The Dog in the Hollow by Will Lowrey

Author:Will Lowrey [Lowrey, Will]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Lomack Publishing
Published: 2022-12-31T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 8

FOR NEARLY AN hour, they lay there in the bushes, man and dog panting heavily against the warm night air. Horse flies and mosquitoes buzzed around, drawn to the sweet scent of perspiration. Incessantly, Clarence scratched at the base of his neck and the crooks of his arms with his face twisted in a mask of consternation. Beside him, Goose rested on his haunches, his jaw slung open, and his great pink tongue splayed outward below his eyes, wide and afraid, staring ahead through the sweet ferns and scrub oaks into the hollow before them.

“Let’s go,” whispered Clarence, his voice set with determination. The leaves rustled softly as he gingerly rose to a crouch.

Goose only looked ahead, not responding.

Clarence reached out and stroked his hand down Goose’s sweat-slicked fur. The touch roused Goose from his stupor, and he turned slightly toward Clarence. In the moonlight at the edge of the hollow, their eyes met.

In the pale whites staring back at him beneath the shaggy hair that bristled against the silvery, starlit backdrop, Goose could see within the man. He looked frightened, but there was something more, some deep reckoning brewing within his soul.

Goose rose to his feet and slowly turned from the hollow. In the distance, he heard the clinking of a chain pulling taut, and he knew that Queen had risen to her feet and was scanning the woods. Although she stood invisible far across the hollow with her jet-black coat shrouded in the inky night, Goose knew her eyes were upon him. A shiver ran up his spine, and he started forward as Clarence crept slowly up the edge of the mountain.

For several long hours, they walked through the woods in silence. Clarence said nothing, only occasionally turning around to make sure Goose was following without too much difficulty. Though his leg ached with each step they climbed, he felt a sense of purpose as he followed Clarence back to the cabin.

As they neared the crest, Goose could see the first tendrils of the morning sun stretching out over the jagged trees. Inch by inch, the forest slowly began to glimmer as the shafts of light lanced down to the leafy floor.

Clarence trudged slowly across the worn dirt to the cabin door. His legs seemed to wobble, and Goose sensed it was more fear than fatigue. As Clarence reached the door, he slipped the rifle off his shoulder, and it dropped swiftly until he caught the strap and let it dangle by his side. He reached for the door and pushed it open, stepping up into the cabin and disappearing into the darkness. Goose walked slowly behind him, his eyes surveying the surrounding forest anxiously. When he was sure the woods were quiet, he hopped up and slipped into the darkened structure behind Clarence.

Clarence lay there on the bed, his arms splayed outward beside him and his feet dangling unceremoniously over the edge. Goose stood there looking at him in silence. He watched Clarence’s chest heave up and down in deep, steady breaths.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.