The Salvation

Chapter 12

|Felicia|

Felicia woke to a commotion. Outside her window she saw the street filled with curious settlers. The sky was a darker grey than usual, giving the hint of evening. Felicia wiped the sleep from her eyes and tried to look down at what caught the crowds interest. She saw Craig, with blood on his shirt boasting about something. The blood made Felicia's throat clench and her heartbeat slow. She turned heel and ran downstairs, charging through the door and forcing her way past Shale as he tried to jump on her. Craig wasn't alone in the centre of the crowd, other men were there too, all bloody and injured.

Felicia jumped when she felt hard hands around her waist. But all her worries went to bay when she turned, seeing her husbands face. Andrew's face was scratched up a little, but he looked fine. His beard had grown out, now a thick brown layer covering his lower face proudly.

"Andrew, thank god you're okay!" Felicia said relieved. "What happened out there?!"

Andrew snickered and closed his eyes momentarily. "We didn't bring much water back with us, but we brought something... More interesting." He said in a mysterious tone.

Andrew took Felicia's hand and led her away from the group of people and behind their house. Her jaw dropped and her pulse quickened when she laid eyes on the mass of dead animals she'd never seen before, nor looked like anything she would expect to see on this planet. They were soaked in their own blood (she hoped) and all their rocky skin was cracked and chipped. The spikes on their backs stood out, the mere sight of them sending a chill down Felicia's spine.

"What are they...?" Felicia finally asked after staring at them for thirty seconds.

"That, my beautiful wife, is a question we're all asking. I've seen nothing like them in my life, they're also incredibly violent." Andrew said with a sarcastic smile.

Felicia turned to her husband. "Are they what attacked you?"

"Yes," Andrew replied, "but they aren't much to fear. They attacked in a pack, but bullets still kill them."

"So we can defend ourselves against them? I don't get it, they look like walking rocks!"

"Their skin is hard, but it's not too thick so the bullets still get through."

Felicia took a few steps closer for a better look. They had all the features of a dog, so Felicia assumed they must be from the same family. But when she lifted the eyelids, they were those of a reptile, yellow and slitted. The spikes on its back resembled a porcupine, only thicker and larger, and its claws reminded her of Shale's. It seemed to be... Mutated.

"What are you gonna call them?" Felicia asked.

Andrew seemed to think for a moment. "Hadn't put much thought into it... Not quite sure wether it's a reptile or a canine or anything really..."

"Stonehounds sounds basic enough, and daunting." Felicia decided.

Andrew scoffed. "Stonehounds? Eh, I guess I've got nothing better." He laughed.

Felicia went back inside, leaving Andrew to do whatever he pleased with the Stonehounds. The very thought of them have her chills again. Felicia opened her cupboard and pulled out a rotted box of cereal. That's not going to be much help staying in there. She walked outside to the fire they made in the centre of the road and tossed it on the pile to be used as fuel next time she cooked. Food was running low, but as often as she could, Felicia would cook for as many people as she could serve. It'd been four days since their arrival and already the pack of settlers were stripping Glade dry of its final resources. Felicia wanted some of them to move to the surrounding neighbourhoods, where they were close, but not too close.

The sound of agitated cries left her house, her children signalling their mother to release them from the room. Felicia opened their bedroom door and picked the babies up, carrying them downstairs. Joshua fought for freedom like his life depended on it, but Kersti remained still as Felicia walked down the stairs, muttering in gibberish. Felicia sat both of the babies on the lounge and handed them bottles of chilled water. When the door opened, Shale came bounding in. Felicia despised Shale.

The story of Shale's naming was a simple one, one that fully expressed his idiocy. When he was only a pup, three days after Andrew bought him, he managed to get into Andrew's den. Andrew's den was were Kersti and Joshua's room is now, a battle hard fought by Felicia. But Shale broke into the den, where Andrew kept all his interests. Andrew had a fine collection of rocks, minerals, crystals and samples. When Shale knocked them to the floor, the one he tried to eat first was a small sample of shale Andrew had kept for awhile. Andrew pried the dry mud from Shale's teeth and gave him the name instead.

"You know I don't like it when you open my front door and don't close it!" Felicia scolded the dog. Shale sat on his hind legs and gave Felicia a funny look. "Don't look at me like that..." The dog proceeded to look at her. "Stop it Shale!" When Felicia looked down at Kersti, she got the same funny look from her too. Felicia sighed. "You think I'm crazy don't you? Talking to a dog about manners... Now to a ten month old baby about mental issues..." Thanks wasteland, you've taken your toll.

Felicia decided to release her babies to the outside world for a small few minutes, restraining them in the front yard. If the fence managed to keep a brutish imbecile like Shale in, it could keep her children in too. When Shale walked past her again, he flashed her the same queer look. Stupid dog. It took everything she had not to yell at Shale on a good day, but the dog was so irritating at times. Felicia couldn't help but think about what would happen if Shale died...