((He's a little insulting-- don't be offended guys!! Clays just feeling uptight tonight! XD))<br/><br/>Well...<br/>He scuffed the ground with the ball of his foot, picking up pea-in-the-bed-level uncomfortable crumbs of grit between his toes. All gross. Things probably couldn't get any worse. That was unless his reason streak of luck planned on chasing him "beyond the grave"...<br/><br/>Oh god-- the dead theory went down like a lead balloon in the squeaky clean recesses of his mind.<br/><br/>He sighed and swung his gaze skywards again, the autumn air playing havoc across his colourless skin, still managing to raise goose pimples. Why di--<br/><br/>A sudden noise cut him off.<br/><br/>It was a screech, a shriek like the howl of metal in a terrible car crash, a fusillade of nails down blackboards. For a moment his mind scrabbled in the sheer intensity of the noise, little images of someone in the neighbourhood burning a local cat alive, wringing screams of obscene agony out of the creatures throat, fell into the cloudy puddle state of his mind like so many stagnant bubbles surfacing with a hollow, bitter 'pop'.<br/><br/>It had only lasted seconds but that was all a sound like that needed!<br/><br/>His glazed eyes popped saucepan wide.<br/><br/>There was nothing! The street was normal! Road, lawns, houses, street lamps and pumpkins. His heart stopped dead in his chest as a figure caught his-- false alarm!!! It was life size witch figurine!<br/><br/>No need for it really! But ... hell, it was too late for the ikkah trick or treaters and too early for the heavy, binge-drinking, twelve year old yobs already!<br/><br/>He glanced around skittishly, bony, ill-looking arms curled around himself.<br/><br/>Were he the greedy kind Clay'd have been tempted to record the noise and sell it on for devil worship or slasher movie soundtracks. Marilyn Manson was always a viable market for such things, but as far as he was concerned it was the product of some idiots stupid party. With a shudder he kicked himself into gear and slunk onwards.<br/><br/>When a new noise kicked into gear...<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">Click click click prrrrt click prrrt prrrt click. </span><br/><br/>Clay glanced over his shoulder.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">Click click prrt prrrt click prrrt click click.</span><br/><br/>"Kids," he mumbled under his breath, more for his own comfort than anything else. It wasn't worth it. His voicebox was suffering first-noise-of-the-day syndrome and by the sounds of it it was dying of it...<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">Click prrrtt click click prrrtt click click click prrrt</span><br/><br/>"Oh come on!" He spun on his heel and-- he froze. It... well he knew what the noise was alright. Paws, claws and pavement! How did he know? Try the whacking great drooling beast of a dog trotting oh-so-casually in on him, headlong down the middle of the road. It looked like a junkyard mutt had bred with a pick-up truck and this was something the offspring has coughed up...<br/><br/>Clayton did the only thing that came natural to him; he FROZE praying this flea-bitten, drooling monstrosity would pass him by...<br/><br/>"Don't. You. Dare," he growled under his throat as it squared up with him, cubular nose scouring him from a 'safe' distance. For now.<br/><br/>It grunted a noise at him that to the overly creeped out here could probably resemble speech. Lucky him, germ haunted Clayton still had his wits about him enough to know better!<br/><br/>"Oohoo ... just you keep walking Fido..." the near-zombie growled under his breath as the monster mutt did a full circle inspection of him, little dark eyes twinkling playfully. His stomach tied itself into knots that put sailors to shame. There was a small glisten of spittle hanging semi-decoratively from its jaw...<br/><br/>Suddenly it moved, something frighteningly gruesome uncurled from it's hideous maw and slapped across the skin of his leg. It... licked him....<br/><br/>A screech of horror erupted from the back of his throat, "NOOO!! UGH! UGGGHH!! You filthy whore of a dog!! GET OUT OF IT!!" he hopped back, piano-wire tension of his muscles snapping out with an almighty crack of fear fuelled adrenaline, "UGH! his stomach lurched, "B-b-bad dog!! NO!! NAUGHTY!!" he doubled over retching loudly.<br/><br/>OHGOD.<br/><br/>Saliva!<br/><br/>Anything but--