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heart rate. Feeling a little calmer Roland remembered the barking that had distracted the monster and walked to the back of the upside down Jeep looking around as a white and black Husky with bright blue eyes trotted up to him looking him over before pressing it’s nose against his empty left hand.
     
    Smiling Roland knelt and began petting the dog. “You’re a good dog, you probably saved my life. You know that? How did you end up outside in hell on earth anyways?” The dog had a collar and a tag that said her name was Eve.
     
    “ Well Eve I guess I’m lucky you were still here.” He scratched the dog behind the ear and she started panting.
     
    A sudden and ear splitting scream from the other side of the Jeep cause both Roland the dog to jump, the dog raising her back and Roland the big Desert Eagle. Stepping around the passenger side of the Jeep Roland’s heart raced and adrenaline surged through his veins, one of the creatures had Crystal’s arm and was biting into her exposed hand. Roland guessed the thing had only been a kid before it died, a boy of twelve or thirteen dressed in blood soaked Transformers pajamas.
     
    He looked normal except for the grey skin and a chunk of flesh torn out of his tiny neck. Roland could hear Crystal struggling inside the Jeep; still trapped in her seatbelt. Before he knew what he was doing he had brought the Eagle up and was aiming at the small boy’s head. The creature looked up at him with a pair of yellow eyes just as he squeezed the trigger and its head disintegrated into red mist, the small body almost buried in the snow. Crystal was still struggling with her seatbelt and moaning in pain when he opened the door, the dog standing beside him. “Well don’t just stand there looking stupid! Get me out of this thing.” She said looking up at him.
     
    “ Glad to see your attitude survived the crash.” Roland said reaching across and unbuckling her seat belt making sure to hold her up as he did.
     
    “ Well maybe if you knew how to drive, this wouldn’t have happened.” She snarled and Roland seriously considered dropping her but decided against it.
     
    “ Whatever I don’t care, we need to get moving and do something about your hand.” He let her down on her back and stepped away letting her stand up.
     
    “ Forget my hand its nothing, what about your eye?” She adjusted her jacket, as she looked at his face her eyes staring intently.
     
    Reaching up he realized in the excitement he’d forgotten about the injury and quickly felt around with his hand. The entire left side of his face was caked in blood and he could feel a gash that ran from the middle of his cheek through the middle of his eyebrow stopping an inch above. He couldn’t feel any damage to his eye and using his fingers to pry his eyelid open he realized he still had the eye it was just completely coated in blood. “Its fine, now come on we’ve got to get going before more of those things start showing up.” The unmistakable moan was coming from somewhere nearby and the dog started to bark.
     
    “ Whatever, where did the dog come from?” Crystal followed Roland to the back of the Jeep the dog sticking close to Roland.
     
    “ Don’t know. She just saved my life though.” He opened the hatch as far as it would go and pulled out the black duffel bag handing Crystal one of the Brownings and retrieving his HK from the roof of the Jeep. “We’ve gotta move, where is your brother?”
     
    It might have been the brighter light but Roland thought her eyes looked a little more sunken than before and her skin was getting paler. “What the hell am I supposed to do with this? Never mind, it’s this way through the park.”
     
    Crystal started walking through the parking towards a row of houses and after slinging the duffel over his back Roland followed suit, the dog staying beside him every step. He found it odd the dog wouldn’t go near Crystal but he didn’t take her for a dog person and she