Unexpected things happen in the world every day, right? Yeah, but something like this to happen to my town, in the middle of nowhere, where nothing hardly ever happens. It just didn't seem possible that the event to cause me such terrible nightmares for years to come would have happened during our 30 days of night.

Break

I tried to keep warm in front of the fireplace. It seemed to feel colder than usual to me lately. I was used to the cold of course, but something about this cold felt...wrong? Yeah, it was a little off.

Shanda, my pure black husky, whined from her spot next to me. She was complaining because she was so sick. It was sad to see me puppy crying. She wouldn't eat, and we were keeping her inside until she felt better.

"Janine, hunny." Uncle Mark called to me from his rocking chair. "Shut that damn dog up." He flicked his newspaper in annoyance.

"Yeah, yeah." I sighed, petting Shanda's head lovingly. "Poor, poor baby." I cooed.

Kirsten walked in. My cousin handed me a mug of hot chocolate and sat down next to me.

"Ya goin to work today?" Kirsten asked, steeling half of my quilt and wrapping up in it with me.

"Nah." I smirked. "Lucy can take care of the diner by herself tonight. Almost everybody has left by now anyway so it won't be so busy.

"Did you put Anna to bed?" Uncle Mark asked.

"Yes, Daddy." Kirsten sighed. Anna was my baby cousin. She was only 6 years old and cute as a button.

Then my phone started to vibrate. I opened it and looked at the text. I laughed.

"What?" Kirsten asked, peering over my shoulder.

I leaned away from her with a frown over my face. "Who said you could peek at my messages? Anyway Jake says you should answer YOUR texts instead of having me talk to him for you."

Kirsten blushed. Me, Kirsten and Jake have been friends for a long time. Jake was the nerdy little ginger kid who's older brother was Evan, the Sherriff. I used to have a big crush on Evan. Could you blame me though, cause dayum... Evan is a babe. Jake was no exception. He was a cutie, but Kirsten kind of had emotional dibs on his ginger head. Sigh...young love. I was two years older than them anyway :p

"It's none of your business." Kirsten remarked with a smile.

I nudged her shoulder. "On the contrary, my dear Kirsten. It is every bit my business. If it wasn't for me you and Jake would still have the sandbox friendship goin on."

"Ha!" Kirsten laughed at me. "What about that boy, eh? What was his name again? The new kid."

I smiled. "That hottie hot hottie is Samuel J. Dobson."

"Oooo. You guys are on last name bases now?" Kirsten wriggled her eyebrows at me pervishly.

"You wish, sweetheart." I winked. Everybody knew that guys last name. He was the first new kid in a couple years. I haven't said hi to him yet, but when God hit him with the smexy stick, he hit him and he hit him HARD ;)

"Right, girlies." Uncle coughed, interrupting our girlish convo. "Should go check on Beast and Belle."

Beast and Belle were our two other huskies. Well, they were his. Shanda was mine. Kirsten named them, obviously.

I stretched and got up, feeling that chill again when I shed off the blanket. "I'll do it for you, Uncle."

"Thanks." Uncle smiled, hugging me. I went and put on my parka as Uncle headed upstairs to go to bed.

I headed outside into the freezing Alaskan cold. Snow danced down softly around me. It was calming and the snowflakes looked like they were on fire from the sun that was just starting to set. I hopped down the stairs two at a time in my honkin snow boots and to the chain link fence that caged our sled dogs.

I whistled out for them. "Beasty! Belle!" I called. It was weird because when I called them they usually bounded over to me happily.

They didn't come this time.

I peered inside the fence. It was a large fence, enough to keep 12 dogs inside. Uncle Mark just wanted to give them space to run around without them running all over town. I poked my head around the corner to look on the other side of the dog houses that were put side by side.

Then I saw the blood. I saw Beast and Belle. They were torn apart.

I screamed. My stomach lurched but I stopped myself from vomiting. I stepped away from the fence and fell into a snow bank.

I sat there in horrified shock as I heard Kirsten call for her dad and open the door.

"Janine?" Kirsten called. "What's wrong?"

"What sick asshole would do this?" I cried out, tears falling down my face.

Kirsten ran over to me and helped me out of the snow bank. She then looked at the slaughtered dogs and almost fell herself. "Oh my God." she whispered.

I ran inside and ran for the phone.

Mark was slowly making his way down the stairs. Help was usually needed because of his fake leg, but the urgency of the situation made him come shooting down the stairs at a pretty fast rate.

"What's wrong?" Mark asked as he reached the bottom of the stairs.

"Shit!" I cussed. "The phone isn't working."

"What's wrong?" Mark shouted this time.

I turned to him. My eyes were starting to ache from all the tears. "Beast and Belle are dead! Somebody... somebody killed them. The lock was still on the door."

"You should go tell Evan." Mark ushered. He tried to be calm, but I could tell he was furious.

I nodded and grabbed the ski-doo keys off of the key rack. I ran through the door and almost ran into Kirsten. She looked angry now.

"Who would do this?" she asked.

I hugged her, not having an answer for her. Then I ran down the steps and started the ski-doo.