He stared briefly at his Mercedes, just to make sure that it wasn't the noise of his security alarm. The howling continued with no intention to stop and not even an intention to draw a breath. His brains vibrated like an earthquake shaking off all the books from a bookshelf. His memory crept back to his mind like a zombie surfacing from the grave. He started to remember, reluctantly. But he wasn't afraid, not that his inflated ego would have allowed him. It was something dishonorable, something evil that he was reluctant to admit. He had to leave before it came.

As smoothly as an expert Japanese swordsman, he withdrew his car key from his pocket. Brutally, sedately, he pushed his key towards the keyhole. But, uh-oh, unlike his Japanese counterpart, who never missed his target, he missed it by a mere one inch. The metallic tip of the key drew an ugly scratch on the car door and the key dropped stupidly onto the cement pavement. Like an experienced controller conducting an orchestra, the sound brought the howling abruptly to an end.

But it wasn't the end, not yet. Behind him, he heard the heavy foot step of an animal. Solid and cruel like a knife hitting a tomb stone. It was about a hundred steps behind. Squatting down, he probed aimlessly in the darkness. Fifty steps. His left hand touched something metallic, which was then bounced away by his careless right hand. Thirty steps. He continued to grope around his car. Ten steps. Searching, beneath it, in front of it, all around it, he dared not raising his head. Five steps. Three steps. Two steps. His thumb touched something solid, sharp and cold. It was like a claw. A claw that belonged to a paw which was owned by an animal just like -- like the one standing in front. Slowly, he raised his head.

The lawyer's eyes locked with the devil green eyes of the animal. His face felt its menacing breath, a smell from the ancient world. His mouth almost kissed its protruded jaws. The situation was like a seven year old boy lusted for the kiss of his six year old girlfriend but dared not to make the first move. The lawyer raised calmly onto his feet so he could see its whole body.