Unleashed

Murdered

The next morning I got up and wondered helplessly through the house. 

All night long, I dreamt of the scratching on the car and the howling. Then as if changing the channel my dream would switch to the woods where shadow guy was at, but this time he wasn’t there. All I could hear were his painful cries mixed with howling echoes. Jumping up with cold sweats, I gave up trying to sleep as I made my way downstairs to make a cup of coffee. Taking a deep breath I crossed my arms as I leaned against the counter across from the coffee pot.

“Morning.” Says my dad as he walks in the kitchen.

“Morning.” I say as I pull out another cup. “Coffee?” I ask.

“To go please.” He says as he thumbs through the paper.

“Running late?” I ask replacing the cup and grabbing a travel mug.

“Yeah your mother kept me up last night.”

Turning around I raised my eyebrow as I looked at him, “Should I be scared to ask why?”

A smile formed on my dad lips, “Sweetheart what am I going to do with you?”

“Love me unconditionally?”

Walking around the counter he hugs me as he kisses the top of my head, “Why of course I will.”

Hugging him back I grabbed the pot pouring his coffee and mine, “So what kept you up all night?”

Taking his travel mug he walks to the fridge as he hands me the cream, “Your mother is worried.”

“About what?”

“The attacks. They’re getting closer and closer.”

Absently sitting the cream of to the side I say, “How close?”

Running a hand over his face he says, “There was an attack on Rodeo Drive.”

My heart skipped a beat as I instantly grabbed my phone, “Someone was murdered?”

He nodded, “A couple was mauled last night.”

“By what?”

He shrugs, “M.E. took samples, last night. They’re running tests to see what kind of animal it was.”

“That’s why you left at 5am?”

He nods.

“But how did you know? Trees surround that road.”

“Dispatch got an anonymous tip.”

I shook my head, “That’s crazy.”

“I said the same thing.” Drinking his coffee black he says, “Plan’s today?”

I shook my head, “Nothing besides homework.”

“Where is Thing 1 and 2?”

“Hell week and at some fashion thing with her mother.”

“I thought hell week was in December.”

“It is. Coach Larson found out that a few swimmers where acting up so he decided to punish them.”

“Was Ashton apart of it?”

I shook my head, “Nope.”

“Then why does he have to be there?”

“Coach decided that he might as well scare the other kids while teaching the team a lesson.”

Dad shakes his head, “Coach might have some lose screws.”