immediately pushed the button again attempting to dim the blinding white beam. Once it was finally down to a tolerable enough level for the early hour, he looked down to check that his bootlaces were tied tight and tucked in where they’d be out of the mud. Checking the animals was always worse when you had to clean whatever you stepped in off your laces when you were done. Sam hitched his belt a notch tighter to keep his pants up, and then proceeded out into the darkness towards the fence.

He was surprised when he reached the gate and nobody was there to greet him. That blue healer was always the first one to the gate. Jen wouldn’t let anyone else pet her but she wouldn’t let him pass without five solid minutes of his attention. Maybe she had something cornered. That would certainly explain what all the commotion was about.

Sam’s light pierced the dark paddock seeming to highlight every blade of grass, but he couldn’t find Jen anywhere. When his light passed over the barn, every last goat was huddled inside and on the platforms. They didn’t usually do that until winter. What in the world was going on tonight?

As Sam turned to walk into the paddock, his beam began to reflect off a light fog that seemed to grow denser by the moment. By the time he reached the gate into the back lot, the flashlight was nearly useless. More light reflected off the moist air than actually reached the ground. Disgusted, he clicked off the beam and shoved the light down into his pocket. Damned fog, he’d be seeing things next. At least that cold breeze was gone.

 A sudden swirl along the ground caused Sam to reach back to the reassuring frame of the pistol on his waist. It was still there, just like always.

A scraping sound caused Sam to look back to Jen’s doghouse. He flinched when he saw a black paw barely sticking out. A low growl echoed from the opening before he moved the light. Her odd behavior had him swinging around to make sure they were still alone.

“What’s wrong girl?” He asked.

The paw disappeared and the growl became louder.

“What the hell?” Sam mumbled to himself.

He reached back again, pulling the pistol from its holster this time. Careful not to eject the round, he pulled back the slide to confirm it was chambered. The glimmer of brass brought another wave of reassurance. Clicking the safety off Sam held the gun down by his side. It was not going back in the holster until he was behind a locked door.

“I’ll be right back girl, don’t you worry none.” Sam told Jen, hoping he sounded more confident than he felt.

A thin whine was her only reply, another growl following a moment later.

Sam cursed when he realized he had taken a step back toward the house instead of farther into the paddock. What was wrong with him? He’d done this a thousand times and never found anything more than an owl or startled deer.

Making up his mind, Sam walked swiftly away trying to project his renewed confidence. Always show confidence and determination he thought. Never look like prey or that is what you’ll become.

A cold breeze swirled the fog just as a shadow flowed across the ground, silent as a wraith. What the hell was that? Sam listened hard for the beat of wings. It had to be a barn owl right?

When he realized he had stopped, he glanced back toward the house. The lights in the windows seemed like tiny pin pricks of light from here. Damn, this fog was thick.

Turning away from the house once more, he walked onward. When the soft earth began to crunch underfoot Sam stopped abruptly. What the, that sounds like twigs or ice even. But that couldn’t be right this early in the season.

As he tried to make out the ground through the fog, a shadow swept past his legs. It was so close this time he felt the motion through the heavy cotton of his pants. Sam whirled around in the direction of the fleeing shadow, raising the pistol only to find nothing but more fog.

Oh screw this, whatever it was could have a goat if that’s what it took. He was done playing games on a night like this. He turned toward the house just as something hit him from behind. Sam flew through the air, losing his grip on the pistol before he smacked into the icy ground beneath. He scrambled quickly onto his stomach; spinning around to face his attacker.

Jen barked madly from her doghouse as the shadow grew closer to Sam. He knew lying down was only inviting attack so Sam lunged to his feet, sweeping his arms out to appear as big as possible.

The dark chuckle brought him up short. Before he could make sense of the sound, something shot out and wrapped around his ankle. A quick jerk brought Sam back to the ground with a whump. He grasped for breath digging the fingers of his left hand into the icy grass while his right hand flailed around for anything he could use as a weapon.

Pain shot through Sam’s pinky finger as he slammed it down across something hard. His desperation caused him to roll over, grasping frantically for whatever could cause so much pain.

He was suddenly aware of something big panting as it grew closer behind him. Each step it took crunched loudly as it shattered the frozen grass. The dark chuckle came again, but softer this time.

There, nearly in front of his face Sam saw his pistol. His blood decorating the trigger guard he had attacked as he flailed in the grass. He could nearly kiss it the gun was so close.

Sam struggled to twist his hand around and grab the cold steal practically under his nose.

Just as his finger tips brush the pistol’s grip, something heavy slammed into Sam’s back causing the air to rush from his lungs at the impact. The momentum sent him sliding forward as his head bounced down off the cold steel of the pistol. As his consciousness faded, something began to lick his neck. Pain lanced down Sam’s spine. It was the last thing he felt before the darkness embraced him.

Somewhere in the distance Jen whined.