Good Boy

Darting through the flexible opening, I shuddered to a stop. A bitter, vicious cold made me shake, wanting to retreat from the terror. No. I couldn’t do that and leave the others inside! My instinct surged, reminding me I was a guardian and a warrior.

Appearing out of nowhere, some hideous, foul-smelling thing hovered above Josh (that must be his name as he always responded when the taller-two legged beings spoke it).

The thing appeared as a misshapen black mass, with shadowy, sinuous arms stretching from the core. It had a will of its own – exuding hate, fear, and doubt. Something, a tiny whisper, tickled my ears – but not it a good way. It was cold, forcing my tail to fold. My eyes fixated on the … what was that thing?

Josh didn’t see it! Its arms spread around him – but not in a good way. His eyes contorted and he cried. Josh looked scared or angry. The tingling in my belly grew cold, feeling like ice. My legs locked. I had to scare it away. First, a guttural growl. Next some sharp barks. The ugly creature did not retreat, but instead spread its own ugliness and malevolence in the black smoke. Darkness dropped through the lair.

Josh, the one that fed me and walked me the most, stooped to his knee and rubbed my head, behind my ear. While I loved that, I kept trying to warn him of the danger. How could he not see or smell that horrible thing? A few more sharp barks erupted, as a strange, wet mist exited my snout and mouth. I shivered.

“What is it, boy? What’s wrong?” he said while hugging me and wiping those water drops from his eyes.

I heard – but I did not understand him. As usual, I wanted a better comprehension of his communication. At the same time, why couldn’t they understand my warnings? No matter how many barks and growls exploded from my mouth, he remained still and pet me. He offered the round thing I loved to find and bring back to him, but that can wait.

The hateful creature appeared more often lately. I didn’t like it. I knew it wanted to hurt the two-legged ones I cared for. It moved closer, floating above him while continuously changing its shape. I growled my fiercest to scare it away! I wanted to sink my jaws into its hands, arms, legs, or neck. However, nothing solid existed to bite.

I yelped and it snarled at me. Panicked I snapped at the thing, again finding nothing solid to attack. Its cold hand fell on my head. I let loose some more barks and growls.

The thing stared back. Its empty eyes widened. The mouth spread and opened, revealing hideous fangs. They were sharp like mine, but larger. Why didn’t my barks and growls scare it away. Ready to attack, I folded my ears back and flexed my back. It let out a hideous, high-pitched scream. I cringed and took a few steps back. It brightened, grew, then vanished. Where was it?

Josh kept rubbing my back, neck, and just behind my ears. I found it comforting, but there was something around here that kept threatening him and the others. I anxiously looked up and down, side-to-side. It disappeared. Where did it go? I sniffed for the familiar smell, unable to find it.

The littlest one! Melanie! She was the most vulnerable! I darted up the passage that led to the higher part of the lair. My snout pushed through the barrier, and it swung open. Although the others kept the light off, I could see fine. Melanie, what they always called her, slept quietly. The thump in her chest, although rapid, sounded serene. I sniffed, trying to detect the smell of the evil thing.

Melanie was a pup (at least for the two-legged creatures) because the mother allowed the newborn to suck on her nipples. I did that as a pup as well, although my mother had several tits while Melanie’s mother had only had two.

They referred to themselves as “people,” and sometimes said I was, too. Who are they kidding? Sometimes I doubted their intelligence, especially when they spoke silly.

“Sammy.”

I looked at the whisper, knowing that particular communication. That’s what everyone called me: Sammy. Sometimes they called me Samson. Josh rushed quietly and pulled on the strap around my neck.

“Come on,” he said quietly. “Melanie’s asleep.”

I recognized “come.” Even though I knew its meaning, I decided to protect Melanie. She had only been around for a short time. I remember being a puppy and staying close to my mother for a short time, but the others needed longer times with their caretakers.

“Come on, Sammy.”

No. I marched closer to Melanie’s bed, standing guard. It was like a calling ingrained deep within me. I refused to budge. Josh rolled his eyes and stealthily left the room, closing the shield. He left it slightly open, letting a bit of light seep through. I stayed alert, ready to pounce on the intruder if it would show up again.

My eyes opened. Something whispered in my ear. It brushed my whisker, then tingled near my nose. It was cold, and it reeked so bad. I whimpered, then buried my snout underneath the soft pads the others did not want me to be on. This did little to stop the rank stench, and there was no way to stop the continuous, prickly whispers in my ears. Whimpering, I had no idea what to do.

It appeared. Black, it blotted out the light in the hallway. It spread, forming distinct eyes that started as white, but soon darkened to an evil red hue. The limbs extended, but they resembled jagged teeth. It screeched stabbing my ears with something sharp and freezing.

The littlest one suddenly awoke. She cried – not out of need of something to eat – but rather a frightening terror. A horror grew inside my body. Something thumped very fast. My stomach shrank into a tight, heavy ball.

I erupted into barks to scare it away. I growled. Nothing fazed it. Its writhing appendages twisted and danced as it hovered over Melanie. I snapped, finding nothing to sink my teeth into it.

“Sammy,” the boy looked asleep. He stooped to rub my fur, but it did not calm my heart nor warm the ice cube in my belly. “We’re trying to slee …” His voice faded. The weariness in his eyes disappeared. They widened into horror. His skin whitened. He stood to face it.

The thing moved towards him. I yelped, then instinctively clamped my teeth on cloth that covered his mid-section. I pulled him away. He yelled at me – but I did not understand him. For some reason he could not see, hear, or smell the danger. Keeping my teeth locked on his covering, I yanked him back again. He fell.

Melanie’s screams now shrilled – hurting my ears. Immediately Josh pulled her from the bed and held her. His lips landed on her head and kept saying “shhh.” His head swiveled, pivoted up and down as if looking for something. The thing was right in front of him!

“It’s okay, Melanie,” he whispered. “It’s okay. I’m here for you.”

The thing had gone, but the anxiety remained, cutting deep in me. It seemed to have seized Josh and Melanie – maybe even the father. I wondered where the mother had gone. I had not seen her in a while. I hope she will come back. Although her scent remained in the lair, it had faded over time.

As the tension faded, I thought to check on the father.

My snout pushed the door in. A reddish light surrounded him. On his bed, the father whimpered. The sadness wrapped around – so much so I could feel it as well as see it. His eyes closed, his face twitched, and his skin wrapped tightly. He had been doing this for a while. What was wrong? Hoping to help, I jumped on his den he used to share with the mother. I could still catch a whiff of her scent. How long had she been gone?

What was that? He had something in his hand. His fingers wrapped around it. One digit slightly touched a lever of some sort of tool. Atop the handle was a small tunnel. He put the end of the tunnel close to his mouth. He dragged it slowly under his lower jaw. What was wrong?

His face contorted again, this time with little bits of water dripping from his eyes. The people had been doing that a lot lately. Why? It usually happened when they were saddened by something. I whimpered to sympathize, and to get him to glance at me. He put the thing down to pet me.

The soothing touch made me forget my anger and fear of the other entity. Relaxed, my heart slowed, my breathing set into a calm rhythm. My eyes gently shut, pulling me to a calm, peaceful state.

A shrill scream erupted, hurting my ears, and spreading into my head. Awakened, I barked and growled at the horrendous noise. It hovered over the father. The tendrils extended from a grotesque shape, wrapping around his head, ears, and eyes. The father’s howl tried to compete with my barking and growling. The voice of the creature overwhelmed us both.

“Dad! No!”

The father had the object pointed at his head. It now focused on Josh. Angry, scared, instinct told me lurch at the hand. Catching it by the wrist I bit hard and pushed it away. An incredibly loud sound erupted, frightening me to the core.

The boy screamed as his face contorted. He grabbed his shoulder while falling. He grunted between yells as if in horrible pain. Why would the father do that? Instinct erupted. I leapt close to Josh and turned to protect him. My harsh growls and vicious barks seemed like nothing to the father who held the metal thing.

More appendages grew from the thing’s core, wrapping around the father’s head, neck, and shoulders. My growls exploded at both, trying to drive away the hissing thing. It tried to get inside of the father – at least that’s what I thought.

“Sammy … help.”

Josh looked horrible. His skin became white as something with a dark red color dripped out his arm. Water seeped through his skin. It smelled salty. The liquid drenched his hair, his face, and the flimsy pieces of cloth. He coughed and grunted.

Josh stood and rushed out the opening. Another loud burst crushed my ears and pulsated into my head. The noise caused my mind to cringe as I turned to follow Josh. He stumbled but kept to his feet. He closed the door behind him, grabbed Melanie from her bed and retreated to another room. I followed.

Josh set the barrier and somehow secured it. It rattled as someone, probably the father, pounded on it with his paws. His yells broke through the vibrating barrier. His screams sounded like something else. Perhaps it might be the creature that tried to meld with him. What was it doing?

I tried barking again to compete with his gruff, loud voice. Josh cried unfamiliar words. Melanie wailed, too. All the time, I heard a screech that frightened me. Although scared, I barked louder, spaced between growls.

The pounding on the door ceased. It got quiet. The screeching faded, but I still heard whispers. Although subtle, they sounded sinister. Was it one thing, or several things that worked together? My fur tingled as if something in the air tried to push inside me. Scared, I whimpered.

Josh coughed. Melanie’s cries quieted. I comforted her by licking her head and sniffing her skin. I better do that for Josh, too. He looked terrible as he kept grunting and coughing. He rubbed my fur while I licked his cheek and rubbed my nose over his skin.

“Sammy,” he uttered, “I’m scared.”

Again, what was he telling me? Maybe it just makes him feel better to talk to me. He reached into his pocket for the little box that mesmerized him. He could look at it for the longest time as the colors lit up, enticing him to tap it with his claws.

I heard a voice on the boy’s little box. “911, what’s your emergency?”

“My dad’s attacking me and my sister. He shot me.”

“Are you safe now?”

“I’m in the bathroom and I locked the door. My sister’s in here with me. He’s trying to get in.”

“Is she hurt? Can you put her on?”

“She’s only eight … I mean ten months old.”

“Okay, sweetie. I’m sending the police right now. I’ll stay on the phone with you until they arrive.”

“Shit,” he whispered, “this hurts really bad.”

“Stay with me,” the box said, “the police are on their way.”

I wish could understand their communication so I could defend them better. Trying to comfort him, I licked his face and moved closer. The thumping noise in his chest pounded harder. He grunted and shivered. “I feel … cold.”

“If you’re in the bathroom,” said the voice, “look for a towel to press against the wound. Apply pressure to stop the bleeding.”

“It’s been quiet for several minutes. I’m going to unlock the door and look outside,” said Josh.

“No!” screamed the voice from the box. I understood that word.

It was too late as Josh turned the round thing and pulled.

The high screech returned. The father drowned in shadow while an evil tint of green outlined him. It looked like he had five or six misshapen heads that had long ears, and sharpened fangs like mine. The glowing eyes frightened the deepest part within me. I jumped at him, trying to bite the upper limbs and claws. I found nothing solid.

I heard something below. Pounding, yelling. Who was there? Someone to help? Melanie cried. Josh yelled. I barked as loud as I could. Mysenses gave me vivid details of many events within a tiny span of time.

Something crashed below. Screams jumped high. A flash lit up the room and the creature revealed itself. Towering over the father, it mimicked every move. A menacing light flickered in his eyes and mouth.

The object in the father’s hand pointed at Josh. Jumping, growling, and striking, I bit something solid. The loud, quick sound erupted and was accompanied by a bright flash.

Although frightened, I growled as heavy noises rushed towards the room. Three or four people stood while pointing their devices similar to the father’s. Voices snapped fast and hard, yelling the same thing repeatedly. Did they see the thing hovering over the father? Could they use their devices to kill it?

Josh sprawled on the floor, face down. More red liquid spilled. He grunted. Melanie lay next to him, bawling. Rushing to them, I used my teeth to pull Melanie near the seat I wasn’t allowed on. I wanted to do the same for Josh – but he was too heavy to pull.

The people yelled. The thing still mimicked the father while fading in and out of existence. The smell got worse, as did the screeching that hurt my ears. All the noises ceased. The father put the device under his chin. The loud noise startled me. It kicked his head back and splattered red stuff out of his head – staining the wall. Before a second passed, he fell to the floor. I smelled his skin and hair burning.

The others lit the room. I yelped, showing them Melanie who continued to cry. After licking her face and sniffing her skin for a few seconds, the people picked her up and took her. They should know how to care for the pup. My attention switched to Josh. He tried to hug me, but his weak hands failed. Did life ebb through his fleshy claws? I licked the moisture off his face and sniffed him. Fortunately, the people worked to help him while speaking into their little boxes that emanated other noises.

One of the people took special interest in me. He stooped and rubbed my fur, calling me “Good boy.”

“Deke,” said one of the people, “take our hero to animal control. I’m sure the boy will want him around after recuperation. And maybe the chief will award him with a medal and chew toy.”

Again, I wish to understand them.

The person nodded and put a small tether to my collar. I stared at him, breathing with my tongue out – hoping to cool myself down. He led me below to the bottom, then outside into the chilly air. Multiple colored lights flashed constantly on top of the rides these people used. In a couple of rides, there they had another animal that looked just like me. I wanted to meet them and sniff, but I had to follow the leash. I bet they loved poking their heads out the windows.

The person opened the back of a large ride. Instantly, I caught the scent of many others like me inside – although some were other animals. The person coaxed me into the ride and filled the darkness with light.

The … thing! It returned, casting its anger and fear into the person. The shadowy limbs grew as the horrendous stench attacked my nostrils. It mimicked the person as his smile stretched wide. An eerie, high-pitched sound expanded, sending waves of anger, fear, and spite. I growled.

“Oh,” he said, “ – you’re a very good boy.”