Lexie Meets the Light

My entry into the Vicious Circle writing group's "A Vicious Light" contest. I wanted to do something different, so my main character, Lexie, is not human.

 

The night was deepening, and Lexie could no longer see the grass in front of her muzzle. She had strayed so far from home, and it was time to start back. She skittered over the raised ditch onto a dirt road. Her master would be missing her by now. If she listened hard enough, perhaps she would hear him calling her, as she had when she first started chasing one of those fast, funny, long-eared creatures across the young field, just before dusk. This one had eluded Lexie completely, as she had tired before the creature had. She stood and cocked her head to one side, raising an ear, listening. No, he was not calling-- or he was so far away she could not hear. Then Lexie heard something else. A low rumbling not only assaulted her ears, but she could feel a slight vibration beneath her feet. She looked both ways along the road, and from the distance she saw a light approaching.

 

Lexie thought to run for a moment- her instincts told her the light was not good. Then she remembered that sometimes her master drove one of those things with the lights on it, had given her more than one ride in one. She wagged her tail, lowered her muzzle, and scooted backwards, to the edge of the road, out of the way of the oncoming pickup, but still where they would see her. Maybe if it wasn’t her human, it was another who would take her home. Her muscles were getting tired faster lately. She wondered why. It seemed like so little time had passed since she was a young pup, chasing everything that moved and following the dirt paths around the farm with ease and comfort. Now, her forelegs and hindlegs ached as though they had needles in them, and home seemed so very far away.

 

The noisy machine with the lights on the front ground to a halt when the edge of the beam hit Lexie. The old dog continued to wag her tail, hoping the shape that quickly opened the door and dismounted was her human. She could smell him, now. It wasn’t him. But maybe he would help her. Her belly ached. She really wished she had caught that flop-eared creature.

 

“Well, well, well… what have we here?” Lexie wagged harder, trying to look diminutive. She didn’t want to scare the man away. Maybe he had some food.

 

Another man came out of the machine then. “Looks like a wolf, but it ain’t scared like no wolf,” said the second of the humans.

 

“You know, this would totally freak out the guys, if we took her with us tonight, used her instead of the cat,” the first man, who was standing over her, seemed rather pleased as he said this. Lexie felt good. They were going to take care of her. She would find home tomorrow. Yet, when this first man touched her, it made her flinch. Something didn’t feel right about him. Not really.

 

Suddenly, he grabbed her by her leather collar, pulling up sharply, dragging her toward his car. She yelped from the surprise. He was being a little rough. It hurt her already gritty throat. He threw her into the back part of the pickup, then used a leash to chain her to the tailgate. “Be a good wolf, now. I’m taking you to meet my friends…” He laughed, and the laugh scared her. It wasn’t like her human’s laugh. Not at all. Her heart began to hammer, even more than it had when she had been running her hardest after that flop-eared creature through the field. She realized now that she should have followed her instincts when the machine came upon her. She should have run- now it was too late. She wanted to fight, to flee, and she struggled, in vain. She was too worn to break the leash. Yelping, crying, howling, she fell to the floor of the pickup’s bed as the driver and his friend gunned the engine and took off. The dog’s haunches and belly banged the hard surface, causing her to lose her breath a moment. Lexie remained lying in the pickup for a while, whining softly, wondering where they were taking her.

 

After some time, the machine stopped, the engine turned off, the lights dimmed. Lexie could hear more people, along with some loud music, the kind her human sometimes listened to. The doors banged as her captors joined their friends. Lexie trembled; urinated uncontrollably and watched it run down the metal groove beneath her.

 

“Look what I got, boys, the perfect sacrifice! A wolf!”

 

“Our dark lord will be pleased, it is a most worthy sacrifice. We will be sure to drink it’s sacred fluid, all of us, to gain the vitality and wisdom of the noble beast.” This was a new voice, a deep one. It sent chills down Lexie’s spine. What were they going to do with her?

 

The music stopped. They took Lexie from the pickup, leading her toward the crowd. Again, Lexie struggled, strained, still whimpering. She lashed at the man who was leading her, the first man’s friend. She tried to bite his hand. She was too slow and tired. He jerked away, and laughed. Another man kicked her. She bit at his leg, barely missing him. She was becoming angry.

 

“Bring her to the altar, Thomas,” said that voice Lexie feared most. She saw him then, in a long black robe. The others were putting on black robes as well. He stood on the other side of a big stone table, surrounded by the light of dozens of tall candles, glowing, flickering, vicious light. The stone was covered in dark stains.

 

Lexie almost lost the ability to stand. She could smell what the stains were. These were evil men. Why had she chased the flop-eared creature so far? Why couldn’t all men be like her human? Several of them poked and prodded at her. As they did so, she tried her best to lash out, but her energy was fading, even though she now realized they were going to hurt her. They were going to hurt her bad, these evil men.

 

Something gleamed in the hand of the man whose voice chilled her to the bone. It was a long strip of metal with an ornately carved handle. It was an instrument used to cut, and Lexie knew now what they would be cutting. They would be cutting her. As she paused, realizing she was done for, the men placed her up onto the table. She urinated again, and it ran down the arm of the man who had abducted her from the road. Oddly, soiling him gave her a moment of a little satisfaction, in spite of her terror and knowing.

 

With myriad arms holding her, Lexie saw the knife gleam brighter, the man in the black robe holding it high above his head. He chanted some odd words that did not sound normal to her, not like the way her human and his family spoke. Then he returned to normal speech, looking at each of his cronies, seeking their approval.

 

“Almighty Lord Satan, please accept this sacrifice: Canus Lupis, most noble of all your wild creatures, in our names. We beseech you to bestow upon us her strength, her wisdom, her power.”

 

Swifly, sharply, unflailingly, the gleam of the blade came closer, and in seconds Lexie felt a warm surge at her throat. For a moment before the blackness enfolded, the sensation was almost pleasant. The warmth of her own blood spilled over her chest, the night seemed silent and serene… and then, after the blackness drew down like a curtain, she saw a new light- one that was not vicious, not controlled by the evil of mankind.

 

 

 

~Constance

 

 

 

Author's Note

I love all animals, but the wolf is my absolute favorite. I've yet to meet a wolf dog and not have an immediate connection with them. I wanted to show their vulnerability against mankind, and how often we become the predator. As always, constructive criticism is appreciated. I wrote this as an entry to the Vicious Light contest, where the only specification was that in the first two paragraphs, you had to have a protagonist meeting a light when alone on a dark road.

Reviews

[Chad Wesley Allbrett]

You must love Jack London then eh?
-Myself I'm into bears!
Thanks for the cool read.