Down: The Fall

Chapter Twenty Seven: The Escape

Five Monthes After Event:
After dealing with one mutated dog Grant had almost been killed. Now here in front of him sat another, that had the potential to become just as vicious as the last dog. The large grey and white pitbull lay stretched out on the floor in front of him panting, tounge hanging out. A large puddle of drool was forming on the floor under the dogs mouth.

"Why are you giving the dog the same green water that changed Ranger. What if it was the reason that Ranger went crazy and started hunting humans? What if it causes another problem like he has become?" Grant questioned the old man with concern in his voice.

"It is a risk I know but if I'm going to get my grandson and I, and now you, out of here safely, I had to find a way to try and even the playing field a little. This was the only way I knew how." Howard replied.
" Well I do need to be getting back to Jenson Town soon. After seeing that hoard of rats that passed through the woods earlier, I'm affraid they may pose a threat to the settlement and its allied settlements" Grant stated. " Rats?, What rats?" Howard asked.
Grant relayed his midnight runin with the hoard, and what he'd over heard to Howard.
"Sentral is one of our alies, we made contact over the HAM some monthes back. I need to get back at least inorder to warn them." Grant told Howard.
"If that hoard is as big as you say it is then I don't blame you. Roger and I'll need a place to go once we leave here, this Jenson Town sounds like as good a place as any. We'll start prepairing tomorrow to leave. We'll pack up some supplies and get Jep saddled up. We'll have to leave out as soon as Ranger and his hunting packs leave out early the next morning" Howard finished. " Sounds good to me" Grant said.
. . . . .
Two days later Grant, Howard, and Roger stood by the back door throwing the last of the supplies onto Jep and the terriers saddles.
"When we leave we're gonna have to move quick because you'd be surprised at how quick one of those hunting packs can move. We don't want them catching up, ole Jep here wouldn't be able to fight off all of them" Howard said.
They left as soon as they heard the last of the dog packs run out barking and yelping. Grant rode behind Howard on Jep, while Roger rode the terrier named Lee.
They were making good time coming to the last of the houses in the neighborhood. Suddenly a dark four legged figure ran out blocking the road further up from them. Soon it was joined by a large mass of other four legged figures. "Oh no!" Was all Grant heard Howard say before he quickly steered the pitbull off the road.
They ran between the houses through to another street trying to go around the pack. "That pack is gotta be forty head strong, they'll rip us to shreds!" Howard exclaimed.
It looked like they were gonna make it out when a brown and black blurr barreled into Jep. Howard and Grant went flying, landing on their backs. Grant could hear the two dogs fighting. As he looked up he seen the two dogs teeth flashing at each other. Ranger lunged at the pits neck only to night into air as hep doged and twisted snapped his jaws down on nap of Rangers neck. He began shaking his head violently, Ranger yelping and growling the whole time.
Just as Ranger had yanked his neck free from Jeps throttling grasp, both dogs abruptly stopped fighting and jerked their heads towards the wooded back edge of the subdivision. Grant heard their mental voices reverberate together in his head. "Rats! ".
Their ears perked up and Grants heightened senses began to pickup on to what the dogs where. The terrible stench and high pitched squels of thousands of rats. "lots of rats!" he said a loud. "What?" the boy asked next to him not having heard the dogs as Grant had. "Rats are coming, look over there!" Grant exclaimed. He pointed to the wood line as a small but fast moving pack of dogs came yelping, snarling, and growling out. An ever growing gray sea of squealing, squirming, masses of fur, legs, and teath quickly followed.
Dutchess sat astride Duke as he led the pack towards them. Though Duke seemed to still be unshaven by the situation, clearly the rest of the dogs where not. Their demeanor was very distraught as they ran with their tails between their legs yelping.
As his own mind took in the overwhelming turn of events a small amount of fear started to grip him. A small prayer slipped from his consciousness upward. "Lord help" simple yet affective. That's when he noticed oddly enough how calm Ranger seemed. The large Alfa lifted his head up and howled the loudest howl he'd ever heard. He realized it was the collective howl of all the dogs. Soon what seemed like thousands resounding from the surrounding forests and foothills answered back. "An all dog aleart" Howard stated little shakely.
Soon dogs began to poor into the subdivision. So many that Grant soon lost count. They immediately turned their attention to the rat hoard as Ranger said "food, eat,!hunt,attack!"
The hoard of dogs collided with the surprised hoard of rats. Barks, snarls, and squeals pervaded the air in an overpowering way. The dogs began snatching the rats and the riders on the rats up and began eating them. Some just began bighting and shaking the rats in their mouths, then slinging them to the ground. A large group made up of puppies began devouring these rats swiftly. Fur,entrails, bones and began to smear the ground amongst the dogs feet.
Dutchess sidled up beside Jep " let's go!" she screamed. "Now!" she exclaimed when neither of the men listened. They shook themselves from their mesmerizing stupor. The dog hoards attack had captivated them with its power over something they had all feared.
They raced out of the subdivision with Dukes small pack trailing behind. Just before they made it out a flash of gray swooped Howard off Jeps back causing Grant to tumble behind him. As he lifted himself from the ground grasped his sword and shield in his hands reading himself to fight. He watched as Jep easily dispatched the rather large rat bighting then gulping down. on the ground before him Howard lay dead his body almost bitten in half.
  Roger collapsed beside his grandfather tears streaming down his eyes. "We have to go" Dutchess stated flatly, as she looked back at the war commencing behind them."Not much time" she added.
"I hate to do this kid, but we gotta go Grant said putting his weapons away and coming up beside the boy placing his hand on his shoulder. The not wiped the tears from his eyes and emotionlesly climbed up into th terrier.
  They rode swiftly away the subdivision shrinking behind them.