It was a warm day, not hot, but warm, just like every other normal summer day. Claire sat out in the garden with Edith in the backyard. Edith had a mug of tea in her hand while Claire preferred a glass of champagne.

The two women sat in silence, relishing the sight of Adam and Ottie playing fetch some yards away and the beautiful view of the tree-covered hills in the distance that descended into the green fields that spread all up to the backyard.

"God," Claire sighed. "Sometimes I wish I could just say here forever. "Edith chuckled. "I can't blame you," she said. "That city of yours is awful."

Claire glared at her mother in law. "New York is not that bad, Edith," she said.

Edith waved her away. "Whatever," she said. "for you, but not for me." Claire chuckled before holding the wine glass to her mouth and sipping on her champagne. The women were silent again as they both watched Adam play with the golden retriever. They both watched as Adam threw a soft ball and Ottie ran after it and came back with the ball in its mouth.

"It's scares me sometimes how much he reminds me of Bradley," Edith sighed.

Claire turned to face the woman and saw her smiling. She knew the smile wasn't one of joy though and that the tears would start to fall anytime soon.

Claire gave her a wry smile. "I know," she said.
Then she spun away in time to see the soft ball Adam had thrown for Ottie land a few meters from her.
"...And here he comes", Edith chuckled as she watched Ottie sprint in thier direction to get the ball.

Ottie rushed over, grabbed the ball with his jaws and then began trotting back towards Adam with its tail wagging impatiently.

The dog moved a few metres and the suddenly, it stopped.

Claire noticed the dog stiffen as its attention was on Adam in the distance as its ears stood and its tail had stopped wagging.

"Come on Ottie!", Adam called out. "Come on boy!"

Claire moved her eyes from Adam and looked over at Ottie in confusion. The dog didn't move.

"What is it boy?", Claire asked.

The dog didn't even turn to face Claire. It kept looking up ahead in Adam's direction. Claire felt her heart skip a beat when the soft ball dropped from the dogs mouth before it began to growl.

Claire was no expert on dogs, but she knew them enough to know that they always growled when they sensed danger.

"Ottie?" Edith called. "What's wrong boy?"

Suddenly, A flock of birds rose from the tall blades of grass and into the air in thier hundreds, just a few feet away behind Adam.

With his gaze still fixed on Adam, Ottie then began to bark aggressively.

A wave of confusion washed over Claire's features as she took note of the animal's sudden aggression. The way Ottie barked, Claire was even afraid of touching him. She slowly turned to Edith who equally had a puzzled look on her face.

Something was wrong.

"Ottie!?", Adam kept shouting in frustration at the dog that was keeping him waiting. He was obviously getting inpatient as he raised his hand to his waist. "Come on you stupid dog!"

Ottie still didn't move and his barks were more aggressive now.
It wasn't the dog's barks that made Claire's blood freeze, it was what the dog was looking at the made her heart race.

"Adam."

Claire got up from her chair and walked over to stand beside the barking dog. She glanced at the barking animal before she looked up and then placed her palm over her eyes to stop the sun from distorting her view as she looked out to the field to see if she could make out what Ottie was barking at.

"What is it?," she heard Edith's voice from behind her.

"I-I don't know", Claire as a wave of panic and confusion coursed through her. Her heart was beginning to pound. When she saw nothing, she then did the only thing that would make her relax and be rest assured Adam was safe.

"Adam!," she called as she raised her hand and beckoned. "Come on in Honey, Play time is over!"

"Oh Come on mum", Adam shouted as he threw his hands up and down again. "Just a little longer."

Claire dropped her hands from her head along with her shoulders and sighed. She knew he was going to protest and frankly, she wasn't going to have that.

"Adam Hayes!" she called out in a stern voice. "Don't argue with me now!"

"But mum.....,"Adam moaned as he began to stamp his feet.

Claire took a deep breath. "Adam I said--!" Claire screamed and stopped short. She narrowed her eyes and that was when she saw it. A few metres behind Adam, hiding behind the tall blades of grass.

"No".

Claire felt the glass of champagne slip from her hand and crash to the floor. She even felt some of the wine splatter on her feet, but her gaze never moved away from what was behind her son.

Her stomach tighten and she felt panic choke her at the throat.

"A-Adam!", the woman screamed as she began to race forward, leaving Ottie steal barking behind her. "Adam!"

The little boy stood there in confusion as he watched his mother running at the top of her heels towards him. He had never seen that look on his mother's face before.

Adam's instinct told him to run, but he didn't know why.

Then a low, deep and menacing growl came from behind the little boy and caused him to freeze, he was so scared, he didn't want to look back. He felt goosebumps grow on the skin of his arms.

He looked over and watched his mother running towards him and screaming at him in the distance. "Adam! Run!"

Her face filled with fear and horror, Ottie barking hysterically behind her and his grandmother standing there, lost and confused.

"Adaaam! Run! Please! Run!

Adam heard the growl again and summoned the courage to slowly turn round.
Demonic Yellow eyes were glaring at him from the grass below. Blood stained razor sharp teeth were exposed to his view when the creature snarled at him.

The little boy gasped as he was frozen in shock.

Adam didn't know what he was looking at and he didn't care, but from what it looked like, he knew it was going to hurt him, like monsters always hurt the people in the movies that he watched.
The little boy immediately sprang into motion even though his legs felt paralysed from fear. He took one enormous stride after another as he ran towards his mother.

"Mum!," Adam screamed as he ran.

The hint of fear and dread Claire heard in her son's scream were like a thousand knives through her heart. She couldn't breathe.

"Oh God please," she uttered in prayer as she ran as fast as she could to help her only son. "God Help me pleeeeaaaase!".

Adam kept running as fast as he never thought he could. He didn't want to look back and he didn't need to. He knew the creature was on his heels because he could hear the rustling of the grass behind him. He heard the sound of the footsteps of what could be said as an animal on its heels.

Adam heard the creature breathing heavily behind him and felt his heart skip a bit.

"Mum!", his cries were more intense.

Claire started to let out sobs. She was close to him now, but the creature was closer.

"Mum heeeelp!" Adam started to cry.

Claire watched in horror as the large black figure took off into the air and dove for the boy right infront of it.

"Nooooo!", Claire let out in horror till her throat bled.

"Muuuum!," the last words Claire Hayes heard her son utter.

The creature threw the boy to the ground and Claire watched in horror as it reached for his neck, held it and crushed it, ripping his throat out.


NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

Claire fell to floor as she felt someone suddenly grab her by the shoulder. She didn't know who it was and she didn't care.

Her only son was being torn part right infront of her. Her heart ached and the pain she felt was excruciating.

Claire tightened her eyes shut and fell to you ground. When she opened them again, she was in.....

...........her room.

She was on her bed.

She heard hurried footsteps thumping towards her room door before it burst open, revealing the worried stares of Edith in her night gown and Samantha in a sleeping shirt.

"Claire?", Edith uttered as she hurried over to her side. "..are you alright?"

Claire said nothing. She was in shock. She was still trying to understand what was happening as her eyes darted to every corner of her room. Her heart was racing, she was sweating and her throat was burning. By now, she knew it was a dream, but some how, she still found it hard to believe.

"Mum," Samantha said. "What's wrong?"

Claire glanced at her daughter and noticed her expression was filled with worry and concern. She spun to look at her alarm clock at her bed side.

"2:36 AM"

She exhaled and faced Edith as she ran her fingers through her blond hair and then she froze when she remembered.

"Adam".

Claire immediately threw the duvet off her legs and leapt out of her bed to the shock of her daughter and her mother in law.

"Mum?", Samantha had called out, but she ignored her.

She had to see him; she had to be sure.

As she hurried to the boy's room, she became lost in her thoughts. She had lost her husband five years ago, and now she saw a wild animal rip apart the only thing that reminded her of him. She watched a beast rip the only thing that brought joy to her heart. The only thing that gave her strength. She had all seen it in what looked like a dream.

A dream that was all too real.

She got to Adam's door, turned the knob and pushed it open. She reached out and fumbled on the walls in the darkness; searching for the light switch.

"Claire?" Edith hurried up to her and gave a heavy whisper. "You'll wake him." For some reason, Claire knew she was right, but she did not care.

She found the light switch and flicked it on before she darted her eyes straight to Adam on his bed as soon as the room was bright. She moved to his bed and sat down gently, making sure she didn't wake him.

She stared at him for a while and then reached out and pulled a brown strand from his face. He was cuddled up on his pillow with his duvet up to his neck.

He looked so peaceful and still.

She felt crazy when she saw herself putting a finger under his nostrils to make sure he was still breathing. She blinked quickly and held the tears from falling down her cheeks as she watched him. The thought of losing him would kill her.

When she remembered the events of the dream, she immediately lifted her legs, raised his blanket up beside him, and slipped herself under.

"Claire?", Edith whispered in protest.

Claire turned to face her at the door. "It's okay Edith," she whispered. "I won't wake him. I just want to sleep here tonight."

Edith watched her for a while. She knew it had something to do with whatever nightmare Claire just had. She then dropped her shoulders in defeat. "Alright then," the old woman sighed. "See you in the morning."

Claire gave her a peaceful smile.

Edith turned and placed a hand on Samantha's back to us her out of the room. The teenage girl was still looking confused at the entire situation. "Come sweetheart," Edith said. "Back to bed."

Samantha showed a little reluctance, but finally gave in.

Claire watched as they both walked away from the door. She waited for Edith to switch off the lights and close the door before she spun back and laid her head down next to her son's.

She had never been so terrified in her life.

This new man-eating problem in the town had never hit her this hard before. The reality of the entire situation was beginning to set in.

She watched her son get torn apart, which was, without a doubt, the most horrible thing Claire Hayes had ever seen in her life. She didn't want to know whether it was a dream or not.

She was scared shitless.

One thing was certain, if she was never involved in the investigation of the recent killings caused by this Cherrywood man-eater and the hunting for the damned animal,......

...she was now.