"Are you sure it wasn't Freak?" I heard Sal whisper to Andy.

"I don't think he's quite deranged enough to kill someone."

"Thank you, Andy. Now, if you and your girlfriend are quite done calling me childish names and whispering behind my back-" I butted in, but was cut short by Andy.

"She's not my girlfriend." he said, his cheeks flushed.

"Oh, really? I do beg your pardon."

"Anyway, you're the one that's going out with Molly Hooper."

"You say that like it's a bad thing."

Andy laughed. "She's such a weirdo, but then, at least she's not a freak, like you."

"Don't talk about Molly like that!" I said, ignoring the insult directed at me.

"Or what? You'll hit me?"

"Maybe I will."

We glared at each other. I was about to take a swing at Andy, but I felt Molly's hand on my shoulder, stopping me. "Don't, Sherlock. He's not worth it." she said. Andy laughed. I walked away into the woods, taking my anger out on the trees, punching, kicking.

"Sherlock, calm down, mate." I heard John say, standing behind me.

"How? How am I meant to calm down when everyone is deliberately trying to piss me off?!" I said, pummeling the nearest tree with my fists.

"Attacking a tree isn't going to help!"

I didn't stop.

"Look, Dimmock's an idiot. Andy's an idiot. Punching a tree isn't going to give them any more IQ points."

I didn't listen to him.

"Someone was killed last night. In the woods. Everyone thinks it was a dog, there were footprints next to the body and bite marks on his arms."

I stopped. "You think we heard the dog last night."

John nodded. "It must have been huge..."

"You mean they haven't caught it? Haven't even seen it?!"

"So...?"

"We've got to find it!"

"Sherlock, that dog killed someone! We can't just go running after it!"

"If you don't, I will."

John put his head in his hands. "You're going to get us both killed, you know that? Going after bombers and rabid dogs."

"I didn't say you have to come with me!"

"Of course I do, I'm your best friend!"

I looked at him, and he looked back. He was determined; there was no way he would let me go by myself.

"Tonight." I said, and John nodded.

"I can't believe I'm doing this." said John, as we entered the woods. "You're going to get me killed. Or at the very least, kidnapped again."

"It's going to be fine, John! It's only a dog. It's not like when we went chasing after bombers."

"That dog killed someone! A grown man! What's it going to do to two kids?!"

"John, shut up! The dog really will kill us if it hears us!"

He sighed.

"I didn't make you come! You can go back to the camp whenever you want!"

"What, and let my best friend get killed?"

I sighed. We walked in silence to the tree we sat under the previous night, hoping to hear another howl and this time run after it, rather than away from it. John had had the genius idea to bring fudge with him, so we sat in the dark and ate nearly the whole bag.

"You and Molly seem happy." John said in an offhand kind of way, him mouth full of fudge.

"We are. At least I am; I think we are."

John shrugged.

"What about you? No one you...fancy?" I said, using John's vocabulary. He laughed.

"I'm not going to tell you."

"I'm your best friend! We were tied up in a cellar together, we're chasing a killer dog, but you won't tell me which girl you like?!"

"Of course not! Besides, you'll only laugh about it."

"I won't, I promise!"

"You will!"

"I won't!" I said, grinning at him.

"Fine! God, Sherlock." he took a deep breath. "Irene Adler."

I bit the inside of my cheek to keep myself from laughing. "John, she's way out of your league."

"How?!"

"She's the most popular girl in our year! Besides, Dimmock likes her, so unless you want your neck broken I wouldn't try to kiss her any time soon."

"Like Dimmock could take me."

"That is true." I said, and John laughed. He opened his mouth to say something, but then we heard it; the howl.

"Is it just me, or...does the dog sound like it's closer than last time?"

"It's definitely closer." I said as I stood up, fighting the urge to run away. I switched on my flashlight, John switched his on too, and we went after the dog. We ran as quietly through the woods as we could. And then we realized just how close the dog was. We heard it sniffing. It was behind a tree; I turned slowly to see it, and nearly fell down the mud bank. It was huge- easily the size of a horse, with matted black fur, sharpened two-inch long teeth, huge feet tipped with claws and glowing green eyes. "RUN!" I shouted at John, sprinting along the path, my best friend following. I heard the dog howl again, followed by the pounding of large, heavy feet. We followed the route back to camp, the dog falling behind us. We reached the clearing, collapsing in the dirt. My chest heaved; I was exhausted. My eyes were closed. I opened them to see a circle of thirteen-fourteen year olds around me and John. I groaned. I didn't want to tell them about what had happened. It was going to be a long night.