Canines

**This story depicts a dead body and blood, nothing too gore-y or detailed though!"**

I stared in complete disbelief of the dead body laying idle next to my feet. The scratches covering his body allowed for his blood to leak out all over the floor. My flat mate Samantha broke the silence, “Well, we can’t just leave him there, drooling all over the carpet. Do you know how difficult it is to get thick dark liquid out of this material? Well, I do.”.

She briskly scanned the room to be sure no one was listening before she continued. “Three months ago, when I had that cooking fiasco, I had opened a fresh bottle of red that I spilled just moments later. For a solid hour I could not get that stain out for the life of me. So, I just bought a lamp and stuck it there,” she confessed as she guiltily pointed to the vintage floor lamp that had been allegedly meant to give the place a good spring finish. The dark blue wood stain was certainly out of season, but it did fill an awkward space next to the quaint dining table. “And luckily neither of you ever noticed.” Samantha concluded.  

I stared at her with possibly more awe at her wine anecdote than that of the situation pertaining to the pulseless man. How could she care more about the sanitation of our apartment and her confession of a petty, yet somewhat stylish, crime when we may be thrown into prison for life?

Although…

Perhaps she was thinking in a quite pragmatic way. Our chances of being caught and thrown in prison would be exponentially increased assuming we couldn’t get rid of any evidence. We had about two days to do something before Anna would arrive home and file a report.

“Fair enough,” I stated at last, “go grab the container of bleach from the bathroom and a couple rags from the kitchen”, I ordered. Samantha hurried off but my legs refused to move. I had never been this close to a dead body before, and much less responsible for the death in the first place. It was accidental of course. However, I didn’t believe a jury would take our side given the circumstances, regardless of how terrible a person Mike was.

None of us had ever liked him. He seemed alright at first: buying Anna flowers, taking her to fancy dinners, splurging on luxurious vacations. Yet, it was always obvious he had ulterior motives. He never bothered asking what her favorite flowers were or if she had any dietary repulsions. He didn’t care about her dislikes, only his. He wouldn’t even let her drink tea. He said it was “A drink unfit for an adventurous spirit”. And he couldn't date a woman who hated adventure.

 He wouldn't even travel with her on the trips spent on his own card. Of course, Anna loved relaxing on the beaches of Hawaii and touring the history of Italy. But what good is a romantic getaway in Paris without your partner? We quickly figured out Anna was just another pretty face for Mike to brag about with his friends and at work. The paycheck alone wasn’t enough.

She would be returning from her solo excursion throughout Mexico in just a couple days. As much as she despised her boyfriend, Anna could never stomach knowing her dearest friends were responsible for ending his life.

“Okay, I have a half roll of paper towels and a cup of bleach. We really need to go grocery shopping” Samantha stated as she waltzed into the room beginning to reek of a foul scent. She began tapping her foot as her hands holding the cover-up materials rested on her hips, “What are you going to do? I’m not the only one responsible here”.

“I guess I can grab some trash bags. But you’ll need to help me lug the body downstairs.”

“We can’t just dump him in the bin outside. Some collector will see it and get sketchy.”

“I bet they’ve seen worse. If it makes you feel better, we can do some house cleaning and fill the bag.”

“Fine” I conceded.

I trembled into the kitchen as my legs wouldn’t stop shaking. Should we really feel so guilty? I mean, we weren’t exactly the ones who did the killing… I could barely see straight as I reached into the cabinet to grab the roll of large black bags. It’s a good thing they weren’t white so that the blood wouldn’t show.

Samantha was viciously scrubbing the floors and walls. She was right, the house did need a good deep cleaning. It was spring after all. I opened the bags while my roommate grabbed the man’s legs. She yanked his body inch by inch while I held the open the bag. After about ten grueling minutes, Samantha declared, “Finally, he’s where he belongs. You can take him out to the bins”. She wiped the sweat off her face and went back to cleaning.

My stomach began turning and my heart rapidly beating as I dragged the two-hundred-pound bag downstairs.

Thud, thud, thud.

Thud, thud, thud.

The front door opened. Barks and car horns filled the air. Anna stood in the doorway, suitcase in hand. The noise deafened.

“Taking out the trash?”

“Uh, yes.”

“Looks like a body is in there,” She giggled as she glanced at the evidence. “Did Mike stop by?”

I stared frozen at her, not knowing what to say. I could feel my soul leaving my body. Anna was always the smartest one of the three of us. Another reason we could never understand her choice in men.

“Hey girl!” Samantha skipped downstairs. The sudden noise caused me to jump and snap back into reality. She hugged Anna, “Yea, he swung by with some flowers and empty pleads. No offense, but for a man with so much money, he sure was desperate.”

“Where is he?” Anna inquired, peering around the house.

Would she smell what we had done?

“Open the bag” Samantha said haphazardly.

Is she crazy?! She was far from being a genius, but I didn’t think she was stupid.

I hesitated, handing Anna what would for sure get us kicked out. She delicately untied the handles and peered inside.

“Oh no, it looks like the neighbor’s dogs got him. He knows not to provoke them. He is allergic after all.”

Anna set her suitcase down, then started making us some tea.