Mad Dogs in the Less Traveled Road

It was her first time to go home alone. It was her first time to set forth on this road without company and without riding any transporting medium except her both cold and shivering feet wrapped in her unadorned and tattered school shoes.

It was cold but still, she had to trace her way home for more than a kilometer walk in a raw drizzling rain.

A few dwarfish strange-looking trees were erected on road’s sides. No lamp post or street lights to give her path a bit of illumination except from her cell phone’s flashlight. No sign of human inhabitation but only the croaks of frogs from a nearby swamp; other than that, the night was still yet its silence was only broken by the ceaseless sound of slashing blades of tall grasses cause by the wind. And she had to walk by herself.

She was engulfed by fear but the city’s too far to return and it was almost midnight. So, no matter how afraid she was, she had to keep walking; besides, it was just a kilometer-long walk and it would not give her much strain.

She had to walk despite the heavy pounding in her chest. Despite the little rain, the cold, the silence and the darkness, Elisa had to keep walking.

But, in the corners of her mind were projected layers of vivid images, fast-moving like a silent movie - crystal-clear. These were her self-created pictures that she mentally conjured whenever breaking news about dreadful crimes would arise.

These were the products of her fear-corrupted imagination, the kind of imaginative situation that Elisa would never ever want to happen to her in reality. So, it was better to keep at pace, despite the little rain, the cold, the silence and the darkness. Elisa had to keep walking.

Her head’s straight and eyes on the road, squinting with no intention of looking back to see how far she had gone.

It was good that the rain stopped. The air became humid as it kissed her numbing face and left seeds of vapor on her forehead and on her unwieldy hair. The fresh scent of grass and smell of mud enveloped the surroundings. Elisa trod the dim road in real hurry. With her cell phone’s flickering glint, she launched brave strides, gasping. She felt her ribs was constricting.

She persistently traced her way until she was taken aback by her own breathing. For a split of second, she knew exactly what was going on. She felt a strange presence behind her. It was eerie when she heard a heavy expulsion of air. She turned and was stunned.

Behind her, a few feet away were two hairy creatures with blood shot eyes swelling and grinning at her and not a second past, another bigger hairy figure, certainly the biggest, appeared on her left. Eyes were piercing red and its mouth was watering.

Now, there were three muscular and big-bodied creatures staring at Elisa like she was a chunk of raw meat for dinner.

The biggest of them came closer to Elisa; still, with reddening eyes and teeth that glisten in the night.

As the creature moved slowly and closer, Elisa lost the power to say any kind of word to show she was in danger. The one with silver chain on its neck gripped her right arm. Elisa’s heart trembles. It was so tight and painful that she had dropped her phone. However, Elisa would not dare to let these horrible creatures hurt her. In spite of the darkness of night, still, she was able to see them clearly at that close distance, face-to-face, she aimed to strike back, fight back to those animals with her thin arms and scratched their faces with her fingernails.

She shouted, screamed and even howled for help. But how on earth can somebody hear her on this long-stretched, uninhabited and deserted road?

Elisa pulled out the strength of heart to tussle. But the one with the longest hair and the blackest of them seize Elisa’s neck and strangled her. Choking and almost fainting, she smashed the head of the one in front of her with her umbrella with heavy consecutive blows until it broke off of her neck.

Elisa’s courage kept her going not until the biggest and strongest and the scariest of them all took part in the wrestle. The biggest grab Elisa by the neck that caused her to lose balance; then, the one with a chain took her bag and threw it way and the one with the longest hair ripped Elisa’s skirt.

The three of them were panting yet grinning, japing and seeing pleasure to see a woman wearing only her skin. The biggest of the three continued tearing the rest of the clothes that protected Elisa. First was her top; then, her undergarments and lastly were her unadorned, mud-stained, tattered school shoes.

Lain on a pile of wet grass was Elisa.

And there was a banquet of flesh and blood, a reason for these mad dogs to feast; a time for these mad dogs to fulfill their earthly desires.

And it happened.

It happened all tonight in this long and deserted road because it was her first time to go home alone.

It was 7 ‘o clock in the evening when they were dismissed in their class but Nikki was trying to persuade Elisa if she could come with her at the nearby supermarket because she was tasked by her sister to go to the grocery. However, Elisa refused despite Nikki’s great attempt to convince her.

“It’s getting late, Nikki. I don’t think I can still accompany you at the supermarket. I have to go ‘cause my cousin, Jenny, may already be waiting for me at the terminal.” Elisa told Nikki while walking along the pavement towards the supermarket.

“I am afraid we may not be able to catch the last trip if we don’t hurry.” Elisa continued.

“Oh, I see. Go on, then. Hope you could come with me next time. Goodbye.” Nikki responded.

“Yeah. Next time, probably. Thanks, Nikki! Be safe.” said Elisa as she waved her best friend goodbye.

“Bye and take care.” Nikki replied.

Even though, how much she wanted to accompany her friend, it was not a thing she will probably do when it is already dark. And she was very glad to know that her best friend understands. Well, Elisa was well-versed that staying out at night or not going home early was definitely the most unlikely thing especially for her who lives in a very far community.

She had a short walk from the supermarket where she parted with Nikki to the terminal of jeepneys where she assumed, her cousin, Jenny was waiting for her.

She was disappointed upon arriving because the last trip had already left and there is no any jeep going directly to their place.

“Bad trip!” she smirked.

She then reached her cell phone to see if Jenny texted her.

Indeed, Jenny texted Elisa only to inform she had ridden the last trip and she was the last passenger to ride. This only made Elisa’s heart sank.

Elisa had to ride at the opposite terminal which was heading to the town proper and not to their barangay. In her insides, she was frightened that what if nobody will be with her. At that point in time as she rode a different jeepney, she was scared of going home by herself. Her mind was full of thoughts, cluttered with the atrocious stories that her parents and neighbors had been talking about. Stories so cruel and abhorrent that made her afraid to go home.

Then, she had to get off at the junction two kilometers before the town proper. The kilometer-long road on the left would lead to their small village. No houses, no inhabitants, no people, just a dark, muddy and long road.

Going home at night and passing through that deserted road was Elisa’s most unloved part of her day especially, now that she has to travel home by foot alone. Now that it was her first time to go home alone.

“It was my first time to go home alone. It was my first time to set forth on that road without any company and without riding any jeepney. I just traveled with my cold and shivering feet wrapped in my unadorned and tattered school shoes.

It was cold but still, I had to go on my way home for more than a kilometer walk in a raw drizzling rain.”

“It was good that the rain stopped! The air became humid as it kissed my numbing face and left seeds of vapor on my forehead and on my unwieldy hair. The fresh scent of grass and smell of mud enveloped the surroundings. I trod the dim road in real hurry. With my cell phone’s flickering glint, I launched brave strides, gasping. But I felt my ribs was constricting.”

“I persistently continued to walk my way until I was taken aback by my own breathing! For a split of second, I knew exactly what was going on.”

“Those were the mad dogs in the road less traveled by at night. The three of them were panting yet grinning, japing and seeing pleasure to see me wearing only my skin. I can hear them laugh! The biggest of the three continued tearing the rest of my clothes. First was my top; then, my undergarments and lastly were my unadorned, mud-stained, tattered school shoes.”

“There’s a reason now for those mad dogs to feast. They would come out and have a feast when a lonely lady would daringly pass along that road at night by herself.”

“Well, I saw them. Three of them! The mad dogs in that less traveled road! They had a feast with me!

Yes! It happened.

It happened all tonight (that night) in that long and deserted road because it was my first time to go home alone.” Elisa, laying flat in her hospital bed, scarred in and out, eyes beyond the ceiling, in a bitter-cold voice retold the incident.
(TSU-Lathala Entry 2014, Short Story - Second Place)