Dog Days are Over

Status
Not open for further replies.
B

Born_From_Shadows

Guest
Original poster
Contrary to popular belief, the beef and chicken flavored dog food they were feeding Gabriel did not in fact taste like beef and chicken. Cardboard was the right word. But he was hungry and just learned to accept the boring flavor over the years. What had it been, three years now? Gabriel-- also named 'Bert' by his 'owner'. Seriously, what was he a damn muppet? Bert of all names, he would have rather had the cliche Fang, or Killer, hell even Fluffy. No, probably not Fluffy. He got the shit end of the stick, his sister got an entire family while he was stuck with this nobody. Shawn wasn't a bad guy, but he certainly didn't get out much.

From their one sided conversation when Shawn got bored enough to talk to him he could tell he had a shitty job that barely got him by and he had no social life. Well, he got out every now and then, but it didn't seem like much. Gabriel finished the bowl of food and gave a huff, curling up by Shawn's feet and whining. Alright buddy, just because you don't get out does not mean I shouldn't. Hurry up and go to work or something so I can shift back to my form, or atleast take me for a walk. The German Shepherd at Shawn's feet gave another huff before looking up at him. He had no idea his very own dog was a Shifter, and if all went like the Alpha wanted he would become one too.

This was Gabriel's job. Pretend to be a dog and turn a random human into one of them when the time was right, but he and a few others went against it. They were going to protect the humans. And even though it was just him and Shawn most of the time, he couldn't help but feel like the guy was family-- it had to be the dog side of him talking. The dog side of him was also craving a belly rub. This was so shameful, but he stil just rolled over so his belly was up, large tail thumping against the floor loudly. Still, this life was better than the one he had before, and atleast his sister was in a good home. This Shawn guy did the best he could anyways, so all his complaining was really just something to pass the time.
 
The fridge holding Shawn's favorite soda wasn't normally blocked, but this time it was. Six o'clock would normally be a busy time for other gas stations, with people finally free from their jobs, stopping by to fill up on gas so they didn't have to endure the pain of performing such a task in the morning. But for Gas n' Go, it was different, which is precisely why Shawn stopped by this one after his own job. Not because it was dirty, had less than desirable employees, or a slight musty smell, that was mostly why nobody stopped by Gas n' Go anyways. That right there was the reason for Shawn, because it was mostly empty besides the employees, he didn't mind them, no matter how strange they looked.

"Come on... Choose already," the blonde male repeated in his head.

If this fat ass didn't pick his drink already, the employees would start to think Shawn was being indecisive as well. Though, he was only pretending to look at the chips across from the drinks. He didn't want it to look like he was waiting for him. He could easily solve the issue with a simple 'excuse me', or 'I'll be just a second.' But that was too much for Shawn.

"You know what? Strawberry Nesquik it is. I've had it on my list of things to try, anyways. It'll be good."


He quickly opened the door next to the stranger, snatching the bottle of pink milk and quickly, but quietly walks towards the register.
Naturally, the man made up his mind only seconds after Shawn had. But it was too late to go back and change his mind. It was a combination of laziness, and not wanting to look odd.

Shawn grabbed a ten dollar bill from his pocket, ready to pay as the cashier readied his total with Uncle Sam.

"Looking at two seventeen, guy," the mo-hawked cashier mumbled. Mo-hawk, huh? He must be new.

As the money was handed over, more people started to enter with their wallets out, ready to pay for their gas. It was strange, since when were there more than three people inside the Gas n' Go at once?

"Damn. Hang on, kid," said the cashier, who seemed to be struggling getting the register to open.

This wasn't good. People behind him might be getting impatient, or irritated. Shawn stared at the brown bunny on the bottle of milk, starting to wonder if going through all this would be worth the possible disgusting taste of pink milk. Or, perhaps, it could be the greatest thing he ever tasted. Soon, the manager was called over by the cashier who's name tag read 'Bud'. Bud argued with the manager, 'Jim', for a few moments while they worked on the register.

Shawn really began to panic on the inside now. His heartbeat increased as that horrid bunny stared right back at him, as if mocking him with those wide eyes, and goofy smile. The men behind him were probably more than irritated by now. They would look up to the front and see this thin, dirty-blonde haired boy, not looking a day over 22, just standing there with nothing but what looked like a kid's drink. And they would think: 'This is why I'm waiting?'

"This is a nightmare..." Shawn whispered inside his head. The possibilities of what the men behind him could be thinking multiplied in his head.

"Ah, there we go. Sorry, kid." Bud handed Shawn his change, but a few pennies slipped between his pale fingers, and rolled onto the floor. Pretending not to notice, he took two quick steps away from the counter, only to remember he had left his milk sitting right there. He quickly turned around, hoping to snatch the drink and not look like too much of an idiot. But Shawn's hand collided with the coffee of the man behind him, causing a minor explosion of brown, hot liquid to erupt in mid air.

"Shit," Shawn said aloud. He glanced back and forth between the now angry looking trucker, to Bud the cashier, then to the rest of the bystanders. "I'm... I'm sorry. I d-didn't mean-" Shawn couldn't even finish his sentence. He snatched his drink and sped out of the Gas n' Go as fast as the robbery that occurred two weeks earlier. He would bet money on the white, beater truck outside at pump three with the "Thanks, Obama" bumper sticker was his.

"Hey! It's fine!", the trucker called out. But Shawn had already fled the premises, as if he had robbed the place.

The mission for milk was a success, at least. Shawn hopped aboard not a car, but an average white bicycle that sped off towards the outskirts of the town. No, he didn't go to that gas station after work to fill up with gas, it was just a small detour to reward himself with soda after his daily work schedule. He didn't even own a car, there was no need. He needed the exercise to burn off all those sodas anyways. Combined with his job at the Brockbury farm on the other end of town, he didn't need to worry about getting fat.

"I can never go back there, I can never go back there, I CAN NEVER GO BACK THERE!" Shawn pedaled as fast as he could until he left the sight of the Gas n' Go. "I need to find a new place to go, now... But, they're all so busy."

Finally, Shawn approached the small house just before sunset hit. He screwed the cap back on the Nesquik bottle, only half empty. It was pretty shitty, after all. Another half empty bottle to add to his collection of less than decent drinks on the top shelf of the fridge.
Shawn rested his head against the front door, his heart finally slowing down as he heard the familiar footsteps of his only companion from inside the house.

"I'm home, Bert."


 
Shawn looked like he had a rough day the moment he stood with his head against the door. Gabriel stayed on his back a moment longer before rolling back over and sitting with his body leaned against his leg. Ah come one man, life could be worse. And I can't believe you just tossed that milk in the fridge, Nesquik is my shit. He nudged Shawn with his shoulder in some attempt to comfort him, but it did not last long.

Gabe, meet me at the spot. His ears perked up as his sister's voice whispered in his mind and in seconds he pulled away from Shawn, going to the door and pawing at the doorknob. He did not have time to wait for the guy to open the door, and in no time he had managed to open it himself and dart away. It was only a couple minutes of a run before he reached a hallowed out tree in the park, the darkness keeping him mostly out of sight as he shifted back into his normal form. After a second of reaching around into the hallowed out tree, he managed to pull out a scrappy old backpack filled with clothes. Gabriel slipped them on just before he heard someone behind him. "Lora."

A smaller woman stood before him, her dirty blonde hair falling in her face as she leaned forward with her hands resting on her kneese. "G-gimme a minute to catch... My breath." She gasped. The spot they were at was certainly farther from her 'house' than his. Gabriel didn't wait as he stepped forward, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Is everything alright? You sounded a bit worried."

"They were watching the house again. I don't think we have much time, they're worried that I'm not going to go through with it." Lora spoke after steadying her breathing, her sharp blue eyes looking up at her brother. "I can't let them be turned, Gabe. I don't know what to do." Her final words were a bit shaken as she thought of what the Alpha wanted her to do. They had two children in her house, and one wasn't even in middle school yet. She could not get herself to turn them, to take away the life they have. She found herself in her brother's arm, his hand patting her back softly.

"Lora it'll be okay, we'll protect them." He spoke softly to his sister, pulling the subject away to other random things to get her mind off of her worries, if only for a while. "Look, I gotta go back, Shawn looks like he's had a shit day, so I'm gonna keep an eye on him. If they're watching you they are bound to watch me soon, and he would be a lot easier to ambush." They said their goodbyes and he shifted back into his form, Lora wasn't going to change just yet so she was able to put the clothes away for him. He opened the door again to Shawn's home and went straight to the fridge, pushing it open with his nose and grabbing the strawberry milk. He ran to a back room withthe bottle in his mouth, twisting at the cap with his teeth until the pink liquid poured out over the floor. He lapped up the milk quickly, a feeling a triumph rising in his chest. I can't believe you didn't finish this right off the bat, Shawn. This is so much better than the cardboard crap you feed me.
 
"Wake up, Shawn!"

The sun covered Shawn's face with warmness as he finally woke up on his front porch. Did he miss lunch? Why didn't his mother call him in? Before him stood Amelia, the girl from just a few houses over. This was exactly how they met the first time. She had walked up while he was sleeping, and asked what he was doing. After telling him that he shouldn't sleep his life away, she invited him to explore the town. Seems this time she had another place in mind.

"There you are, silly!" The small child with short blonde hair leaned forward to smile at the lazy Shawn. "How come I always find you like this?" She started to giggle in that same high-pitch giggle she did the other times they met.

Shawn rubbed his tired eyes, "Hey, it's not funny. I had more nightmares last night, and I couldn't sleep!" The child had been having nightmares almost every night, but why?

"You know, when school starts again, you're not gonna be able to lay down on your front porch like a lazy lump all day! I heard Mrs. Steadford is VERY mean!" Amelia's eyes widened as she spoke. "I still don't know who my teacher is. Do you think we'll be in the same class? If so, we can be partners when she has us team up!"

"Oh, yeah. That would be nice." Shawn didn't normally enjoy teaming up with the other students. The class total was usually odd numbered, which left Shawn to be the only one without a partner. The young boy would then be asked to find two partners and team up as a group of three. Though, nobody invited him, so he had to ask them on his own, which was embarrassing. But, since Amelia had moved into town, that would change.

Amelia turned around and started to skip down the gravel drive in a playful fashion. "Well, you coming or what, Shawn-bon?" She had called him that stupid nickname that made no sense ever since she first came up to his door and asked to come out and play. But, nobody had ever asked him to do that before.

Shawn stood up and ran over to Amelia's side. "Where are we going today?"

"To the big forest just on the edge of town!"

"What?! That place? Isn't it scary inside?"

Amelia's tongue peaked out of her mouth at Shawn. "I saw something with a tail run into it today, and I want to make sure it's okay."

"What was it?"

"I don't know, maybe a puppy?"

Shawn sighed, "Fine, let's take a look, Amelia."

The two marched their way to the edge of the small town of Glendale in hopes of finding whatever ran into the forest. Finally, they had reached the massive wall of trees with the never ending darkness dwelling inside. Shawn shivered at the sight of it, but Amelia continued to march forward.

"A-Amelia... Are you sure this is safe?"

"It'll be fine, Shawn! If you're afraid of other people, then you should be fine by yourself if we get separated, right?"

Shawn froze. "I-It doesn't work like that!"

"Huh? How can you be afraid of other people and be afraid of being alone at the same time? That's funny, Shawn-bon."

The small boy suddenly stomped past Amelia right to the edge of the forest. "Stop it! Let's go, now!"

The two entered the shady forest, calling out generic dog names as they walked. As the forest went on, the darker it got. Sticks crunched beneath their sneakers, and leaves fell to the ground before them in a slow, graceful manner. One or two branches would fall before the two, causing them to jump. Naturally, Shawn would want to turn back, but Amelia pressed on. Shawn may be a coward, but he didn't want Amelia to go off on her own.
It wasn't long before Shawn got tired and fell behind.

"Ameliaaa... I'm tired. Let's rest."

"I think I hear him, we have to keep moving and make sure he's okay!"

"How do you know it's a 'he'? Amelia!"

Amelia had disappeared into the trees before him while Shawn had stopped for a quick breather. He ran forward, only to find nothing but trees. Which way did she go? This way, that way?

"AMELIAAAA!"

"Over here, Shawn." Her voice had a faint echo to it, she really did get ahead of him. Something wasn't right, she kept repeating those words, and every time she did, her voice got lower and lower.


Shawn continued to run faster and faster, the tree branches started to move as Amelia's voice got deeper and deeper. They clawed out at him, scraping his face with sharp edges. The boy broke out into a sprint as the tree trunks split in the middle. Large, blank eyes formed from the cracks, following Shawn wherever he went.

"HELP ME, AMELIA!"

The trees grew taller, blocking out what little light he had and turning the entire forest pitch black. He could no longer see where he was going, but he continued to run towards the deepening voice. Tears shed from the poor boy's eyes, he wanted nothing more than to get out of here as soon as possible. But he had to find his friend first.

As Amelia's far away voice was now the deepest it could possibly get, she finally screamed in her normal, high-pitched voice, louder than he had ever heard her.

"OVER HERE, SHAAAAAWN!"

Shawn tripped on a root, sending him flying to the ground. He tasted dirt and blood. The boy slowly lifted his head, only to find that the eyes were still staring down upon him. The branches, however, had stopped. Nothing could be heard but the cool breeze atop the forest, rushing past the limbs of the trees and creating a soft song of wind.


Then, he heard footsteps behind him. Amelia? No, these weren't human. Shawn shut his eyes, wanting whatever it was to go away. Then, he felt something wet on the back of his neck. Was it... A tongue? Shawn turned around to find what looked like a white German Shepherd facing him, looking him dead in the eye.

"Are you what Amelia was looking for?" Asked Shawn. He reached out his hand to pet the dog until its jaws opened, suddenly engulfed by the darkness of its mouth in a split second.





It was only a matter of seconds before Shawn had realized he had been mumbling out loud on the couch in a mono-toned voice in his sleep. He sat up, only to find his German Shepherd, Bert, looking up at him from the floor.

"Want a snack, Bert?" Shawn said as he stumbled to his feet to go fetch a bowl of the beef and chicken dog food. Bert seemed to like it, so it was definitely a good choice.

He made his way to the bathroom after getting Bert his food. There, he stood before the dirty mirror and lifted up his blonde hair along the right side of his face to stare at the scar that mocked him every time he brushed his teeth, combed his hair (which was always a failure, of course), and washed his face, which is exactly what he did next. He splashed the cold water onto his pale face, letting the water run as he reflected on the hazy memory of the day in the forest. The nightmare had obviously warped the memory slightly, but everything about getting lost, and getting injured by the white German Shepherd was true.

Shawn had his reasons for not hating dogs after that incident. Oh, he had his reasons. But, he did not wish to reflect on the memory of what had occurred that life-changing day. Besides, he would be force to experience it in his sleep in a more warped version that before. These memories seemed to appear in his nightmares in order, believe it or not. He would be free of the nightmares for quite some time until the cycle would begin anew. Looks like it started back up again, and there was no avoiding it. At least he got to see Amelia again, before things changed.
 
Shawn was having a nightmare, and all Gabe could really do was sit and watch. Time ticked by and he mumbled things even his hearing couldn't pick up. The kid finally woke up and spoke to him- giving a bark in response. He took a few bites of his meal before looking up, realizing Shawn wasn't in the same room. His nails clicked against the floor of the small house, sniffinf around for Shawn until he found him again. Poor kid looks all bent out of shape. Gabe sat down on one of his feet, pressing his body against his leg in a comforting manner. But it only lasted so long until he picked up a familiar scent.

There was a quick knocking on the door and the hair on Gabe's back pricked up, a growl forming in his throat. He ran to the door and began barking rather agressively. Why was she here? Once Shawn opened the door though his growling stopped.

Lora stood in the doorway, trembling a bit. Her long blonde hair was a tangled mess along with her clothes. Her jeans were covered in red splotches as if she had been kneeling in something, and her shirt had been turned inside out as if she had put it on in a rush, the red liquid splattered along that as well. Her green eyes landed on 'Bert' with an apologetic look before looking up at Shawn. "I-I'm sorry... M-my friends got in a car accident and the ambulance rushed them off th-there was no room for me. I was going to walk home but I guess the adrenalin wore off and I'm exhausted now. C-can I please come in? It's starting to get dark out and I'm freezing."

That's a piss poor excuse, Lora. Gabe growled in his head, the slight flinch from his sister letting him know she got it. He backed away from the door, however, and looked up at Shawn. Was he going to let his sister in? Something had to have happened at Lora's home, and they may soon be coming for him.
 
Shawn's eyes widened at the sight of the soaked girl before him. Naturally, the boy didn't know what to say at first, only stare at the surprise that appeared on his doorstep.

"I-I have room," stammered Shawn. What the hell? Of course he had room! Was that really the first thing that came to mind? He shook his head once, looked to Bert, then back to the girl. "Um... Please, come in! I mean, It wouldn't be very nice to keep you out there. I-I can get you some water, or something... Right this way!"

"Who is this girl?" Shawn quickly ran inside to get a dry towel from his bathroom. "Where did this accident happen? Is her friend okay? It makes sense that she came here... We are on the outskirts of the town, after all. I hope she didn't have to walk far. What do I do next? Get her a drink, or something? I don't have anything hot, I always get my coffee to go, I don't actually have anything here. Nah... she probably doesn't like coffee. Maybe a towel, and a blanket will do. But what about her clothes, and those red stains? It's not like I have anything for her to wear... I guess I'll have to ask her some questions, like where she's from."

He grabs a single towel from the top shelf, only to have the rest below come tumbling down from the top, burying him underneath. A loud groan could be heard from the other room.

"Well, what are the odds of me helping someone tonight? This is great! Maybe I'll be the hero of her day. I don't think I've ever been a hero before. What am I talking about? I'm just letting her stay here until it clears out, right? I'd better just make her feel comfortable now. I hope she doesn't mind the mess... I wasn't expecting company."

Shawn emerges from the bathroom, leaving the mess of towels for now, and rushes over to the poor, drenched girl. He holds out the towel with a half-smile. "Um... Come on in! Can I, er, get you anything while you're here?"
 
"Water sounds nice, thank you." Lora spoke softly, though her eyes seemed to be analyzing anything she could about Shawn as he rushed away to fetch a towel. Using her sleeve, Lora wiped the bottoms of her bare feet before stepping into his house, following Gabe into the living room and taking a seat on the couch, wrapping the towel around her lithe form. "Uhm... Nice place you got here... You live alone?" Small talk was something to keep her sounding normal, though her mind was somewhere else. All she could do was send small flashes to Gabe, images showing in his mind like pictures being thrown into his vision.

The Alpha was at the door, and then he was in the house. Lora's 'family' had no idea who he was until it was too late. They were sudenly surrounded by people working for the Alpha. Yelling at Lora to change them-- prove her loyalty. Judging by the next image in their minds Lora had refused. There was blood and mangled corpses. Age meant nothing to the Alpha, the youngest boy she had spoken of before torn to shreds, Lora doing everything in her power to save him. It was useless, the next image being Lora running away, using the rain to cover her scent.


Gabe's fur stood up once more, this could happen to Shawn, or worse they could find Lora and kill her. He didn't realize he was growling until Lora reached over and scratched behind his ears. She was cold and exhausted, but she was alive, that was all that mattered to Gabe. Shawn's awkward, but he's a good kid. He'll take care of you. I'll keep you safe as well.

Gabe's words in Lora's head made her smile and she looked to Shawn, speaking up once more. "Thank you for letting me in-- And for the towel."
 
"Um, yeah, of course. No big deal." Shawn jogged to the kitchen sink to quickly grab the cleanest glass he could and start to poor water into it. The sink spat water at him, having a small amount of air inside as it turned on. He glared at the sink, then down to his wet shirt. Shawn let out a miserable sigh and hurried to the couch.

The girl simply sat there, staring off into space as if really concerned about something. Well, of course she was concerned. She was in a caraccident. She seemed to be connecting with Bert rather nicely, though. He'd never had a girl inside his house before, except for...



"So, this Amelia, you've spoken of, your childhood friend? Do I get to meet her or what?"

"No, she's..."



"Here you go. I ran out of ice, so I hope it's okay chilled," Shawn lied. In reality he was far too lazy to even fill up the ice tray with water, but telling her the truth would make her feel like she'd entered the home of a lazy bum that was so lazy, he couldn't even take five seconds out of his life to poor water into a tray. Which, was the truth.

"Erm..." Shawn looked over the girl briefly as he slowly took a seat on the far end of the couch. "Did you lose your shoes, or something? It's not safe to be walking around barefoot out there."
 
Lora took the water with a mumbled thank you and took a long drink, eyes opening slightly to look over his now wet shirt. He seemd jumpy, or atleast a bit awkward. Gabe seemed to have been right about him, he looked like he did not have many guests over-- but then again she was a guest covered in blood.

Gabe moved away from his sister, laying down next to Shawn by his feet. Though he only laid there for a few seconds before jumping up and looking around the house, jumping up and looking through each window. The rain was blocking out any scents. That was both a pro and a con. They would be unable to track Lora easily-- but at the same time if they knew to check here, they could show up without Gabe picking up the scent. Damnit... I'm not going to get any sleep tonight. He tossed his head back and glared at Lora, hair raising a moment before smoothing out once more.

Lora sunk back into the couch a moment as she thought of what to say in response to her being barefoot. "I uh...."
Oh you know, what with everyone being slaughtered and what not, I didnt really have time to put on shoes. Hell, I had to steal these clothes from the daughter that 'owned' me. Luckily we're the same size.

Yeah, that sounded logical. "I had my shoes off in the car. I couldn't really fish them out in the wreck. I'm fine though, only cut my feet up a little."
 
"I, uh... You should..." Shawn scratched the back of his head, eyes dancing around the floor. He wasn't going to give her his old pair of work boots, was he? The soles were caked with horse shit, and the leather worn down. He heels were scuffed so much, that they were almost lopsided when you stood them up. An eyelet was missing, too. The laces were frayed at the ends as well. But...

"You can have an old pair of boots of mine, I'll just need a moment to clean them up. I work for a farm, you see." He offered a smile towards the girl, but he knew he'd have to do some work before he could present them to her. What else was he to do? He couldn't let her go back outside like that. He looked to Bert, then back to the girl. He didn't even know her name.

Shawn looked over his shoulder to the closet where he kept the boots, right next to the closet with the mess of towels. He couldn't help but notice the blood stains on the girl's shirt when he looked back. Was that from her friend? Or, was it hers?

"We'll do that, and it looks like you need to clean yourself too. There's a shower back there, if you want. I-I've got fresh towels and everything." It was the least he could do. Shawn didn't want her to just go home empty handed after what she had just witnessed.

He turned away from the girl, looking at Bert again, as if trying to talk to him with his facial expressions. "What else am I supposed to say? Did I offer her what needed to be offered? Am I talking too much? I hope I'm not sitting too close... Does she feel safe here? Should I take her to a hospital to get her checked out? Wait, I don't have a car. Dammit, Shawn."

Shawn quickly turned around to face the girl once again. "It's whatever you want to do, just let me know what you need! Um... What was your name?"
 
Lora watched Shawn as he spoke what seemed a bit hesitantly, a slightly amused smile flicking across her face for a moment. "I'll be fine. You'll need them more than me." She hugged her kneese a moment as she looked down at her feet, blood caked on them from stepping in the pools as well as a couple scrapes from running. The scrapes were already seeming to heal faster than what normal humans would, but that didn't mean they did not sting. At the mention of a shower she quickly nodded. "Oh thank you, I smell like... Well death. It's really not flattering is it?" She stood up, looking over herself and managing to give a slight chuckle. "I really know how to make first impressions, huh?"

With that she started heading for the bathroom, grabbing one of the towels from the toppled pile. "Lora, by the way. No last name." She tosses him a thumbs up before heading into the bathroom and shutting the door, the sound of the shower soon leaking through the door. Gabe stared at Shawn for a long moment, he was an awkward mess. Soon his simply trotted his way into the bedroom and dug through a pile of clothes, pulling out a shirt and pajama pants. He trotted back over to the bathroom and pawed at the door. Open up, it's me.

"No, really? I thought Shawn was scratching at the door." Lora said in a quiet, sarcastic tone to Gabe as she cracked the door enough to stick her arm out to grab the clothes. "Thanks!" She called out to Shawn. "Your dog is really trained! You'd think he was like... A human or something!" Lora cast Gabe a dark look as if telling him to watch how he acted, just getting an eyeroll from the dog in return.

Gabe trotted back over to the couch, laying down with a huff as he waited for Lora to step out. Lora rested her forhead against the wall of the shower, letting the hot water wash down the blood and grime. Memories of the event flashed through her mind, causing her to shut her eyes tightly and clench her fists. She had failed her 'family' and now they were dead. And it would only be so long before they found her and Gabe-- and Shawn for that matter. "Damnit... What are we going to do?"

After a couple of minutes, Lora stepped out wearing Shawn's clothes and looking down at the ground. "Uhm... Do you mind if I stay for the night? It's already so late and I don't really have a ride."
 
Shawn froze in place at the mention of 'staying the night'. "Stay the night?! I mean, I'm not against it, but this hasn't happened since..."



"Nice place, Shawn. You know, since you don't have a car, can I stay the night? You can tell me about this 'Amelia' friend of yours."

"I-I don't know, I haven't talked about her since..."



"Of c-course! Um... Did you want my bed? I can sleep on the couch." Shawn thought that might have been the right thing to say. Hopefully he didn't screw up already at welcoming a guest into his house without realizing it.

"Let's see, I got her a drink, offered her a seat, shower, a bed, that's good, right? Am I missing something? I haven't had a guest in a long time..."

The nervous boy peaked his head into the living room to see if she had made her way in again, but found Bert. He looked at him with a shrug, as if asking him if there was anything else he was missing. He hung his head hopelessly. He was a dog, right? What would he know?

"What am I going to do about the morning? Will she want breakfast, or sleep in 'til noon? She's been through a lot. I wouldn't doubt it if she slept in that long. Good thing I have tomorrow off the farm, I can focus on this situation. But, how will she get home? I don't have a car... Will someone pick her up? Yeah, she can use my phone. I hope her friend is okay. Where did the accident even happen?"

He peaked around the corner again, looking for this 'Lora'.

"No last name? Who doesn't have a last name? Strange, but I won't ask about it. Maybe she's sensitive about her identity? I'm sure I would be too, if I was forced to stay at a strangers house."

The living room was dimly lit, almost moody. Shawn quickly stepped towards the nearby lamp atop the old oak table his mother had given him for furniture. It was one of those old touch lamps, where every time you touch it, it got brighter, and brighter, until the light shut completely off, and restarted the cycle. As the light got brighter, he skimmed the room for Lora.

"I'm Shawn, by the way. I-It's nice to meet you, Lora." Shawn stammered. "Again, you can have the bed if you want. Bert s-seems to like you. If you want, he can stay in your room to keep you company, if that would make you feel safe. From what you've just experienced, it might be nice to have someone there beside you."
 
Gabe wanted nothing more than to die of laughter. Poor Shawn was a jittering mess and it certainly caused amusement for the young Skinwalker. He continued to watch Shawn poke in and out of the living room until Lora finally appeared. No way was Gabe staying with Lora, he needed to stay by Shawn tonight if anything were to happen.

"Nice to meet you too, Shawn." Lora offered Shawn a smile and sat back down on the couch, using the towel to dry her hair. "I can sleep on the couch. I don't want to intrude." She paused a moment before picking up the remote. "Do you mind if I...?" Lora had trailed off, turning on his TV to the news. "Uh... Maybe they'll mention something about the wreck." Or the massacre of an entire family in the suburbs. A sigh of relief escaped Lora as the news spoke on about celebs and random nonsense. Good, nothing yet.

Gabe let out a whining noise as he watched the news, though, just like Lora, he seemed to relax as nothing was mentioned. He turned around and trotted to the bedroom, plopping at the foot of Shawn's bed. Lora had already made herself confortable on the couch, all the work from the day draining her. Soon enough she had simply passed out, curled up on the couch with the towel still wrapped around part of her hair.

Early morning's sun managed to peak through the window and hit Lora right in the face, forcing her to open her tired eyes and look around. Where was she again? Right, Shawn's house, her brother's 'family'. She sighed and sat up scratching her scalp covered by messy hair a moment before standing and looking around the living room. The TV had stayed on, and the news reporter was speaking about a mysterious animal attack. A family was killed, what looked like animal bites the cause of death... Their dog was missing. "Fuck.... " She whispered to herself as she flicked the TV off. It wouldn't be long before Shawn found out there was no car accident, then he would have to wonder why a random stranger covered in blood was in his house. She sat back down on the couch a moment to think before jumping right back up and pacing the room.

How long until the Alpha found her? How long until they came after her brother next? "Damnit, damnit it all." This was getting to frustrating, and she felt as though breathing itself was a challenge. Okay, deep breaths. Everything will be fine. Maybe he'll want a second dog or something... I don't know
 
The hospital was dark when Shawn awoke. He felt a bandage along the right side of his face. The little boy looked around in terror. "Where's Amelia? Did she make it out of the forest safe? Or did that... That white dog get her?!"

Suddenly, the door opened. A female nurse walked in, holding a clipboard in her hand. "Hello, Shawn. That's quite the injury on your face!"

The lights turned on, Shawn squinted at the sudden brightness. "Um, um... Where's Amelia?! Where's my friend?! Did she make it out?!"

The nurse waved her hands, quickly rushing over to his bedside. "Shh... She's fine. She didn't even get attacked. Your friend is actually in the waiting room, along with your parents. They wanted to wait until you woke up. You blacked out after you were attacked by that creature in the forest!"

"I-It was a b-big, scary dog! He appeared right in front of me, and, and, and...."

"Shhh, it's okay. It can't hurt you now. Do you want me to get your friend and family now? They've been waiting quite a while." The nurse's hand gently brushed the injured side of Shawn's face.

"Y-Yes, please."

The nurse smiled a gentle, comforting smile and walked out of the room. Minutes passed, nobody came in. Minutes turned into hours as Shawn patiently sat upon the hospital bed, awaiting Amelia and his family.

"N-Nurse?" Shawn called out. There was no answer.

The boy hopped out of his bed, the floor cold underneath his bare feet. Slowly, he approached the door, and with a gentle push, he stumbled into what seemed to be a deserted, infinite hallway of doors. Shawn crept forward, looking down each hallway, but he saw nothing but emptiness.

"Ameliaaaa?" Shawn called out the name of his friend quietly.

Suddenly, he heard a noise come from inside one of the rooms. At first, he couldn't make out what it was, but after pressing his ear against the door, he could make out what sounded like growling. The boy's hand trembled. Dare he open that door? The handle was cold to the touch as he gently turned it to the side, and made a crack in the doorway. It was dark, but the moon was bright from outside through the window. A lump could be seen where the bed was probably at. The growling continued for awhile, until finally, the lump sat up, and looked Shawn in the eyes.
A pale hand turned on the lamp on the desk next to the bed, but horror struck Shawn as the human body revealed the head of a white German Shepherd atop the shoulders. What appeared to be red eyes locked onto Shawn, and stared him down for several moments, before finally its mouth opened wider than any dog's mouth should, and exposed white, wet, vicious teeth.

Shawn cried out, and sprinted down the hallway. As he finally ran into a hallway that had people in it, they all turned to him, but their heads, like the patient, had heads of a dog. They were all different breeds, and they all bared their teeth at him as he sprinted past them.
He blinked back tears as his sprint down the hallways continued, until he crashed into a body. Shawn looked up, only to be face to face with the patient with the white German Shepherd head.
The head seemed to grin at him, with its wet, dripping teeth, before the image of the dog began to slowly fade away...




Shawn awoke suddenly, the sun was just beginning to peak over the hills outside his window. The sound of the TV could be heard from the living room. That's right, he had welcomed that girl into his house last night. He was too tired to worry if she had gotten a good enough snooze on that couch or not. It wasn't ideal for sleep, maybe just a nap after work.
He continued to lay in bed until the sun's rays slowly crept over his chest, warming him as the sunlight finally shined into his face. He heard movement from the living room. Yep, she was awake.

"Man... I don't have much for breakfast. I hope she wasn't expecting a hot breakfast, all I have is cereal."

The relief of cracking his back while sitting up in bed gave him the courage to finally exit the heaven known as his bed, and stand up. Bert was still at his bedside. He'll wake up when the sound of food hit his metal bowl, there was no use in waking him now.
Shawn walked into the living room, finding Lora watching the TV closely.

"Hey... Did you sleep okay? I know that couch is a bit iffy... C-can I get you anything?"
 
Lora paced the living room, clutching her head in thought. "What am I going to do? I can't stay here like this, and it won't be long before he finds out there wasn't a wreck..." Her heart was racing faster than her eyes darting across the room. "He'll piece everything together soon, a family getting slaughtered and a girl just showing up covered in blood? Only an idiot wouldn't qestion that." She quickly stopped her pacing when she heard sheets moving about and the sound of a matress being released from a weight ontop of it. Shawn was saying something to her but her mind was still racing, it took a moment for her to process what he was asking but she managed to shrug in return. "It's fine, the couch was comfortable, really." Her stomach growling was enough of an answer to his question, she hadn't eaten in atleast twenty four hours.

"Do you have anything to eat? Yesterday took a lot out of me and never really had time to fill my stomach." She hesitated a moment before looking towards the kitchen and giving him a crooked smile. "So... About breakfast?"

Gabriel lifted his head as he heard noise in the living room, Shawn and Lora were talking--shit, Lora. She was still here? Well, better than being out on her own, but this was still dangerous. The rain had stopped, and it wouldn't be long before the pack started looking in the houses. He trotted out into the living room and stared at the two of them, tail thumping against the floor. This was going to be a difficult situation, he just knew it.

"Small towns are so easy. You just walk in, flash a badge hot glue gunned to a wallet and -bam- they think you're FBI or some shit." A woman with long brown hair tied up into a tight bun adjusted her pant suit and smiled at her male partner before leaving the scene of the crime. "So, family that has no enemies suddenly is slaughtered by animals."

"Which, speaking of animals, the family pet is missing." The male cuts in, holding up a picture of the family and their dog. "It was raining last night, leaving perfect little paw prints in the mud." The trunk of the car was popped open and they both nabbed salt, iron stakes, and pistols with silver bullets. "Time to be dog catchers." The paw prints in the mud lead through fields and the woods, stopping a moment at a hollow tree. "There's male clothes in here."

"But the paw prints become foot prints, much too small for someone with clothes this big." Ruby red painted lips turn into a smirk as she looks at her friend. "So... We have multiple ones. Let's follow the prints and find us a werewolf."

"Werewolves don't look like family pets. We're probably dealing with a skin walker. Believed to be a distant relative of werewolves." Pistols were loaded and strapped to their sides as they continued to walk. The hunters would find their prey eventually.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Shawn slowly pointed to the cabinets. "...Cereal?" The two boxes of pencil shavings were bought recently, and even came in two convenient flavors: Honey, and the other a mixed fruit flavor. They were some knock-off of Honey Nut Cheerios and Fruit Loops, of course.
The poor boy didn't have much, simply because he never ate much for breakfast. He would always sleep right to the last minute, and occasionally a few minutes over the time that he set to get up. When this occurred, he would get up to take a long, scalding hot shower while just standing there, still drowsy and wishing he had just a little more time with his bed before he departed for the day. Naturally, it felt like sleeping on cardboard at night, making his morning situation worse. After his shower he would normally realize that he was already running late. Finishing off his morning routine would take up more time, then as always, he would show up about five minutes late to the farm for work. The owner didn't seem to mind, though, because Shawn was still a hard worker and got his chores done.
But as he left for work nearly every morning, the cereal would just sit there in the cabinet collecting dust. Luckily, they were new boxes.

"I'm sorry, it's not much, but I don't normally eat breakfast. Though, I d-do have milk to go with it." He frantically looked into the fridge, noticing the almost empty jug of milk. Shawn didn't normally like milk, but on the days that he did eat cereal, it was the perfect combination, approved by children and adults all over the world. Fortunately the milk was still fresh.

"Shawn, your milk has spoiled!"

"Huh?"


"Every time I come over here, the same jug is here! You need to throw it out."

"Hehe, sorry. Why do you keep coming over here, anyways?"

The memory echoed inside Shawn's head as he closed the fridge, jug of milk in hand. He turned around, standing there awkwardly with the near empty jug of milk in hand. "Want a bowl?" Shawn looked back to the cabinet nervously. He shuffled across the kitchen floor to open the cabinet door, revealing the two boxes of generic brand cereal. "Sometimes I mix the two together, and it gives it a unique flavor too. Afterwords when I'm finished, the milk changes flavor and I just sip it up from the bowl. It's rather tasty." Shawn scratched the back of his head after attempting to make small talk while Lora made her decision.
 
Lora couldn't help but smile as Shawn made his way around the kitchen, she was still trying to make a decision when he brought up his way of doing things. Ah, small talk was always an awkward thing. Atleast it wasn't cliche and about the weather or something, but she was pretty sure everyone drank the milk after their cereal was finished. "I'll try your way and mix some. Thanks." She walked over to the kitchen and made herself a bowl of mixed cereal, dipping the spoon around a couple times to make sure everything was wet before taking a bite. "Like really cheap honey fruit. Nice."

Gabe huffed and laid on the cool floor, this wasn't the time for chit chat. The Alpha ordered Lora's family dead, they had to be looking for her next. He couldn't just let his sister run around by herself, he would have to help in some way. The onnly question now was how was he going to do that while keeping his cover and protecting Shawn? He didn't have much time with that question however before there was a knock on the door. This was a new scent, two people he had never smelt before. Salt and iron? He quickly stood up and began to growl, his hair sticking up along his back.

The two hunters knocked on Shawn's door once more. "FBI, anybody home?"

Lora froze in place until the spoon slipped out of her hand and noisely bounced all over the counter, leaving milk and cereal bits everywhere. "Shit, sorry." She looked at Shawn and crossed her arms. "FBI? You uh... You're not like some crazy criminal or something are you? I really don't want to be in the middle of your shit." She had to turn this around so it sounded like she had not clue, giving off this type of look might put Shawn on the defensive and work so hard ot gain her trust, he wouldn't realize she was gaining his. "Or uh... Maybe it's about the car accident."
 
"What?! Me?! I... I didn't do anything!" Do I really look that suspicious? "It's got to be about the car accident. But... The FBI? Why would -they- show up?" Shawn didn't like the sound of this. Why would the FBI be investigating a car accident? It had to be something else, but he made it seem like it was no big deal. He didn't want his surprise guest to freak out. The last thing he wanted was some strange girl he just met to think he was some sort of insane criminal. Even though they just met, Shawn didn't have a lot of friends around. Perhaps this could be the start of a new friendship, or it may go down the drain and they'll never see each other again after this event due to the fact that there was nothing interesting about Shawn at all. That's how it usually went: Shawn would meet someone nice, they'd talk for awhile, and then they fell off the face of the Earth. He had to face the truth: He was just about as interesting as that one piece of grass that children watch grow when they get bored.

But there was something interesting about Lora, he thought as he slowly made his way for the door. There was something a bit off. No shoes? No parents to pick her up? There were a slew of things he could point out, but she was still nice to him. And besides, she was still interesting aside from all the strange facts. But, Shawn knew deep down that the moment the FBI left his house that Lora would leave, and never be seen again.



"I'll be home when the year ends. The school is pretty far away, so I won't see you for awhile."

"Oh... I see."

"This isn't High School anymore, Shawn. People you know are going to leave. You may never see some of them again. It was your choice not to go to college, and it was mine to do so."

"I wish I had more time with the few people I actually knew."

"You know me, and I won't be gone forever, you dope. I'll be back when summer comes, or unless some emergency happens. You'll have that to look forward to. And... I'll be looking forward to it too."

"Uh... Why are you getting so close?"

"...Heh. You idiot."



Lora's the first interesting person I met since... Her.

Shawn grasped the door knob. The morning sun had bathed down upon it from the nearby window, and it was warm to the touch. It took him a moment to slowly turn the knob. His eyes squint shut as he hoped for this encounter to be nothing more than a mistake. The door opened and there he stood, face to face with the beings who knocked on the door. All he could hope for was that this was nothing more than a mistake, and that things would go back to normal. But, did he really want things to stay the same forever?
 
"Uh.. Yeah you're right. I don't see the FBI coming over about some car accident." She suddenly went pale however as the door opened, the strong sent of salt and iron wafting into the house and up her nostrils. Gabe at this point was standing right by Shawn, barking and snarling at the 'agents'. They weren't however. He could smell it, and now that the door was open Lora could too, he could tell by the look on her face. Shawn wouldn't, the smell was too subtle, no human would be able to smell this.

The man and woman standing in front of Shawn recoiled slightly as the German Shepherd began its fit. The woman instantly reaching for a gun at her side. Lora glares and steps forward. "Hey! Calm down he's harmless. No need to think you've got to get your hands dirty!" She bends down and pets Gabe, whispering to him in what seems to be a soothing matter, though too quiet for the others to hear. "Gabe... Calm down. I know what they are, I can smell it too. But we can't give ourselves away." Gabe stopped barking and sat down, but a growling still rumbled in his chest.

The woman glared a the dog and looked at her partner a moment before looking back at Shawn and clearing her throat. "Hello sir, mind if we come in? We have a few questions." She trailed off as her male partner towered over Shawn, staring at him a moment before simply stepping past him and looking around. "Nice place you got here, has a very bachelor type feel to it. This your girlfriend?" He points at Lora before leaning against the counter, looking at the mess Lora had made with the cereal. "Hope we didn't startle you."

The woman frowns and steps in as well, eyeing Gabe as she cautiously stepped around him. "Your dog not a fan of people? Seems like most of this town has dogs that don't like people in suits. She snaps open her wallet for a brief moment, just enough to flash the FBI badge for a split second before snapping it back shut. "Special Agent Walker, and this is my partner Abbot. Have you heard of anything that may have happened last night? An... Accident of sorts?"

Lora was trembling now as memories of her family came flooding through her. Her eyes snapped to Shawn, trying to cover her look of fear with curiosity.
 
Shawn's face turned a bright red. "Girlfriend?! No! We only just met! She came to my house after-" He looks to Lora. Why were the FBI Agents looking for her? Something wasn't right. This was just an accident. Maybe... It wasn't? Maybe there was something she didn't tell him. But she looked so innocent. No matter how suspicious it looked when she showed up at his doorstep, soaked, dirty, bloody, something about her didn't seem like she was crazy. He cleared his throat, turning to the agents once again. "Perhaps Lora here could give you more information."

Was he doing the right thing? He didn't make very many friends, and he didn't want to just sell her out if she really was in the right for whatever just happened. It wasn't on his schedule to put himself on anyone's shit list. This way, he could act dumb to the agents, and not sell her out as well. But... what if she really was guilty of something? He might have to do some investigating of his own. Shawn didn't like the sound of that, though.

"Oh god... What am I getting myself into?"

He kneels down, petting Bert gently to calm his nerves. "I-I don't know what happened one your side of the story, Lora. I wasn't there. It might be best for you to explain to them what happened." Oh god, what was he doing? What if she really was some psycho? Was this just him being weak? No... Either way he would be weak. If he sold her out unintentionally, he would be weak. If he continues to stay on her side, he's weak.



Come on, Shawn! don't be a weakling!

I can't... This is where she...



Shawn looked back up to Lora. "Maybe we can all... Just sit down and discuss what happened?"

"Maybe it's just me taking myself out of the spotlight again... This is too much pressure for me. But I can't just put the spotlight on Lora, can I? That would be rude. Or is it polite letting her handle things, since she experienced it first hand? Dammit... It's too late now. I'm sorry..."

The confused boy shakes his head. At least he was able to keep his stuttering to a minimum. "Let's all sit in the living room... Is that okay? I think we all just need to relax." The only one that needed to relax was Shawn. Everyone else seemed to be fine.

"Dammit!"
 
Status
Not open for further replies.