Title: "From the Darkness"
Author: Evan S.
Edited by: Evan S., Cam S., and Laura M, Mrs. Tav, and Natalie Z.
Special Help From: Tori- wrote a small part, Suzy-ideas, and Eva-lone
gunmen info
Category: X Files- Supernatural
Contact: xfyler159@hotmail.com
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: All characters from the X-Files are the property of Chris
Carter, Ten Thirteen Productions and Fox Television Network. All other
characters belong to the Author(s).
Introduction: This fan fiction story was originaly written in round-robin style by the X Files Guild of Neopia. But it turned into a 1 man job with some help from people along the way. And now for the part you're all waiting for, our story. Enjoy!
________________________________________________________________________
Prologue
Phoenix, Arizona May 12, 7:00
A light wind could be felt blowing on that calm cool night, outside of the Smith residence. A normal babysitting night for Jenny was all that she wanted. The kids should be in bed by 8:00, nothing to it, she thought. She watched as the two kids waved good-bye to their parents. "Remember, let the dog out before you go to bed," said Mrs. Smith stepping into the car.
"We will!" Bobby and Vanessa chimed together.
Jenny took the kids to the basement to play until it was their bed time. After an hour of hide and seek and building with legos, Jenny looked at her watch. "Uh oh, its 10 minutes past your bed time. Let's go up stairs now." As soon as those words came out of her mouth there was a sound like footsteps coming from upstairs.
"Mom and Dad must be home from the movies," Vanessa said staring blankly at the TV, which had just started a rerun of the 'Brady Bunch.' Bobby ran next to Jenny and said,
"Daddy said they wouldn't be home till 11:00 though. Who could be upstairs?"
" I'll go check. Vanessa, watch Bobby for me," Jenny told them.
As she walked up the stairs she swore she heard someone walking around on the main floor of the house. When she finally got upstairs and entered the living room, she noticed that the back door was wide open.
"Weird. it's not that windy outside. " she told herself. The Golden Retriever that was sleeping next to the door woke up and made a growling noise. "Shhh. Austin. I want to know where those sounds are coming from." Jenny told the dog as she was closing the door.
The footsteps she was hearing somehow moved to the upstairs. She called to Bobby and Vanessa who were still downstairs "KIDS!! Stay down there. Something is in the house." She grabbed a broom from the pantry and made a beeline to the stairs. Heading upward towards the bedrooms Jenny felt a shiver go down her back and had the feeling that someone was watching her. Then she had an idea. Maybe I can scare them out of hiding. "I'm calling the police!" she yelled into the blackness as she walked up the stairs.
Clutching the broom like a baseball bat she went into Bobby's room. Trying to find the light she thought of another lie, "I have a gun and I'm not afraid to use it!" When she finally found the light and flashed it on, the room was empty. She decided to leave that light on just to make her feel better. She went next door into Vanessa's room. "Last chance to come out without being shot!" she yelled into the room. She turned on the light and again nothing.
She turned to the parents' room, last room at the end of the hallway. She decided to use the element of surprise this time. She crept down the hallway, her heart was beating fast. The hallway seemed to go on forever. She came to the opening of the door. On three, she thought to herself. She whispered, "One. two. three. " She jumped into the room as she turned on the light. Again empty. She started to think she was letting this get to her. A whining noise arose from down stairs. "The children!" that was all she could think about. She ran down the stairs as fast as her feet could carry her.
Down the stairs leading to the main floor, then again down the stairs to the basement. "What was that noise?" Bobby asked.
Jenny breathed. "Oh, thank goodness you're both okay... " She smothered the two in a hug, and broke away when they looked at her funny.
"Let's get out of here NOW, and call your parents. I swear there is something in this damn house!" The kids felt a tingle. Even Jenny thought something was wrong, and she was supposed to be the "Mature One".
"Excuse me... " The three dashed up the stairs and to the living room. There was a trail of blood from the top of the stairs to the door.
Vanessa let out a scream. At the doorway was the golden retriever. He was lying motionless with three claw marks on its side, a gash looping his neck where the blood should have been flowing out. Jenny couldn't move. She couldn't think. The whole world had come to a halt. Then in the darkness from the doorway, a pair of big red eyes peered at the three of them. KAAATHHH.. was all they heard.
The creature stepped forward. It's gore spattered coat glistened in the bit of light, and the rest of it was a shadowy form, barely visible in the dark. There was something not quite right about this animal, but the kids couldn't tell what it was. For a frightening second, it came forward, as if it would attack again, then it dashed away.
Jenny rushed forward to the dog and knelt down. Her trembling hand touched the dog; it's eyes were closed. She thought there was nothing she could do now. She looked over at the kids. Bobby had sunk to the floor, tears wrenching his form.
What the hell just happened? was all that went through her mind.
With tears flowing down her face and her hair in her eyes, Jenny felt the dog's side. The golden brown dog had died. Vanessa had walked over to Bobby and sat down next to him. She did not say anything. Jenny slowly walked to Bobby and gave him a hug, letting the kids cry all over her shirt. The teen came here with the promise of an easy job, $20, and the chance to act like a goofball with some kids. She just did not understand it. what could that have been anyway. the dog. their sanity. what was it?
________________________________________________________________________
Basement, J. Edgar Hoover FBI Building 9:00 am.
Special Agent Dana Scully walked down the long basement hallway, the way she did everyday for work, her curved bright red hair bouncing at her shoulders. She reached the door marked, "Fox Mulder" and reached for the handle. To her surprise the door opened.
"Morning, Scully!" It was Agent Fox Mulder her maverick FBI partner. He looked dressed down today for some reason; instead of his full suit and tie he was wearing jeans and a t-shirt.
"Mulder? Where do you think your go-"
"Never mind that, look at this new case I'm working on." She followed him inside the office. He fired up the old slide projector. "We really need to get a new projector in here. It's the year 2003 for crying out loud." He moved around some papers and pulled down the blank screen.
"What did you want to show me?" she said taking a seat on the desk.
"This... " Mulder switched on the projector to a gory picture of a dog. "Animal mutilations. Here, here, and here," He said as he switched the slides.
"Cultists?" Scully asked.
"Thats what I thought. But look at this." The new slide had a picture of dirt with footprints in it. They were deep in the ground and looked like whenever the thing made the prints, the ground must have been mud. They had three toes and no heal pad.
"What is it?" she said studying the picture.
"I have no idea. So that's why we're going to Pheonix, Arizona. Come on, Scully, it'll be fun. We can go see some of the sites while we're there."
"Mulder? Phoenix?" She watched him gather papers on his desk and stuff them into a briefcase.
"Here is your plane ticket; go home, get some comfortable clothes on 'cause we've got a long flight." And with that he left the office.
"But... oh... never mind... " Scully gathered her coat and followed him out the door.
________________________________________________________________________
No sooner did they leave the J. Edger Hoover Building than they were on the plane heading for Arizona.
"MULDER!" Scully shook him. He awoke with a start.
"What? What?" he said reaching for his gun.
"Calm down, I just need you to fill me in on this case."
"Multilated dog. Three witnesses. This is the 3rd attack in the last two weeks. All in a four mile radius." He pulled some papers out of his briefcase.
"Who were the witnesses?" she asked.
"Bobby Smith, age 7. Vanessa Smith, age 11. And the babysitter Jenny Newheart, age 16. The reports say that they were in the basement when they heard footsteps coming from the kitchen. The dog had slices taken from its abdomen."
Scully took the pictures from the file and looked at them. The picture of the dog were the same as the ones in the office. She then looked at the children.
"Poor kids. They had to see their dog in shreds. Wait a minute, there's something your not telling me." Scully said. Mulder handed her the police reports.
"It's says that they saw something run off the porch." He tried to get comfortable in his seat again.
"Its probably just a wolf or a large cat." Scully put everyting back in the bag.
"Then how do you explain the tracks? The lab said they weren't any tracks that they've ever seen before." He closed his eyes and leaned his chair back.
"There's a logical explanation. Don't go thinking its-"
Mulder butted in. "El chupacabra? Aliens doing tests on animals? Crazed animal hunting vampires?"
"Well, whatever it is, we need to interview the children first."
"Please put your seats in the full, up-right possition. Turn off all electrical equipment. We will be landing shortly." The speakers crackled and faded.
"HEY! What about my salted peanuts?" Mulder said looking up at the speaker as if it would supply him with a snack. Scully gave him a look that seemed to say 'You're joking right?'
"Sunflower seeds are fine too... " She reached in her carry on suitcase and threw a bag to him.
"Happy now?" she put her seat up and waited to land.
________________________________________________________________________
The pair of agents drove down the lonely, desert road.
Scully asked, "How far out of Phoenix is this?"
"Just a few more minutes, they live in the outer suburbs," Mulder said as he looked at a big building. It was called Rie-del Labs. "Thats odd... Why would a laboratory be all the way out here?" They continued to drive until they came to a little neighborhood. Mulder looked at the document where the police did the interview. 5260 Linnwood Drive was the address.
"The blue house." Scully pointed to the biggest house in the area.
Mulder knocked on the door. A small brunette woman in her mid- thirties came out. "May I help you?" she said. A young boy who wore a baseball uniform ran up next to her.
"Mrs. Elisabeth Smith? We're with the FBI. We need to interview your children about what happened the night they reported their dog being attacke,." Mulder told her as another child ran up behind the mom.
"Alright. Come on in." Mrs. Smith led them to their living room. It was decorated in a western sort of feel. They had a stuffed rattlesnake in the back corner. Their couches were made of a reddish leather.
"Bobby and Vanessa?" Scully asked.
"Yes... " they answered.
"What exactly happened that night when your babysitter was over?" Mulder questioned as he sat down on their couch.
"Me and Jenny started hearing a noise upstairs," the seven year old said.
"So she wentup stairs and told us to stay here. We couldn't wait anymore so we went upstairs to check on her," the girl continued.
"Then we were upstairs and found the dog dead. Then there were the eyes..." Bobby grabbed his mom and started crying.
"Do you know what made those eyes, Bobby?" Mulder looked at him.
"No... " he said from his mom's lap.
"What about you Vanessa?" The 11 year old looked at Mulder and shook her head.
"Where is the babysitter? Jenny Newheart?" Scully asked.
"Oh, she lives across the street. I doubt she'll ever want to babysit for us again." The voice was Mr. Smiths. "I'm Paul Smith, nice to meet you. Just came home to get a bite for lunch." He shook Mulder and Scully's hand. He pointed out the window to a nice reddish house with a garden on the side. "Yup, that's her's."
"Mr. Smith... " Scully said as she sat back down from the handshake. "Do you know anything about the animal-"
"Thing," Mulder said again butting in.
"Excuse me...The thing that attacked your dog?" The man got very pale.
"I-I-I haven't the slightest idea. P-probably a large cat like a cougar or something."
Scully gave Mulder the "I told you so" look.
"What do you do for a living Mr. Smith?" Mulder decided to continue the conversation.
"I'm a scientist at the Rei-Del Lab just a few miles from here. I have to get back there now if you don't mind." he said getting his coat and taking one last drink of water.
"Thank you very much. If any of you think of anything else you might have forgotten, here is my card." Mulder handed her his card and went for the door.
"Wait!" Bobby yelled as he sprang from his mother's arms. "The thing, it had wings. But it couldnt use them very well, it sorta jumped like a kangaroo."
Paul began to cough loudly as he heard the news. "Is something wrong Mr. Smith? I'm a medical doctor, can I help?" Scully walked up next to him. He drank from the cup in his hand.
"I'm fine...I just erm...took a drink too fast." He regained some of his color.
"Thank you for letting us interview you and your family." The two investigators left the house and went for the babysitter.
"Strange man. Did you see the way he reacted when his kid started to descibe the thing?" Mulder said.
"Yes, I wonder if he knows something," Scully replied. They made their way across the street to the Newheart home. A young woman opened the door right as they stepped onto the front porch.
"Jennifer Newheart?" Scully said. The teen nodded.
"We're from the FBI." Mulder held out his badge. "Can we come in?"
"I've told the police everything I know. I just want to forget," she said closing the door. Mulder put his foot in the way to keep it from shutting.
"Please, whatever attacked that dog has attacked three other animals. Help us catch it before its next victim is a human." Something about that phased Jenny. She opened the door.
"Alright...come in.What do you need to know?" She let out a sigh then perked up. "MOM!" the girl yelled. Mulder was startled by the sudden outburst and jumped back slightly. "The FBI is here, can you get some drinks?"
Scully heard a lady's voice come from the kitchen. She couldn't make out what it said but assumed it was a "yes" to the question. Jenny led them into their living room and had them take a seat. It was oddly arranged like the Smith's residence. Although the Newheart's house had more of a Pueblo Indian feel. On the mantle to the fireplace they had a dreamcatcher and on top of the TV was a painting of a herd of buffalo.
Mrs. Newheart came in the room with ice tea. "Hello! I'm Allison, nice to make your aquaintance," she said as she scurried around the room passing out drinks. She spoke with a slight Minnesotan accent which Mulder thought was a little strange because they were living in Arazona. As she continued to move around the room she sort of reminded him of his own mother. The white hair, the apron, everything fit but the accent.
"She has had such a rough time the last few days. She has-"
"Mother! I can handle this." Allison gave her daughter a stern look then went back to the kitchen. "Let's get this over with." Jenny's attention was now on Mulder, he was about to eat some fruit from the table. "Uh, you don't want to eat that. That's wax fruit." He had a surprised look on his face and set the fruit down.
"What is your side of the story?" Scully said as she sipped the tea.
"Like I told the cops, I was babysitting, I heard a noise, went upstairs to check, came back down, and the dog was dead."
"Anything strange besides that? The Smith children said they saw some red eyes." Mulder set his cup on the coffeetable.
"Yes... I saw those red eyes... they were... " Her eyes started to water. "They were so big... I couldn't think. It was like I was frozen in fear. All I saw were those eyes and the dog. But there was something wrong. The blood...the only blood was the path to the door and oustide the wound. But it was like... " Her bottom lip started to quiver. "Like it was sucked out." Mulder returned the 'I told you so look' to Scully.
"Well thank you." Again he handed out his card then left the home. "So... " Mulder poked her.
"So what? It doesn't mean anything." Scully walked towards the car.
"She said there wasnt any blood in the animal. Like it had all been sucked out!." He was so excited he seemed as if he were going to fly.
"Mulder...that doesn't prove anything. Find me some physical evidence and I'll believe it was a monster." Scully got into the drivers seat.
"Um... Scully?" he questioned.
"Yes, Mulder?" she said as her partner got into the car.
He started laughing uncontrollably. "Can your feet touch the pedals?"
"Oh shut up Mulder... "
________________________________________________________________________
Mulder and Scully drove down the highway to the nearest motel.
"We're at a dead end. There's nothing that says it is an animal and nothing that says it's anything else. We should stay the night here and then go back to Washington tomorrow," Scully said putting the key in the lock. Mulder got his suitcase out of the back seat along with Scully's. Mulder was quiet for the next hour. "I know you're disappointed, but... " She tried to get him to talk but all he did was stare at the TV.
Mulder looked up from the news and said, "There's something here...I can feel it. I don't know what it is... but something is going to happen... and soon." Little did he know, he was right.
Introduction: This fan fiction story was originaly written in round-robin style by the X Files Guild of Neopia. But it turned into a 1 man job with some help from people along the way. And now for the part you're all waiting for, our story. Enjoy!
________________________________________________________________________
Prologue
Phoenix, Arizona May 12, 7:00
A light wind could be felt blowing on that calm cool night, outside of the Smith residence. A normal babysitting night for Jenny was all that she wanted. The kids should be in bed by 8:00, nothing to it, she thought. She watched as the two kids waved good-bye to their parents. "Remember, let the dog out before you go to bed," said Mrs. Smith stepping into the car.
"We will!" Bobby and Vanessa chimed together.
Jenny took the kids to the basement to play until it was their bed time. After an hour of hide and seek and building with legos, Jenny looked at her watch. "Uh oh, its 10 minutes past your bed time. Let's go up stairs now." As soon as those words came out of her mouth there was a sound like footsteps coming from upstairs.
"Mom and Dad must be home from the movies," Vanessa said staring blankly at the TV, which had just started a rerun of the 'Brady Bunch.' Bobby ran next to Jenny and said,
"Daddy said they wouldn't be home till 11:00 though. Who could be upstairs?"
" I'll go check. Vanessa, watch Bobby for me," Jenny told them.
As she walked up the stairs she swore she heard someone walking around on the main floor of the house. When she finally got upstairs and entered the living room, she noticed that the back door was wide open.
"Weird. it's not that windy outside. " she told herself. The Golden Retriever that was sleeping next to the door woke up and made a growling noise. "Shhh. Austin. I want to know where those sounds are coming from." Jenny told the dog as she was closing the door.
The footsteps she was hearing somehow moved to the upstairs. She called to Bobby and Vanessa who were still downstairs "KIDS!! Stay down there. Something is in the house." She grabbed a broom from the pantry and made a beeline to the stairs. Heading upward towards the bedrooms Jenny felt a shiver go down her back and had the feeling that someone was watching her. Then she had an idea. Maybe I can scare them out of hiding. "I'm calling the police!" she yelled into the blackness as she walked up the stairs.
Clutching the broom like a baseball bat she went into Bobby's room. Trying to find the light she thought of another lie, "I have a gun and I'm not afraid to use it!" When she finally found the light and flashed it on, the room was empty. She decided to leave that light on just to make her feel better. She went next door into Vanessa's room. "Last chance to come out without being shot!" she yelled into the room. She turned on the light and again nothing.
She turned to the parents' room, last room at the end of the hallway. She decided to use the element of surprise this time. She crept down the hallway, her heart was beating fast. The hallway seemed to go on forever. She came to the opening of the door. On three, she thought to herself. She whispered, "One. two. three. " She jumped into the room as she turned on the light. Again empty. She started to think she was letting this get to her. A whining noise arose from down stairs. "The children!" that was all she could think about. She ran down the stairs as fast as her feet could carry her.
Down the stairs leading to the main floor, then again down the stairs to the basement. "What was that noise?" Bobby asked.
Jenny breathed. "Oh, thank goodness you're both okay... " She smothered the two in a hug, and broke away when they looked at her funny.
"Let's get out of here NOW, and call your parents. I swear there is something in this damn house!" The kids felt a tingle. Even Jenny thought something was wrong, and she was supposed to be the "Mature One".
"Excuse me... " The three dashed up the stairs and to the living room. There was a trail of blood from the top of the stairs to the door.
Vanessa let out a scream. At the doorway was the golden retriever. He was lying motionless with three claw marks on its side, a gash looping his neck where the blood should have been flowing out. Jenny couldn't move. She couldn't think. The whole world had come to a halt. Then in the darkness from the doorway, a pair of big red eyes peered at the three of them. KAAATHHH.. was all they heard.
The creature stepped forward. It's gore spattered coat glistened in the bit of light, and the rest of it was a shadowy form, barely visible in the dark. There was something not quite right about this animal, but the kids couldn't tell what it was. For a frightening second, it came forward, as if it would attack again, then it dashed away.
Jenny rushed forward to the dog and knelt down. Her trembling hand touched the dog; it's eyes were closed. She thought there was nothing she could do now. She looked over at the kids. Bobby had sunk to the floor, tears wrenching his form.
What the hell just happened? was all that went through her mind.
With tears flowing down her face and her hair in her eyes, Jenny felt the dog's side. The golden brown dog had died. Vanessa had walked over to Bobby and sat down next to him. She did not say anything. Jenny slowly walked to Bobby and gave him a hug, letting the kids cry all over her shirt. The teen came here with the promise of an easy job, $20, and the chance to act like a goofball with some kids. She just did not understand it. what could that have been anyway. the dog. their sanity. what was it?
________________________________________________________________________
Basement, J. Edgar Hoover FBI Building 9:00 am.
Special Agent Dana Scully walked down the long basement hallway, the way she did everyday for work, her curved bright red hair bouncing at her shoulders. She reached the door marked, "Fox Mulder" and reached for the handle. To her surprise the door opened.
"Morning, Scully!" It was Agent Fox Mulder her maverick FBI partner. He looked dressed down today for some reason; instead of his full suit and tie he was wearing jeans and a t-shirt.
"Mulder? Where do you think your go-"
"Never mind that, look at this new case I'm working on." She followed him inside the office. He fired up the old slide projector. "We really need to get a new projector in here. It's the year 2003 for crying out loud." He moved around some papers and pulled down the blank screen.
"What did you want to show me?" she said taking a seat on the desk.
"This... " Mulder switched on the projector to a gory picture of a dog. "Animal mutilations. Here, here, and here," He said as he switched the slides.
"Cultists?" Scully asked.
"Thats what I thought. But look at this." The new slide had a picture of dirt with footprints in it. They were deep in the ground and looked like whenever the thing made the prints, the ground must have been mud. They had three toes and no heal pad.
"What is it?" she said studying the picture.
"I have no idea. So that's why we're going to Pheonix, Arizona. Come on, Scully, it'll be fun. We can go see some of the sites while we're there."
"Mulder? Phoenix?" She watched him gather papers on his desk and stuff them into a briefcase.
"Here is your plane ticket; go home, get some comfortable clothes on 'cause we've got a long flight." And with that he left the office.
"But... oh... never mind... " Scully gathered her coat and followed him out the door.
________________________________________________________________________
No sooner did they leave the J. Edger Hoover Building than they were on the plane heading for Arizona.
"MULDER!" Scully shook him. He awoke with a start.
"What? What?" he said reaching for his gun.
"Calm down, I just need you to fill me in on this case."
"Multilated dog. Three witnesses. This is the 3rd attack in the last two weeks. All in a four mile radius." He pulled some papers out of his briefcase.
"Who were the witnesses?" she asked.
"Bobby Smith, age 7. Vanessa Smith, age 11. And the babysitter Jenny Newheart, age 16. The reports say that they were in the basement when they heard footsteps coming from the kitchen. The dog had slices taken from its abdomen."
Scully took the pictures from the file and looked at them. The picture of the dog were the same as the ones in the office. She then looked at the children.
"Poor kids. They had to see their dog in shreds. Wait a minute, there's something your not telling me." Scully said. Mulder handed her the police reports.
"It's says that they saw something run off the porch." He tried to get comfortable in his seat again.
"Its probably just a wolf or a large cat." Scully put everyting back in the bag.
"Then how do you explain the tracks? The lab said they weren't any tracks that they've ever seen before." He closed his eyes and leaned his chair back.
"There's a logical explanation. Don't go thinking its-"
Mulder butted in. "El chupacabra? Aliens doing tests on animals? Crazed animal hunting vampires?"
"Well, whatever it is, we need to interview the children first."
"Please put your seats in the full, up-right possition. Turn off all electrical equipment. We will be landing shortly." The speakers crackled and faded.
"HEY! What about my salted peanuts?" Mulder said looking up at the speaker as if it would supply him with a snack. Scully gave him a look that seemed to say 'You're joking right?'
"Sunflower seeds are fine too... " She reached in her carry on suitcase and threw a bag to him.
"Happy now?" she put her seat up and waited to land.
________________________________________________________________________
The pair of agents drove down the lonely, desert road.
Scully asked, "How far out of Phoenix is this?"
"Just a few more minutes, they live in the outer suburbs," Mulder said as he looked at a big building. It was called Rie-del Labs. "Thats odd... Why would a laboratory be all the way out here?" They continued to drive until they came to a little neighborhood. Mulder looked at the document where the police did the interview. 5260 Linnwood Drive was the address.
"The blue house." Scully pointed to the biggest house in the area.
Mulder knocked on the door. A small brunette woman in her mid- thirties came out. "May I help you?" she said. A young boy who wore a baseball uniform ran up next to her.
"Mrs. Elisabeth Smith? We're with the FBI. We need to interview your children about what happened the night they reported their dog being attacke,." Mulder told her as another child ran up behind the mom.
"Alright. Come on in." Mrs. Smith led them to their living room. It was decorated in a western sort of feel. They had a stuffed rattlesnake in the back corner. Their couches were made of a reddish leather.
"Bobby and Vanessa?" Scully asked.
"Yes... " they answered.
"What exactly happened that night when your babysitter was over?" Mulder questioned as he sat down on their couch.
"Me and Jenny started hearing a noise upstairs," the seven year old said.
"So she wentup stairs and told us to stay here. We couldn't wait anymore so we went upstairs to check on her," the girl continued.
"Then we were upstairs and found the dog dead. Then there were the eyes..." Bobby grabbed his mom and started crying.
"Do you know what made those eyes, Bobby?" Mulder looked at him.
"No... " he said from his mom's lap.
"What about you Vanessa?" The 11 year old looked at Mulder and shook her head.
"Where is the babysitter? Jenny Newheart?" Scully asked.
"Oh, she lives across the street. I doubt she'll ever want to babysit for us again." The voice was Mr. Smiths. "I'm Paul Smith, nice to meet you. Just came home to get a bite for lunch." He shook Mulder and Scully's hand. He pointed out the window to a nice reddish house with a garden on the side. "Yup, that's her's."
"Mr. Smith... " Scully said as she sat back down from the handshake. "Do you know anything about the animal-"
"Thing," Mulder said again butting in.
"Excuse me...The thing that attacked your dog?" The man got very pale.
"I-I-I haven't the slightest idea. P-probably a large cat like a cougar or something."
Scully gave Mulder the "I told you so" look.
"What do you do for a living Mr. Smith?" Mulder decided to continue the conversation.
"I'm a scientist at the Rei-Del Lab just a few miles from here. I have to get back there now if you don't mind." he said getting his coat and taking one last drink of water.
"Thank you very much. If any of you think of anything else you might have forgotten, here is my card." Mulder handed her his card and went for the door.
"Wait!" Bobby yelled as he sprang from his mother's arms. "The thing, it had wings. But it couldnt use them very well, it sorta jumped like a kangaroo."
Paul began to cough loudly as he heard the news. "Is something wrong Mr. Smith? I'm a medical doctor, can I help?" Scully walked up next to him. He drank from the cup in his hand.
"I'm fine...I just erm...took a drink too fast." He regained some of his color.
"Thank you for letting us interview you and your family." The two investigators left the house and went for the babysitter.
"Strange man. Did you see the way he reacted when his kid started to descibe the thing?" Mulder said.
"Yes, I wonder if he knows something," Scully replied. They made their way across the street to the Newheart home. A young woman opened the door right as they stepped onto the front porch.
"Jennifer Newheart?" Scully said. The teen nodded.
"We're from the FBI." Mulder held out his badge. "Can we come in?"
"I've told the police everything I know. I just want to forget," she said closing the door. Mulder put his foot in the way to keep it from shutting.
"Please, whatever attacked that dog has attacked three other animals. Help us catch it before its next victim is a human." Something about that phased Jenny. She opened the door.
"Alright...come in.What do you need to know?" She let out a sigh then perked up. "MOM!" the girl yelled. Mulder was startled by the sudden outburst and jumped back slightly. "The FBI is here, can you get some drinks?"
Scully heard a lady's voice come from the kitchen. She couldn't make out what it said but assumed it was a "yes" to the question. Jenny led them into their living room and had them take a seat. It was oddly arranged like the Smith's residence. Although the Newheart's house had more of a Pueblo Indian feel. On the mantle to the fireplace they had a dreamcatcher and on top of the TV was a painting of a herd of buffalo.
Mrs. Newheart came in the room with ice tea. "Hello! I'm Allison, nice to make your aquaintance," she said as she scurried around the room passing out drinks. She spoke with a slight Minnesotan accent which Mulder thought was a little strange because they were living in Arazona. As she continued to move around the room she sort of reminded him of his own mother. The white hair, the apron, everything fit but the accent.
"She has had such a rough time the last few days. She has-"
"Mother! I can handle this." Allison gave her daughter a stern look then went back to the kitchen. "Let's get this over with." Jenny's attention was now on Mulder, he was about to eat some fruit from the table. "Uh, you don't want to eat that. That's wax fruit." He had a surprised look on his face and set the fruit down.
"What is your side of the story?" Scully said as she sipped the tea.
"Like I told the cops, I was babysitting, I heard a noise, went upstairs to check, came back down, and the dog was dead."
"Anything strange besides that? The Smith children said they saw some red eyes." Mulder set his cup on the coffeetable.
"Yes... I saw those red eyes... they were... " Her eyes started to water. "They were so big... I couldn't think. It was like I was frozen in fear. All I saw were those eyes and the dog. But there was something wrong. The blood...the only blood was the path to the door and oustide the wound. But it was like... " Her bottom lip started to quiver. "Like it was sucked out." Mulder returned the 'I told you so look' to Scully.
"Well thank you." Again he handed out his card then left the home. "So... " Mulder poked her.
"So what? It doesn't mean anything." Scully walked towards the car.
"She said there wasnt any blood in the animal. Like it had all been sucked out!." He was so excited he seemed as if he were going to fly.
"Mulder...that doesn't prove anything. Find me some physical evidence and I'll believe it was a monster." Scully got into the drivers seat.
"Um... Scully?" he questioned.
"Yes, Mulder?" she said as her partner got into the car.
He started laughing uncontrollably. "Can your feet touch the pedals?"
"Oh shut up Mulder... "
________________________________________________________________________
Mulder and Scully drove down the highway to the nearest motel.
"We're at a dead end. There's nothing that says it is an animal and nothing that says it's anything else. We should stay the night here and then go back to Washington tomorrow," Scully said putting the key in the lock. Mulder got his suitcase out of the back seat along with Scully's. Mulder was quiet for the next hour. "I know you're disappointed, but... " She tried to get him to talk but all he did was stare at the TV.
Mulder looked up from the news and said, "There's something here...I can feel it. I don't know what it is... but something is going to happen... and soon." Little did he know, he was right.
