(What now :/)

(Heeeere come the dogs!)

Myles could hear the dogs long before he could see them. He stood outside the twins' house, listening. It was a cacophony of howling, yelping, and barking. All jumbled together, it sounded like a single mad beast.

In a mass, the zombies were a real threat, bigger and heavier than the kids and diseased. Zombies were rarely organized enough to plan any real strategy, though; for the most part, they came lumbering out in a pack from the side. Then the best thing to do was run.

Anything to avoid a fight.

Dogs were different, however. Unpredictable. Dangerous.

The first of the dogs appeared, a skinny mongrel with one eye. It bowled out into the street, fell over, wriggled on the ground, then lay on its back in surrender. A second dog was hard on its tail, a dirty pit bull. It had evidently been chasing the mongrel because it came at him with teeth bared and hackles raised.

There was an almost comical moment when the two dogs realized that they had an audience. They both did a double take and looked at the boy in surprise. The rest of the pack came into view almost simultaneously, howling and barking.

They skidded to a halt, and a couple of them knocked into the pit bull, who turned and snapped at them.

The little mongrel saw its moment and scurried off. The pit bull stood there, sniffing the air. The other dogs were a mismatched mob with missing fur and diseased eyes caked with pus. Some were limping, some wounded. One sat down in the road and vigorously scratched its ear until another dog bit it, and it scampered away.

The pit bull strutted forward, growling, then it started to bark at Myles, and the rest of the pack joined in. Instantly the street was filled with their racket.

And immediately the siblings were at Myles side, weapons in hand. They began to beat their chests and roar like apes and gorillas to intimidate them.

And immediately the siblings were at Myles side, weapons in hand. They began to beat their chests and roar like apes and gorillas to intimidate them.

Myles began making a racket of his own, yelling, screaming, and waving his arms. Some of the dogs backed off, but the bolder ones were soon inching closer. The big pit bull shook his head and nosed ahead, his claws scratching on the asphalt.

"I think we need to take out the leader!" Myles shouted over the noise.

Cory pulled out his body and fired at it the dog, hitting the head.

The dog's legs crumpled, and he went down without a sound. The other dogs sniffed him, and one or two set up howling. Then a big German Shepherd ran from the back of the pack, leading three other hounds with him. Myles steeled himself, raising his bat. He had to hit the German Sheperd with it as the dog charged. The followers veered off to the side, not wanting to get impaled with nails as well.

the siblongs mkept fighting the dogs.

The two yelped and turned tail, one dragging its leg behind. The rest of the dogs scattered.

he nodded. *good.*

(now will there be a zombie puppy?)