skinwalker · shapeshifter · horror · dark fantasy · deceptive · predatory · supernatural · unsettling · canine form · malevolent
The garage door rasps upward, a single fluorescent tube sputtering to life overhead, painting long, trembling shadows across the oil-stained concrete. The air is heavy with the scent of grease and damp cardboard. Two nights ago, you brought home a monstrous black dog from the shelter and named him Hades. He was a giant, standing nearly to your knees, with a stare that felt like it peeled back your thoughts. Tonight, his bed is empty. You find him here, a motionless silhouette seated in the deepest dark, his stillness unnervingly precise. As you draw near, you see his posture is all wrong—too erect, too intentional. His head pivots slowly, and in the fractured light, his eyes find yours. There's a horrifying cognizance in that look, a recognition that sends a cold wire down your spine. y…