Prologue
It was all so
familiar. I woke up just before dawn. She was facing the other way, warm and
cuddled into the blankets. I kissed the nape of her neck, but she didn’t stir.
I rose from the bed, put on my shorts and walked through to the bathroom.
Looking in the mirror I scarcely recognised the face staring back at me. I
splashed my face with cold water and ran my fingers through my hair. I patted
my face dry and examined the growth of stubble on my chin. I looked tired and
weary, but I knew my morning run would shake off some of the cobwebs.
As I walked
through to the living room the dog lifted his head and jumped up at me. I
patted him on the back and scratched behind his ears to calm him down. I opened
the French doors and let him out to frolic in the sand while I put the coffee
on. He barked once or twice to remind me that he was there, waiting for me
while I poured myself a glass of orange juice, before finding my running shoes
tucked away in the hall cupboard.
Once outside, I
let him lead the way. The rising sun in the East was still hidden behind the
painted grey clouds. I thought about getting putting a t-shirt on, but decided
against it. I was more toned than I am now, but I still felt heavy legged in
the damp sand. The dog ran off in the direction of the old pier and I followed
behind, keeping my head up and watching the gulls scatter as the dog ran
towards them. He seemed to enjoy the chase as they cawed and screeched and
landed a little further down the beach. Once they had taken the hint and flown to
safety, he turned to me, possibly wondering what was keeping me. I picked up
the pace as he foraged on the beach for driftwood. He returned to my heels with
a stick in his mouth, spit gathering at the sides of his mouth. I paused and
tossed the stick into the air, then carried on running until he brought it back
to me. We both knew the routine and by the time we had travelled the mile or so
to the pier, he had tired of the game.
I turned back
towards home as the dog bounded forwards, disappearing on the horizon as I
tried to kick out and stretch my legs. My heart was pounding as my lungs sucked
in the early morning air. Not the burning sensation I have now, just a rush of
blood through my veins as I powered through the soft terrain. It was liberating
to let myself just run, releasing the endorphins that would serve as my
inspiration for the rest of the day. I couldn’t wait to get back and harness
that feeling into something constructive. The solitude of the coast in the
morning would be translated onto the pages I would write, I thought, as my home
appeared on the horizon.
As I neared the
steps up to the deck, I noticed the dog pause by the water’s edge. He laid
supine, eyes gazing into the distance. As the tide lapped up onto shore, he
lifted himself quickly and retreated. I laughed as the water caught up with the
dumb dog, catching the bottom of his black coat. He emerged from the water with
a whine and a vigorous shake, while I climbed the half a dozen steps to the
beach house.
Once on the
deck, I reached for one of the towels that were drying on the make-shift
washing line and rubbed myself dry. I could hear her rattling around in the
bedroom through the open window, the water pump whirring into action as she
showered. I wrapped the towel around my shoulders and went inside. I could
smell coffee as soon as I entered. I poured myself a mug and put some
croissants into the oven to heat and then went through to my office which was
on the other side of the living room.
Inside there
were shelves filled with books, some of which I had written. Photographs of
friends and family adorned the walls and there was a large desk in the centre
of the room with a laptop on. I took a seat and looked out of the window at the
sun rising over the sea. I was at peace. As the laptop booted up, I wondered if
anything could be more perfect than my current existence. I stretched back in
the chair, the leather sticking to my damp skin and took a deep swig of coffee.
On the desk there were a few pages of a new story. I picked them up and read
over what I had written the night before. Although it wasn’t perfect, I was
happy with what I’d done. It was a good start, I thought, as I was disturbed by
the sound of plates clattering against one another in the kitchen.
She was standing
with her back to me as I entered. Her long black hair was damp against her
shoulders. She wore an oversized shirt of mine that just about covered the tops
of her thighs as she stretched upwards to reach into a cupboard. The croissants
were out of the oven and cooling on a rack. I tiptoed behind her and put my
arms around her waist, resting my chin on her shoulder. I could feel the warmth
of her body against mine as she placed her hands across mine. I kissed her neck
again and she let out a low moan. But as she turned to face me, the happiness
evaporated from my life.
As my chin left
her shoulder, I could see her. She raised her hand and pulled back the hair
from her face. There was nothing. Not merely a lack of expression or one of
loveless eyes. There was nothing at all. No nose, no eyes, no mouth. No
semblance of humanity, just a palette of flesh; smooth and unconstructed. I
stepped back in horror, my hands scattering a carton of orange juice across the
counter. It couldn’t be, I thought. She moved towards me holding out her arms,
but I turned and tried to flee, my limbs clattering into the furniture as I
beat a path to the French doors. As I fumbled with the door handle a plate came
crashing in front of my face. I turned to see another hurtling through the air,
just as the doors gave way and I stumbled onto the deck. I lay on the wood and
the dog snarled at me. Panicked, I looked back over my shoulder to see her
darting towards the doors. I barely had time to react; I kicked out with my
legs and slammed the doors shut, only to hear the feral growl of the black
Labrador beside me.
I shuffled
across the deck as it bore its teeth, scrambling to my feet just as it pounced.
I moved swiftly down the stairs as the beast crashed into the wooden table on
the deck. I glanced over my shoulder briefly, to see it shake off the injury
and watch as it leapt from the deck after me. I dug my feet into the sand and
pushed myself off, sprinting towards the water, but this time my legs were
heavy against the resistance and my lungs burned like fire. I could feel the
dog gaining on me as I toiled in the sand. As I tried to gain speed, I slipped
and fell onto one knee. The dog caught the bottom of my training shoe in his
jaws and I had to kick out to free myself. As my free foot connected with his
nose, I heard a whimper as the mutt shot backwards. I glanced over my shoulder
and saw her following it. I got to my feet and sprinted harder. The water was
less than twenty metres away and I had just enough speed to make it to the
first of the breaking waves. I threw myself into the sea, hoping the dog would
be too cowardly to follow.
But I was wrong.
As I struggled on my knees through the waist deep water, he came bounding into
the water. I tried to dive beneath the
waves but he caught up with me. I felt the weight of the animal as it landed on
my back. His breath hard and fast in my ear; a low growl echoing through my
body, I quickly turned to face it. I lashed out with my fists as he pinned me
beneath the water. I could feel him struggling to hold on until his teeth
clamped down on my forearm. I screamed out in pain, until I was submerged
beneath the surface, water pouring into my lungs. Somehow, I swung my free arm
and landed firm punch to the dog’s head. It spun him loose into the water. As I
stretched out to swim, I could hear the repetitive boom of thunder in the
distance.
‘Wake up
Callum,’ I could hear a voice yell from the shore. I looked back to the sand
and saw her there. Not the faceless woman I had confronted, but a face I
recognised. A face I hadn’t seen in nearly twenty years. I strained to see if
it was true, if it was really her, but the beast lurched up from beneath the
water and sunk his teeth into my shoulder, thrashing his head from side to
side.
‘Wake
up Callum!’ she said again, only this
time, the voice was not hers. As I was pushed beneath the water, I felt my body
sinking. My limbs were heavy, drawn to the sea bed. I closed my eyes and fought
out, kicking and hitting wildly, but nothing seemed to connect.
‘Call
an ambulance!’ It was another voice. A
man’s voice.
I could feel the
water heavy in my lungs, dragging me further down. I could feel the dog’s paws
pounding on my chest as it targeted my neck. I tried to keep my eyes open, but
all I could see was red. Another bite, another gash, stung my flesh.
‘I
think he’s taken something. Look!’
‘Come
on Callum, stay with me mate.’
I felt
weightless floating beneath the waves. The dog had gone and I opened my eyes to
see her standing over me in the water. I tried to reach out and touch her, but
my shredded arms would not respond. Through the blurred light, I could make out
her face. I tried to call her name, but the water choked the sound.
‘I need an Ambulance. My friend is dying. I
think he’s taken something.’
‘Did
he just saying something?’
As the sun broke
through the clouds above, all I could see was the light. She was gone. I
thought that she would save me, but she was gone.
‘Tell
them to hurry up! I’ve just lost his pulse!’
‘Is
he breathing?’
I floated,
carried away by the waves until the wounds didn’t hurt anymore.
‘Not
anymore! C’mon Callum, stay with me, mate. Stay with me!’
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