My breath labors as I round the final lap of my mile run. Crossing the finish point, my hand flies to my watch and hits stop. My time is 6:30, not my best but well enough for the day. I walk around the track slowly, sipping water every so often. I'm not on our track team, but I love to run. If I want to do exact distances I go to our track at school, usually in the early morning. Today is foggy and gray, like most mornings in my town.

My name is Leah Atalana Robinson. I'm 16 years old and I live in Richmond, Virginia. My father is a Professor of Zoology at the University of Richmond. He loves everything wild, from camping to climbing mountains. We used to do pretty much everything together and he taught me all I know about the outdoors. My mom left when I was little. Dad says that she was even wilder than he was, and he couldn't keep her around long enough. He says I look like her though, and I've got the silver bracelet she forgot when she left I always wear. I've got long dark blonde hair and green eyes. I'm not very tall or short, around 5'6. My legs are long though, good for my running.

I begin to walk to the bleachers where my gym duffle rests. I sling it over my shoulder and pull my phone from the side pocket glancing at the time. Its 7:10. Usually I'm done much earlier but its Saturday and I don't need to race the clock for school.

"Excuse me?" A voice calls out. I glance up. Its Mr. Allen, the school's Algebra teacher along with being the track coach.

"Yes?" I answer.

"Oh its you Leah. Listen, you really shouldn't come here on the weekends unless you're a member of the team. Besides the gate was locked." He says. I shrug. Gates haven't been known to stop me.

"Sorry." I say. Out of the corner of my eye I notice a guy around my age stopping and glancing at us from the street corner. He turns away.

"Have you given any more thought to joining the team? We could really use someone like you." Mr. Allen said.

"Sorry, but I don't think the team is really for me." I say and smile apologetically. For some reason he flares and looks really angry, angrier than I've ever seen him. I didn't realize my turning down the team again would upset him so much.

"I think you should join us." He says, stepping closer. I'm beginning to get more than creeped out.

"N-no that's okay Mr. Allen." I step back. Seriously what is going on with him?

"JOIN OR DIE." He yelled and as he did so his body began to morph and change. His snout elongated and his arms grew into legs. I blinked hard and stepped back. I had to be dreaming. Mr. Allen couldn't be turning into some huge snarling dog. He was bigger than I was, and no doubt seemed to have the full intent of killing me. As he lunged I jumped and rolled out of the way. He shifted and lunged again. Before I could react, something slammed into me and pushed me out of the way. I lay for a second before leaping up and saw the boy that had been standing on the street corner. He held up a brown bow and was launching arrows at the massive dog. They bounced harmlessly off his side. The dog kept advancing towards me.

"I can't kill it!" The boy yelled at me.

"Why not?" I yelled back stepping sideways. "What the fuck is it?"

"Its Laelaps, a giant fucking dog. Its hunting you which means you have to kill it, I cant!" He pulled out a knife and drove it into the flank of the dog, and it absorbed on contact.

"How do I kill it?" I asked.

"Look, I'll try to get on its back and distract it. Grab my bow and arrows and do your best to kill it. Got it?" He asked, tossing the bow and arrows toward me. He pulled its tail and swung up onto its back.

"Don't fucking stand there, shoot!" He yelled. He pulled out another knife and plunged it into the dog's eye. This time it howled before the knife dissolved. Without warning, it swung its massive paw at my legs and knocked me back into the wall before the bleachers. I shook my head and rose, pulling up the bow and arrow as the dog advanced towards me.

"That was my last knife, so if you wanna shoot, any time would be great." The boy yelled as he wrestled trying to hang on the dog's back. I breathed. I drew up an arrow and held it, somehow knowing how to do so. I let out my breath and launched the arrow right at the beast's throat. It made contact and the dog gasped for air before collapsing on the ground and disintegrating into sand. The boy stood up and from the ground and grimaced slightly. All of a sudden I became aware of a sharp pain in my left leg. I wasn't conscious when I hit the ground.