Hello everyone, and welcome back to BITTEN!
I was going to be super organized with a description of the story along with recaps of previous chapters, but my draft deleted itself, so I'm just going to jump right into it. Hush children, it's too late. PZ derped again and deleted my draft. Nothing I can do.
I'd like to thank you so much for your patience on the story. It means a lot to me that you all are waiting eagerly for this episode to be released. I hope it was worth the wait!
-/- | TEASER | Episode 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 (hi
) | -\-
Before we begin, I'd like to remind you all that if you change your forum name, please let me know so that I can update the tag list. If your name changes and I don't know about it, I'll just keep tagging your old name and you won't get a notification.
If you wish to be added to the below tag list, either let me know in the comments below or simply follow me. If you wish to be removed from the list, let me know below.
WARNING! This story contains the following themes:
Violence
Blood and Gore
Other Horror Elements
Readers, proceed with caution.
Let's just jump into it, shall we?
I was going to be super organized with a description of the story along with recaps of previous chapters, but my draft deleted itself, so I'm just going to jump right into it. Hush children, it's too late. PZ derped again and deleted my draft. Nothing I can do.
I'd like to thank you so much for your patience on the story. It means a lot to me that you all are waiting eagerly for this episode to be released. I hope it was worth the wait!
-/- | TEASER | Episode 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 (hi
) | -\-Before we begin, I'd like to remind you all that if you change your forum name, please let me know so that I can update the tag list. If your name changes and I don't know about it, I'll just keep tagging your old name and you won't get a notification.
If you wish to be added to the below tag list, either let me know in the comments below or simply follow me. If you wish to be removed from the list, let me know below.
Violence
Blood and Gore
Other Horror Elements
Readers, proceed with caution.
Let's just jump into it, shall we?
-/- Episode 6: Blood -\-
"So good to see you, Rose," said the old woman as she hugged her granddaughter. "Oh, dear, what's that on your arm? Are you hurt?" she pointed to Rose's bandaged left forearm.
"Oh, it's nothing. Just an accident," Rose replied happily in the arms of her grandmother. "Good to see you, too, Grandma Libby."
Safely in the home of her grandparents on her father's side, Rose began to relax slightly. She watched as her younger sister, Lily, ran to see her grandmother.
"Why don't you all come to the living room?" Libby said happily. "Frank's in there. He's probably still
watching the television. I swear, that man probably doesn't even know you're here."
All three generations of the Lupus family soon met in the comfortable living room. A television sat in the corner near a window, while many chairs and a sofa filled space in the room. Rose was relieved to see that her grandfather was watching Jeopardy! instead of the news report.
"Franklin, your son's family is here," old Libby chimed.
The old man jumped in his seat and quickly stood up. "Oh!" he exclaimed. "Samuel, good to see you, son! How are you?"
"We're doing alright," Samuel replied.
"Oh, welcome back, Lily!" the man laughed as Lily rushed to hug her grandfather. "And is this Rose?" he gasped. "My my, you've grown so much since I saw you last! You clearly inherited your mother's beauty."
Rose blushed. "Thanks, Grandpa Frank," she said sheepishly.
"Well, what brings you here?" Frank inquired after the family had taken their seats. "Come for a vacation? Golly, you could have at least called. Is something wrong?"
"Yes, Dad," Samuel said sadly. "Strange things are happening back at home. People are being attacked, some killed, by canine-like creatures. It wasn't safe to stay home anymore, so we came here."
Suddenly, Frank and Libby Lupus didn't quite seem so cheerful anymore. Their faces were just as grim as Samuel's. The few seconds of silence following seemed like hours. Rose didn't want to spoil the happy family reunion so quickly, but it was too late.
"I can't believe it," Libby whispered. "Frank told me he had read something about dogs going mad up north, but I didn't think it was anything serious."
"The article didn't seem serious in the paper," interrupted Frank. "It only seemed like they meant one or two."
"How long ago did you read that paper?" asked Elizabeth, being the first time she had spoken in a long time.
"Just two days ago," was the response.
"That was before the attacks kept happening," Rose interrupted suddenly. Ignoring the confused stairs from her family, she continued, "I came home from school two days ago and turned on the news. They said a few attacks had happened, but a day after that, there were dozens more. It keeps getting more serious every day."
Everyone was silent. Rose leaned back in her chair and stared into the ceiling. She fixed her gaze on one spot so as to direct attention away from herself.
"Well," Frank said suddenly, "do they know what's causing it? Is it something the dogs have been eating?"
"I don't think anyone knows," replied Elizabeth. "All we know is that it's dangerous to stay outside alone or at night."
"Oh, my dear Rose," Libby cried suddenly. "Were you attacked by one of them? Is that why you have that bandage on your arm?"
Rose nodded slowly, and Libby nearly fainted. "What about your allergies? And how bad was it? Samuel, why didn't you take her to the hospital?"
Samuel hesitated. "She didn't have an allergic reaction," he said simply. "I have no idea why. We took a blood sample and sent it to the lab, but we haven't heard an answer yet."
Samuel had barely released the words when his cell phone rang. "Oh," he sighed, "that must be them. Excuse me for just a moment; I'll go talk to them."
He stood and exited the room. Rose felt immediate tension in her body; her family seemed to know that she felt nervous, as they attempted to strike up a friendly conversation.
"So, Rose, how's school?" asked Frank.
Rose found it hard to focus on anything but her blood sample. What if it came back with signs of disease? What if that thing that had bitten her had rabies?
"Rose, dear, are you alright?" Libby inquired.
Rose nodded and tried to answer. "School's fun," she said. "Now that I'm in high school, though, it's getting more busy. But I do enjoy it."
"That's good."
Rose's grandparents moved on to ask Lily about her life, and Rose's mind began to drift off. For a moment, she thought her wound was hurting, but she figured it was merely her imagination. After a few painfully slow minutes, her father returned to the room and asked to speak to her privately.
"What is it?" whispered Rose as she peered at her father.
Once they were alone, her father began to explain the conversation he had with the woman from the laboratory - a part of the clinic in which he works - said about Rose's blood sample.
"Sandra - the woman who tested your sample - wasn't quite sure why, but your blood sample seemed to be free of disease," explained Samuel quietly. Rose was immediately relieved, yet somehow she still felt tense about the situation. "She also said there was something different about your sample, but she couldn't figure out what it was. She was completely baffled as to why you didn't have an allergic reaction when that thing bit you."
"I don't know any more than you do," Rose answered.
"I know," Samuel sighed. "She told me she would further research your blood sample and the event. She has been closely studying the events of recent days, and she thinks there's something odd about the canine-like creatures that have been attacking people."
"At least someone's trying to find out what's going on."
"What I think is strange," Samuel added, "is that everyone who was attacked and lived are in hospitals. Sandra said she heard the victims' health is collectively going down each day. I think it's strange that they're all in hospitals and are declining in health, and yet you were attacked and were well enough to stay home. Are you feeling worse today than you did yesterday?"
"Just a little shaken up by everything that's been going on," replied Rose, "but I don't feel worse bodily. My bite still hasn't hurt since it first happened."
"That's good, Rose. We should change the dressing on it soon, though."
Rose and her father soon returned to the living room to see the rest of the family in a tense discussion.
"What do you mean we need to get rid of our dog?" Libby cried.
"Libby, we told you," Elizabeth replied. "Something's wrong with the dogs in the area. Whatever's happening might spread down here, and if it does, you'll be in danger."
"But little Robbie has never acted like what you're describing. He's always been a very good friend to us."
"I've heard about people whose pets have gone missing," Samuel interrupted. "Then, savage creatures have shown up in the area and attacked people. It's been on the news."
Rose knew this wouldn't go over well; Libby and Frank had been taking care of a dog for several years, and they would never want to give him up. Even though he was small, Rose thought he was fast and could probably tear someone up if the same thing happened to him as the other attackers.
The intensity of the argument continued to rise. "I won't give up our pet just because some other mutts in the country are going insane!" Frank exclaimed.
Rose was about to cry. Her family was yelling at each other over a dog. She stood up and left the room to get a glass of water. Just as she looked out the window, she saw her grandparents' dog. Robbie was small indeed. Instead of running around in the backyard, he gnawed on the leash that kept him attached to a tree. Rose assumed this must have been what prevented him from running away while outside.
After filling her glass with water, Rose took a sip and glanced outside once again in search of the small dog. To her surprise, the leash that was connected to the tree had been severed completely.
Robbie was gone.
Rose dashed into the living room, completely forgetting about the glass of water in her hand. She spilled the liquid all over her shirt and on the carpet.
"Oh, no! Sorry about that," she whimpered. Her grandparents merely fetched a towel and began to clean it up. Only then did Rose remember why she had come back.
"Grandpa Frank-" she began. She could tell her grandfather was very exasperated, but she understood it was because of the argument. "Your dog isn't in the backyard anymore."
Frank froze completely. "What?" he cried.
"Robbie isn't in the backyard anymore," Rose repeated, "his leash has been cut or something."
Rose barely got her words out when a loud thump hit the glass of the sliding door that led outside. Everyone jumped and stared at the window; cracks tore through the glass where something had just hit the window.
And that nearly-broken glass was the only thing separating the family from that something.
Standing directly outside was a seemingly-rabid beast not twice the size of Robbie. Samuel understood immediately what was happening and ordered the family to leave the room. He shut the door behind him, but the beast was already pounding on it.
"What is that?" Libby cried.
"A monster," Lily replied; she had not spoken in such a long time that it was surprising to hear how calm she was.
"Dad, where's the rifle?" Rose demanded.
Samuel froze, and Rose immediately understood what he was thinking: the rifle was tucked away in the camper outside.
Extremely tense, Samuel fetched the sharpest kitchen knife he could find and put himself between the closed living room door and his family. The pounding on the door increased, and soon the hinges themselves broke. The door crashed to the ground, and the savage beast advanced.
It tackled Samuel to the ground with ease; he attempted to stab it with the knife that he held in his hand. He fumbled and the dog attempted to bite him. It missed, and he drove the long knife straight into its neck.
Libby gasped; Lily screamed; Rose stood still as the dog slowly died, and Samuel stood up. He made sure it was completely dead before moving again.
"Okay," Frank said suddenly.
"Maybe you're right."
"So good to see you, Rose," said the old woman as she hugged her granddaughter. "Oh, dear, what's that on your arm? Are you hurt?" she pointed to Rose's bandaged left forearm.
"Oh, it's nothing. Just an accident," Rose replied happily in the arms of her grandmother. "Good to see you, too, Grandma Libby."
Safely in the home of her grandparents on her father's side, Rose began to relax slightly. She watched as her younger sister, Lily, ran to see her grandmother.
"Why don't you all come to the living room?" Libby said happily. "Frank's in there. He's probably still
watching the television. I swear, that man probably doesn't even know you're here."
All three generations of the Lupus family soon met in the comfortable living room. A television sat in the corner near a window, while many chairs and a sofa filled space in the room. Rose was relieved to see that her grandfather was watching Jeopardy! instead of the news report.
"Franklin, your son's family is here," old Libby chimed.
The old man jumped in his seat and quickly stood up. "Oh!" he exclaimed. "Samuel, good to see you, son! How are you?"
"We're doing alright," Samuel replied.
"Oh, welcome back, Lily!" the man laughed as Lily rushed to hug her grandfather. "And is this Rose?" he gasped. "My my, you've grown so much since I saw you last! You clearly inherited your mother's beauty."
Rose blushed. "Thanks, Grandpa Frank," she said sheepishly.
"Well, what brings you here?" Frank inquired after the family had taken their seats. "Come for a vacation? Golly, you could have at least called. Is something wrong?"
"Yes, Dad," Samuel said sadly. "Strange things are happening back at home. People are being attacked, some killed, by canine-like creatures. It wasn't safe to stay home anymore, so we came here."
Suddenly, Frank and Libby Lupus didn't quite seem so cheerful anymore. Their faces were just as grim as Samuel's. The few seconds of silence following seemed like hours. Rose didn't want to spoil the happy family reunion so quickly, but it was too late.
"I can't believe it," Libby whispered. "Frank told me he had read something about dogs going mad up north, but I didn't think it was anything serious."
"The article didn't seem serious in the paper," interrupted Frank. "It only seemed like they meant one or two."
"How long ago did you read that paper?" asked Elizabeth, being the first time she had spoken in a long time.
"Just two days ago," was the response.
"That was before the attacks kept happening," Rose interrupted suddenly. Ignoring the confused stairs from her family, she continued, "I came home from school two days ago and turned on the news. They said a few attacks had happened, but a day after that, there were dozens more. It keeps getting more serious every day."
Everyone was silent. Rose leaned back in her chair and stared into the ceiling. She fixed her gaze on one spot so as to direct attention away from herself.
"Well," Frank said suddenly, "do they know what's causing it? Is it something the dogs have been eating?"
"I don't think anyone knows," replied Elizabeth. "All we know is that it's dangerous to stay outside alone or at night."
"Oh, my dear Rose," Libby cried suddenly. "Were you attacked by one of them? Is that why you have that bandage on your arm?"
Rose nodded slowly, and Libby nearly fainted. "What about your allergies? And how bad was it? Samuel, why didn't you take her to the hospital?"
Samuel hesitated. "She didn't have an allergic reaction," he said simply. "I have no idea why. We took a blood sample and sent it to the lab, but we haven't heard an answer yet."
Samuel had barely released the words when his cell phone rang. "Oh," he sighed, "that must be them. Excuse me for just a moment; I'll go talk to them."
He stood and exited the room. Rose felt immediate tension in her body; her family seemed to know that she felt nervous, as they attempted to strike up a friendly conversation.
"So, Rose, how's school?" asked Frank.
Rose found it hard to focus on anything but her blood sample. What if it came back with signs of disease? What if that thing that had bitten her had rabies?
"Rose, dear, are you alright?" Libby inquired.
Rose nodded and tried to answer. "School's fun," she said. "Now that I'm in high school, though, it's getting more busy. But I do enjoy it."
"That's good."
Rose's grandparents moved on to ask Lily about her life, and Rose's mind began to drift off. For a moment, she thought her wound was hurting, but she figured it was merely her imagination. After a few painfully slow minutes, her father returned to the room and asked to speak to her privately.
"What is it?" whispered Rose as she peered at her father.
Once they were alone, her father began to explain the conversation he had with the woman from the laboratory - a part of the clinic in which he works - said about Rose's blood sample.
"Sandra - the woman who tested your sample - wasn't quite sure why, but your blood sample seemed to be free of disease," explained Samuel quietly. Rose was immediately relieved, yet somehow she still felt tense about the situation. "She also said there was something different about your sample, but she couldn't figure out what it was. She was completely baffled as to why you didn't have an allergic reaction when that thing bit you."
"I don't know any more than you do," Rose answered.
"I know," Samuel sighed. "She told me she would further research your blood sample and the event. She has been closely studying the events of recent days, and she thinks there's something odd about the canine-like creatures that have been attacking people."
"At least someone's trying to find out what's going on."
"What I think is strange," Samuel added, "is that everyone who was attacked and lived are in hospitals. Sandra said she heard the victims' health is collectively going down each day. I think it's strange that they're all in hospitals and are declining in health, and yet you were attacked and were well enough to stay home. Are you feeling worse today than you did yesterday?"
"Just a little shaken up by everything that's been going on," replied Rose, "but I don't feel worse bodily. My bite still hasn't hurt since it first happened."
"That's good, Rose. We should change the dressing on it soon, though."
Rose and her father soon returned to the living room to see the rest of the family in a tense discussion.
"What do you mean we need to get rid of our dog?" Libby cried.
"Libby, we told you," Elizabeth replied. "Something's wrong with the dogs in the area. Whatever's happening might spread down here, and if it does, you'll be in danger."
"But little Robbie has never acted like what you're describing. He's always been a very good friend to us."
"I've heard about people whose pets have gone missing," Samuel interrupted. "Then, savage creatures have shown up in the area and attacked people. It's been on the news."
Rose knew this wouldn't go over well; Libby and Frank had been taking care of a dog for several years, and they would never want to give him up. Even though he was small, Rose thought he was fast and could probably tear someone up if the same thing happened to him as the other attackers.
The intensity of the argument continued to rise. "I won't give up our pet just because some other mutts in the country are going insane!" Frank exclaimed.
Rose was about to cry. Her family was yelling at each other over a dog. She stood up and left the room to get a glass of water. Just as she looked out the window, she saw her grandparents' dog. Robbie was small indeed. Instead of running around in the backyard, he gnawed on the leash that kept him attached to a tree. Rose assumed this must have been what prevented him from running away while outside.
After filling her glass with water, Rose took a sip and glanced outside once again in search of the small dog. To her surprise, the leash that was connected to the tree had been severed completely.
Robbie was gone.
Rose dashed into the living room, completely forgetting about the glass of water in her hand. She spilled the liquid all over her shirt and on the carpet.
"Oh, no! Sorry about that," she whimpered. Her grandparents merely fetched a towel and began to clean it up. Only then did Rose remember why she had come back.
"Grandpa Frank-" she began. She could tell her grandfather was very exasperated, but she understood it was because of the argument. "Your dog isn't in the backyard anymore."
Frank froze completely. "What?" he cried.
"Robbie isn't in the backyard anymore," Rose repeated, "his leash has been cut or something."
Rose barely got her words out when a loud thump hit the glass of the sliding door that led outside. Everyone jumped and stared at the window; cracks tore through the glass where something had just hit the window.
And that nearly-broken glass was the only thing separating the family from that something.
Standing directly outside was a seemingly-rabid beast not twice the size of Robbie. Samuel understood immediately what was happening and ordered the family to leave the room. He shut the door behind him, but the beast was already pounding on it.
"What is that?" Libby cried.
"A monster," Lily replied; she had not spoken in such a long time that it was surprising to hear how calm she was.
"Dad, where's the rifle?" Rose demanded.
Samuel froze, and Rose immediately understood what he was thinking: the rifle was tucked away in the camper outside.
Extremely tense, Samuel fetched the sharpest kitchen knife he could find and put himself between the closed living room door and his family. The pounding on the door increased, and soon the hinges themselves broke. The door crashed to the ground, and the savage beast advanced.
It tackled Samuel to the ground with ease; he attempted to stab it with the knife that he held in his hand. He fumbled and the dog attempted to bite him. It missed, and he drove the long knife straight into its neck.
Libby gasped; Lily screamed; Rose stood still as the dog slowly died, and Samuel stood up. He made sure it was completely dead before moving again.
"Okay," Frank said suddenly.
"Maybe you're right."
Thanks for reading! Let me know what you thought about the story below.
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