I opened my eyes and looked around. I heard rain and saw darkness. I propped myself up on my elbow and looked around again. I saw a burned out campfire leaving white smoke and saw a large meadow full of shadows. I jumped up and reached for my gun in my pocket. But something suprised me. My gun wasn't in my pocket. I reached for my knife but it wasn't there either.
"Tyler? Hello?" I whispered. No answer. Did they leave me? Did they think I was dead? Fuck!
A Golden Retriever crawled out of the woods. It growled at me. I crouched down and showed that I was friendly. He whimpered and sniffed me. I began to pet him. He allowed me to pet him and began to trust me. I looked at a nametag dangling from his collar. I grabbed it and brushed dirt off it. It revealed the dog's name. Sonny.
"Sonny?" I smiled.
He began to lick me at the sound of his name.
"We need to get out of here Sonny. Its dangerous," I sympathized. "But, there's only one way out. Through that horde of shadows." I pointed at the field. "It's a big risk but it's the only way we'll get out of here alive."
Sonny licked my hand, showing his approval. I nodded. I grabbed his collar and led him to the the beginning of the field.
"Follow me. If I get attacked and can't escape, keep running. Alright?" I instructed. I let go of his collar. "Let's go!"
I took off running with Sonny behind me. The shadows directed their attention to us. They all walked towards us. I dodged every one I could. Sonny did the same. The shadows breathed on my neck as I passed by. I knew we were screwed. It was a horrible risk to take. It was pure suicide. But I kept running. I plowed some shadows over and kept going. Sonny took the lead and killed some shadows, protecting me from harm.
We were almost out of the horde. I couldn't believe it. My legs hurt and I was breathing uncontrollably. But I knew I couldn't stop. Suddenly the hole to exit the horde was covered by shadows. A wall of shadows.
"No!" I thought. We'd never make it through. Suddenly, Sonny jumped in the wall, breaking it up. I did the same and ran from the horde. I ran with all my might out of the meadow and escaped the horde's grasp. I fell down with exhaustion. Sonny grabbed the collar of my shirt with his mouth and dragged me to a safe place. I sat up and pat him on the head. He licked my face and curled up in a ball. A few minutes later, I could hear him snoring.
I locked my hands together and went into thought. My mind, flooding with questions, felt like it was going to explode. Why did Tyler leave? Did she take the little girl? Are they dead? Are they alive? These questions gave me headache.
I sat on a log and kept watch for the rest of the night.
