Enter the Hound: The Origin of Inu

Chapter 16: Christmas Carol

 

            While Dr. Pembroke made his escape under Dr. Moreau’s nose and Inu was having fun with her family and Frostfire in Skiffytown, Nadine was having a dreadful Christmas Eve watching Austin get drunk with his frat buddies.

            Tau Ro Omega was holding its annual Christmas mixer with the girls of Kappa Ro Epsilon, to which sorority Nadine belonged.  However, there were also a number of girls from Iota Theta Lambda in attendance.  Iota Theta Lambda and Kappa Ro Epsilon were enemies by tradition, and the ancient hatred ran deep.  Worse, the members of Iota Theta Lambda were notorious for being conniving little monsters who loved to stir up trouble.  This was more than mere reputation; there was a ton of photographic evidence taken in the past year alone that could support the claims and accusations.

            So it was really no surprise that the Iota girls were all over Austin.

            And it really wasn’t so hard to believe that they were the ones supplying him with booze.

            But when one of those girls started putting her hands in places she had no business exploring, Nadine hit the roof.  She was on top of the offending harlot in an instant, her eyes blazing and teeth grinding as she pinned the girl to the floor.

            “What the hell?!” screamed the Iota girl.  “What’s your problem, bitch?”

            “He’s mine!” Nadine growled.  “Keep your filthy hands off of him, slut!”

            “How dare you...“

            ”You two-bit whore!”

            “Are you insane?”

            “I’ll not have you touching him!”

            “Someone get this psycho-bitch off me!”

            “Harlot!“

            ”NADINE!”

            Nadine froze.  Looking up, he saw Austin frowning down at her.  Judging from his eyes, Nadine expected him to charge at her.  She had never seen him so angry.  Not at her.

            However, despite appearances, Austin was not a brute.  He firmly grasped her arm and pulled her off of the Iota girl.  No yanking, no bruising, just firm tug to guide her where he wanted her to go.

            “I think its time you went home,” he said, keeping his voice low so as affect privacy in the midst of a crowd.

            “Austin...”

            “You’re very upset.  Go home and relax.  Or go upstairs to my room and lay down for a bit.  Take your pick.”

            “But she was...”

            “She and her friends will be leaving shortly,” Austin assured her.  “This party is about having fun.  I don’t want them stirring up any more trouble, and I don’t want you falling into another of their traps.  And I certainly don’t want the police called here tonight, got it?  Now go home.  I’ll be by tomorrow morning to check on you, okay?”

            Nadine hung her head and left without a word.  She was not ashamed of her behavior, just sad that Austin had dismissed her.

            “It’s all her fault,” she whispered as she stood on the porch of the Tau Ro Omega house.  “That harlot.  She’s to blame.”

 

**********************

 

            The harlot’s name was Maxine Hastings.  It was people like her and her friends Tasha and Claudette that gave the Iotas a bad reputation.  Some of the members of Iota Theta Lambda were actually very nice, good-hearted people.  Several were deeply involved with Habitat for Humanity and the local food bank.  Sadly, Maxine’s little trio weren’t the only trouble makers in the sorority.  Leave it to the actions of a few to ruin things for everyone else.

            The trouble trio were hiking back across the campus to pick up Maxine’s car.  The only reason they had parked it so far away was to have an excuse to get one of the guys to give them a ride, maybe a little more.  Nadine had spoiled their plans, but no matter; there were plenty of other places to go to stir up mischief.

            “I can’t believe that psycho thought I was interested in him,” Maxine laughed.  “As if I’d ever really do anything with that freak.”

            Her cronies laughed on cue and spouted off the appropriate agreements as they were trained to do.  Maxine’s confidence grew with each remark until she quite forgot how scared she had been when Nadine jumped her.  If not for Austin, Nadine might have hurt her.  But it was over now, and there was no need to think about crazy Nadine anymore.  No need to remember what a gentleman Austin had been, much to her surprise.  No need to think about his deliciously chocolate skin and deep sexy voice.  No need to recall how he had so valiantly rescued her.  Nope.  Not anymore.  Now he was just a beast she had failed to break and exploit.  Good riddance.

            “Hark how the bells...sweet silver bells...”

            They were halfway to Maxine’s car when they heard a voice behind them.  Stopping, Maxine and her friends turned this way and that in search of the source.  It was soft at first, and grew louder with each passing second.

            “All seem to say...‘throw cares away’...”

            “Probably just carolers,” Maxine said, waving her hand in dismissal.  “Just ignore it.”

            “I don’t know, Max,” said Tasha.  “It only sounds like one person.”

            “Christmas is here bringing good cheer...”

            “And I’ve never heard a carol sound that creepy,” Claudette agreed.

            “To young and old, meek and the bold...”

            The voice grew louder and the tempo picked up a little.  It was a beautiful voice, but menacing.

            “Ding dong ding dong, that is the song.  With joyful ring all caroling...”

            Tasha and Claudette bolted, leaving Maxine to fend for herself.

            “One seems to hear words of good cheer from everywhere filling the air.”

The grew louder until it seemed to be coming from everywhere at once.

            “Oh how they pound, Raising the sound, O’er hill and dale, Telling their tale.”

            Maxine turned in a frantic search for the singer.  She tried to run, but her feet refused to move.

            “Who are you?!” she screamed.  “What do you want?”

            “GAILY THEY RING WHILE PEOPLE SING SONGS OF GOOD CHEER.  CHRISTMAS IS HERE!”

            Maxine flew back as an invisible fist pounded into her stomach.  She held up her arms as if to ward off her an attack, but they were forced back down to the ground unseen hands.  Her body convulsed on the ground, gashes opening up on her face as if of their own accord.

            “Merry, merry, merry, merry Christmas! Merry, merry, merry, merry Christmas!”

            Maxine screamed and begged for the pain to stop.  She shouted apologizes for whatever she had done to deserve such punishment.  She promised she would do anything to make up for it.

            “On, one they send.  On without end.  Their joyful tone.  To ev’ry home.

            “Hark how the bells, sweet silver bells, all seem to say ‘throw cares away’.  Christmas is here, bringing good cheer, to young and old, meek and the bold.”

            “I’m sorry!” Maxine cried.  “Oh God, please, I’m sorry...”

            She saw Nadine walking towards her, and her heart filled with hope.

            “Nadine!” she called.  “Nadine, please help me!”

            Nadine kept walking, her pace and course unaltered, her face a complete blank.

            “Nadine!  Please!”

            “Ding dong ding dong, that is the song.  With joyful ring all caroling.”

            Maxine gasped in terror.  It was Nadine.  Nadine was the one singing the creepy carol.

            “One seems to hear words of good cheer from everywhere filling the air.  Oh how they pound, Raising the sound, O’er hill and dale, Telling their tale.”

            Nadine came to a stop three feet from where Maxine was pinned and glared down at the girl.

            “GAILY THEY RING WHILE PEOPLE SING SONGS OF GOOD CHEER.  CHRISTMAS IS HERE!”

            Maxine’s heart pounded erratically.  Her eyes went wide and fixed on Nadine.  She panted to the point of hyperventilation.

            “Merry, merry, merry, merry Christmas! Merry, merry, merry, merry Christmas!”

            “Please...stop...”

            “On, one they send.  On without end.  Their joyful tone.  To ev’ry home.”

            Maxine breathed her last and went limp.  Blood tricked freely from her wounds, melting the frost on the grass and pooling on the frozen earth.

            Nadine stared down at Maxine’s body and grinned, then continued walking.

            “Ding, dong, ding, dong.”