The Dark

The man awoke in the dark wooded forest. He was laying down, and not sure how he had gotten there. In his hand, he felt the familiar feeling of his handgun. His 9mm pistol. With a flashlight that he always took out with him, no matter the occasion. The familiarity did little to put his mind at ease as he sat up, wondering where he was and how he got there. He looked around using the flashlight on his pistol, seeing only the seemingly never-ending forest around him. He stood up and started walking in a random direction, hoping to hear either the familiar sound of a road or maybe stumble upon a house where he could get some help.

As the man walked he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was being followed, almost stalked even. He knew that the forest was inhabited by wolves and wild dogs alike. Nevertheless, he continued onward, listening as close as he could for any sound. The man was desperate and although not religious began to ask in his mind for some help or guidance in the dark. He heard it before he saw it. Standing in front of him was a black wolf, looking ready to pounce and showing its teeth. At the same moment, he heard another one behind him. The man crouched and threw his hands over his head, knowing that his fate was sealed. The black wolf in front of him lunged forward, side-stepping the man and colliding with the wolf behind him. The man quickly wheeled around and pointed his pistol at the two wolves fighting for their lives. Were they fighting to see who would claim the man as their prize? The other wolf was gray and much bigger than the black one. In seconds, the gray wolf was on top ready to rip out the black wolf’s throat. The man reacted and aimed center mass where the wolf’s heart would be and squeezed the trigger. With a loud crack and a fireball that propelled the bullet forward, the gray wolf went down immediately. The black wolf swiftly got up and tore out the throat of the gray wolf, ensuring that it was dead.

The black wolf turned around and faced the man, less menacing than before. It walked up to the man and nudged his hand with its head. Did the wolf want him to follow him? The man’s question was answered when the wolf turned around to look at the man and huffed. The man began to follow the wolf, petting it as they moved through the forest. Using his pistol to light the way the two walked through the forest, down a path that seemed familiar to the wolf. The man’s mind began to race not knowing where it was that the wolf was leading him. As they crested over a hill his heart began to race with excitement and joy. He was greeted with the sight of his cabin, with only the front door wide open. The man entered his cabin and began to clear it out with his pistol making sure that no one, or nothing, was inside. He returned to his porch to see the wolf sitting there staring at the man. The man almost knowingly turned to his kitchen and grabbed was left of ham and tossed it to the wolf. The wolf took it and disappeared into the sunrise. The only traces of it having existed were the bits of fur on the man’s hand from petting it as it was leading him home.