Monster Dog Vaccination

“That looks like… but it can’t be…” Annabelle had emerged from the miniscule opening behind Haley. Haley was certain that she probably wished she hadn’t. Towering over them, and swallowing up any hope of getting out of the cave, was a three-headed dog.

“Nice doggy,” Grove said between gritted teeth. The creature huffed, sending a gust of wind that rattled the cave walls. Haley felt pieces of rock fall from the ceiling. She was too scared to look up. Too scared to take her eyes off of the monster. Its muscles rippled underneath dark, scarred fur. It could swallow the three of them up in one bite.

Under its neck swung a heavy metal collar, with a tag that glinted in the light of their headlamps. Its belly bulged underneath it as it sat. On a normal dog, she would have been concerned, as it was one of the most common symptoms of worms in old dogs. The thought quickly left her mind as the creature got off the floor, so tall that its fur grazed the chamber ceiling. It shook itself off, the vibrations of its movement knocking the three of them over.

If the dog had ever even visited an animal hospital, there was no C4 vaccination booking that would be able to accommodate this creature. “Annabelle?” Haley called out in a terrified voice. She felt rocks dig into her palms as she staggered onto her feet.

Annabelle, understandably afraid, took a moment to collect her thoughts. “It looks like Cerberus.” Seeing the lack of understanding from both of them, Annabelle quickly added, “A creature from Greek mythology. A three-headed dog that guards the entrance to the underworld.”

Grove gave a grunt of annoyance. Even in a life-threatening situation, he couldn’t manage to pass on an opportunity for a witty comment. “This is why I told us to stay away from the mysterious cave entrance at the casino,” he said. “We could have been breaking our wallets, not our backs!”