Unleashed

I woke up in the living room, I had no idea how long I had been laying on the floor. It had been mid morning last I remembered. I raised my sore body to sit up, my head pounding. I put my fingers to my lip, his fist had split it, again. 

The house was quiet, normally if Vaugn was home there would be loud music blaring through the walls. I rose to my feet, slowly. I made my way to the front window and pulled back the curtain. His car luckily was not in the driveway. I went to the bathroom to wash my face, it flashed back to me-

 he had come home with a big, black pitbull, I had asked why he wanted a dog. He laughed and said it would be dog bait, and he was getting paid well for it. The dog seemed sweet, a household pet obviously though he had no collar. I bit my tongue, it never went well when I said what I was thinking. In my head I was screaming, “How disgusting, how can you do that?!” 

The thoughts must have slipped over my face because the next thing I knew he was grabbing me by the arm and wrenching it behind my back,”You got something to say, Remi? Huh? You don’t like it?!”

The dog started growling, he kicked him. I heard the dog whimper as I cried,”Stop it!”

That was when he threw me to the floor and shouted,”I’m going to Leary’s then taking him to the pit!”-

Oh! The dog!

I ran to the back porch, I opened the back door and found the poor dog shoved in a cramped kennel, he was whining. I walked and cooed at him. He stared at me with big, brown eyes. I opened the latch as I crouched and put out my hand for him to sniff. The dog was still, “It’s okay, baby, can I call you baby? I promise I won’t hurt you”, I said in a soft voice. 

The dog, who I apparently named Baby, came out, tentatively. 

Once he sniffed my hand, he bobbed his thick head under my hand then went forward to my chest, sniffing. I petted him down his neck, he nuzzled me and placed his whole big body against mine. I hugged him, some tension easing out of both of us.I called him inside, I shivered. The temperature was already dropping. The winter wind was picking up. Not that it was much better in the house, propane was another bill that he did not pay.

I looked out the window again, he still was not back. It dawned on me, he would eventually kill me and the dog. Especially if he was drunk when he came back, luckily he always stayed at Leary’s til long after closing. I gasped as I felt my eyes start to sting. Baby whined and rubbed his head against my thigh. 

It was now or never!

I rushed to our shared room, Baby in tow. I flicked on the light and grabbed my suitcase. I popped it open and started pulling open drawers, grabbing any clothes of mine I saw. Soon, I had the suitcase shut and I made my way to the back down the hallway. I snatched up my purse and keys on the way to the garage. I opened my driver door and dropped my purse in the passenger seat. I opened my trunk and put my suitcase in. I looked at Baby, his head cocked to the side. I opened my back door, “Come on, Baby”, he skittered excitedly and jumped in, walking back and forth sniffing. I shut his door and opened up the garage. 

On a second thought, I closed my driver door and I ran back inside. I went to my bedroom and found a sweatshirt to pull on, then I took an armload of blankets. I did not know where we would end up but I wanted to be warm. I also took a couple of towels, in case I had to shower at a campground. I made it back to the car and deposited all the linens in my trunk. I slid into my driver seat, started the car and took off. 

My heart was pounding, sweat dripping down my back. I had tried running before, at least six times, according to the hospital visits. He always found me, hurt me, and then dragged me back. This time- I would die before he brought me back. 

I drove for about fifteen minutes, pulling into the diner I worked at. “It’s okay, Baby, I will be right back. Be good.”

I left the car running, as I made my way into the back entrance. Flora, my manager, saw me first,”Oh my God! Remi, are you okay?”

I shook my head as I made it to my locker and spun the dial lock,”I have to go, it’s just getting worse and-” my voice cracked.

She put her hand on my shoulder,”It’s okay”, she knew how he would come into my work with me to get my check so he could snag it first. She had helped me put on concealer when I came into work with multiple black eyes. “Do you have enough to get out of town? You got somewhere safe to go?”

I bit my lip as I took a few bills from my apron pocket,”I have maybe fifty dollars, I have been tucking what little I could away, I can get gas and yeah, I have somewhere to go.” I lied. I had no idea where I was going. Just far away. 

“Hold on, okay? Give me a few minutes”,Flora made her way back to the kitchen.

I grabbed my journal, some of the last bits of me left before I met him. I kept really personal things here, he liked to destroy my stuff- to be cruel, to remind me I am nothing.

Flora came back shortly, she had a to go bag, “Here, take some food, I put a couple of pops in there too.”

“Flora, I can’t- “, I tried to hand it back. 

“I won’t take no, look you have to go, there’s an old highway off of Risher street, it will get you out of town and off main roads, also- here”, she thrust an envelope into my hands.

I opened the flap, I saw some bills,”Flora, what?”

“It’s the last of your pay and maybe a little extra, it isn’t much but it is more than fifty bucks.”

I hugged her hard as I sobbed. 

She hugged me back, and walked me to the door. I turned to her and said, “Thank you, Flora, you’ve always been good to me.”

“It’s okay, sweetheart, be safe. Is there anything else I can do?”

I mentioned the dog, she did not have a leash but she did dig me up some rope I could use as one and bagged me a couple of plain hamburger patties.

I was back in my car and down the road. I took Flora’s advice and took the old highway. I drove for an hour, Baby happy with his burgers. I still had no idea where I could go, I just wanted to make it to the stateline. 

The old highway was twisted and narrow and had tall pines along both sides. It would be dark soon, and I had no idea where we would stay. 

At the bottom of the mountain highway I saw a  small gas station. I pulled over and let out Baby. After he took care of his needs I put him back into the car. 

I went into the small market and bought a few simple groceries, I even found some wet dog food. As I walked to the front of the cramped but tidy store I saw the cashier glance up. 

“Hello, how are you doing this evening?”, he gave a subdued smile. He was an older gentleman, with salt and pepper hair, wearing overalls and an old trucker hat.

“I’m fine, how’s business?”I tried to keep my eyes low. I did not want unnecessary questions about my busted up face. 

“Pretty slow this time of year, well most of the year, we don’t get too many visitors up here,” he started to ring me up. 

“Really, I’m surprised. It’s so pretty, seems like people would camp all over in the woods” I glanced up to see him stiffen.

He stared at me earnestly,”You would do best to skedaddle back where you came from, the woods are no place for anyone.”

He quickly bagged my groceries, and I swallowed the lump in my throat. Going back was not an option, I didn’t care what was in the woods, I would rather face that then Vaughn. I paid for my groceries and put the change into my gas tank.

As I walked back out to my car I saw an old dilapidated sign:

Tall Pines Cabins! Come Visit! Just 20 Miles Ahead To The Right

I put my groceries in the trunk and cracked open a cola, I filled up my car.

I popped back into my car, the last rays of sun fading behind the mountain in front of me. 

“Baby”, the dog looked at me,”wanna commit a little B&E for the night?”

He was breathing with his mouth wide open, more mouth than face. I did not hear an argument. “Okay partner in crime, let’s do this”, I turned onto the road with my headlights on.

Baby stared out the window, his big face almost squished against it. The winding road leading me further into the thick woods, the sensation of being swallowed whole came to mind. I clicked off the radio. 

“Okay, Baby, it’s me and you. It won’t be easy, but it’s for the best”, I glanced in the rearview mirror. Baby looked at me, as if he understood that I was just trying to make myself feel better. Am I crazy? WIll Vaughn find us? What will I do if he does?

Checking the odometer, I figured we were close. I put on my brights. Soon I saw a dirt driveway to my right. Luckily, it was not snowing, just a dropped temperature. I went slowly, it was shut down so who knew what condition the driveway would be in. Maybe a mile in I saw some older cabins, this place must have been big in the 50’s, the design was rugged but stylish. 

I found a small cabin that did not seem too deteriorated. It had a small front porch with a still attached door. I pulled up with my headlights shining on it. I took out Baby, keeping him on my slip knot leash. We climbed up the creaking stairs, I pushed on the door, it creaked open. I let Baby loose inside to sniff around. “What do we think, Baby? Doable?”

He huffed and rooted around. I unloaded my car. I even found an old flashlight that I forgot was under my seat. I shut the door, there was an old latch that was still there. I took my flashlight and poked around, Baby on my heels. It was a simple one room cabin with windows on the walls facing the woods. The glass was broken out but the shutters were still there, at least on a hinge. I used my pocket knife to screw it back in place, not the most efficient though it worked well enough for me to shut them. There was no furniture to speak of except a rickety wood bed frame. 

I spread out my blankets and used the towels as pillows. “See, Baby not too bad, we will stay warm, you’re like a furnace”, I smiled at him. 

I stayed in my clothes and made myself as comfortable as I could be on the hardwood floor. Baby came and stood over me, I chuckled and lifted up the blanket so he could get under them with me. His furry self snuggled up to me. I closed my eyes.

A loud howl sounded off in the night. I startled awake, Baby growling in his throat, he sat up with me to stare at the closed shutters. I gripped my flashlight, hating myself for not thinking of a better weapon. My spine was tight, I tried to control my breathing.

Another howl came, it sounded closer than before, Baby stood up and growled louder. I froze. Do we make a run for the car? Stay here? Would that door hold? 

Again, a howl came,even closer and louder, I jumped up and pulled the bed frame from the wall and sat it up in front of the shutters, at least the door had a latch. “It’s okay, Baby, we’ll be okay!” I clicked on my flashlight and saw Baby was standing, with his hackles up. A low growl as he came forward to stand in front of me. 

I heard stomps, crunching branches and coming toward us. I clicked off my flashlight and backed up to the middle of the room. Baby was still, us both breathing quietly. The stomps stopped, the quiet felt like it was screaming through my bones. 

Some thing, large and brutal smashed through the shutters and bedframe. Baby lurched forward barking and growling. Whatever it was leapt back out and Baby followed, jumping to clear the window frame. “Baby!” I screamed, running to the frame, I heard Baby barking as he followed this creature into the dark woods.

I scrambled over the frame and fell to the ground, I felt hard rocks under me as I rolled. I took off in the direction of the barks,stumbling over loose branches. The trees were thick, I felt the cold bite through me. I could not stop, I could not lose Baby. 

I heard his barks then nothing. I kept going, waving my flashlight around me. Finally, I heard a high pitched whine, I found a dark lump on the ground. “Oh Baby, are you okay!? I got you, Baby”, I heard him whimper. I felt blood all over him,I could not find the wound. I picked him up, staggering under his weight. I slowly made our way back, I heard a howl behind us, it sounded far away. 

I took Baby into the cabin, where I could get a closer look. He had a large bite missing out of his neck. I wrapped him in towels to staunch the bleeding. Exhausted, I wrapped us in blankets and picked a corner to hole up in. I decided we should sleep in the car, I carried him and put him in the backseat. I grabbed my blankets and wrapped us up. I cried, holding Baby. 

“Oh Baby, please be okay, you’re such a brave boy,” I continued to shakily hold him and sobbed until I finally fell asleep.

Baby was licking my face awake, I squinted from the morning sun. “Baby, that’s enough, come on-” I sat up quickly and he was up, wagging his tail. I checked his neck, nothing was there. Maybe I had thought it was worse than it was? Small wounds sometimes bleed a lot, I rationalized. I threw my arms around him, and he nuzzled me. 

I let him out to run around, I went to move the blankets back to the trunk,I saw the towels. They were hardened with an impossible amount of blood, what was that last night?

I did not want to dwell on it, so I decided to clear the cabin and pack up the car. 

I saw the shattered wood shutters and shivered. Baby trotted in and sat next to me, nuzzling my hand, I scratched his head.

I heard a car approaching, who would come out here? Baby gave a low growl,”let me check it out, alright?”I assured him.

I made my way to the door, I half closed it behind me and gasped.

Vaughn! He found us!

His black car stopped next to mine. I screamed in my head to run, but I could not get my feet to move. I stood there shaking.

“You know how long it took me to find you?! You think you can just run-”, he stormed towards me.

“Vaughn I-” I sputtered.

“You lost me money, bitch, now come down here and get in the car!” he snarled.

“No!” I finally found my voice.

“What-”, he stopped, staring not at me but behind me.

I turned, Baby was in the doorway. Something was off. Baby was too still, then a full teethed growl came from him. He crouched, jerking his head and legs. Foam started to drip from his mouth. I took a step to my side, as Baby’s paws swelled, his claws ripping forward to a fine point, his frame started to expand. His mouth became bigger, all teeth. 

Baby ferociously became three times his size. He licked his lips and stared down Vaugh. 

“What- what did you do to him?” Vaughn was shocked. 

As soon as Vaughn spoke, Baby launched toward him. I closed my eyes and heard Vaughn scream then a crunch. 

I slowly peeked and saw Baby licking his lips. I gulped, not knowing what to say.

Baby turned to me and shrunk back to his usual self. He bounded up to me and nuzzled my legs. I laughed and crouched to hold him. 

Baby would never be kicked again, and I would never be a punching bag for Vaughn. We had peace, we had each other and now, we could get away from this creepy cabin in the woods. 

As we drove away, I had the window down so Baby could feel the air. I heard a howl in the distance, Baby answered the same.