Kensington Cove

Chapter 7: S1 Ethan: Playing Tricks

Sadie Reed

She follows him up the walkway and then takes the stairs two at a time to keep up with his

longer stride.

A deep growl rumbles in the darkness, and a hulking, four-legged body with two red,

glowing eyes slowly approaches.

Standing at the front door, Sadie's body trembles. "What the hell is that?" A shiver shakes

her from head to toe. "A dog?"

She squints, hoping to focus on the distorted figure.

"Did Roman have a pet?" The keys slip between her wet fingers and clang against the

wood planks. "A massive, f*****g Cujo dog?"

Ethan scoops the keyring off the wooden platform and jams the house key into the lock.

Two more creatures with the same hideous eyes inch their way closer to the front door.

"Oh, God, there's more of them."

"S-a-d-i-e." The creature draws out her name. "Sadie. Sadie. Sadie."

When the steel door opens, Ethan yanks her inside. He slams it shut and engages the

deadbolt.

"Did that thing just talk?" Her eyes widen.

He turns around and locks gazes with her, his expression unreadable. "Who the f**k are

you?"

She steps back, placing some distance between them. "I-I told you, Sadie Reed."

Looking away from his piercing stare, she examines her surroundings and basks in the

house's warmth, which is a welcome change from the chilly, wet air outside.

"Yeah. You said that already."

An oversized leather couch sits in the middle of the rectangular room with a chaise on one

side and matching recliners on the other.

With the drapes open on the far wall, she feels exposed to the prying eyes outside.

"What are those things?"

Making her way across the floor, she leaves puddles of water in her wake.

"Why . . . how did it talk?"

She pulls the curtains closed and then moves into the next room bathed in moonlight, an

office.

A streak of lightning flashes outside the window, illuminating the night.

Searching the front yard, she looks for any movement or signs of life. The frame of the sill

sits level with her hip. Leaning close to the glass, she peers at the ground that's over seven feet

away.

Shadows dance in the darkness, but nothing living comes into view.

It wasn't real. She gulps a breath - the wind's playing tricks on the mind.

Standing on the tips of her toes, she grabs the drapes and drags the two panels together.

The ping of shattered glass echoes through the house, making her shake.

Sadie pivots on the balls of her tennis shoes, which squeak on the hardwood floor, and she

comes face to face with a red, glowing set of eyes.

"H-how the hell did you get inside?"

The animal creeps closer, inch by inch. It's stalking her, closing the gap between them.

And the closer the ominous orbs come, the larger the beast's overall mass appears.

Its ears tuck flat against its head. The dark hair on its back stands on end - a long snout

with gleaming white fangs snarls.

It stands upright on two legs.

"What the f**k?" Sadie gasps.

It's bipedal like a man.

"Run." Ethan grabs her arm.

He shoves her into the hall behind him, and she takes off running.

"Find a place to hide." His body is all that stands between her and the approaching animal.

The creature extends a hand and digs talon-shaped claws into the sheetrock. Advancing, he

leaves four long slashes.

Ethan lunges forward, tackling the half-man, half-beast to the floor.

At the end of the hallway, she comes to an arched opening leading to a formal living room.

To her left, another animal, with red eyes, emerges from the shadows. It rises to full height

and swipes at her.

Another fur-covered creature perches on the sill of the broken window.

"Oh, God." She sidesteps and races up the staircase. "They're everywhere."

At the top of the stairwell, she slides her purse from her shoulder. Handshaking, she wraps

her fingers around cold steel.

"Sadie . . . S-a-d-i-e," growls the beast. "Ready or not, here I come." The beast, now

standing fully erect, takes the stairs two at a time.

She removes a hand from the purse. Her fingers tremble, and her grip on the handle of the

weapon slips.

"Fuck." She holds the gun out in front of her. It's heavier now than when she shot it at the

firing range.

Her hands bob up and down. Her fingers shake, making it hard to slide the safety off. She

wraps her index finger around the trigger.

"Stop." She locks eyes with the intruder standing in front of her. "Don't come any closer."

He squats, then springs forward.

A solid blow to her chest knocks her to the floor. Gasping for air, she hurries across the

hardwood, putting some distance between them.

The dog, man-beast thing approaches on two legs, stops, and then looms over her.

His breath, hot and rancid, makes her gag.

Now or never. The words echo in her head. You got this. It's like practice - just without the

walking, talking, rabid man-dog.

Two-handed, she levels the barrel of the gun, keeping his chest between the sights.

"You shouldn't point a gun unless you intend to use it." The words come out in more of a

growl than normal speech.

He lunges for her.

Gasping for breath, she pulls the trigger.

The recoil of the blast forces her hands back.

A dead weight falls on top of her, making it hard to breathe, much less move. The mixed

aroma of chalk and scorched paper burns the inside of her nose.

"Sadie." Ethan's voice carries through the house. "Where are you?"

She opens her mouth to speak, but nothing comes out, not even a squeak.

Footsteps pound against the wooden stairs. A figure with golden eyes approaches.

Sadie struggles to slide out from underneath the man or beast, lying motionless on top of

her. She frees the hand holding the gun and aims it at the oncoming mass.

"Stay back." She squeezes the trigger once again. The gun goes off for a second time.

The intruder grunts, then rolls to the side.

Before she can aim, a hand wraps around her wrist, forcing her arm above her head.

Whoever it is, rips the gun from her grasp.

"No. Please," the words come out a jumbled mess.

"It's me," says Ethan, barely above a whisper.

"Ethan?"

A heavy weight topples off her, and she's yanked to her feet. Strong arms draw her into a

tender embrace.

"Oh, God." She peers at the motionless form on the floor.

Her stomach lurches.

It's a man, not a beast.

"I killed him." A swimmy sensation rolls through her head. "Oh, God, I just killed

someone."

Her knees buckle, and the strange, dark world spins around her. Ethan's golden-colored

eyes fill her vision, and then everything goes black.