Hounds

He’s starting to catch on. And he doesn’t like it. He stared down the shard.

“What are you up to? Hm?”

She didn’t answer. She doesn’t move. She doesn’t know how much longer she can keep this up. He just hasn’t said anything yet. She can’t help but wonder how much he knows.

She wasn’t the only one.

He turned when he heard barking.

“Hm? Oh.” He leaned down and patted the hound on the head. His heavy black tail began wagging.

“Aw! Who’s a good boy? Who’s a good boy?” he asked. “You are. Yes, you are!” The hound patted happily. She made a face as she stared at pet and owner. There was something… unsettling about this. They looked so cute and happy. But he was him. And the dog was…

The hound started barking.

“What is it, boy?” he asked. The hound kept barking. She tensed up from what she heard. Oh no…

A grin spread over his fat face.

“Excellent!” He turned and looked at her. She stayed as still as she could. She didn’t move or breathe. The other gate angel looked up. No one dared to move. If time existed here, it would feel like it stopped.

“I found him,” he said. She had to play like she couldn’t react. He reached his hand out to her. However, he stopped short of touching her. The surface started to shimmer.

“Heh.”

He drew back his hand. She didn’t take her eyes off of him. He turned to his hound and whispered something to the dog. The beast stood at attention. She strained for a listen. Though she couldn’t hear him, the feeling that something wasn’t good formed a sinking feeling in her non-existent stomach. Trying to call out to warn Masayuki and herself would be too risky at the moment. This devilish captor would notice. She didn’t want to think about what would happen after that.

The hound turned and ran over into the empty space. He stood and chuckled to himself. He took one more look over his shoulder.

“I’ll see you later, darling,” he said. His voice made her cringe. Still, she fought not to move. He finally turned away and walked off. Once she was sure that he was gone, she could breathe out. The situation had changed. She was going to have to make a decision and act right now. She didn’t have to think about what to do.

She took in a deep breath and began to reach out to the outside, Masayuki and her other self.

He’s starting to catch on! You are going to have to get moving with the rescue plan! I’m right here! Come and find me!