Dark Bites
Part 2 – Like Cats and Dogs
by
Robert Ropars
SMASHWORDS EDITION
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PUBLISHED BY:
Robert Ropars on Smashwords
Revision: 12/13/10
Dark Bites, Like Cats and Dogs
Copyright © 2010 by Robert Ropars
All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.
Smashwords Edition License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author's work.
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There are a few people I’d like to thank.
Nikole, for your friendship and help making sense of the horror I’m creating (and finding the goofs that crept in). My family and friends for love and support as I explore my creative endeavors. Most importantly those who inspired my artistic bent and always inspire me: David Lynch, George Romero, Edward Gorey, Bram Stoker, Mary Shelley, Edgar Allen Poe, Robert Bloch, Stephen King, Richard Matheson, Neil Gaiman, John Carpenter, Wes Craven, and those who may be slipping away from my memory at this point.
Dark Bites will be published as a series of ebooks focusing on horror standards (zombies, werewolves, vampires, etc.) with strong female lead characters and new twists on the genre and these classic legends while getting back to the basics. Once all of the parts have been published, the collection will be published together in paperback and ebook format.
Contact the author:
Email: robropars@gmail.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/robertropars
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Dark Bites
Part 2 – Like Cats and Dogs
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Adriana wiped a bead of sweat from her brow upon reaching the summit of the Great Jaguar pyramid in Tikal. Today was her last day in Guatemala before heading home to Chicago, and she wanted to make the most of it. As a senior member of the Field Museum’s marketing department, Adriana had been visiting a local museum to plan an exhibit on Mayan art at the museum.
Looking out at the world-renowned view, Adriana felt tranquility wash over her. Turning, she explored the square temple that made up the flat top of the pyramid. According to her guidebook, archeologists had found a wooden lintel bearing the dramatic image of a man seated upon a jaguar throne. The image depicted the monument’s builder, the great ruler Jasaw Chan K’awiil I buried far below her.
Moving to the edge of the pyramid she gazed down to the Great Plaza 150 feet below. It had taken her some time to get to the top, but this view was worth it. She lifted her digital camera and began shooting as she marveled at the stunning sights all around her.
Turning back to the temple, she took several pictures of the majestic summit. Lowering the camera she smiled feeling complete joy. As she turned to the stairs to descend, a chill ran down her spine despite the high heat and humidity. Adriana felt that something was wrong and looked around. She saw hundreds of tourists around the Great Plaza, ascending or descending the pyramids as normal.
At the base of the pyramid however, stood an elaborately dressed man. Adriana lifted her camera to her left eye and zoomed in on him. The striking rainbow of colors in his face paint and feathers amazed her. He was staring up at her, and she shivered again and felt goose bumps rising on her arms. As she was watching, tourists were passing by the man, as if he wasn’t there.
Adriana started to descend the stairs, slowly at first then faster as an invisible force pulled her to the man. She pushed through a group of tourists and they exchanged irritated looks. Adriana ignored them and continued down the giant stone steps. As she watched, the man’s left hand rose slowly and pointed at her. She tried to stop herself, but she was compelled forward.
The man lowered his hand and turned away from her and the pyramid. Adriana was now descending at a running speed, but she remained sure-footed. She watched the man walk towards the jungle, and she realized he would be gone before she reached the bottom. As he disappeared into the dense trees and vines that encircled all but the front of the pyramid, she reached the bottom.
Without pausing to catch her breath, Adriana ran along the edge of the pyramid and within a few minutes she reached the spot where she had seen him vanish. Adriana didn’t look back at the vast crowded plaza before she too disappeared into the dense green. She didn’t pause to think what the various tourists and locals must have been thinking watching her run into the jungle.
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The sun was still high in the mid-afternoon sky, but under the jungle’s canopy it was instantly darker. Adriana paused for a moment to let her pupils adjust and then continued on. The humidity hung in the air, and made her breathing difficult and heavy. The sounds of birds, insects, creaking vines and the whispering tree leaves filled her ears. Adriana noticed something akin to a path leading from the edge of the jungle deep into its heart.
Following the path, she soon feared she might be going in circles. Stopping, she looked around and saw that everything appeared to be the same in each direction. The jungle canopy above filtered the sun’s light making it hard to see any great distance, and she shivered despite the heat.
A twig snapped to her left and turning in that direction she saw movement behind a tree. She watched as the expressionless man walked slowly into view. His painted colors and feathers were somehow still vibrant despite the dark jungle shade. The sight of him transfixed Adriana, as he stopped about ten feet away. He remained silent and simply stared at her.
Again he lifted his arm and pointed at her. Adriana tried to speak, but found she could not. Then she heard a sound above and behind her. At first she wasn’t sure she heard it, but it grew louder like a thunderstorm approaching in the distance.
Adriana began to shake, as the sound grew more distinct. It began as a low growl, but quickly became the full roar of a large cat. She knew it could only be one animal given her location: a jaguar. The man seemed remarkably unconcerned. In fact, she saw the faint hint of a smile at the corners of his lips. Suddenly she heard the thud of something hitting the ground behind her. The cat had left a tree and was on the ground.
She could hear the jaguar behind her getting closer. The rumble of its growling was vibrating in her chest like the heavy bass from a subwoofer. Suddenly she felt her fear changing to excitement. Her heart was racing and she felt tingling all over. This was crazy; she had never felt like this before in her life. Then it hit her, this must be what you feel when you know you’re going to die.
She locked eyes with the man who was most definitely smiling at her. The growling was right behind her and deafening. Adriana realized she could now feel the hot breath of the jaguar…on the back of her neck. Her skin tingled with anticipation, and she wondered how it was up so high. She decided that if she was going to die now, she had to turn and face her fate.
Before she could move, a paw swiped across her back. She cried out as her skin ripped like paper and began to bleed. A roar erupted from behind her and suddenly fangs bit into her right shoulder. Screaming she surrendered to the pain as the sheer weight of the jaguar pushed her to the jungle floor.
As blackness swallowed her, she briefly wondered why this jaguar felt so much like a strong man on top of her. And then the burning pain turned to icy nothingness as hot blood continued to flow from her wounds. As she passed out she heard another loud roar…and laughter.
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Back in Chicago, the air was thick with high humidity, much like it was in Guatemala. The temperature had exceeded 95 degrees during the day, and was 85 now, just after midnight. The sky was hazy and the full moon struggled to shine brightly during intermittent breaks in the cloud cover.
Jessica exited a new nightclub called “Noir Noir” in the Lincoln Park neighborhood. Digging in her purse for a lighter, her stride drunken, she headed away from the club. Finding it, she paused to focus entirely on lighting a cigarette, and after several failed attempts, she swore in exasperation.
Finally getting it to light, she dropped the lighter back into her purse and stumbled along to where she had left her car. As she got a few blocks farther away from the club, she paused and looked up and down the street. She began to wonder if she had gone the wrong way.
She scratched her head, her thick, curly black hair now to a tangled mess after a night of dancing and the humidity. None of the cars around her looked familiar and neither did the street names on the sign ahead.
Pausing to answer a text and take a drag on her cigarette, she was getting increasingly irritated. Hitting “send,” she turned to go back towards the club, which seemed miles away. She could see Steve the bouncer, arms crossed looking bored as he gazed forward playing gatekeeper.
Jessica reached an alley after a few drunken steps, and something made her stop and turn to look down it. She hated alleys, especially dark ones. She was about to continue when she heard a noise coming from down the alley. The unusual sound was so faint she thought she was imagining it. She took another drag of her cigarette, exhaled and searched for the source of the sound straining to hear clearly.
As Jessica started to walk down the alley, she heard the sound again. It was the sound of a whimpering animal, and she was sure it was a dog. Her heart was aching at the poor homeless animal obviously injured and scared. Her sense of caution eroded as her emotions led her deeper into the darkness.
As she was walking, the scents of decaying garbage, urine and mold assaulted her from all sides. She noted a few homeless people passed out in doorways or at the curb. She stumbled forward on unsteady feet looking for the hurt puppy having convinced herself it sounded young.
The sound was getting louder and she dropped her cigarette and crushed it out. Ahead on the left was a cardboard box that was lined with old newspapers and dirty towels. Jessica assumed that the puppy was hiding in someone’s makeshift home. She distinctly heard the whimpering coming from the box’s dark interior, and moved closer.
Reaching the box, she strained to see inside. She bent down to stare, but it was no use. She was now just over a foot from the edge of the overturned box, and began to make baby noises to let the puppy know she was friendly.
Jessica inched closer straining to see past the box’s entrance. The nearest streetlight was on the other side of the box, so she couldn’t see more than six inches of the interior. She had now reached one of the lids of the box that extended outward like a welcome mat.
Her nostrils flared at the pungent scents emanating from the box: a combination of wet dog hair, urine, body odor and something else she couldn’t identify. Jessica was sure the recent heat and humidity were making things worse.
“It’s ok little guy. Momma’s going to get you and take care of you.”
The whimpering from the box stopped and was replaced by a deep, throaty voice full of base that resonated in her chest.
“Momma.”
Jessica shivered as a chill ran through her.
“Uh…hello? I… I’m sorry… I...”
Jessica stammered, and turning her head realized she was now several hundred feet from the street, and she was not alone. Her head snapped back toward the box as a deep growl emanated from within its darkness. Jessica watched in horror as the box began moving as a weight shifted within. She started shaking and her mind quickly cleared of inebriation. Jessica turned and ran as fast as she could towards the street while screaming.
Down the street, the club’s bouncer heard her and broke into a full run. He yelled into his mobile, “Call 911 now! We need the police in the alley west of the club!”
Jessica heard a long, blood-curdling howl erupt from behind her and something getting out of the large cardboard box and giving chase. She didn’t want to see what was coming, but she turned back despite her fears.
Jessica saw a giant black dog, the largest she’d ever seen, almost upon her. Before she could turn her head back, the animal leapt into the air. She was still more than seventy feet from the street and screamed again. Her scream was cut short from the impact of the massive canine hitting her square in the back.
Knocked off her feet, she slammed face first into the pavement, instantly losing her breath, scraping exposed skin, breaking her nose and several teeth were knocked free and blood filled her mouth. She gagged on the iron taste as it spilled over her lips and down her throat.
The beast hopped off of her and she slowly flipped onto her back, coughing and gagging. Her hands and arms instinctively went up to cover her chest and face. She struggled to focus on the dog between shaking fingers. It had massive, glowing yellow eyes full of malevolence. Its head was easily two or three times larger than any dog she’d ever seen.
Jessica saw the dog’s hackles were raised, its ears flat, fangs bared and it was drooling as it padded around her in a circle. Jessica lost control of her bladder, and the monster’s nostrils flared as it reveled in all of her scents.
The dog stopped between her shaking legs and cocked its head to one side looking at her. She thought for a minute she might be able to get out of this situation when it suddenly lifted then its head to howl. Like a wolf.
Looking back down at her, the wolf suddenly launched itself at Jessica in a biting and scratching frenzy. Razor sharp teeth slashed her face and arms as she tried to defend herself. Each bite and scratch burned and blood was starting to flow and the smell and taste of it further energized the attacker.
Jessica was screaming and flailing around when the dog lunged forward, turning its head slightly and bit into her neck with its enormous jaws. Blood began to spray in spurts from her severed veins and arteries. Jessica started convulsing while gurgling and spitting blood.
The beast’s muzzle and teeth were soaked in blood. Moving lower, it began to tear at her clothes disrobing her in fits and jerks of its jaw. As it exposed flesh, it tore into it as she bled and continued to jerk uncontrollably.
As the dog was tearing into muscle and skin, blood spraying onto nearby walls, Steve reached the alley’s entrance. He stopped dead in his tracks at the scene before him.
“What the fuck! Holy shit!”
A massive dog was literally tearing a woman apart like a rag doll. He’d heard of dog attacks before, but this was worse than anything he could have imagined. The massive head, body, legs and paws dwarfed any dog he’d ever seen.
“I need 911 now! There’s been a…dog attack! She’s ripped to pieces…there’s so much blood.”
The animal paused its assault, sensing danger, as it was about to tear into Jessica’s abdomen exposing her precious internal organs. The blood frenzy was overwhelming, but self-preservation kicked in. Looking up and growling, it saw a man down the alley making a strange motion with its hands.
Furious at the interruption, but acting on primal instinct, the animal howled before turning and was suddenly galloping at full speed away from the man. Steve pulled a gun out of his rear waistband and raised it to fire. He froze as the beast vanished into the darkness between streetlights down the alley.
Stumbling slowly forward, he heard sirens in the distance and running footsteps approaching from behind him. As soon as he reached the mess that had been Jessica he froze in shock. A few other people approached but only one entered the alley. The young man seemed transfixed by the scene, and began recording video with his smartphone.
Soon the police were there and not long after the press. The man’s mobile phone was taken, but the footage was already uploaded to the web.
* * * * *
Adriana awoke in a cold darkened room. At first she tried to convince herself that she had been dreaming. Trying to sit up, she fell back in pain as she realized she was too weak and sore to get up. Her eyes adjusted quickly as did her ears. Looking around she realized she was in a hospital bed. She heard the sounds of a small oscillating fan, a heart rate monitor keeping time with her pulse and voices in the corridor.
She looked down and saw an IV running into her hand. Oxygen was flowing up her nose, making her nostrils cold and very dry. She wiggled her fingers and toes successfully. She was intact as far as she could determine. Reaching up slowly, stiffly with her left hand, she gently touched her right shoulder and found it bandaged.
So it apparently had all been real, unless this was a continuation of the same dream. She had been attacked in the jungle by a jaguar and somehow managed to survive. She speculated that someone must have come along and saved her. Adrian reached along the side of her bed and finding the call button pressed it. While she waited, she drifted in and out of sleep. She assumed this was due to something they were pumping into her veins.
A few minutes later, a young nurse came in and checked on her. Adriana learned that she was in the Hospital General San Juan de Dios in Guatemala City some 190 miles south of Tikal and had been left bleeding and near death outside the front entrance.
Adriana also learned from the nurse, Maria, that she had been unconscious for nearly two weeks. She asked for her mobile phone and Maria brought it to her before returning to her duties. Adriana turned it on and saw multiple alerts of missed calls, voicemails and text messages. She had no doubt they were from her worried father and co-workers from the Field Museum.
She felt a wave of fatigue and turned the phone off. She slipped into a deep sleep. She awoke thirty minutes later and a she wondered about her missed flight and the hotel. She pressed the call button and Maria soon arrived.
“Is everything ok, senorita?”
“I was just wondering. I was staying at a hotel and was supposed to fly home already.”
“You had your wallet and passport when you were admitted. The hospital administrator called the US embassy. Someone took care of the hotel. Your luggage and belongings are in the closet in the corner.”
“Great. I’m sure I can figure out getting home when it’s time. Thanks.”
Relieved, Adriana watched her exit the room and tried to decide which to do first: listen to voicemail or answer the text messages. She had fewer voicemail messages so she cleared those out first. The text messages would have to wait as she once again grew tired and lost strength. Adriana put her mobile on the nightstand to her left and closed her eyes. Outside a steady rain had begun to fall and she fell asleep dreaming of the jungle.