Robinson Crusoe 2244 by E.J. Robinson Page A

first was that there was intelligence in the dog’s eyes. Though it watched Robinson, it never attacked. Its mouth never curled into a snarl. It wasn’t angry or defensive, but agitated. There was no dripping saliva, flaring nostrils, or upturned hackles. This dog bore the signs of the Rendering, but his actions suggested otherwise.
    The second realization occurred when Robinson discovered the tinkling sound was not a ringing in his ears, but came from a small medallion attached to the dog’s collar. A collar suggested domestication. Domestication suggested man . But what man would domesticate a diseased animal? And did that mean they were nearby?
    The third and final realization happened with a literal whimper as the dog looked not at him but up at the sky. Robinson followed suit and felt a new flush of dread.
    Night had arrived.
    The first render’s cry almost made his legs give out. He turned back to the dog, but it had taken off like a shot. He considered following, but to where? More shrill howls filled the air as additional renders emerged from their slumber. He thought about darting inside the white building, but the booby trap persuaded him otherwise. Plus, he had caught scent of an odor he was growing familiar with—renders.
    The half-moon loomed just above the river, but it would be no friend tonight. At that moment, Robinson would have given anything to be back in the safety of the house where he’d spent the previous night, but it was a world away. He turned for the river but halted immediately in his tracks. Twenty meters away was the largest render he had ever heard of, and it was staring straight at him.
    He wouldn’t have thought for a second such creatures were capable of stealth, but there it was, close enough for him to see its chest rise and fall. It was a towering creature, easily taller than him by half, but stooped with rows of densely packed muscles. It wore tattered rags that glistened with ulcerations that oozed with every twitch. A second, smaller creature emerged from behind it, bearing a second mouth that protruded from its neck, its gnarled yellow teeth beckoning in the night. These were not like the creature he’d seen in the Crown. These beasts were hardy and thick, with calcified bone borne like armor and distended muscles that leaked from every crevice.
    On instinct, Robinson leaned back, but the movement was enough for both creatures to charge. He turned to run but slipped on the grass. He realized he’d never put his shoes back on. He had no time to retrieve them now.
    The renders were not fast runners. In fact, they were sluggish and clumsy, likely due to the body mass they carried, but if their gasping howls and frenetic movements proved anything, it was that they would not quit once they’d begun tracking their prey. They would pursue him until the sun rose, or they caught him.
    Robinson ran with pure abandon, following the path the dog had taken around the back of the white building. He slipped through a narrow gap near the rear gates. More renders emerged from the tree line and as he ran past, he felt a heavy hand full of claws cut through his jacket and tear his skin. With no light to guide him, he was quickly lost. Several times he turned into a street or alley only to find more renders emerging from doorways and sewers, each frothing from a rictus full of razor-sharp teeth.
    The city blurred together. Twice Robinson had circled back onto streets he’d already run down only to find more pursuers amassing. The streets now seemed full of the creatures when turns before, there had been none.
    His luck went from bad to worse when he turned down a road and found it blocked by a barrier of rusted carriages. They were stacked together haphazardly but had stood for some time. As he drew closer, Robinson saw bones littered at its base.
    With a render on his tail, Robinson leaped up to scale the blockade. A meaty hand locked onto his leg. He wrenched it free just as the rest of the