and even today I regret that. I saw perfectly formed unit of dogs, running after us. But what was even more shocking that few humans on main street seemed to completely ignore drama around them. Just moment earlier their folk was shot and they made no action to catch killer. Just as they left it to do for dogs…

…or dogs felt no urge to ask humans for help.

Mr. Marshal fired again two rounds of his shotgun. From that distance he had limited chance to do any serious harm, but he hoped that cloud of shot would stop bloodthirsty dogs from chase. But it didn’t work. I saw two dogs yelling from pain and falling down – maybe some projectiles reached their eyes or other sensitive places – but rest ran still. And the same wolfess of half-visible body was speeding, or maybe better to say – floating with them. Some shots had to his her, but I saw no reaction as if led globulins simply passed through her corpse. Then – fortunately! – I had to turn my head again in front of me, to see the way.

So I was looking on the road and dark forest, while master Lucas shot and shot back. Even in that state of mind, he had to hit multiple times. He always was excellent marksman and extreme situations couldn’t change it. So when I counted that he reload revolvers for the third time – that means he shot thirty times! – I understand that something was wrong. No chase, don’t matter how determined – wouldn’t last after killing maybe even half of its number. But Nome dogs were running still. And then I though – my already insane mind was ready for that – it wasn’t because master Lucas missed. Simply gunshots didn’t work.

Then master Lucas turned beck to front and grabbed reins. Then with right had reached the leach and hit the air above us. In spite we were running already in haze, speeded up. After silent minutes, when only snow cracking and our pants were audible, we entered the forest. I felt a serious relief, thinking I’m safe. How wrong I was!

Without any word, master was guiding us way north west, shorter but harder one. But we didn’t complained – we wanted to leave that damned place as well. Especially that distant howls from Nome and responses from interiors could be easily heard. I understood that a trap had been preparing for us.

Deeper in night the mist appeared. It was sliding down from wall of valley, greedily crawling to us. But we speeded up the road, not letting that milky coat stay on us. We all – musher and we – felt that staying there and they meat doom. We didn’t know what mr. Marshal saw in hospital, he had no idea about disgusting and terrorizing suggestion that Steele had told to me. But we sensed already that only day could bring us some kind of sanctuary. So we rode still, not looking on difficult way nor on exhaustion. Master Lucas was holding in left hand reins and revolver in right. That way he held to dawn.

Without any stop we were running until sun appeared on horizon. But then nature disobeyed will. We slowed down and then finally stopped, unable to move more. With asking and threatening master made us to hobble to nearest clearing and then we had a break. I paid little attention on what happened after I was unhernessed. I just crawled few steps aside and felt into snow, in last impulse of instinct, digging deeper to keep my warmth. I even didn’t think it was rather useless, because we were sleeping at day. However soon after Emma joined me, just entering my den, unable to make her own. I didn’t protested, among many other reasons also because she was additional source of heat. In corner of my vision I noticed that master Lucas tried to light up the campfire, but I fell asleep before I learned if he succeeded.

He succeeded. Moreover we all made it. I awoke from slumber with – thanks God - no dreams and saw we all were alive and quite ready to continue our escape. Or I thought so. I stood up and without feeling my paws made few steps to my master, sleeping in his sit next to fire. The sun was already set and I knew it was last opportunity to set off. I wanted to wake my owner up but in next second I learned I was lying in snow. I just overturned due to effort. I even didn’t know how aching and stretched my paws were.

Fortunately in the same moment my master opened his eyes. I yelped in fear – in those eyes was nothing but madness. Mr. Mashal sprang on his feet, reached his guns and with expression of wounded animal, pointed gun in nearest source of sound, that meant: me. For short second I believe that my owner would kill me, but then he seemed to wake up totally – he shook his head and lowered his gun. After few loud pants, he added.

“Ow, pal! See in what hell we stomped in!” He came to me and ducked next to, examining my paws. “Damn! Stretched and swollen. I bet that rest of you is no better. But we must go. Staying here at night means death… or worse.” If I were humans most likely I would ask him what he meant by <or worse>, but I could only yell with mix of agreement and pain. However he started to talk anyway. “Listen to me, pal…” He stood up and returned to sled. Then he reached for his medic kit. “No one would believe me, what I saw… I had right, and in the same time I hadn’t. It was diphtheria… initially. But imagine, what came after! Modern science doesn’t know bacteria like that… And I wouldn’t believe in existence such a marvellous and terrible being, before I saw it. It was…” He bended down to me and started to bandage my swollen mussels. “… it was something out of the world we know. Out of this place and time.” Seeing that rest of sled started to dig out from snow, he waved his hand in gesture of calling. They all crawled closer, waiting for their treatment.

For next several minutes we all were silent, waiting as mr. Marshal finish bandaging our paws and distribute food. When we were basically stitched and feed, he reached to his medic kit again and grabbed syringe and vial of brown liquid.

“I’m terribly sorry, crew, but I will do what I have to.” He said with soft voice. “But we can’t stop before we reach Buckland. I must boost you somehow.”

I was basically aware of my master’s medicines and thanks to acid smell of liquid I recognised it was morphine. I should howl with fear, seeing what my owner wanted to do – taking drug before such enormous effort always strengthen natural abilities, but risk of dehydration and deadly in-muscles lactic acid accumulation. But I focused only on saving might that medicine could give us. I gave no sound when needle of syringe plunged into my neck. Seeing my calmness, rest of team received that dose peacefully as well.

“It’s to give us strength.” I said. “Master wants us to pull as long we could.” My team responded with silent nods.

But then happened something what scared even me – after serving us, reloading all his guns and checking belts of harness, master Lucas applied a dose of morphine also to himself. I understood that he was really desperate. Shortly after his voice confirmed it.

“We must go.” Said he, fixing my harness. “They all were infected with some new disease. Non-human originated. I suspect that dogs of wolves were primary carriers, but I had no idea what it is. Until we are clear, we must warn outside cities and tell about it on Anchorage Academy. Maybe we already all have that plague inside, but it inactive before we you immune system is strong, but any other epidemic of serious illness here with trigger the bomb… He said me. Local doctor knew about it all. But I had to shot him! His blood… ow, God, it wasn’t human anymore!”

He didn’t cease his murmurs, but he just stood up and came to sled. Soon after we set off into cold night, accompanied only with our own panting and half-mad monologue of master Lucas. In spite of cold the fog seemed to arousing still. I started to feel first effects of drug, but I also heard helpless yelping of Emma.

“Mark, help me! They are calling us! They want me to join them.”

“Pull!” I replied with harsh voice. “Soon we all be in Buckland.”

“Mark, don’t leave me… it’s… so cold.”

“Cyrus!” I called. “What the heck is wrong with Emma?” While pulling I couldn’t see her, but Cyrus was harnessed to pair with her, so he was closer.

“No idea, boss…” he said. “But someone is really calling from forest. Do you hear wolves?”

I heard some howls in the mist, but all what I knew and felt was screaming to me those were not wolves. The siren call from woods was much more odd and distant to be a product of substantial throats and lips. It was coming from the air itself.

“Pull!” I ordered, ceasing the tripping talk.

Fortunately, my mind started to trip as well. With every step I heard and saw less, slowly drowning into narcotic dream. My body was working like smoothly going mechanism, but mind was half-absent. Emotions and fears shrank to small dot in my head while the rest of wandering thoughts were sleepy and blurred.

Thanks to that I completely ignored distant - however dreadful – signals of reality. We were running much faster than we should, via roads dangerous even in much better weather. Master Lucas gave numerous shots in the night, but my senses were too tired to follow any target. I just became one with my steps, going further and further.

But then a scream of Emma broke my narcotic peace. I turned my head aside to see her running just after with perfect calmness on her muzzle. But in the same time she was screaming. With unspeakable terror I understood that scream I heard I heard not thanks to my ears and my eyes saw a blurred silhouette, canine-shaped cloud being torn apart from Emma’s body by omnipresent mass of mist’s tentacles. One of it just penetrated Emma’s body and took away that cloud, that seem to scream and look at me with fire of madness in its unreal eyes. I shut my eyelids, but that vision didn’t end. I still was seeing moving body of husky but that flesh was