Darkness Bites

The woman glanced up at the blackened clouds as she hurried through rain-sodden streets, damp tendrils of hair clinging to her pale face. The dog at her feet strained eagerly on his leash, urging her to quicken the pace. As they reached the wrought-iron gates to the park, she bent, freeing the animal, who bounded away with the joyous exuberance of a child let out of school early. 

The park wasn’t really a park, more of vast woodland tamed by a twenty foot high wall running around its circumference, a place once famous as the deer hunting grounds of the English nobility. Now, with the deer long-gone, it was the preserve of weekending families and die-hard dog walkers.  

The woman shivered and pulled the thin material of her coat tightly around her, a vain attempt to protect herself from the chill November air. Lighting a cigarette, she puffed distractedly at it, as she picked her way gingerly through the wet leaves that covered the gravel path.

The park was deserted, most people having had the sense to take cover once the rain had begun. Ahead, the path twisted through gnarled old oak trees, their bare branches heavy with fat droplets of water. She could see the white tail of the dog in the distance, chasing some small creature, oblivious to his mistress.

As she drew deeper into the gloom of the woods, the dank smell of rotting vegetation rose in her nostrils, mingling with the after-taste of the cigarette, and the shadows seemed to take on a life of their own. She walked a little quicker, conscious of her unease in this isolated place.

Her eyes scanned the horizon for the dog, but there was no sign of him. Calling loudly and cursing under her breath, she continued down the path. Light was beginning to fade, the short autumn day beckoning in the night. A wave of anxiety washed over her – the park gates closed early at this time of year, and she had no intention of being locked in for the night.  

She stopped to light another cigarette, her hands shaking with cold now, and looked around. The woods stretched out before her with no apparent end, and when she turned to look in the direction she had come, the view was identical. Fighting a rising tide of panic, she realised she had walked further into the woods than she’d intended, and had lost her bearings.

A movement out of the corner of her eye startled her, and she swung round to face the culprit. A small squirrel, equally startled by her presence, scurried up the trunk of nearby oak and disappeared. With a thumping heart, she dragged hard on the cigarette, the exhaled smoke billowing around her pinched face. Her instincts were screaming at her to get out of the park, but loyalty to the dog won over, and reluctantly she ventured further into the park, shouting his name until she was hoarse.

Exhausted, she stopped again and listened intently for any sign of the dog. Only the sound of her breathing punctuated the dark stillness. And then her straining ear made out a sound, faint but recognisable – a frenetic bark, high-pitched and angry, with a touch of something altogether more sinister – fear.

Caution thrown to the wind, she began to run towards the noise, her breath coming in short gasps, as she tried to make speed on the waterlogged ground. The barking became louder, and as she plunged heavily through the dense vegetation, she came to a small clearing. Ahead, she caught a glimpse of white tail, dancing erratically in the half-light of the barely risen moon.  

Her relief was short-lived, for almost concealed in the shadows in front of the frenzied dog crouched a dark thing – it was the only way she could describe the hunched creature that stood before her. She could make out no discernable features except for its eyes, glowing with such an eerie luminescence that it struck terror into her entire being. But it was the smell, an overwhelmingly malodorous stench of wet fur and decaying flesh, which delivered the paralysing blow to her legs and sent her mind reeling in horror.

As she came into view, the creature switched its attention from the barking dog, and swivelled round to face the woman. It snuffled the moist night air noisily, as if trying to drink in the taste of the newcomer. And then it snarled. A snarl that was neither animal nor human, but had echoes of them both. As the guttural sound rose into the black air, it seemed to speak of the triumph of a night’s good hunting.

She ran. Turning, and crashing through the undergrowth, heedless of the brambles and wet branches stinging at her face and legs, she ran. Behind her, she could hear the dog bounding after her, letting out a final, defiant volley of barks at the thing in the shadows.    

She had no idea of her direction, but ploughed on, adrenaline surging through her veins, firing her instinct to survive. She knew it was not the last she had seen of the creature, it would be hunting them already, but still she ran, hoping against all hope that she would reach the gates before it reached her.

She could hear it now, gaining on her with every bound, making a strange grinding noise with its jaws. As she desperately tried to speed up, she missed her footing and fell headlong into a small, bracken-covered dip. The dog pelted on, past her dazed form hidden by the fronds. Above, she could hear the creature getting closer, the thud of its claws shaking the ground.

Barely daring to breathe, her only salvation was to remain hidden where she lay, quiet as the dead. It was close now, so close she could smell it’s rank breath as it approached.  Then – an eternity of silence, save for the repulsive snuffling noise again. She fought the urge to scream, knowing that it would be over in seconds if it sniffed her out.

And then suddenly the bracken parted with a violent swiftness, and a grotesque leathery snout pushed its way through until it was inches from her own terrified face. It snarled triumphantly, teeth bared in a murderous grin, it’s gleaming fangs dripping with saliva in anticipation of the kill. A strange calm descended over the woman, as she prepared herself for the onslaught.  

It never came. Out of nowhere, a blur of black and white fur hurtled towards the thing, it’s own teeth bared in determination. Latching onto the creature’s neck, it hung there momentarily before the beast reared up on it’s hind legs and tossed the dog easily aside with a vicious swipe of its claw. Blood spurted from the creature’s neck, and it screeched with rage as it turned back to finish the woman. But she had already gone, seizing this tiny reprieve with both hands. 

Running now like she had never run before, she hurled herself through the bushes at breakneck speed, leaping, twisting, landing, stumbling. There were sounds of pursuit behind her, but they were slower than before. It was too much to hope that the creature was bleeding to death, but her dog’s selfless act might have bought her some time.

Her breath was coming in short jagged gasps, heart hammering in her chest. She knew that she couldn’t keep this pace for much longer, but she was going to die trying.  

And then she saw the lights. Two – bright white headlights, illuminating the heavy iron gates of the park entrance and the bushes in front of her. As she rushed towards them, she could make out a figure of a man on the other side of the gates, silhouetted against the headlights of the car. He noticed her as she came near and she realised it was the park keeper, closing the gates for the evening.

“You’re pushing it a bit fine, miss, aren’t you? Nearly got yourself locked in for the night.” He eyed her with an air of mild disapproval as he spoke.

“H…help…m…me…, s…something…chasing…me…” she stuttered hysterically, grabbing onto his coat through the gates. An unfathomable look passed over his face at her words. Then he calmly took a large bunch of keys from his pocket, selected one and turned it in the lock.

“W…what are you doing, let me out…please – you have to let me out!” she pleaded, rattling the now secure gates.

Sighing heavily, the keeper lifted his head and looked at her with weary eyes.

“Can’t miss, sorry. You’ve seen it. Can’t have you going round telling people about it now, can I? Besides, it wants you. And if it wants someone, it’s got to have them, or there’ll be no end of trouble for me. Got to keep it fed, see.” Firmly, gently, he released her grip on his arm and walked, unhurriedly, back to his car. 

“W…wait…please, don’t leave me…oh God…please…h…help me……!” she screamed, as the car started to slowly pull away.

She stared in glazed horror as the tail-lights receded into the distance, and then she sank to the ground, whimpering, one hand still grasping onto the gate.

In the nearby bushes a violent rustling began, joined by a hideously familiar snuffling noise, and with a sense of grim inevitability she turned to watch, as a black shape crept out of the shadows to finally claim its prize.