Hellhounds: The Legends of Doggy

8: Reading Is Boring (Minus This Book)

"Maybe it's the number of a bracket?" Lich paced back and forth down the hall, changing direction whenever she hit the end.

They'd been contemplating the meaning behind five-hundred sixty-seven for a while, and frustration bubbled up in Lich's chest with every idea. There were millions of possibilities, but with an entire realm full of Angels on their trail and an unconscious woman in the room next door, their options were limited. It wouldn't be long before hell broke loose and the Angels returned to the Administration building.

"It's so cool how all the digits go up in a row." Doggy's tail wagged. "Five. Six. Seven! It's like you're counting."

As usual, Doggy wasn't being much help.

"It would be even cooler if we knew what it meant." Lich exhaled, her gaze fixed to the blank wall. A speck of paint peeled off the otherwise spotless surface. "I wonder if there's a list of brackets around here."

"Maybe it's in one of the little rooms with all the papers."

And then a shout came from below, followed by the thumping of footsteps. "Has anyone seen two Hellhounds?"

Lich froze, heart pounding.

"We need to hide," she said. "It won't be long until they come up here, and we'll be cornered."

"We have to make an escape." narrowed his eyes. "Luckily for us, beating the clock is Super-Agent Fang X's specialty."

Despite the press of logic on her shoulders, part of Lich was comforted by Doggy's boasting. Of course, that didn't make it any less annoying.

"Let's go."

Blood roaring in his ears, she raced down the hallway, ground blurring beneath her paws. Doggy followed close behind. They reached the top of the stairwell just as a crowd of Angels swarmed into the Administration center, staffs in hand.

These Angels didn't make anything easy, did they? Their rules, their policies, their number of weapons... it was almost as if their single goal in life was to slow Lich down. She gritted her teeth.

"What do we do?" Doggy's flank trembled as more winged soldiers entered the building.

"Simple." The fire in Lich's irises blazed. "We keep running."

She swallowed the lump in her throat. Lich didn't like the idea of heading straight into the mouth of the volcano, but it was the only way out. The only chance they had.

"Target locked." Doggy's voice shook as he delivered the status report. "Embarking on mission 'Run Away'. Over and out."

Bracing herself, Lich took the plunge.

Before she could register what was happening, the steps were rushing by beneath her feet. She flew down the stairwell, yelling erupting from all corners of the expanse. Lich's vision blurred as he ducked underneath chairs, dodging souls and Angels alike.

"It's the dogs!"

Someone fired a blast of light, and Lich lunged into the air. The glowing sphere singed the fur of her underbelly as it hurdled past.

A trio of Angels stepped in front of her, blocking her path with their golden sticks. A whimper rose in Lich's throat, sweat dripping from her paw-pads. She forced down the noise.

"It's the end of the line, mutt."

To Lich's right, souls sat around the grand table. Their feast had been cut short, no thanks to her and Doggy. Lich calculated the distance from the floor to the table-top - four feet. Could she make the jump?