The Black Hound

The hound, I saw it, big and black, prowling the wood, waiting for its prey to stumble

It seemed like just a dog, but there was something much more to it, something that not many people would believe

But I believe. I saw it

The stars shone not. The moon was full

It glowed the whitest white I had ever seen

It was not that of an eerie yellow, or red, or black moon

The moon was so natural that it was supernatural, the essence of transformation gleaming down to the earth

I remember the hound did not mind the moon, and it came into the open

I was hidden, afraid for that if I moved, I would alert it of my presence

I breathed no breath, for my heartbeat reverberated its drum-like echo in my core, reaching my ears

If I heard it, surely the hound did, too

It happened then, the change in the dog, the terrifying transformation that left me filled with dread of the creature

The demon took the shape of a human, a middle-aged woman

She did not see me, but I saw the menacing look in her eyes

She intended to kill. She wanted to kill

I backed away ever so slowly

Each step took seconds to take. I placed my footing carefully

Yet, fate despised me, and an unexpected snap sounded from under my foot

It was but a single twig, but it felt like I had broken the string of my life

The hound-woman heard the noise and whirled in my direction, sniffing the air

Fate played with me like a violin as my scent shifted downwind

She knew I was there

My heart beat rapidly and was faster than my footsteps on the soft grass

I knew the pursuit would not last long

The beast was almost upon me

My house came into my sight

I ran with the swiftness of a steed and beat the hound to the door

The door would not protect me for long

The hound was savage and merciless as it threw itself again and again against the weak wood

Through my terror, the idea of my survival came to me once I laid my eyes upon the pantry

I rushed inside and grabbed the juiciest slice of meat I could find

I then proceeded into pouring potent poison over the beef

The hound’s cravings would be its downfall

I heard the door splinter in half as the hound crashed through

I flung the meat at the feral canine, and it accepted my offering

The demon ripped, mangled, and consumed the meat with great rage, its red eyes shining

Within seconds after its meal, the hound began to foam at the mouth

It choked on its own blood as it came streaming from its mouth

The demon morphed back to its human state in its final moment, and when the toxin had taken its full effect, its eyes refused to shine

This nightmare was over, but a new one had begun, for when I had gotten close enough to see the woman’s face, I saw that I had killed someone I knew very well

I had killed the master of the house