I whined softly as the door opened. The familiar figure appeared in the opening, staring down at me. My eyes narrowed to slits and I felt the hackles on my back rise. Silhouetted against the yellow light that streamed from the filthy fixture behind him, all I could make out was his outline. But I’d recognize the skinny limbs and protruding gut anywhere. Not to mention the voice.
“Who’s a good boy?” he coaxed. The tone was oily and condescending.
I growled low in my throat and he flinched. He tried to cover it with an awkward laugh and a moment later the wet splat of meat landed on the steps ahead of me.
“Eat up, you mangy beast,” he snarled. “Tomorrow’s the big day. You’re going to finally earn your keep.”
I snarled and the door slammed shut behind him, leaving me in near-darkness. My eyes adjusted after a moment and the faint strip of light under the door and the glow of streetlights through the filthy basement windows was enough to help me find my dinner.
Not that I needed it to find food; my nose led me right to the dripping hunk of steak. I lunged forward, the chain connected to the manacle on my ankle pulling me up tight, but the meat had landed within my reach. It was hardly fresh and the cold from the refrigeration was off-putting, but it was sustenance. I scarfed it down in a few bites, my tongue lapping up any last trace of blood off the grimy stairs. I’d learned to overcome my squeamishness once hunger got the best of me.
The man’s words lingered in my mind. Tomorrow was indeed a big day, but he’d be sorely disappointed by the outcome.
I trotted down the stairs, the metallic thud of the heavy chain dragging behind me, a constant reminder of my incarceration. It was galling. He’d never have been able to subdue a fully grown werewolf in its prime if I hadn’t been injured when he found me.
He’d had no idea what I was; all he saw was a large, ferocious dog who could easily snap a smaller dog in two. So I’d been trapped, transported, and held hostage to take part in a dog fighting ring. I snarled at the indignity.
But I’d spent the past few weeks biding my time, healing and waiting for the next full moon. Being injured had trapped me in wolf form, but tomorrow when I was taken to the ring to fight it wouldn’t be man’s best friend I’d rip to shreds.
It would be the man who’d captured me and all of his associates.
My claws clicked loudly on the cement floors, ticking away the seconds until the bloodbath. I pictured sinking my teeth into his gut, tearing out his innards, watching while he died a slow, painful death. I could hear the crunch of his bones under my teeth, splintering into small white shards. The smell and taste of hot, fresh blood on my tongue and sliding thickly, richly down my throat …
Oh yes, tomorrow would indeed be a very big day.
Well that was fun! Happy Halloween, everyone. I went to a fun Halloween party on Saturday with friends and tonight I’ll be trick-or-treating with my best friend and her family. Hope you have a wonderful day, if you celebrate! I’d love to hear about your plans.
Please visit the flash fic group on Facebook and check out the links to the other authors’ flash fics for this week!
I look forward to seeing you next Monday!