Read The Killers Amongst Us: Chimera Dawn Chronicles for Free Online Page B

handful of pebbles, then patted Gyp with her
other hand.
    “Come on, boy. Let’s go exploring.”
    She slipped the pebbles into her pocket. Gyp went ahead,
zigzagging and sniffing in the undergrowth. Ten minutes trekking and Amy dropped
to her haunches, then hunkered down with her back against a tree trunk. She didn’t
need to go further. The nature around her provided her with the solitude she
had craved, away from the childish banter. The dry rotted pine needles
underfoot gave off their own peculiar smell. She picked up a handful of debris
and crumbled them in her hand. What had been alive was now dead, she thought,
and let the dust slip through her fingers. She had a flashback of the priest
throwing dirt onto her mom’s coffin. Gyp came up beside her and snuggled his
nose under her arm as if wanting her to move. She wondered if he had sensed her
grief. Taking a handkerchief from her pocket, she dried her eyes. Gyp was
persistent, still snuggling for attention.
    “What do you want?”
    He pulled away, barking and playfully jumping in front of
her.
    “Ah, now you want to play.” She picked up a twig and threw
it.
    This time, Gyp played the fetch and carry game. Amy tired of
the playing. She hauled herself to her feet and heaved the twig with all the
strength she could muster. Gyp ran off in pursuit, disappearing in the undergrowth.
She leant against the tree and took a pebble from her pocket, tossing it at a
pinecone on the ground. It landed with a thud, nowhere near her target. Her
mind drifted. She wondered if Ted was playing her, or maybe she was playing
him. He’d promised to keep seeing her when she started her freshman year at university
in the fall. But she wasn’t sure about him. It wasn’t Ted really, but reality.
It was her chance to strike out with new friends and experiences. Besides, she
wondered if the distraction of a distant boyfriend would hold her back. She
took another pebble and was about to launch it, when she heard a breaking twig
behind her. Amy turned around and looked in the direction where she had heard
the noise.
    “Gyp, is that you?”
    Another twig cracked again off to her left, out front. She
snapped her vision to where she had heard the sound. A shiver passed through
her body. She froze at rustling coming from the undergrowth to her right. As
she threw a glance in that direction, a dark blur darted behind some bushes.
    “Gyp, this is not funny, come here.”
    No sooner had the words rolled off her tongue, she knew it
was too tall a shape for it to be Gyp. At the sound of something kicking up the
foliage behind her, she turned. Her heart thumped. Gyp ran toward her and then
past her, coming to a sliding halt. He stood rigid, the hairs down his back
stood tall, his tail pointed. He sniffed the air and then growled.
    “What is it, boy?”
    Gyp turned and took hold of her sleeve in his mouth, tugging
at her as if telling her the direction to take.
    “Okay, okay,” she said.
    Gyp’s reaction told her that something was out there. She
set off running with Gyp by her side. The scenery passed by in a haze. She
imagined that danger lurked behind every passing tree trunk. She remembered her
dad’s words. Amy wondered if maybe it was a black bear. She realized that if it
was a bear, then running was not the smart thing to have done. With every step,
she imagined claws sinking into her back at any moment. Her lungs were at the
point of exploding, and her legs sapped of energy. Only fear kept her moving.
They were travelling at right angles to the lake, when Gyp veered toward the
edge of the wood. She could see the beach, when she stumbled and fell. Gyp
whined in front of her, dancing with both front paws as if pleading for her to
get to her feet. Then his ears twitched and he held his nose aloft. Once more,
he sniffed the air. His lips curled and he growled as he stared behind her.
    Amy scrambled to her feet and screamed. “Help, Ted. Help.”
    She staggered through the tree line, and onto