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She reached the back of the house and tried the door.
Also locked.
Shit.
She glanced along the frame of the large structure and paused.
She spotted a window that was slightly ajar, allowing a breeze through. She approached it and carefully slid it open, slipping inside the darkened house. The air was musty and stale, and Rachel wrinkled her nose. She took a few steps forward, and the floorboards creaked beneath her feet. She froze, listening intently for any sign of movement.
The house was dark, but she could make out the shape of furniture in the dim light filtering in through the windows. She crept forward, her heart pounding in her chest.
Suddenly, she heard a noise. A creaking sound, like someone was walking on the floorboards above her. She froze, her gun raised, and waited.
Seconds ticked by, and there was no further sound. She took a deep breath and continued up the stairs, her gun at the ready.
She reached the top of the stairs and found herself facing a long hallway. She could see a faint light coming from one of the rooms at the end of the corridor. She moved slowly towards it, her heart pounding with every step.
As she got closer, she could hear the sound of someone breathing. It was slow and steady. Almost like a panting noise.
She hesitated, then frowned.
She pushed open the door.
Suddenly, a blur of shadow rushed at her, snarling and barking.
Rachel stumbled backwards, moving fast, avoiding the blur, her gun pointed at the shadow. But she didn't squeeze the trigger.
The creature had backed away as she had, startled--it seemed--by her appearance. Not who it had been expecting, perhaps.
As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she realized it was a large dog. A Doberman, its teeth bared, saliva dripping from its mouth.
It was growling, slobber dripping from its jowls. The Doberman lunged towards her, but Rachel managed to dart out of the way, narrowly avoiding its jaws.
The dog circled around, growling and barking. Rachel scrambled back until her shoulders pressed against the wallpaper, her eyes darting around the room, searching for anything she could use as a weapon that wouldn't kill the animal.
She'd always had a soft spot for creature--even the fanged and toothy varieties.
"Down! Stay!" she commanded firmly. The dog hesitated, continued growling.
She shot a look past it into the room it had been in. Besides a kennel in one corner, the room was empty.
So she darted through the room, moving through the space the dog no longer occupied as it had circled her.
The hound charged at her again, following her into the room. She lunged for the metal kennel, using it as a shield to defend herself.
The dog snarled and tried to snap at her fingers, but again, the metal mesh of the cage kept it at bay.
She circled slowly, and now her back was to the open door, the kennel held between her hands.
The dog was ferocious, but not very smart.
She backed away, once more out into the hall, lodging the kennel inside the threshold, and then slamming the door.
The dog's barking grew fainter with the door closed, and she let out a faint breath of relief.
She reached up, wiping sweat from her forehead, but then scanning down the empty hall once more.
No one had come in response to the commotion.
