Eden (Complete)

Chapter Sixteen

Amy had arranged all the details for their trip to Monte Carlo, Monaco. She figured that travelling via high-speed TGV train would not only be the fastest method of transportation, but also the safest. With all the pileups on the roads, there was no telling what obstacles in the road may lay ahead. She didn't want to get caught in a situation where the road was blocked and they had to turn back. The train tracks weren't likely to pose that same problem. The only debris on the tracks would be from another train.

Since there was no direct route from Bucharest to Monaco, she opted to take the train to Belgrade, Serbia, then Belgrade to Venice, Venice to Milan, then Milan to Ventimiglia. From Ventimiglia, it would only be another thirty minutes to Monaco.

In the time Nick was gone, Amy had also printed all the information they may need for their trip including maps, the next week's weather forecast, and first-aid documentation. She walked over from the computer station to the front desk to look for some kind of dossier where she could keep the papers that she printed.

Nick had been gone for several hours and she was expecting him back soon. As she was rummaging behind the counter, she heard the automatic doors slide open.

"Nick, I'm down here," she called out. "I came up with a plan. There's no direct route to Monaco, so what we can do is..." she stuck her head up from behind the counter and froze.

For a moment she was paralyzed with fear. In front of her was a large mangy dog, teeth exposed and growling. The animal slowly walked toward her. Amy stood petrified behind the desk with nowhere to go; her back was against a wall. She needed to come up with a plan, and fast. Running outside would be the worst idea because there would be nowhere to hide. Jumping over the counter and making a dash for the elevator was also out of the question since the dog would outrun her.

Her only option would be to run downstairs and into the washroom. From there, she could hopefully lock herself behind a door.

Amy leaped over the front desk like a world-class gymnast. With adrenaline aiding her every step, she began a full-on sprint to the stairs that led to the basement. The dog snarled and gave chase.

Running toward a stairwell, Amy jumped down the entireset of stairs, over six in total, and stumbled a bit. Amy quickly returned to her feet and before she could fully regain her balance, she continued to run until she reached a set of doors. Ploughing through the doors, she immediately attempted to shut them behind her. By now, the dog was within biting range. With a hunger in its eyes, it lunged forward with its mouth agape and wedged its head in the doorway. Amy pushed with all her strength, but the dog continued to wiggle and squirm its way in. Amy was out of options. Once inside, the dog would have her trapped. Consumed with fear, she began to cry. After all I've been through in the last twenty-four hours, is this really how I'm going to die? she thought.

She hunkered down with her back against the door, pushing back with her legs. The dog's seething fangs dripped with saliva as it snipped at her. It was almost through the door now. The end is near, she thought.

Just then, she heard a loud noise — BANG!

Blood from the dog sprayed through the opening of the door and splattered against the wall. The dog collapsed to the floor.

"Nick?" Amy called out, her cheeks still wet from tears.

"Amy, are you okay?" he asked.

Amy stood and backed away from the door. She was shaking and still afraid to go near the dog, which now lay dead in the doorway. Nick barged through the door holding a military grade assault shotgun, looking like a hero.

"You okay?" he asked again.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks."

"What's going on?"

"This mangy dog tried to eat me!" she exclaimed. "Probably has rabies, the filthy thing."

"My guess is that without humans around, he sniffed you out in here and was looking for lunch. It's a dog-eat-dog world out there now; you should be careful."

"Did you really have to shoot him?" Amy asked remorsefully.

"I mean, no, I could have let him eat you if that's what you would have preferred. I'm sorry, I must have misread the situation. Besides, I wanted to test out my new gun. Do you like it?" he asked as he held it up with pride, showing it off.

"Keep that thing away from me."

"You have a problem with guns?"

"Yeah, I don't like guns."

"That's too bad," Nick said, "I just grabbed a whole truckload of them. But don't worry, I got some smaller ones for you."

"I don't think I can shoot anything."

"Whatever issues you have with guns, you'd better figure them out quickly because we're no longer at the top of the food chain."

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