Rayanna crushed the gas pedal. The thuds of huge paws struck the trunk and their claws screamed against the cruiser's paint. After a quarter mile, the snarls and roaring barks faded into the distance behind them. Drifts of fog swept past the windows like phantoms as the squad car barreled through…
Rayanna jammed the key into the squad car's ignition. Grantham dove into the seat behind her as voracious snarls neared his doorway and overtook the waking engine's whine. She twisted to glance back. The officer croaked, "Go." Arms smeared in muck and blood, he slammed his door with a crunch and…
A current of rasped breath wove through the inky brush hemming the path. The hoarse panting rose to an eddy of low growls. Rayanna's throat squeezed her voice to a rodent-like whisper. "I hear it." A twig snapped within a few feet of the narrow trail. "What do we do?" The…
The earthy scent of oaken decay clung in the damp night air. Hints of a disturbing odor wafted through the brush. Dank, feral. Rayanna ducked under a low branch and shuffled downhill, skidding a bit on the moss and leaves underfoot. She nearly collided into the officer as he slowed his…
Misty tendrils snaked between Rayanna and the officer as they crept down the mountain's inky, tangled face. Clouds mauled the full moon to further darken their forest swamped trail. They crept after the officer's bobbing flashlight ray, though low, murky fog swallowed its edges. Despite a void of words, the forbidden…
Rayanna folded her shoulders inward, but the bitter night wind thrashed against her bare skin. The chill intensified the quiver in her voice as the knife-wielder inched over the threshold toward her, right hand behind his back. She stammered, "I--it was a camping accident. At least, I think so." "What do…
Rayanna twisted her sweat-slicked wrist and wrenched free from his grip. He snatched the hem of her blouse and snarled. "No, you don't." She pulled away with every ounce of strength. "Lemme go!" Her shirt ripped as she lunged for the door. The rent fabric peeled from her body and scraped…
The water dragged at Rayanna's clothing as she trudged across the stream's flow. A dripping cocoon of clingy hair and cloth, she emerged with soggy, weighted steps and slogged across the rocky bank. She tugged her blouse at various spots to peel it from her skin. Wrung from the fabric, mineral-scented…
Earthy odors clung to the damp forest air. In the darkness, even the smell of decayed wood reeked of sinister motives. Moss carpeted most of her winding path and devoured saplings at its edges. Hints of musk wafted along with the irony scent of blood to assault her senses, and Rayanna…
Violent trembling seized her limbs as Laina ascended the final steps to her floor. Terror amplified each scuff of her boot sole. She gripped the banister's corner and squeezed the peeling surface until it threatened to slice into her palm. With hard swallow, she leaned from the stairwell. Darkness veiled the…