Chapter 10: Dormant Memories Awaken

Shep wandered around the city aimlessly as he felt that his very heart had been violently ripped from him. As his wounds slowly healed and scabbed over, they brought him great pain as he traveled. Growling and occasionally yelping, he despised the world around him.

In the back of his mind, Shep felt a sense to return to the forest. He was unsure of why, for he knew that without his precious claws he would be unable to survive without the help of humans, yet the feeling persisted and would not be ignored. It dawned on him and loomed overhead like the gray in the sky. With great annoyance and irritation, Shep was persuaded, and slowly returned to the forest, secretly pleased to leave the city behind.

As the dog entered the dark forest, he felt the instincts that had lay dormant within him reawaken. His nose picked up the many scents that covered the leaves at his feet, and his keen eyesight spied every twitch of movement. He could hear the dim sounds of birds and small animals as they scurried about making his mouth water as he thought of the sweet taste of meat.

Walking through the woods, he felt another awakening within him. Shep saw a white building in his mind, as if in a dream. It lingered there as it teased him and it made him wonder. He pursued on for many hours filled with the curiosity of why this human-made structure was in his thoughts. Was it another…memory? The answer soon came as Shep wandered upon this very building hidden amongst the trees. The small, white building stood out against the dark green of the wood and brought memories back to Shep as he noticed the shattered window.

He had been here before.

He slowly walked to the window and jumped back with a sharp yelp as he pulled his front paw back. Instincts immediately forced him to remove the glass that was wedged into the pad of his paw. As the crimson blood seeped from his new cut onto the dried leaves of the forest floor, Shep used his snout to push aside the cover of the array of broken shards. The dusty glass pieces gave no reflection as they rested before the window, untouched in years.

There was a booming sound that pierced Shep’s ears as he burst through the window. Shards of glass were thrown about as they tore at his skin and fell to the forest floor. He panted heavily as he stopped in the new, fresh air. This was a new experience to him, yet his uncontrollable anger did not let him enjoy it. With a final howl to the night sky above, he darted off into the darkness of the forest.

Shep was confused as the vague memory came to mind. It seemed so distant in his thoughts just as a dream can fade from the mind, yet he had no memory of this before. It was odd, yet he pushed it aside, still curious with this place. Darkness met Shep’s eyes as he peered through the empty window into the strange building. He gave no thought to whether he should venture in or not as he leaped past the damaged window and into a dim, cold hallway. He ruffled his fur to keep his body warmth and waited for his eyes to adjust to the lack of light. As he became more comfortable in his new environment, he began to explore through the wondrous building. The chill was sharp as he walked down the tiled hallway.

Shep ran quickly with blood dripping from his fangs. He quickly cleaned them off with his tongue and looked over his shoulder. Deep fury was boiling through his veins as he felt a bit of pride swell within him. He panted heavily as he ran down the long corridor, planning to escape this horrible place.

He had been here before, and the memories that were awakening within his mind were proof. Shep was troubled with the mystery of his past life and pondered over it until he came across a series of rooms that branched out from the lone hallway. He entered the room to the left and found it to be a supply closet, full of boxes and cans. He recognized the bags of dog food along the wall and quickly tore the top off of a bag with his sharp teeth and quickly ate, happy to fill his empty stomach with something other than garbage. After his meal, Shep left the small room and walked through another across the hall. Noticing the sink and fridge, he took it to be a kitchen and passed down the hall through another room. With a bed against one wall and a dresser against the other, he found nothing to be of any interest and continued to search through the rooms.

After a few minutes, he realized that there was nothing strange about this building and that it was just a strange dream. His experience of crashing through the window came to mind once more. Why had he escaped from this place then? Why had he been here?

As Shep entered another room, he was astonished to see that it was the same room in which the two people wearing coats also were. There was a desk in front of a small window that looked into another room. The desk was filled with papers as a computer rested on the cold, metal surface. A chair was seated before the computer and looked old and used. There were filing cabinets along the wall along with notes scattered about the floor.

Shep was once again filled with curiosity as he discovered another room. Unusual human artifacts were resting on tall cabinets along the walls and in the middle of the large room. Shep studied the different liquids that were contained in small glass test tubes and beakers on the metal shelves and continued on deeper into the room. Microscopes rested on a table with two chairs tucked underneath and charts and graphs posted on the wall with pictures of dogs beside each chart. Shep felt a sharp sense of pain as he noticed an empty syringe on the table.

Shep felt his muscles tighten as the needle was struck into his shoulder. He could feel a coldness rush through his veins as the new substance passed into his blood stream. His eyes widened with fear as he collapsed to the floor with a series of tremors. After he regained the control over his body, a new feeling emerged. A feeling of immense anger and rage burned in his heart and gave him a sense of power. He barked rapidly as he charged against the metal chain at his neck while snapping his ferocious jaws wildly.

He was taken back as the awful memory now stirred amongst his collection. Quickly leaving the room, he darted into the next and was disgusted at the taunting smell of rotting flesh. As Shep noticed the window into the next room, he recognized where he was. He saw a chain along the far wall and suddenly remembered the metal that once held him as a prisoner here.

Shep pulled with all his force at the chain that forced him to the wall. The metal clanged and rattled as he moved, a common sound in his life.

He growled as he thought of being a prisoner, and then continued to explore the room. Where was that awful smell coming from? There were bloodstains along the tile of this room that made him wonder. He smelled the dried blood and recognized the scent to be that of a human. Quickly drawing his head back, he snorted in anger. He hated humans, yet curiosity drove him on. Following the scent with his distinct sense of smell, he found a disturbing sight that brought back the worst of his memories.

The destructive anger that surged through his body caused Shep to glare at the humans standing before him. The two people wearing long, white lab coats could easily see the fury in his dark eyes and turned to escape from the death room, however the dog was too quick for the humans. Shep attacked the weak creatures as he tore at their flesh with the fangs that protruded from his mouth. The hot blood that ran into his mouth tasted refreshing and drove his instincts wild. The piercing scream of the lady burned into Shep’s mind as he attacked. He could hear the panicked breathing of the two humans and noticed the fear struck in their eyes. Anger drove him on, however he was not trying to control himself as he ripped with his teeth. The screams eventually died out as the blood dripped from the fur on his mouth. He was finally satisfied as he darted out the open door and down the long, empty corridor. He had killed, and was no longer a prisoner to humans.

Shep now looked upon the sickening remains of his fierce fight from years ago. The white coats had been shredded and thrown about the room along with the red blood of the humans. It felt odd for Shep to finally remember something he had done years ago and did not like that eerie feeling that washed over him. He quickly left the room and began to run down the hallway as he had done before.

He leaped through the smashed window and was relieved to breath in the fresh, forest air outside. The sun was beginning to set just as Shep continued to run from the strange laboratory and through the maze of trees. He was confused with his recollections and felt more distant from the world than ever before. As he ran, the pain of his wounds returned along with the deep longing for Lilly. He was pleased to burst from the cover of the forest and quickly recognized where he was. There was a hill that was overlooking the city and the sunset off in the distance. There was also a child standing atop the hill. A young girl.

Perhaps Shep was no longer lost in this world anymore…