Black Promises (Blackwoods College)

Jarrod cursed.

“Stay here,” he growled softly, creeping to the fence.

“What are you doing?” This wasn’t part of the plan.

“Keep blowing.” He grabbed a stick and practically crawled toward the open gate.

I blew again. The dog looked back over its shoulder, but didn’t move from its spot near the door.

Then Jarrod hit the fence with the branch.

That got its attention. I blasted the whistle and the dog walked over, ears perked up, hackles raised.

Jarrod crept back to the woods, but before he disappeared through the bushes, he stood up and stared back at the dog.

For a long beat, nobody moved. The dog saw him, and Jarrod grinned back.

Then Jarrod turned and ran.

And the dog chased.

“Good boy,” Jarrod said, crashing into the underbrush.

I shoved the whistle away then started to run. The dog barked at Jarrod as it crashed into the woods. Jarrod led it down a path, away from the house, and the dog kept barking. I angled toward them, pulling a leash out from my pocket. It was long and blue, and although we didn’t have a dog, my parents hadn’t noticed when I came home with it.

They didn’t see much.

Jarrod kept running, leading the dog deeper and deeper, until he finally turned around. The dog danced around him, barking and barking. Jarrod approached, hand out, and the dog gave him a tentative sniff, his tail wagging the whole time.

“Good boy,” Jarrod said. “Good little Lab. See, this is what I like about Labradors. They make a lot of noise, but if you’re nice to them, they’re always friendly.” The dog let Jarrod scratch his neck as I approached with the leash.

The dog licked my hand as I attached it to his collar.

“Gotcha,” I said, letting him sniff my legs. I scratched his flank and held on tight as he tried to pull away. “We’re staying here, bud.”

The dog looked at me, tail wagging. He had no clue what was about to happen. How the hell could he?

“Hoagie!” The voice was distant but echoed into the forest.

I looked over to tell Jarrod to get into position, but he was already gone.

Hoagie’s tail wagged faster as he pulled toward Dr. Silver’s voice.

“Not yet, bud,” I whispered, pulling him along. “This way. Come on, Hoagie. That’s right, you’re a good boy.” Hoagie came with me, although he didn’t seem to want to.

“Hoagie! Where are you, bud? Hoagie, come! Come here, Hoags!” Dr. Silver sounded surprisingly upset, which was hard for me to fathom. It was almost like the monster has a heart—but I knew that wasn’t true.

The worst thing about demons was their ability to fit in anywhere. They could wear a mask, a lifelike and near-perfect simulacrum of a regular human being, but beneath the lies they were still a slobbering devil.

That was Dr. Silver: he could pass as a normal person, but I knew there was a horror lurking underneath his skin.

I steered Hoagie into a clearing not far from the house. The dog wanted to pull away and go after his owner, but I held him tight with both hands. He was a little guy, maybe sixty or seventy pounds at most, and all he wanted to do was run away.

“Sorry, bud, but we don’t have time to play,” I whispered, trying to calm him.

“Hoagie! Come! Come on, bud. Where are you, Hoags?” A flashlight beam swept through the woods.

My heart raced in a wild, uneven rhythm.

This was my last chance. He hadn’t seen me yet—I could drop the leash and run. I could call this whole thing off and never go through with something so terrible.

I didn’t have to stain my soul for revenge.

But I was already soiled. Dr. Silver made that decision for me a long time ago. I walked the path he set out for me by taking away my innocence and tossing me into the whims and passions of chance and happenstance.

I couldn’t turn back. Not when everything I’d always wanted was so close.

“Over here!” I called out.

I heard stomping through the bushes and trees. The flashlight beam got closer and closer—

Until a man stepped into the clearing.

He was a black shape. I couldn’t see him because of the light. It made him formless, shapeless, a shadow abnormality. Hoagie pulled against the leash, but I held the dog tight.

“Oh, wow, thanks,” Dr. Silver said. I recognized the voice from all those years ago. It was seared into my brain, and it hadn’t changed much. “He never gets out like this. I guess I left the gate open earlier today.”

“That’s okay, no problem.” I didn’t let Hoagie go. I needed to keep Dr. Silver’s attention on me. “Sorry, can you turn off that light or move it down or something?”

“Sorry about that.” He lowered the beam to the ground.

His shape resolved itself into a tired-looking middle-aged man with messy hair, a simple fleece jacket, and a pair of dark sweats. He had slippers on his feet and looked like he was about to slip into bed.