Seeing the monstrous creature in front of her, Anna's mind went blank.
The most logical thing to do in this situation was to run, but Anna didn't think her little legs would give her enough speed to surpass that of the monster dog in front of her.
Its hind legs were like her two thighs joined together, after all!
By Anna's side was her family's car, and she only needed to step back a little to enter the driver's seat through the open door.
However, seeing as the monster had its gaze fixed on every visible person in the filling station, especially on her since she was at its front, Anna felt that standing motionless would buy her a few more seconds to live.
This made the situation complicated, though. If Anna moved, she could become the centre of attention for the monster dog.
And even if she didn't move, because she was already in front of the monster dog, watching its mouth move as it digested the human hand while shaking its tail vigorously, who knew if the monster dog had already wondered how delicious she would be as the starting dish.
Anna was starting to feel despair.
Am I going to die?
What the hell has happened to this godforsaken world?
My family...
As various thoughts flash through Anna's head, the monster dog makes its way closer to her.
Since she was not fully turned toward the back, Anna could see the situation at the filling station.
Anna noticed that the other people who were there were slowly making their way to the convenience store.
It didn't take long for Anna to figure out what had given them the confidence to move now, unlike before.
When the monster dog first arrived, its focus was scattered, and its gaze moved around, making everyone hesitant to move.
However, the situation is different now. As the monster dog slowly inched closer to Anna, its focus was settling on her.
The other people with her in the filling station seemed to have a plan – they intended to quickly hide within the comfort of the convenience store's thick walls when the monster dog started to get busy with Anna.
That was the conclusion Anna had come to.
As for why no one was making their way back to their cars, Anna reasoned that they probably didn't think they'd be fast enough to enter their cars and drive out safely from the filling station without someone becoming a casualty.
No one wanted to be the unfortunate person whose situation others would take advantage of to escape.
In the current scenario, however, it seemed like Anna was about to become that casualty, giving others the opportunity to flee into the safety of the convenience store.
The people who had entered the convenience store didn't come out at all.
For some unknown reason that nobody in the filling station, including Anna, noticed due to being preoccupied with their own concerns, there was not a sound coming from the convenience store.
The silence in that area was almost deafening, but no one seemed to realise it.
If they had known about the unusual silence, perhaps they would have had second thoughts about seeking refuge in the convenience store.
Anna, on the other hand, believed her demise was imminent as she stood motionless.
While she watched the monster dog inch closer to her from the corner of her eye, her thoughts were primarily consumed by her family.
The idea that her death might somehow allow her family to escape crossed Anna's mind, and once it did, it lingered.
Staying in her current location, Anna turned to quickly scan her surroundings for anything that might divert the monster dog's attention.
If I'm going to die regardless, it's better if I can lure it away from the car so that Mia can make a smooth escape Anna thought.
Mia and her brother had recently obtained their driver's licences upon turning 18.
However, they had only ever driven the cars provided by their driving school for learning and licensing purposes.
Malachi, their father, loved his children dearly, but he wasn't willing to risk any potential damage to his second lover.
As Anna's heart raced with adrenaline, she scanned her surroundings and quickly noticed the fire extinguisher mounted on the side of the fuel dispenser.
Anna took a deep breath and, with determination, stepped to the side to retrieve the fire extinguisher.
Just as Anna made her move, the monster dog, realising its food had shifted, charged toward her with a thunderous, monstrous bark.
But it wasn't prepared for what happened next.
Anna threw the fire extinguisher at the monster dog.
On instinct, the monster dog raised its head slightly and clamped its enormous jaws around the fire extinguisher.
In a violent burst, the fire extinguisher ruptured, releasing a cloud of powder.
The majority of the fire extinguisher's contents went directly into the monster dog's eyes, causing an intense burning sensation.
The creature howled in pain and thrashed about wildly.
"Come at me, you oversized piece of crap!" Anna taunted as she darted toward the nearby forest, her voice filled with defiance.
Although the monster dog could barely see through its teary, irritated eyes, it roared with anger and gave chase.