School was almost upon him and Daniel Bailey couldn’t feel worse. He’d spent the better part of the

summer holiday as he had spent his year, searching. One morning Danny opened his eyes to

something other than the morning light shining through his curtains. He woke up to find himself

dissatisfied, empty and most of all purposeless. He was a frequent reader and amidst his books he

found the emotions, the thrill for life that he now eagerly yearned for and Danny decided he wanted

to find it. He didn’t know where to start especially since he didn’t know what he was looking for.

Danny became depressed and the more he searched the more the inability to find the answers

became clear to him. He didn’t take this too well which lead to more distancing from people and

more melancholy.

He woke up the next morning determined to do something other than laze around the house

moping or force himself to do tedious housework (which was a way of keeping his mind busy) but

he still didn’t feel better. After the usual morning routine where he was just annoyed at

everyone and everything they said and did, he left suddenly to visit his old friend Bob. They had

been good friends for a long time and Bob was one of Danny’s only friends that truly understood

him.

“Hi Danny” said Mrs Palmer with a smile, “You’ve been scarce”.

“Good Morning, Yeah been really busy with school and all”

Danny didn’t feel like responding but gave a wry smile and spoke, it may have been somewhat

true but it felt like a lie. He and Bob liked each other’s company and were always close but they did

not feel the need to see each other or people in general all too regularly. When they were kids they

saw a movie where people were talking about their ‘Happy Place’ and both of them made their

happy place their rooms where they had privacy and would venture other worlds. So walking

through the Palmer’s house naturally Danny found Bob in his room where he was watching the X games.

They just looked at each other

“You look like crap man” said Bob

“Really cause I feel awesome” answered Danny

Bob always found Danny’s sarcasm hilarious so both of them just fell back and burst out laughing

until their stomachs hurt. Danny missed this feeling. He sat down next to Bob and watched a 13 year

old boy do a skateboarding trick with a name so long he didn’t even bother acknowledging.

“Ben’s really sick man” Bob’s face turned hard and sombre “I was about to take him to the Vet”

“Mind if I tag along”

“Be my guest”

Bob loved his dog, he bought him about two years before and they had become inseparable. While

driving to the local animal clinic Danny noticed that Bob looked tired and Danny could see that he

hadn’t shaved in a while either. He knew then that it was serious. He parked his pick-up next to

the clinic and the two started carrying Ben inside. Ben was a Thai Ridgeback which was a very

rare breed thus Bob’s concern over his condition. Danny looked into his brown almond-shaped eyes

and cringed at how drained they looked. His black figure was spread out over the back of the truck

and Danny slipped his arm around Ben’s body, his coat was smooth and Danny noticed his black

tongue was hanging out of his mouth. By the time they got inside Danny’s arms were aching he suspecting Ben must have weighed about 50 pounds. The clinic wasn’t as full as he had

expected so they were second in line. Danny took this opportunity to go site seeing; he walked

around the adoption portion (or holding) of the building to look at all the strays. He saw some cute

looking puppies and cats that were very skinny and dogs that looked like they had been in more than

few fights. He walked right to the end of the room when he saw a cell that looked different from the

rest, it was a little polished it seemed reasonably new unlike the others. The walls inside was full

of scraping marks  and when he looked closer he could see some stains of dried up blood. That cell had barely any light. It all seemed to happen really fast and in a matter of seconds he

was pushed up against the gnawed up bars and saw a large figure slumped in the dark corner of the

cell. It stood up on four burly legs with broad paws that looked like they could put him in a coma

with just a little flick. It walked towards him and Danny was on his knees he hadn’t realized

his body was moving on its own as if in tune with the figure coming towards him. The first thing

Danny noticed was its sized it was large but moved elegantly. Danny could not see any

colour or distinctions until it was right in front of him, its long muzzle so close they were almost

touching. Danny could feel its breathing through its black nose against his face. He knew this beast

was dangerous and he ought to have been scared but he was not, he felt calm.

“Excuse me …. Sir”

The beast pulled his mouth back into a snarl to display its vicious triangle shaped teeth

“Sir……hey buddy”

and just above Danny was lost in shimmering pools of amber.

“I wouldn’t do that if were you” The boy yanked Danny away from the shadowy figure. Danny did

not know how long he had been having a staring contest with the animal but got up. He saw that the

young boy with a nametag that said ‘Hi my name is Peter’. Peter looked fairly young and he was

watching Danny with an astonished look.

“Not a lot of people go near that wild thing”

“Why not….what’s wrong with it?”

“Didn’t you see that thing? No one really tells me much around here but that’s some kind of mixed

breed but not the normal kind or something like that”

“What are they gonna do with it?”

“I don’t know but I wouldn’t want it ….when it got here they said it had hurt its previous owner

pretty badly, I think it even killed someone.”

The creature didn’t stop looking at Danny but as Danny turned to walk away it slowly crept back into

the corner where it lay motionless in the dark. Bob had already loaded Ben back into the truck when

Danny went outside looking for him.

“Did you get lost or something” Bob said happily “Come on lets go” he looked a little better.The Vet told Bob that Ben had Dermoid Sinus which was common to those types of dogs. Females Ridgebacks could be treated with folic acid but Ben would have to go for surgery where they would remove it. This new piece of good news seemed to lighten Bob’s mood and he couldn’t stop talking. Danny enjoyed the conversation and the jokes but in the back of his mind he couldn’t get the image of the beast or dog or whatever it was out of his head. Bob dropped him at home and Danny said he’d visit again soon.

2: 2

At home Danny lay in his bed exhausted, he did not know what to make of the beast. He had felt an

unearthly connection towards it and now he tried to make sense of it. The thought troubled him but

also thrilled him. Danny went to sleep locking away those thoughts and knowing sooner or later they would come back however much worse. It was sooner rather than later and Danny saw the animal again, he was in a field hidden in the shade of an aspen tree its head low and body crouched. Delicately and slowly it moved forward with the hairs on its head right down to its hind legs all standing up straight. THUMP THUMP THUMP Danny felt his heartbeat rising steadily as black lips revealed fangs coated in dripping saliva. That’s when he looked up and saw an elk, it was feeding on grass oblivious to the predator that stalked him so avidly. It moved one paw in front of the other slowly without making a sound and crept gradually toward the elk. THUMP THUMP THUMP. Out in the open the beast sprang up and committed to an all-out attack on its prey, the elk moved swiftly but the beast was agile and moved to fast for the elk to evade. It was as if the beast knew what the elk was going to do before it even did it and now the snarl looked like a smile. It was only toying with the target; it was playing with its food. THUMP THUMP THUMP. The beast leapt forward and brought it’s enormous paw with monstrous force down on the elk and knocked it over making it tumbled in the lush grass. Battered and bruised it tried to get back up but just as it moved, the beast sunk its ferocious teeth into its jugular seeing that it was wide open. It did not wait for the elk to stop or fall into catalepsy but instead pulled its head back displaying its red blood-stained muzzle in the air and flesh between its teeth. THUMP THUMP THUMP. The beast stood triumphantly over the lifeless elk while blood dripped from its mouth. Danny was looking at the elk at his feet his heartbeat was steadying and he was breathing heavily. He felt euphoria he’d just had his first hunt. Danny did not wake up screaming or in a pool of sweat he knew it was a nightmare but it felt more like an

awakening. It meant something and he wasn’t going to dismiss it as simply a dream, as far as he was

concerned it was a sign. It was Saturday and Danny usually slept in but he didn’t this particular

morning. He couldn’t his blood still boiled, he ached for something what that actual thing was, was

beyond him all he knew was that it wasn’t in his bed so he got up. He quickly made plans and they came together easily just as things usually did when Danny put his mind to it, which was what teachers used to say about his schoolwork. He came downstairs to find the whole

family having a hearty breakfast in pyjamas. His mother always made every effort to impress on Saturday mornings

“It’s 9am and Danny’s looking sharp” exclaimed his mother

“You know what they say about the early bird” he replied

“Where are you off to?” asked his father “got a big date son?”

“Maybe with another book” added his sister and he just laughed at her. Danny enjoyed breakfast

with his family. They always seemed to get along well at these times and that was the case this

morning too. “I’m gonna adopt a dog at the clinic” he decided to give everyone a heads up.

“Yes get a cute little puppy” yelled his sister delighted

“Are you sure about that Danny?” his mother asked

His father had a very business-like expression and turned to Danny. “So you’ve got everything in

order and you are taking full responsibility?” he had always treated Danny like a grown up and

trusted him, they had a mutual understanding.

“Yes sir” Danny replied                                                                                                                                                                  “Well son I’ll leave it to you then”. When Danny said he had already decided on one and it was a full

grown dog his sister was dissatisfied and called some unsavoury names. Danny’s first thought was to

ask Bob to accompany him but he decided not to. He wanted to take care of everything on his own

so he got into his old corolla the one his great uncle had left him when he suddenly passed away two

years earlier. Danny remembered being grief-stricken as he was very close with great uncle Woody.

The man truly understood Danny and when he’d visit Woody they would sit on his porch and talk for

hours. Danny hadn’t really had anyone like that again so he was happy with the broken down corolla

Woody left him. The long scrape on the driver’s side was from the first time Woody gave Danny driving lessons. The car was filled with memories Danny treasured so he loved it. He wanted to go straight to the Vet nary clinic before something happened to the animal in their darkest cell. He elected to get all the necessary things for owning a wild animal (only he knew how wild it actually was) first. The local market would probably do. The shopping mall was a large building that had more than a few aisles where you would find all sorts of things. He had been there several times with his mother but never paid much attention to the lay-out or what they had to offer so when he pulled into the parking area he wasn’t sure if they had a blood thirsty canine section. They did in fact have a pet aisle and Danny walked along rows of doggy toys and equipment that he couldn’t imagine being used on any pet let alone the one he had in mind. He went to the front of the store and got a basket that he filled with two leashes and dog food, as he threw the food into the basket he remembered his dream he thought it would perhaps be better to drive it out to the nearest farm and let it have its way with the livestock. He giggled with himself, added some dog shampoo and powders for fleas/ticks and some other things then went to the first cashier and paid. His soon to be pet had already taken a sizeable bite out of his savings but he couldn’t care less. Before he left the cashier told him that they had kennels at the far end of the store and Danny only laughed leaving her to stand perplexed as she watched him leave. Danny didn’t see the road or houses or any landmarks

everything just blurred by and he was lost in a different world. Danny pulled up to the clinic and

absent minded walked into the building past the front desk heading straight for the corner cell.

Surprisingly enough no one stopped him, three minutes after getting out of the car he was staring

into the dark bared, scratched up and bloodied cell. This time the beast did not move it just lay there

and Danny knew this although he could not see anything. It was more Danny sensing it than seeing it

and it lifted its head as if sensing Danny’s presence. The only thing he could see was its eyes and

they looked at each other for a while as if they had something to say to one another but couldn’t

find the words. Peter wasn’t there to bring Danny back this time so he backed away and walked to

the front desk. The lady in charge of adoptions was really friendly when Danny stated his intentions

up until he said which animal he wanted to adopt then her entire demeanour changed and not for

the good.

“Are you sure about that kid?” was the first thing she said and Danny just nodded his head politely

“That’s thing’s really dangerous and I don’t much know why anyone would want it” she

exclaimed. She would have said more if not for the look of irritation Danny gave her and she

recognised she was rubbing him the wrong way.

“Well if you’re that eager” she said cynically “however there are a few questions I need to ask you

and some paperwork you need to fill in then feel free to take that horrible mutt off our hands”.

The woman asked straight forward questions and Danny gave concise and cordial answers. The

questions all ironically regarded the well-being of the animal. The paperwork was there for Danny’s

particulars and terms and conditions he had to agree to. He signed barely grazing over the words not

because of excitement but just wanting to get this entire thing over with. The lady called a rather

large man from one of the back rooms to unlock the cage and to present Danny with his not so long

awaited pet. The man appeared and Danny supposed he was the one that handled the more tempestuous animals.

“The one at the far end” the lady screamed at the large man

“Really? ….You sure it’s the cannibal” the man asked. Danny assumed the name came from the

rumour Peter had formerly told him

“Yep this kid is some kind of nut”

Danny didn’t take any notice of them and the man soon lead him down the corridor to the ominous

cell.

“You are one brave kid” the man turned around to look Danny in the eyes, saw the sombre look in

them and chose rather to let it go. He had a long rod with a metal ring attached to the end and

slipped it around the animal’s neck and directed it out of its cell. He gave the rod to Danny after

unlocking the cell and showed him the backdoor

“I think its best you take it out that way” he told Danny uneasily “Good luck to you, kid… you’re gonna need it”. Danny gave him a thumbs up and slowly steered the animal out of its cell and towards the door. Danny got many frightened looks from the locals when he walked his new pet to the car. He didn’t care about any of that it wasn’t his first after all he had always been an out of the ordinary kind of boy. He thought it would be difficult to try to get the animal into his car but when he opened the door and gestured to the seat it strode forward and simply set itself down there. Danny pushed all the things he had bought onto the floor of the car, luckily it was quite spacious. He walked around to the driver’s side and took a quick look at the beast that sat in his car and it had filled the entire back seat. Danny looked in his rear view mirror and he could not see a single stretch of road only his new pet looking intently at him. He slipped the papers the clerk at the front desk had given him with details about the animal onto the passenger seat and started driving. He got home with no trouble and was delighted to see that no one was home, he guessed they went to the mall it was still Saturday after all. Danny wanted to use all of the time alone that he had, as it was not that often that it happened. Danny grabbed hold of the rod and very gently tugged it making the animal step out of the car. His first thought was to take it up to his bedroom where he could examine it but thought it would be better to familiarise it with the place it would be staying. Walking on the driveway to the backyard that looked like a drawn out piece of land compared to the rest of the yard that was filled with plush grass that coated everything else except for some small trees and exotic plants that his mother (to the disapproval of his father) bought off the internet for quite a price. Danny loosened the metal ring around its neck and slowly took it off. He sat in the middle of the lawn and watched it walk around all around as if inspecting its new stomping ground. Danny took this opportunity to examine his pet thoroughly since they were no longer in a dark cell. As it walked, he noticed that it must have been 6 or 7 feet long and he wasn’t good at guessing weight so he didn’t try. It had a shaggy coat of fur with grey below and brown filling the top. It passed Danny and he noticed its rounded ears were short but pointed up. Its bushy tail was hanging straight down as its long muscled legs were moving slowly. It walked straight toward him and he saw that large and blocky muzzle again just not drenched in blood this time. Danny’s head was down when he set his eyes on the long spread out and triangular shaped toes on its front feet right in front of him. Danny hesitantly lifted his hand up to its mouth and pulled it back, he expected a growl or even an attack but it just stood there absolutely still and there were those inch long sharp teeth, slightly curved but even so, they looked just as he had seen them in his dream.

“What will I call you?” he said considering various names. Danny slipped his hand into the unkempt fur he moved it around the back of it and lost his hand in brown hairs. He felt something stirring up inside him as he moved his hand between the bristled hairs and gently pulled on it. Danny did not hurt the animal but it seemed roused. It felt as if they were somewhere else.                              “What the hell is that!” his sister screamed and Danny had not heard his parent’s car pull up. His sister stood next to his mother who looked confounded, she had her hands raised to her mouth and could not manage to comprehend what she was seeing.

“You are so weird, did you really buy that thing?” she added

“What’s all the commotion about?” his father came around the house and was taken aback to see his son with his hand on what looked like something that should be in the wild forests. They stood there seeing the uncompromised look In Danny’s eyes as he just stood there immobile with the animal beside him as a result they were too intimidated to say anything. Danny tugged ever so gently on the hairs again and this time the beast raised its head to the sky and let out an ear splitting howl that could be heard all through the small town of Dexys

3: 3

Danny found himself mentally exhausted at the happenings of the day as well as the fact that he was fixating on any reason he could possibly have for going through all this trouble and future turmoil he would have to encounter for this animal. He had spent most of the day in the back yard where his parents had fearfully left him, and became even more attached to his pet. He did not want it to wander off in the middle of the night as they did not have a fence around there house, he supposed it could stay up in his bedroom with him but considered the fact that it would most likely not fare well in a confined space. He had stood at the edge of the driveway and yelled “NO” at it until his throat hurt he didn’t know if it did the trick but it was worth a shot. For the sake of the panicky locals he had slipped both leashes around its neck. He had put on a collar earlier when he was ‘training’ just to be sure it would somehow be traced back to him if lost as he had some of his details printed on a little paper inside a flap, not that anyone would dare get that close to it so they could read the information. He had walked only up until the end of his street, it had been quite easy no complications. He chose not to tempt fate any further and since it was their first day, he awarded himself the option of being lazy so he went back home. No one had spoken to Danny since they found him and his pet roaming the lands of a different world just the two of them and he hadn’t bothered to explain himself either. Surprisingly he had not for one minute forgotten about the paper that lay in his car, he wanted to know more about the animal so he opened the folder that held the information he so desperately yearned for. Danny did not specifically read the entire report (although it was relatively short, two pages to be exact) but paid careful attention to certain words. Female surprising that he didn’t mind even though he had thought himself a male dog kind of guy since he’d only had male dogs but the good part was that she would no longer be an ‘it’ in his head. 90 pounds. Brown, something he already knew. Descent unknown this was actually the part that really interested Danny. He wanted to know its history and that was it all the information that the Dexys clinic could muster. The next and final page had a not so detailed family history only one family seemed to have given an account of what the dog did before they brought her to the clinic. Her appearance particularly her age suggested that it was impossible that only one family had been with her (unless she was in the wild the whole time) he put that idea out of his head and kept on reading. Jenkins family adopted dog two months prior to incident. Dog was passive and non-violent for the greater part of that time. Owner was the 17 year old son Tim Jenkins

and would spend most of the time with dog until dog started gradually displaying aggressive

tendencies towards him before eventually assaulting the boy. Tim sustained broken rib and was bitten on arm and torso. He had a claw-like wound in neck it appeared to have been inflicted by the dog’s paws. Danny’s face had turned into a mask of utter disbelieve and disgust, he knew she wasn’t an ordinary dog but to attack its owner, especially since he had spent most of his time with her. He considered the notion that Tim might have felt everything he felt towards her, it was some kind of curse that was passed on from one person to the next until her hunger for chaos, and disorder was satisfied. Extremely dangerous was untidily sprawled right at the bottom of the page in ballpoint pen and Danny didn’t want to or couldn’t believe the concrete evidence he had just read. He immediately threw it away; he had no use for it now. He felt a sensation in his stomach and in these circumstances he assumed it was something coming back up, what he read would ordinarily make a normal person throw up but instead he was hungry of all things. Danny enjoyed his dinner in the company of his family while they sat around the television. A new game show was on and a single mother was attempting to answer which country hosted the 2008 summer Olympics. Everyone answered Beijing and Danny decided to join in and keep himself distracted if only for a little while. It did help him and upstairs Danny was dead to the world as soon as his head hit the pillow. He didn’t dream that night but that itching feeling he had before was gone for now.

 

4: 4

“Wow what’s gotten into you Danny” his mother asked taken aback by her son’s sudden behavioural

alteration. For the first time since being taken into the church Danny had gotten up early and was all

set in his suit and raring to attend early Sunday morning mass.

“I just felt like going to church, it’s been a while.” Was all Danny could really come up with however

the real reason was that he was unsure about what he had so impulsively done the day before. He

was consumed by an overwhelming force as if he were a puppet being manipulated by a malignant

puppeteer and when he finally succeeded in cutting the strings he had already put his entire family

in danger. So now he wanted some guidance but could not go to anyone. Although he had never

been the most pious Christian he figured that praying couldn’t hurt and it would kill some time. It

was time away from her and he wanted to see if he was still under the curse of the beast. He

believed that it was a good thing learning the truth about her but he couldn’t help feeling regret. He

would burn those pages later but for now he needed to get going. The service went by really quick

for Danny’s liking it might have been because he was preoccupied but nevertheless he was leaving

after having received plenty of kisses from the older ladies of the parish that hadn’t seen in a long

time. He even saw Faith, she used to live next to Danny’s and they would play together all the time

when they little. Apparently they were joined at the hip according to their parents and now he stood

next to her while his mother caught up with the rest of the mothers that had been forced to go to

church without their husbands or the rest of their kids.

“….. these days?” Danny turned to look at her because as usual he was off in his own world and

asked her what she had said.

“I said what you have been up to these days?” she asked politely just raising her voice a little bit to

get more of his attention. He looked at her properly this time and saw how grown up she become.

She had long chestnut hair running over her shoulders and she was wearing an inky blue dress that

just about went over her knees. He hadn’t realized how beautiful she looked but not in the

conventional way and that’s what fascinated him with her.

“I haven’t done much, how about you ?” he asked , usually he couldn’t care less about other

people’s affairs even if they told him but he wanted to know this he wanted to see if there was any

brains behind all that splendour. They used to attend the same school but she had switched school

suddenly a few years prior for reasons unknown to him.

“You’re still so secretive Danny” she looked pleased that he had taken an interest in her and

answered with a brimming smile “I’ve been working over at old Mary’s bookstore. They have some

nice works down there something a book worm like you would enjoy” her mother called her name

and waved her over they were about to leave and she turned back in Danny’s direction.

“You should really come by some time, it’s been nice catching up with you Danny “ then she ran off

towards her mother only briefly glancing back at him as he stood there with a bemused look on his

face trying to smile at her. He waved sluggishly and walked back to the car when she passed the last

crowd of parishioners and couldn’t be seen anymore.

“Maybe church isn’t all that bad” he said in the car and his mother just smiled at him as they made

their way back home. Coming up the driveway Danny looked at the results of the theory he had

tested. He’d left for church to see if he’d feel that discomfort, that feeling of wanting to go to her. It

wasn’t all bad but it was not good either Danny didn’t physical want to go to her that gravely but he

had thought of her most of the time and if it hadn’t been for Faith he’d have had her running around

in his head the entire time.

“Thanks for coming to church with me, it was nice” his mother looked genuinely pleased with her

son’s deed.

“No problem mom” Danny surprised himself with how honest his answer was, he might have

actually enjoyed it.

“Okay I’m going to go start lunch” she leaned over and kissed Danny on his forehead softly and gave

him one last smile before heading inside to start the laborious task of cooking the Sunday meal.

Danny did not follow her but instead headed straight up the driveway to the backyard where she

waited ever so eagerly for him. He tried to convince himself that he wasn’t under the ‘curse’

anymore but as he could see it was not true. The only positive he could draw from this was that it

wasn’t as intense anymore. He could pull himself away now but it was tiring and Danny wanted to

see her today. He found her leisurely wandering between the small trees. Danny knew his mother

would not be happy with those huge footprints all over the soil that she planned to cultivate into a

little Eden. The dog had even stepped over some of the plants and they lay flat in between the grass.

He put one foot onto the lawn and she started toward him. She never ran and he found this a little

strange but as soon as she got to him she pushed against his leg and he slipped his hand onto her

back and into her brown fur, this had become a habit of theirs. He stayed there for a few minutes

longer just petting her until he was forced to go inside. “That dog’s gonna get hair all over your

clothes go change before you play with it.” Was what his mother yelled at him through the back

window. He reluctantly did as he was told. Danny didn’t really have a plan for what to do once you

do get the dog although all the plans to get the dog came to him pretty easily. He sat his in his room

racking his brain on things to do with a new out of the ordinary pet. A walk seems to be appropriate

thing so he slipped the leashes onto the collar once again. He thought that it didn’t matter if she

wanted to she could either break the leash without even breaking a sweat or turn around and knock

him unconscious with one of her paws nonetheless he still put them on her and began walking her.

They went around the block easily enough but he felt that they could do a little better than that so

he kept on walking. Danny let his mind wander off as he strolled without a care. He wondered if she

was up for playing a game like fetch and as he stopped at the corner he noticed that he was on the

corner of Bree Street and Walmer. If he followed that road it would lead straight to Bob’s house. He

hadn’t realized how far he had gone and thought it would be a good idea to check in on his old

friend especially since the last time he had seen Bob he wasn’t looking that good. He had known Bob

a long time and they had seen each other many times but now when he tried thinking about his

friend he could only see that strung out wreck that he had been the week before. Danny rang the

Palmer’s doorbell and waited to see Bob open the door looking pretty much like himself again and

this delighted Danny. They shared grins and Bob became aware of what was accompanying Danny

and look a little startled at first then laughed. He stepped away from the door and the three of them

stood on the white porch of the large two storied house.

“That’s one helluva monster you got there with you” he said still chuckling casually

“I saw her when we took Ben to the clinic. I don’t know man just had to get her. “

“Oh so you fell in love with a monstrous wolf?”

“Something like that. So how’s Ben doing?”

“He’s looking a little better the vet gave him some pills but we’re just preparing for sugary then all of

this will hopefully be done.” Bob still looked a bit anxious as he told Danny this latest piece of

information.

“Good luck then. It all seems pretty straightforward so you probably don’t have anything to worry

about” Danny didn’t like the way Bob looked when he said that and that was as supportive as he

could get in this situation.

“Yeah that’s what they say” he didn’t seem too convinced but appreciated the effort nonetheless

“So you wanna come in? We’re about to watch the football” this was a Sunday tradition in the

Palmer residence and Danny had joined them on more than one occasion and thoroughly enjoyed

himself too.

“Thanks but I’m gonna have to take a rain check, maybe I’ll come by later”

“its fine” Danny turned in the direction of the road “You two love birds enjoy your day”. Danny

smiled and without looking back flipped a middle finger at Bob who with thunderous laughter closed

the door.

5: 5

Danny still had not come up with a name for her and took on this mammoth task in his head while

the two of them coolly walked home. He wanted one that had meaning, one that was the name of an important animal in the past but could not think of any so as all of this had come to pass he decided to wait on a sign or for it just to come to him. He went with Sam short for Samantha and

as everything pertaining to his pet had done before this name just came to him. He was looking

down talking to the newly named Sam when he roughly jerked his head up as if sensing danger. He

did not analyse his reaction at the time but rather just went with it and before he could look around

he heard movement, a footstep leaves cracking under someone’s foot. Across the road slightly

behind them was a dog. When Danny tilted his head slightly he saw that it was George Adler’s

Alsatian, the local bully’s hound. Danny felt blood rushing all around his body as the dog across the

road starting growling at him. It moved forward slowly with aggressive intent but also cautiously.

Danny had stopped moving and stood there still facing forward with Sam ahead of him slightly

veered in the direction of the dog. It started barking and some of Sam’s hairs stood up, Danny

let go of the leash and slipped his left hand onto her back moving it through her hair while his other

hand was clenched so tight that his knuckles turned white. The dog kept barking and Danny’s excitement kept rising. Again he and Sam was in a different world only this time they had company and it wouldn’t be long before they took care of this intruder. Sam was just starting to move her

lips back when a boy, he was chubby not to small so he seemed just bigger than average starting

running towards them. George Adler stopped as soon as he saw the scene and for a minute he stood motionless as if paralyzed by fear but regained his composure and moved to block off their

line of sight thus yanking Danny back into the real world. The boy pulled the dog by its collar and

turned it in the opposite direction. While walking away he stopped and was about to face the two

crazies that wanted to pick a fight with his dog but before he could get a word out Danny already

walking away. He watched them and felt a little scared of Sam like everyone else but that paralyzing fear did not just come from the dog but rather from being swept up in their killing intent. Danny put off dealing with what had happened he knew it was bad and didn’t want to handle that right now so when he got back home he filled Sam’s larger than normal bowl with water then checked that she had eaten all of the food he had given her the previous night. He didn’t know what to give her so it was a combination of dry chunks and some canned dog food.

“That was quite the walk Danny” his mother said immediately when she saw her son dazedly

entering through the back door. He looked at the old clock that stood on the wall next to the

refrigerator and saw that it was just past one. He hadn’t even realized they had walked that long

since he they came home from church round about eleven.

“I went to go check in on Bob” said Danny and helped his sister set the table. Since there weird and

not so wonderful meeting they hadn’t mentioned Sam or anything concerning her so when the

topic came up during lunch he was quite surprised. He was surprised but wasn’t totally flabbergasted as it was his sister and she was never one for diplomacy.

“Why’d you get a big old dog like that dummy?” there was a mocking undertone in her words which

Danny did not appreciate.

“I don’t really have a reason” he had a sympathetic expression on his face, “When I saw her I couldn’t just leave her there”

“You couldn’t just leave her at a pet adoption clinic?” she looked puzzlingly at Danny.

“I just wanted to get her out of the Dexys penitentiary” His sympathetic appearance and line of

reasoning earned him some sceptical looks. They went on eating and the spotlight came off Danny

when his mother informed them on the entire town’s latest gossip which Marge Wilkins so

graciously had told her earlier that morning. She even told on Danny about his reunion with Faith

and when he blushed the exact second his mother said Faith’s name the entire table burst into

uncontrollable laughter. It was funny at the time because it was unlike Danny’s typical robotic

personality. They enjoyed desert in front of the television and Danny took his time savouring it all. He found most of his ice-cream melted by the time he stuck his spoon into the now bubble-gum liquid. Part of the reason for this was that he wanted to end the day as soon as possible, it wasn’t a bad day but the earlier events had put a damper on it. Also it had scared him a little bit and as you might have expected he wanted to put off thinking about it (it had become a regular thing now for him especially when it came to Sam). Danny filled Sam’s bowl with the daily nourishment she required, not that dog food really did the trick and looking at her he got a sick kind of feeling that she needed something else, she needed something more. He looked down at her and she was rubbing against his leg like she always seemed to do which meant Danny would put his hands onto her back and slide his fingers all through her brown coat of fur and before he could even get the thought out he was doing just that. In the course of this he felt somewhat ashamed of himself for the fear he had previously felt towards her especially since they were so attached from the very beginning. He sat with her a while combing through her hair with one of his sister’s hairbrushes (she would not be happy about that) and as all the fur smoothed out with every stroke of the brush Danny felt slight relief because it felt as an atonement for his prior actions and thoughts too. He wanted to go clean up first but when he put his head onto the pillow of his bed (which looked exceptionally comfortable tonight) he instantaneously fell into blissful sleep. He did not dream and slept like one that just got home after pulling an all-nighter at the factory the day before.

6: 6

powerful force pushing down on him and it was making it difficult for him to breathe properly. After

what seemed like too long a time to be struggling with blankets he managed to get his head out and

found that the reason for all his early morning troubles was that Sam had made herself comfortable

on top of him. Her full 90 pound body was spread out all over him. Having just woken up he was still

dazed and a little weak and could not free himself but was only able to move his head. He was

getting annoyed because this was not the most ideal way of waking up but felt it all slip effortlessly

away when he saw her torso moving slowly up and down she seemed so tranquil. He stayed there

immobile for a little while longer and would have stayed that way for who knows how long if it

wasn’t for his bladder. He used most of the energy he had at his disposal and turned his body onto

its side thus pushing Sam of the side of the bed. Usually she knew what he wanted and would do so

without much trouble or a gentle nudge in the right direction would make her obey but it seemed

this time she was enjoying herself too much to comply with Danny. She was in the motion of falling

when she pushed her hind legs off the bed to gracefully land next to it and just glanced at Danny

before turning around to casually stroll out of his room. He pushed the blankets off his body and

lowered his legs onto the floor they had become stiff and in the process of rubbing his legs trying to

lessen the discomfort Danny wondered just how long Sam had been using him as a sleeping pad. He was pouring milk over the chocolate cereal he had loved since he was in third grade when his mother came walking into the kitchen, as soon as she saw Danny she seemed to develop an annoyed expression on her face

“That dog’s not supposed to be in the house Danny” she said and she wasn’t just telling him this

latest piece of information but rather scolding him for breaking some kind of sacred rule.

“I didn’t let her in”

Her ticked-off expression broke for a second as she realised she had forgotten that her husband’s

daily routine before leaving for work was to go out the back to get to the garage but it had become a

nasty habit of his over the years to never close the back door behind him and it didn’t hurt anyone

before but now they had a new four legged friend. She didn’t want to apologise for the finger

pointing because even though it was not Danny’s fault she still felt uneasy about Sam sleeping so

close to them.

“Either way Danny I’d really appreciate it if your dog stayed outside.”

“Will do” Danny replied and didn’t look into his mother’s changed attitude.

She left not long after  and he took his cereal and spent the rest of the morning watching T.V. Sam had slipped through the open door again and joined him, cuddled up at his feet. Danny thought the walk around the block was becoming repetitious so going to the park would probably be the next step. Danny had bought some toys in anticipation of his guest, he now took the rubber ball and the leashes once more, and the two of them made their way to the local park. Danny was happy to see

how empty the park was as this would cause him less hassle if something were to go wrong. Sam

rubbed against his leg and dropped the ball next to it, he was surprised by the fact that she seemed

so normal-dog-like and actually participated in their games. They had managed to get through most of the neighbourhood danger zones (places that might contain unwelcoming animals) without much trouble before spotting a cat just across from the park. Danny didn’t feel anything, not a trickle of excitement so he just ignored it. The walking part was done and now time for the playing, fetch was the only game he knew that seemed appropriate so Danny dug his hand into his pocket and waved the ball in front of Sam trying to fascinate her. He drew his arm back and threw the ball considerably far. Sam bolted after it he was amazed at what great speed she could move so quickly but it seemed as if she was showing off because immediately after that she broke into a light jog. She retrieved the ball and dropped it next to him, he slipped his hand onto her back and they sat there, him petting her before he got up and threw the ball several more times. Sometimes she’d chase the ball energetically and other times she’d coolly stroll back and forth whatever the case may

have been they succeeded in having a good time. That was the highlight of Danny’s day and it all

went uneventful for the rest of it. They spent the next day together as well, he knew he had to enjoy as much time as he could with her because it was the last week of summer holiday and as school was looming Danny already started dreading it. The rest of the week went by quickly and again Sam consumed almost all of Danny’s time except when he went to go see a movie with his sister. They had a nice time and they even saw Faith there, she was walking with a slender boy. Danny didn’t pay much attention to that because before when they left he had noticed that dark clouds were rolling in and he was wondering what he would do with Sam when it rained and better yet what would he do in winter. He checked in with Bob and found him in the most pleasant mood he’d seen him a long time. Ben had his surgery and was pretty much healed; he was only recovering now and was moving

freely. Danny petted him and immediately noticed the difference between Ben and Sam. First it was the feeling he got from caressing Sam which wasn’t there for Ben even though he had gone to

the park with Bob and Ben many times before and felt affection toward the dog. Second it was the

hair and that was an obvious one. Then the fact that Ben didn’t want it as much as Sam, not to say

he didn’t enjoy being rubbed behind his ear he just didn’t need the physical attention that Sam so

willingly craved for. Danny was really happy for them , to see them up and about all excited again he

couldn’t stop himself from being swept up in there joy and now Danny could relate to Bob feelings

towards his pet ( although the connection between Ben and Bob is very different from Danny and

Sam). Danny didn’t see much of Sam on Saturday he was forced to go back to school shopping with his mom. He bought all the necessary things he would need for another miserable year of school and his mother did all her shopping that took just long enough to put Danny in a very unpleasant mood. They had even gone to visit Danny’s aunt; to him it was an annoying and unnecessary stop. By the time they pulled up the drive way the sun was just about coming down over the large oak tree in the Walker’s backyard across the road. He helped his mom unpack all the things they had bought and when he opened the backdoor Sam was already there waiting for him. He fed her and sat with her till the moon shone bright in the dark starry sky. His mother had grown used to Danny’s separation to the rest of the world but today it was different. He didn’t just want to come home or avoid spending time with relatives it was as if it hurt him to be with her. He didn’t just look annoyed or upset he looked pained and on a few occasions she heard a sense of urgency in his voice that worried her. Now she peered out the kitchen window and saw a beast of a dog in the arms of her son, he was putting a brush through her hair and she couldn’t bring herself to believe that Danny’s behaviour was because he wanted to brush his dog’s hair but even so she felt a chilling unease come over her.

7: 7

Danny was a road away from Bob’s house when he saw George Adler and his dog walking far off in the distance, he didn’t want to ruin his day before it even got started so he quickly gave Sam a gentle tug on her leash and moved on.

“Sam short for Samantha doesn’t sound like you put a lot of thought into naming her” Bob said.

The two of them were standing at the edge of the grass watching Ben and Sam chase the balls they

were pitching. That had gone on for a while after which Ben was just tackling Sam relentlessly but without much success, she would just slide away or push him aside. She was bigger than him and bulkier not that he was a slouch. They were playfully taking turns at attacking each other Danny told him that the family before was scared of her that she might have seemed a little aggressive to them. He didn’t tell Bob about the attack or the connection he felt toward her. He didn’t really know why he had lied to Bob and it was new, they were usually very honest with one another and that is why Bob could easily see what Danny wasn’t telling him. “Is this all you do when you get a dog?” Danny asked light-heartedly but he had a hidden agenda.

“Ben and I just hang out most days. Other times we go to the park or beach”

“So he likes just doing those things”

Bob turned to Danny now. “All dogs are different I guess but if he or she is a domesticated animal

that’s about all there is.”

Danny listened intently to Bob, he knew Sam was different but he didn’t know what she wanted or if he was just seeing things that weren’t there nonetheless he would just keep on doing what he was doing. Bob and Danny had joined in on the wrestling match and Bob found out just how strong Sam was. Danny was surprised and happy to see that Sam had taken a liking to Bob and Ben and playfully rammed her head into Bob’s side when he had Danny pinned on the ground. Danny and Bob had to use all their strength to overpower Sam before Ben came to her rescue, jumping onto Danny’s back. The afternoon was ending and they were starting to get hungry. They made their way back home first Bob’s house and they were standing on the porch. Some kids were gawking at Ben and Sam and their owners just laughed. Danny said his goodbyes and headed home to have another family feast with the rest of the Bailey’s.

“Samantha is a lovely name Danny,” said his mother and everyone else had their own little thing to

add on although none of what they said was bad. He wanted to go to bed soon as he had to be up early the next day but with the day he had he wasn’t in a rush for tomorrow so he sat with Sam, not too long then headed to bed. Danny arrived at the school still tired. He hadn’t realised just how much the time at the park had taken out of him. He looked at the school and saw all the same kids nothing had changed at all. He didn’t have the energy to play with Sam but when he got home, after

having his lunch and filling in his mom on the first day he seemed to be up to the task. First he just

ran around the backyard with Sam then they went for a walk. The walk was meant to be leisurely but

Sam was more energetic than usual. She had after all spent the whole day cooped up at home. It had

become a regular thing for him to sit with Sam and watch the stars before he went to bed.

Sometimes he’d comb her hair but mostly they’d just sit in silence enjoying each other’s company.

Nights seemed to go by quickly Danny thought to himself. The next day he ate lunch with one

of his school friends Tim. Tim talked too much for Danny’s liking but he was a nice kid so Danny just

sat and listened. He was telling Danny all about his summer and how he had gone abroad to visit his

cousins. Danny didn’t have any stories to tell so he just prompted Tim to keep rambling on. He only popped in on Sam the previous afternoon and spent the evening with her so he felt like going for a walk today before calling it day. Back at school, it felt never-ending, the final bell eventually went and Danny couldn’t help sighing with relief (and joy). When he got to the front of the school he saw everyone was crowded around something. He hesitantly walked toward all the commotion not wanting to draw any attention to him. The children had formed a circle and were staring at something murmuring among each other. Danny quietly walked between two juniors and when he looked into the centre of the ring, he saw Sam standing there. He was immediately alarmed for Sam but mostly for those kids because he was afraid they would do something to set her off. He calmed down and Sam looked up sensing his presence. He didn’t call out to her or make a big fuss as this wasn’t Danny’s style. He simply turned around and slowly walked away and when he glanced back he saw some kids were moving away from the circle, making an opening. He’d taken only a few steps and Sam was already at his side. He gave her a pleasant smile and the two of them walked on while a large group of children was staring in amazement. They did not go directly home but didn’t go to the park either instead Danny just kept on walking. He didn’t take the turn off into his road he just kept on walking and eventually reached home. He gave Sam some water and only then he snapped back to reality to realise just how long he had been out of it. It was much later than his usual time getting home and his mom without any delay set about asking Danny a million questions but he told her he had stayed late for academic reasons and some other things along those lines. Recently Danny had noticed everyone’s anxiety in matters concerning Sam so that was why he didn’t tell her the real reason or that Sam had come to pick him up from school. The next day seemed better than the day before in terms of speed. It just flew by, something Danny was really grateful for but the only downer was that he had received a lot of attention during the course of the day. When he walked down the corridors some kids would whisper to each other and stare. It wasn’t a lot of kids but already too many for Danny’s liking. When he walked home he heard his name being called from a distance. He turned around and saw a boy running towards him; he had seen this boy before but couldn’t remember where.

“Hey that dog yesterday that was yours wasn’t it?” the boy asked

“Yes” Danny replied,                                                                                                                                                      “Oh my name is Mark,” he said, “I heard about you from Tim after I saw you walk home with that dog yesterday.”

“Okay what do you want?” Danny was getting irritated

“I just wanted to tell you about a way you can make some money” the boy said

Danny was merely looking blankly at him now.

“You can’t tell anyone but you know the old high school?” A few years ago the local high school had

a large fire and most of the building was now in a state of disrepair. It was never rebuilt or repaired

and its biggest use now was being used a hide-out for juvenile delinquents and place for other to do

drugs without being seen or caught.

The boy started getting excited now. “Well some kids have dog fighting matches there”.

Danny immediately felt his pulse rise and irritation had become anger. The boy saw Sam as a monster, a tool to be used to make a few bucks but Danny didn’t.

“They have bets and the winner gets a cash prize” the boy said this with real enthusiasm.

“Not interested” said Danny while in the motion of turning away from the boy.

“Come on” the boy pleaded, “Just come check it out”

The boy took Danny’s silence as a Yes.

“It’s Friday nights on the old field at the school”.

This time Danny didn’t break stride and just kept on walking. The boy looked as if he wanted to

plead his case some more but Danny’s body language put him off entirely. In his angered state

Danny wouldn’t even consider it. He got home having run this through his head several times and his first instinct said it was wrong. He however didn’t take everything into consideration and

he knew that if he did he might question his decision. He sat with Sam not looking at the stars tonight, not brushing her hair but rather wishing she could speak. He had convinced himself

that he had already made a decision but here he was now still intently mulling it over. He saw Mark during the day but because Danny still had a scowl on his face Mark just looked at him then passed right by. Danny did the usual, walk to the park, television and sleep to kick off his weekend. He did not dream but woke up as if he’d visited some wise spirit that showed him the way. He only had one intention now and that was to go to the school. He had to see for himself if he was being silly or if this was the thing they’d been waiting for. Danny was about to leave after inventing a facile excuse for  his parents. He decided it would be best if he went by himself, just to make sure everything was fine or if he didn’t want any part of it. He could already see the old ramshackle building up ahead and there were three other cars parked there. It wasn’t obvious to associate them as one stood next to the road in front of the school the other in a side road beside a house. The last one was a large truck that seemed to have floodlights attached to the back and was standing by the field. Danny assumed that was to be used when they needed some light. He parked in front of a house situated just across from the school, their lights were off and it didn’t seem like anyone was home or if they were they certainly wouldn’t notice. The truck had gone in through double gates that were connected to the fence that surrounded the entire school. Danny passed the rusted gateways and didn’t want to wander near the burnt building. As soon as he got onto the field he saw a large group of people assembled at the far end of the field. He made his way over there and wasn’t noticed since everyone was occupied with their own mischief. The truck had made its way over there and parked next to other cars that had their own crowds surrounding them. It was clear to Danny that this place was a Mecca of immorality. At one part of the field people were selling and smoking drugs. He didn’t know much but it smelt of marijuana. He saw couples passionately caressing one another that would probably be getting some good news in a few months. He didn’t need the hassle of jail time now and was about to leave when he saw a young boy not much younger than him stepping out from behind his posse with a light brown dog that clearly didn’t want to be on a leash. The dog was wild and the boy handed a man some money that he placed into a red hat he took off his head. The boy and his dog made their way to the centre of the party. The man with the red hat was walking across the circle and waving at someone that Danny couldn’t see. A different man came into the circle with a Bull terrier with red bandana tied over one his hind legs. The bull terrier was moving aggressively but low to the ground not as wildly as his opponent. Danny had unknowingly made his way back towards the commotion and stood absolutely still; eyes fixed on these two gladiators approaching one another. The fawn dog sprang wildly at the terrier and was pulled back by its owner each time. The bull-terrier was assertively walking around the dog now slowly, cautiously. It was clear to Danny, which one had done this before, but he did not know if experience would win over enthusiastic madness. The lights were shining on them and the crowds were cheering which broke by the sounds of intense barking coming from both dogs. The dogs were freed from their chains and were wildly snatching at one another. Danny’s heartbeat started rising when he noticed that the bull terrier’s calmness was only a ploy to draw in his opponent and now he was on his hind legs with all the force of his upper body coming down on the side of the brown dog. He burrowed his teeth into the body of the dog and only let go after the brown dog had wriggled extensively to free itself. He was losing blood and had fallen over but got up and staggered back towards his adversary. Danny unzipped the jacket he’d put on when he left the car, wondering whether it wasn’t that cold tonight. He scratched the terrier once before he had his neck struck by the terrier but he didn’t seem to hook his teeth into the dogs flesh this time and it freed itself. For some reason he knew what was next, it was time for the finishing blow. It did not happen so and the owner of the brown dog was screaming and waving his arms madly. The bull-terrier was chained by his holder and dragged back to the car that they had

appeared from. In the midst of the anticlimactic finale Mark had made his way over the Danny and

first just stood and watched him afraid to say anything as Danny’s fist were clenched tightly

together. He saw not only a look of disappointment in Danny but also anger.

“I told you it would be good” said Mark, “look at you I can see you’re enjoying yourself”

Danny slowly turned to face him and didn’t know but had had a gruesome smile of chilling

exhilaration on his face. He looked blankly at the boy that just kept on talking as if urged to do so by

Danny.

“The Champion won again. You saw him, he was amazing wasn’t he?” Mark was moving about

excitedly as he spoke. “They say no one can beat him and I always win when I bet on him but

everyone bets on him so it’s not that much money. That’s why I was thinking that maybe if you

brought that dog of yours.... then maybe?”

He saw the look of frustration come to Danny and quickly tried to divert it.

“Only if you want to” he raised his hands apologetically. “Just come over and talk to some people”. Danny left with the boy that was so eagerly trying to persuade him into joining this horrific sport.

8: 8

 So much had happened last night and for the first time since experiencing all of that, he started to grasp it. He thought about Mark and it was clear that he was trying to lure Danny into the fights for personal gain. When Danny was watching the champion he felt both envious and hatred, all at the same time. He was disgusted at his own interest and the delight he had taken in everything that happened. He didn’t look into his entire behavior but just felt general aversion toward himself and all of it. When he got downstairs, everyone seemed to have spent the Saturday morning in bed too. They were eating breakfast and Danny was assaulted with angered glares.

“That stupid dog kept me up all night” started his sister.

“Son you’ll have to do something about that” his father sounded reasonable but looking closer you could see his irritation. Danny only looked impassively at them at the time he thought they might be blowing this thing out of proportion.

“The neighbors came over to complain this morning Danny,” his mother told very sympathetically,

“Could you please try to fix it?” her reaction surprised everyone and after a while, Danny just nodded his head and sat down for breakfast with everyone else. Apparently, Sam had been howling and whimpering the whole night. Danny asked a few questions in between their debriefing and it hadn’t happened immediately after he’d left they placed it at about a half hour after he was gone. It happened suddenly and Sam was running around wildly in the backyard. She was whimpering at first but as time went on it turned into a blaringly mournful howl. When they went to see if anything was causing her to do this, she became hostile towards them. They said it seemed like they were interrupting something and that at the time she was very agitated because she growled at them amongst other things. This curious behavior carried on for most of the night and just as it had started it suddenly stopped. He still wasn’t fully convinced thus not bothering to slip a leash onto her when they went walking later on. Everything seemed to be in place and he returned home puzzled. Although the weekend had been both terrifying and excited, he wanted to slip back into routine now. Danny brazed the chilling winds and sat with Sam until he felt he needed sleep badly enough. Danny was back at school and the week seemed to pass by monotonously just like the one before. He saw Mark a couple of times at school but only talking twice and both times Mark asked insistently about Danny entering Sam into a fight. It had been in Danny’s mind all week long and the only reason he wasn’t excitedly looking forward to Friday was because he was a little bit afraid. He felt a sense of concern toward himself and his unexplained behaviour as well as Sam’s. The other thing was what if Sam got hurt, he didn’t feel like he could live with himself if he forced her into that situation and she had to pay the price. To him it wasn’t something he could just pass by; he felt he had to make a decision. There was a gnawing in his head and it sent images into mind. The image of the champion having its teeth sunk into the other dog. There prefight psychological fighting and the victorious feeling he knew the champion felt. This is what drove Danny insane because he knew that was the worst reason for him to want to do it. There was no logical reason and he’d always based all his decisions on logic, on reason but now he felt it. He felt like he already knew what he was supposed to do and he didn’t know why he was just going with his gut so much lately. When Friday came he was preparing himself to leave although his mind wasn’t just uncertain, it was leaning towards no but Danny just blocked it out.  He wasn’t thinking about what he was doing but instead arguing with himself, trying to stop him. He was already in his car about to leave. Danny was reversing when he heard howling and growling from the edge on his driveway. He got out and saw

Sam running toward him and Danny stopped in his tracks. He felt a weird sensation in his stomach and yelled No at Sam. He didn’t like this feeling and he took it to mean Sam shouldn’t be accompanying him she walked back but turned around and looked at Danny with woeful eyes and he didn’t even need to see them to know they were there. It wasn’t just so she could come along but Danny felt like they needed to do this together. He didn’t want to say “What’s the worst that can happen” but he couldn’t say No to her anymore. Danny reluctantly opened the backdoor and

Sam got inside. He slid behind the wheel and the two of them made their way to the old School. His parents were a little concerned about what he was going to do regarding Sam. It was at this time last Friday that he left and Sam had gone berserk so when they saw Sam leave with him they were pleased. All except his mother, she still didn’t care for Sam and the more Danny was growing closer to him the more she became uneasy. He knew what happened last week to him so he was a little scared as to the influence it would have tonight especially since Sam was with him. In addition, the reaction Sam would have and to top things off he didn’t have both leashes there to try and control her. Danny settled after he realized that if Sam were to go on a rampage two leashes wouldn’t be able to stop her. When Danny got to the old school, he thought that it would be a good idea to drive his car up to the edge of the field where everything would take place. He meant it as a precautionary measure. He would leave Sam in the car until he felt it would be okay to let her out. He drove straight up, followed the path for a short while then turned onto the grass toward the crowd. Danny parked his car away from all the others and just sat until he saw some of the guys he’d met the week before. He got out and joined the small group, he didn’t really want to be part of a group but they knew a lot of things about the fights among others. Some of them had bred their dogs to be fighters. These guys didn’t care about their dogs seeing as the only thing they did for their dogs were to make them better fighters. One of the fellows he spoke to said that this was his fighting dog. The reason for this was that the previous two had lost their fights and the first one was sold as he could make a good profit and the other was killed. Danny could not stand some of these people and left in sheer

disgust. He was leaning against his car when he saw Mark approaching him, he saw Sam first and the biggest smile came across his face. Danny could only make out little bits of what he was saying through his excitement.

“Come on, why’re standing here?” He screamed at Danny

“I didn’t bring her here to fight” Danny wasn’t sure if he was lying or telling the truth.

Complete disappointment befell Mark. “I’m begging you, just one easy fight. I’ll ask them to put you

up against another newcomer”

Mark was still a little disappointed but left looking like a man on a mission. The masses were getting bigger and the party was starting. The truck approached and stood in the same spot as the week before. Danny saw Mark talking to the man in the red hat, from what Danny could see they were talking attentively and when he looked closer, he could see Mark handing the man in the red hat a considerable sum of money. A while later Mark made his way back to the car where Danny was standing with his hands on Sam’s back. He felt a sudden uneasiness about Mark who was walking hesitantly since he saw Sam out of the car.

“Rogan says he can get you a fight with an amateur,” said Mark with a pleased smile.

“So you already entered us into a fight,” Danny said between gritted teeth. “I saw you hand that guy the money”.

“Yeah… the other dog’s weak; you can take him so I just figured…” Mark looked very nervous as he saw Danny losing his patience and Sam looking at him. Danny grabbed him by the shirt and yanked Mark towards him. It was unlike Danny’s taciturn behaviour to initiate a fight but tonight he did. Danny stared down Mark who looked like he was about to wet himself. He felt pity for the boy and let him go. The crowd was gathering around and forming a circle and the floodlights from the truck came on. In the distance, Danny could see the figure of a hardnosed dog jumping and pulling on the chain that his owner held. In a matter of seconds, Danny found himself transported into the week before. Sam’s bent legs became rigid, as she stood straight up turning in that direction. Danny pushed Mark away from them and mechanically walked toward the centre as if hypnotised.

“I already set everything up; just go ahead it’s an easy win” Mark yelled nervously as he saw the strange sight that was Danny and Sam. They stepped in between the crowd that quickly gave way to open a path to the centre. Rogan stood with his red hat in his hand pointing at Sam and gestured to Danny to bring her closer. They slowly made their way to the centre where Danny saw the other dog wildly springing and barking. It was a strange looking dog with a large head and muscular build. It had smooth white coat with patches of red. Rogan announced that it was an American bulldog and that was the only thing Danny heard. He didn’t respond when he was asked what breed Sam was or what her name was. They went on with the show although they knew nothing about Danny. The bulldog drooled and its brown eyes moved all over the place. Sam was a giant compared to it but it still looked like it could do some damage especially since all the other dogs here were trained unlike Sam. A spellbound Danny stepped away from Sam; he left her in the centre with her hairs standing on edge and stood a few metres away watching fixatedly. As soon as they took the leash off the bulldog immediately tackled Sam and dug its head into the side of her Body. Danny winced and

Sam made use of the fact that the bulldog was so close as she turned her head and brought down sharp teeth into the back of its neck. The bulldog froze for a minute, it might have been through shock and Sam pulled back her head. She didn’t properly hook her teeth into the flesh of her opponent so when she pulled back there wasn’t any meat in her mouth. Sam had made a few long and deep slashes in the bulldog’s neck. It immediately jumped back warily but still eager to go, moving for another attack. With a deep growl Sam leapt forward, placed her paws onto the shoulders of the bulldog that immediately went down under the sheer force of Sam’s mammoth body. She held him down but it still trashed not as avidly as it did before but nonetheless persistently. In the background, a hideous laughter came from Danny as he slowly walked forward waiting for Sam to provide the knockout blow. She was face to face with the bulldog that was lying flat beneath her great paws. She exposed her fangs as if taunting her opponent (which seemed more like prey now). The dog may have been prepared for what comes next but its owner was not and before Sam could use those daggers to finish it off the owner had already thrown in the towel. Rogan interrupted the fight. He moved in trying to draw Sam’s attention while the owner of the bulldog was trying to find a way to get his dog out. Danny could not accept another fight ending like this and was going to call to Sam to finish the dog off when Mark came running toward him. Danny’s pulse was already at an all-time high and he could feel himself taking care of these people on his own. When the owner of the other dog grabbed Danny by the coat and looked to be doing the exact thing Danny was about to do, it stirred a sudden reaction from Sam who jumped off the dog. The other guy was screaming at Danny who was only now starting to snap back to reality. Sam’s body weight alone inflicted serious damage to her opponent. Sam barked once in Danny’s direction and the owner let go tautly and ran to the aid of his dog. He helped his dog and it was limping as they finally made their way through the throngs of people. Many people were shocked at the way the fight ended rather than the fight itself. The champion usually won his fights that quickly and the by looks of Sam almost everyone assumed that it would go in a similar direction but luckily not everyone shared that view though as Mark told Danny when the three of them were walking back to the car. He’d given Danny a substantial amount of the money but the majority of it went to him. Danny didn’t feel well and simply agreed to tonight’s arrangement. Mark had paid for Danny and Sam to enter the contest so he took his share of the winning and a “finder’s fee”. Danny was still burning up when he slid behind the wheel of his car with Sam breathing loudly on the backseat. He rolled down the window and let the cold air blow through his face until he got home. Not since arguing with Mark before the fight had Danny thought that night. He’d simply reacted even now he unthinkingly got into bed. The slow drive home and the cold air had worked, he felt perfectly calm now so sleep wasn’t much farther.

9: 9

Danny woke up with a pounding in his skull and the right side of his rib cage felt tender and bruised. He tried to remember what had happened or if he’d done something to hurt himself. The night before came to him in a bizarre sort of recollection. He didn’t remember it like he always remembers things. He couldn’t analyse what happened because it was all just a series of images and no emotion. It was like watching a movie from only one influenced viewpoint. Danny saw Sam and the vicious beating she inflicted on her opponent and saw the other owner trying to pick a fight with him. He had to think long and hard to remember the other things like Mark and the money, all that just seemed trivial to Danny even though he didn’t mean to look at it that way. When he thought about the night before he only vividly saw Sam beating that dog. To the rest of the world it happened so quickly but to Danny it was in slow motion. He could see every tiny little part of the assault. He saw Sam’s canines ripping long lines through the dog’s flesh, her weight knocking the wind out of the bulldog. Danny saw Sam rip a huge chunk of flesh from the bulldog and after she finished that, she came over to tackle and mutilate the owner of the dog that had his hands on Danny. Although not all of that happened, he wanted so badly for it to be real. If Danny had seen himself at that moment, The sickening laughter the sadistic smile and the blood rush he’d got, he would been very scared now but he didn’t so that that bit he added to the events was only a funny little trick his mind was playing on him. There were no complaints and only happy faces when Danny came down for breakfast. Sam’s reaction to him going to the fight alone the week before must have really done a number on them. His mother was immediately concerned with his discomfort as Danny couldn’t hide the pain very well. He popped a few pain pills in his mouth and went to check on Sam who was doing much better than him. She easily walked over to him when he came out of the house, Danny only watched her and although he had seen a beastly part of her, he felt no different if not more attached. The mulling over he did in bed the morning was the only contemplation that Danny was going to do; he let everything go and only concentrated on next week. He’d already decided, before he even spoke the words, that they were going to fight again. Sunday went by in blur and the only thing Danny did was contemplate whether he ought to go to Bob and tell him about the fight.

Danny’s recollection and attitude toward the entire business was not natural and he knew it so he decided against it. Back at school and Danny spoke to Mark about what was to happen this coming Friday, he gave Mark all the money he needed to enter a fight and to place a bet. Danny only had to use a small portion of his own money as the rest came from the winnings from the previous fight. He placed a bet because he thought it would help if he got some money for future fights and just as the plans came together when Danny adopted Sam it came together effortlessly again. That Friday Danny made his way to the supermarket and he was already in his hypnotic state. He walked through the pet section to check if there wasn’t any medical equipment or boosters for Sam to take.

He didn’t find what he was looking for and thought about going to the Dexys Clinic to get a professional opinion but thought against it. He left the store having only bought one thing and chose to spend the rest of the afternoon with Sam at the park. Watching Sam chase the ball and sitting with her under the warm afternoon sun Danny couldn’t help but feel guilt at what he was about to do. They did not walk home casually as they usually did but Danny was hurriedly pacing ahead of Sam. He was guilt ridden and slowly fell into a state of anguish, he did not know what to do and time was running out. Danny had supper with his family in a hope that they would say or do something to help him make the decision. As he opened the freezer, he saw the two steaks he’d bought at the store earlier today. He removed the steaks and threw the blood-drenched meat into Sam’s bowl. She immediately devoured them and Danny for the first time ever watched her eat. As Sam was lapping up the last bits of left over juices, Danny felt a weight lifted off him. It was if he was blind the entire time and now he was not only seeing but also seeing clearly. He instantly got ready to leave and as everything was already set, it only took five minutes before the two of them were on their way to the old school. While driving Danny thought back to his inability to make a decision. He was going to dismiss it but just then he thought that the doubt may have been a good thing. The whole week he’d just done things. Why had he paid Mark all that money? , Why did he go to the store earlier? , Why had he bought those steaks and fed them to Sam? Especially since, she already had a diet. Sam had her face turned towards Danny on the backseat and he could feel her breathing on the back of his neck as he brought the car to a stop on the field. Danny’s mind switched off, it was like losing conciseness to him and he just reacted to everything around again. He arrived a bit later than he did the previous weeks, everyone was already there and a fight was at present underway in the centre of the well-lit circle. He got out of the car and walked over to catch a glimpse of who was fighting. He did not recognise the fight and this particular night he just didn’t feel like watching. Danny eventually found Mike who was talking to some others guys (probably about betting and money). He had already arranged everything and the cherry on top of the cake was that Danny was to go up against the Champ himself. Danny who was already revved up to go before he’d gotten to the school was ecstatic now. He sat with Sam in the back of the car before Rogan came around to call the two of them. Things were a little different now and the crowd was bigger. Some sections had small fires as it had started drizzling earlier and looked to turn into and all out downpour of rain soon. People were whispering amongst each other as they walked through and instead of Sam getting the strange glares, but it was Danny that had to suffer the burden of it this time. The usual announces were made and the Champion slowly appeared from behind the truck with its floodlights focused on Danny. He could already feel the blood rushing through his body and he was done fighting against himself, he was done questioning it he only stepped back and let Sam do what they came here to do. The large bull terrier did not change one bit and slowly circled Sam who did the same. The attacks began with Psychological warfare. Barking and growling were the only sounds heard, as the crown was silent. The Champion moved in, he jumped at Sam who didn’t budge at all and the bull-terrier quickly retreated. Danny couldn’t help but remember what he’d heard someone tell him about the Champ. He was perfectly bred to be a fighter; they said that he did not have an “off” switch. Danny wasn’t sure if he heard the owner give a command but the bull-terrier seemed to give up all pretence of prolonging this fight and moved in for the kill wanting to finish it. It got closer to Sam and as she moved in quickly to scare it off, the bull terrier grabbed her leg between his teeth. Danny did not know how this happened but if it wasn’t for the size of Sam’s enormous legs and the fact that the Champion didn’t have enough time to properly bite, they would have been in big trouble. She moved away quickly and found her right leg hurting as Danny was screaming in the back. If the bull terrier had properly brought down his powerful jaw it might broke her leg so they were a little cautious after that. The bull terrier wanted to do the same thing to the hurt leg and as he moved to attack Sam’s leg, she grabbed him by the neck just as she grabbed her opponent the week before. This time she got her teeth hooked correctly and with a swing of the head, she flung the Champ across the field. He was bleeding heavily and in flash, its owner was there. Danny was about to go off the deep end because he thought they were throwing in the towel. Instead, the owner placed a big piece of cotton on the wound and rolled some bandage over it followed by some sticky tape to keep it in place. The rain poured down heavier and it washed most of the blood from Sam’s muzzle as she stood with her wounded leg off the ground, breathing heavily. Danny came closer modelling that horrific facial expression that seemed accustomed to him at these fights. The bull terrier seemed to be well versed in the art of fighting, as it didn’t come at Sam’s legs again and instead leapt at her. He clawed at her face, got her once, and upon landing did not waste any time at ramming his head into Sam’s body, which was wide open. Danny screamed at Sam, not in anger but rather vocalising her frustration. She staggered once and as the confident Champion came, again she threw her arm across her body, hitting him dead centre in the face. The Champion was thrown on his side and Sam moved toward him, she could not move properly as her injured leg wouldn’t allow her to. He was dazed and as the Champ moved slowly, trying to regain his composure Sam swiftly charged forward biting into the under belly of the bull-terrier. It was softer than the neck region so she did considerable damage. The Champion lashed wildly at first, realizing it wasn’t doing him any good bent his head difficulty down, and bit Sam on the ear as this was as far as he could reach. Sam immediately let go and cried out in pain but her screams couldn’t be heard over the champion’s cries. As Sam staggered back, Danny suddenly appeared next to her running his hand over her rain soaked back. The two of them watched the Champion slowly trying to get up and in doing caused him to lose even more blood. Danny wondered why the owner wasn’t throwing in the towel and he remembered that the Champion was said to have the best “dead game”. Dead game was the most valued trait in fighting dogs. It was the willingness to fight to the death no matter the severity of its injuries. The Champ stood up and the heaps of blood coming from his wound seemed to slow down to drops as Sam ran her tongue over her teeth, licking away the last of her opponent’s blood. The owner finally gestured to Rogan that he’d put his pride in his pocket and was prepared to relinquish his title but it was too late. Danny and Sam slowly made their way forward, they would not settle for another interrupted fight. Rogan, the owner and the entire crowd displayed the identical expression of complete terror. The owner of the bull terrier fell back and stared with teary eyes as he understood there was nothing he could do but Rogan would not have this at his fights and moved to block them. Danny shoved him out of the way, as Sam leapt upon a retreating Champion. She strained her wounded leg but it didn’t matter, she growled in pleasure not loudly but to herself. She was on top of him and the bull terrier’s resistance was weak. Rogan froze in his spot and a good number of the crowd looked away as everyone saw Sam’s intentions. Danny urged her on with frenzied cries as she brought down her muzzle in lighting speed and dug her teeth into the exposed lower neck of the bull terrier. His body thrashed violently and stopped suddenly as the last bit of life was seized from him. Danny laughed triumphantly as Sam tilted her head to the sky having thrown the last bits of flesh to the side and let out a deep howl. They let the rain pour over them but their celebrations were interrupting by heartbroken screams.

“What’s wrong with you?” the owner of the former Champ said crying

“Get the hell outta here before I call the cops and don’t even think about coming back you psycho.” Rogan screamed and more people were screaming lots of other things but the sounds didn’t reach Danny. They did what they came here to do and the thrill was magnificent so Danny didn’t protest and simply strolled happily toward his car. He still felt excited and Sam hadn’t calmed down either as

they drove out of the school and in the rear view Danny could see people giving him disgusted looks but he didn’t care, he was just enjoying the high he felt. The drive home didn’t do much for them and in the backyard Sam and Danny laid down on the grass letting the rain wash away the stains of blood on their bodies and their sins all at once. Danny turned to Sam and couldn’t believe the great deal of affection he felt for this dog. She had given him everything; his search had ended. He didn’t know this was what he wanted but tonight he felt like she was sent to him and they fell asleep together under the cloud covered moon.

10: 10

Danny woke up more damaged than the last time. He didn’t understand why he was in pain but didn’t attempt to find out either. First things first he had to take care of Sam. She might have dominated the fight with the bull terrier but she didn’t come out of it unscathed. Sam was lying under the make shift tent Danny had made for her the night before. When Danny first woke up after falling asleep on the grass, he threw a water resistant sheet over the trees and clothing line to keep a small portion of the lawn free of rain. She was breathing normal; no cuts or bleeding but her leg although healed looked a swollen. He ran to the kitchen and got an ice pack. No one was around to ask questions so Danny grabbed the other steak and offered it to her. Sam tried getting up and moved awkwardly to him. Danny moved the food closer to her and she ate, slower than she did yesterday and Danny didn’t think this was just because of the injury. He kept the ice pack on her wound for a while and tested her ability to walk. Sam failed and they skipped the afternoon walk. Danny left for the supermarket again, he went directly to pharmaceutical products. He found an ointment for bite wounds and some bandage and made his way home again not wanting to leave his patient on her own for too long. Sam wasn’t making a big fuss about the injury but Danny kept the ice pack on it again then rubbed on the ointment and bandaged her up. He treated her wounds and for the first noticed that most of the rain just washed off Sam’s thick coat. They watched TV and he couldn’t concentrate; again the night came back to him in flashes of pictures. Danny saw everything (except himself) and didn’t feel anything. He was logically considering everything, he didn’t feel bad about being thrown out and banned from the fights or Sam killing the Champion. After all it was a deadly game they were playing and that was the price, so the bull terrier was only a casualty or merely collateral damage. Danny realized he didn’t get any money from the win but didn’t care either way, he didn’t need more money and he had enough to take care of Sam. He saw the owner crying over his dead dog and other people coming to comfort him and all of them asking the same question, Stephen are you okay? .Even though he justified killing the dog he still couldn’t help feel sad for its owner because if it were Sam, he immediately put that thought out of his head. The owner was crying and he had to consider that he could press charges against Sam and Danny for killing his dog even if it was in dog fight. Before he could panic he remembered the other things, that everyone was smoking and dealing drugs, that they were betting and illegally gambling and that Rogan banned them because they were bad for business and that he cared enough for business to stand up to a dog that just killed another in front of his very eyes. The whole operation was too precious and lucrative for everyone to throw it away over one killing. All they had to do now was heal up. When his parents came back, Sam went back to her tent and the day just went on until they left again to go have supper with the Anderson’s two houses over then Danny Sat with Sam in front of the TV holding an ice pack to her leg. Sunday Danny felt all healed up and went to look if Sam felt the same way. She was walking around the yard he looked carefully and couldn’t see any discomfort. The steaks  satisfied her pretty well as there was still some doggy food left in her bowl so he gave her some water and let her be till tonight. Danny was happy to see her healed up but what really pleased him was that he didn’t have a gnawing in his head anymore, he didn’t feel anything lacking any more, he was fulfilled now. At supper, they had asked what he and Sam were up to and he thought about telling them about the fights, obviously not the gory details but still they might not take to well to it either way, coupled with the fact that it may incriminate him later. Although Danny didn’t think when he was fighting he made sure to review everything the following day and he’d seen enough movies and read enough books to know that it might not end well for either of them. That was all over now anyway and he wouldn’t have to worry about covering his ass for any more fights. While watching T.V the day before Danny saw something on the local news about a hooded stranger attacking people in the park at night. He didn’t look much into it as he was still recovering (not only physically). His mother had heard some rumours at church that morning. Marge Wilkins wasn’t the most reliable source but what his mother was saying and the little bits he heard on the news corroborated. His mother was pleading with him take Sam on early morning walks and in the school week that they should not go to the park at all even if the assailant was only said to attack at night. Danny told everyone about the fun they had at the park and that no one would think to attack him when they saw Sam at his side. This is what worried her, the idea that Sam would hurt someone and in her frenzied state hurt her son. Little did she know that Danny and Sam both shared a similar appetite for destruction. No one else at the table saw Sam in that way but his mother was intuitive enough to know that Sam was different, which she took to be evil.                                                                                                                                    “Your mother has a point son” his father stepped in seeing his wife’s distress, “For the past two nights you’ve been going out late, with that dog.”

 “Where do you go anyway?” his sister said, she was always annoyingly snooping about Danny’s affairs.

“We just go for a drive around town that’s all.” Suspicious eyes fell on Danny and he knew he’d have to come up with something more to sell it to them. “We go for walks and we go to the park all week long, so I try to divert from the monotonous routine by taking a long drive with Sam.” Usually his mother would say that’s sweet or have something positive to say but whenever Sam was even remotely involved she’d get cagey. Everyone let it go after that and Danny knew that had done the trick. When Sam was finished eating Danny sat leaning against her sturdy body staring off into space wondering what the future had in store for the two of them.

11: 11

Since Danny had let himself go at the fights, the connection between him and Sam had made them inseparable. They understood each other as if they shared a consciousness. Some days Sam would sleep beside Danny on his bed even though his mother had become increasingly infuriated at this new arrangement. Friday came and although Danny wasn’t aching to jump back into the ring, he still wanted to find Mark just to make sure he couldn’t get him and Sam a little action. Danny’s eyes met Mark’s and he immediately moved in an attempt to run away. Only now did Danny realize that Mark had been avoiding him all week and now he wanted to run away again. The only thing Danny could think of was that Mark was avoiding him because of the money he took but he still caught Mark before he could get away.

“I don’t care about the money, can’t you get us into another fight,” Danny asked.

“Are you insane? I had to pay Rogan off just so he wouldn’t kick me out with you and that damn dog,” although he still showed signs of fear he managed to puff out his chest pretty well, ”You were crazy at that fight. Your dog didn’t need to kill the Champ, you took things too far Danny” the sincerity of Mark’s reaction made Danny rethink his. He knew what he did might have been wrong or a little excessive but he couldn’t believe that in the time they were fighting nothing like that had ever happened.

“He was a fighting dog, they can find another, that’s the point of having dog fights,” Danny tried a different approach, “How much is it gonna cost?”

“Even I couldn’t get you back in there Danny. I don’t think I want to, I think you have a problem,” Mark spoke his mind just to make sure he would never see Danny or his dog ever again, “You really were crazy. You laughed while your dog killed another dog, people were crying but you were happy.”

 

Danny hadn’t moved an inch and for the first time he saw himself laughing at the pain of the other owner, he could see his veins bulged as the blood rushed through his body, he urged Sam on telling her to finish off the Champ; finally he saw the sadistic smile that scared him to his core. He washed his face in the boy’s toilet and sat absentmindedly in class waiting for this horrid day to end. Danny walked home and knew he was a monster, he knew that what he did was wrong and the way he embraced it before, as if it were just some little thing made it even worse. He was scared of himself and a little scared of Sam but he didn’t blame her. In his mind he was the mastermind, he was pulling the strings and although he felt a great deal of affection toward Sam, she was only a pawn. In a state of near depression, Danny just put all of it out of his mind and went on with his life.

 

Somewhere between stocking up Sam’s food supply and buying some inconspicuous clothing items

(Which he immediately hid in his car) Danny ended up at the bookstore. There were new paperbacks that piqued his interest. Danny scanned through most of them but there was something else or another reason he’d had the bookstore in the back of his mind, hidden amidst a mountain of other conversations and events. Danny put down the book he was leafing through that he knew he wouldn’t be able to buy not with his new unpredictable expenses.

“You’re the first person I thought of when I saw that book”

Danny turned around so he could see the face that belonged to that soft, sweet voice. Faith was standing behind him with her hair tied back showing the contours of her face and for a moment

Danny could feel his whole body tense up, the only thing he was able to do was stare.

“I told you to swing by, knew it’d be worth it” she said smiling

Danny quickly tried to control himself, “To bad I spent all my money on Sam”

Faith’s expression suddenly changed, “Girls usually take a chunk out of your budget Danny, you gotta be a gentleman” she said in an attempt to make up for the minor disappointment she was hiding.

Danny laughed, “To be honest this particular girl is my entire budget”, still giggling he said, “Sam’s my dog”

“Oh Silly me” Faith started laughing in unison with Danny, “I go on break now, why don’t we go take a walk” she knew Danny well enough to know that she could and had to initiate any social protocol.

 

In the centre of Dexys ‘Business district’ was a small park, it had a fountain in the centre with benches at each side. The pet clinic, bookstore and other small business stood around it. It was there that they chose to rest after their walk and Danny walked over to a man with a small cart and bought two ice-cream cones. He handed one of them to Faith she graciously thanked him and when she smiled at him for his sweet gesture he almost let both of them slip out of his hand.

“I must say this is very nice Danny,” Faith said and she might as well have sat on Danny’s lap as she (not for the first time) pushed her body closer to his.

“It’s like you read my mind. Should’ve done this a long time ago huh,” Danny quickly replied smiling as she rested her head on his shoulders and Danny breathed in her warm fragrance. No words needed to be said as the silence added sparks to the already wonderfully blazing ambience. Both reluctantly parted ways after an extended lunch break of conversation, handholding and sheer merriment. Danny walked home savouring this feeling and instinctively taking it with both hands. He knew that once this passed he would be back to being the guilt ridden baddie he was before Faith appeared.

 

 Sunday he got up early for church on Sunday morning he felt he needed to somehow do penance for what he’d done , for what he’d become. Danny listened intently to every word the priest said and wasn’t very excited when the theme of the service was Forgiveness instead of what he needed.

“The punishment inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient for him. Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him. So that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow”. Father Donald was a burly man and his voice thundered through the pews and filled the large building.

Danny was amazed at his mood swings as of late. How various things easily influenced him. Some unknown force had convinced him to fight in a deadly battle, at the time he mistook it for

Mark but now he knew it was something else and now Father Donald’s words were reaching him. He did not want to let it go but those words sounded as if they were meant for him and him alone.

Danny was tired of fighting and just gave in to this wisdom, he felt invigorated and full of purpose.

He knew what he needed to do next. After church Danny took Sam to the park and paid a visit at Bob’s and found him as happy as ever, Ben was still in good health so they left subsequently. The rest of the day passed by and Danny was too focused on his task to think about what they could do to break away from the routine.

12: 12

It was a cold and dark Monday evening and Danny sat with Sam in the park. He had a black coat on with its hood over his head concealing his face. They walked slowly around the grounds Sam always a couple steps ahead. He was to be the bait in this scenario, if it all went to plan. They did this for an hour and nothing happened except some women that hastily passed them after suspiciously glancing at Danny. He sat down under one of the many trees in their park and surveyed the area carefully. He thought about what he planned to do and as it wasn’t another dogfight he couldn’t just react he needed to think. He considered the consequences and knew that he didn’t want to get caught so he left the park. He felt that he was underprepared and after an hour, the first attempt had come up fruitless so back to the drawing board.

 

The next day Danny came back from the supermarket with a pair of black gloves. The two of them would probably be prime suspects so he wanted to make sure they couldn’t prove any more than a lot of rumours. They left again just as the sunset in Dexys and walked swiftly to the park. Tonight seemed to be another bust until Danny heard a soft voice in the distance. It came from behind trees that grew almost on top of one another to form a perfect covering. He motioned to Sam to stay where she was and slowly crept toward the noise. Danny recognised a scrawny boy from school standing in front of Mary-Anne Green, she was one of Faith’s friends. He wanted to move in because she was softly saying No repeatedly to the boy as they were kissing. He didn’t come out here to look for trouble but it was a nice girl he knew so he needed to do something if she was in trouble. The boy backed off after the girl shoved him and as Danny turned to walk away, he stepped on a branch and the couple nervously left the other way. Unhindered from his objective, Danny kept going to the park every night even though the incident with Mary-Anne was the only notable thing to have happened the whole week. His parents asked questions as to where he was going in the evening and he’s say for a walk or to Bob or make something up on the spot. The plans were all in place and now Danny knew the time had come.

 

The attacker had gotten another girl the week before and she barely managed to get away. Danny had heard through the grape vine that he was about to sexually attack her when someone drove by and heard her screams and that was what startled the attacker and sent him packing. Danny wasn’t scared of him as it sounded like he didn’t know what he was doing and he might just have a craving like Danny had had when they were in the dog fights so he felt that he needed to help this guy or just put an end to his evil deeds. He’d forgiven himself for what he’d done to the Champ and for his influence on Sam but what he planned to do tonight was what he needed to do and it felt right, at least that’s what he thought. They walked through the park, Sam a couple steps ahead of Danny. He decided to use the car and prepared a bag that he left in the trunk, he parked the car near the park but in a section, few people would see it at that time of night. Besides, if someone did see his car it would be difficult to pick out his because of the frequency of it, he just hoped that whoever saw it wouldn’t write down his number plate. The attacker showed up the last Saturday and it was quiet now, naturally, this would’ve been a very good thing for Danny but he couldn’t understand why no one was there. He knew that the local police was especially lazy in Dexys but this was just ridiculous, they thought that if they gave one warning that everything would just be all right.

 

Danny let that go and tried only to focus on the task although he still kept an eye out for any officers. He slipped on the black gloves and covered his face with the hood; they had spotted a skinny man a few minutes prior and were slowly following him. Somehow, Danny had gained the art of successfully stalking someone overnight. He did not make a sound, he knew how far to stay behind the man, he knew just how to walk to stay unheard, he didn’t lose track of him either and Danny waited for the man to make his move. The man stood on the path under a lamppost and Danny, watching him from behind a tree not too far away saw that he was wearing a jeans and only a sweater, he had long shaggy hair that covered part of his face. He just stood there and quickly turned when he heard footsteps, the man’s hands were shaking and Danny knew that he was the attacker on the news. Danny couldn’t believe that someone was actually walking through the park at this time of night despite all the warnings. It was unlucky for this person to be coming from work this late. That’s what it looked like to him, she was wearing a pants suit and her heels could be heard all throughout the still summer evening.

 

The man moved away from the light post and slowly started walking away from the lady. She saw him but he was walking ahead, not straight ahead, so she didn’t seem to take much notice of him. She caught up to him and seeing how dodgy he looked started slowing down not wanting to turn around now. It was already too late she was in his purview and he was ready to pounce. Sam wanted to jump in at that moment but Danny just tugged on her hair as his hand moved slowly up and down her back. The man had his arms around the businesswoman while she wriggled and tried to scream but was stopped by a sickly hand around her mouth. He was herding her out of the light and in between the tress surrounded by bushes, as poorly as the man looked; he had the woman subdued under his strength. This was the right time and the two of them were too preoccupied to see Danny and Sam step into the light. The man was lost in the dark and the woman’s stifled cries were the only thing that heard by the two make- shift vigilantes. Danny let go of Sam and she trotted forward but stopped when Danny turned around. He wanted to walk away; Danny knew how this night would end although they had already concluded that they were doing a good thing. Danny could feel that cursed exhilaration bubble up inside him and he knew it wasn’t all God’s work he was doing but rather feeding his fixation.

 

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic power over the present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” He heard father Donald’s words ringing in his ear. It didn’t matter why he wanted to do it; he had enough reason to do it. He gave his body, his mind and his will over to his animalistic instincts. Danny smiled at Sam and she immediately darted toward the darkness, he reached them a minute later and found Sam tackling the man violently. The woman was still in his grasp and she too was seized but he suffered the brunt of the challenge. Danny took her by the arm and pulled her up, he wanted to get back to the real action where Sam had her front paws on the attackers chest with the exposed teeth flashing in his frightened face. He yanked her upright.

“Just get the hell outta here,” angered at her for being a distraction he merely yelled at her then shoved her aside

“What?....Hey,” the woman was disoriented and trying to grasp the situation through constant tears.

Before she could say any more Danny shoved her toward the road. “Just go, run lady” Danny had lost all patience and yelled at the lady as a final attempt to save her from becoming traumatized at the massacre that was about to occur. She finally came to grips and ran, she didn’t look any further and didn’t even see Danny face before she was running madly into the street.

Danny stood behind Sam who had her eyes fixed on the frightened man before her .Sam barked loudly right into his face and this woke him up; the man suddenly moved his arm across Sam’s muzzle to free himself.

 

She quickly gripped it in between her teeth and he writhed in agony. Sam brought her teeth together and Danny could hear a crunching sound come from Sam’s muzzle and knew what that was. He smiled and yelled at her. “Do it” Sam moved her head left then right and tore the man’s arm right out of its socket. Blood squirted over Sam’s face and Danny’s chest as the man’s eyes became even bigger. He had a delayed reaction to the severing of his limb and after it landed in the bushes when Sam let go he started screaming in pain. Sam freed the man from her hold and let him roll against the tree. He propped himself up and was crying while large amounts of blood followed him, like slime from a snail. Danny chuckled and Sam’s tongue hung out of her mouth as she licked her muzzle clean of blood. Danny had sickening thought but this wasn’t the time for self-doubt and he knew that would lead to mistakes and they couldn’t afford to make mistakes. The man screamed at them, he was swearing, cursing then begging them to stop. Danny had Sam at his side and they were slowly walking toward him. He watched these two killers coming for him and horrific fear came over him as he could see his fate. Danny loved this part; it was the build-up the finale. He could feel his insides want to burst from sheer exhilaration. There weren’t a million thoughts running through his head as they usually did but only one. That they were going to put an end to this criminal’s wretched existence. He was going to do what only God did. He felt the power and it felt amazing. Danny wanted to see the ending properly so he nudged Sam to go on ahead and do what needed to be done.

 

The man cried and constantly lost more blood but with his other arm he reached out and tried to find something to fight back with. That plan didn’t come off so good so the man tried getting up in an attempt to climb into the tree he was propped up against. He was too drained to even get to his feet let alone climb a tree and Sam was in front of him again. She growled at him as a final humiliation before killing him. With his outstretched hand he quickly grabbed Sam head, before she could position her mouth properly to tear off his other arm he moved his thumb down to her eye. He was about to dig his thumb into Sam’s eye when he was sent tumbling onto his side. Danny had seen his intention dug his boot into the side of the man’s abdomen sending him flying. The man lay on his side and coughed continuously. They didn’t stop to talk or explain or even give him a chance to react to what was happening. They were merciless but not only because of their killing nature but also, because of Danny’s fear that in the struggle that the man would grab some of Sam’s hair or their clumsiness in not immediately killing him would lead to their being caught. Danny’s initial reaction was one of outrage but he couldn’t maintain it; he felt a surge of ecstasy even greater than the one before. Sam raced to the man and bit into his side; she released and bit into the same place repeatedly. Danny kicked into the wound, more blood came out and the man had already stopped moving after Sam’s second assault. He’d lost far too much blood and Danny stuck his boot into the wound over and over mutilating his body even further.

 

 It felt good to join in the hunt but that wasn’t Danny’s intention, he wanted to disfigure the part of his body that Sam had bitten so that his discovered body would leave any clues to his attackers. Danny stepped back, put his hand onto Sam’s back and looked at their handy work. The dead man lay in a pool of his own blood which he and Sam was also covered in. There were trails of blood all over the grass, bushes and against the tree. Danny took off his shoes as it was covered in blood, he did not want leave footprints. Sam wouldn’t leave prints but there would be tracks and as it was an animal park Danny didn’t care if they found dog tracks at the scene. He picked up the man’s arm and although they hadn’t planned for the disembowelment of tonight’s victim it was a factor Danny could easily fit into his plans. It was quiet all around the park and Danny opened the trunk of his car and took a plastic bag from the case he’d prepared. He put his shoes in it, then his shirt and lastly his pants. He took fresh clothes from the black tog bag and got dressed quickly, he would have to make do without shoes for now. He took out a large sheet, which he wrapped around Sam before she got into the back. Danny got behind the wheel of his car and looked around to see if anyone had seen them. He surprised himself at how thorough he was, like who had done this before. Danny took the long way home as this way passed through an empty alleyway. He left the car in the street and got out alone. He took the plastic bag from the trunk and emptied its contents in a trashcan that was in the alley. After taking the arm from the bag, he shoved garbage over his bloodied clothes to hide them deep in the trashcan.

 

Danny walked down into the darkness of the scary alley and threw the arm aimlessly in the darkness. He knew that this particular alley attracted many stray dogs that would nibble on the arm and if found nothing could point anyone in the direction of Sam. The thrill was amazing and it quenched a thirst the both of them had. It was the wee hours of Sunday morning and he knew he couldn’t make too much noise and attract attention but luckily he had make preparations, seeing that they had staked out the park all week in a hope to find the man. The hose lay out on the lawn and a bucket filled with shampoo stood at the backdoor. Danny drove up the driveway and parked his car. Danny hosed Sam down but not on the grass, he wanted to make sure he washed the bloody water down into the street where it would run into the drain. Sam had a ruffled coat and most of the blood washed off easily but just to be safe, he poured shampoo on her and washed more before rinsing. Sam was clean in a matter of minutes and his boots was next.

 

 Danny washed the rest of the water into the street making sure all the blood was gone. He sighed heavily knowing that their mission was accomplished, Sam looked at him and it was clear that she felt the exact same way. She was shaking back and forth drying her body and Danny moved over to the car, he opened the trunk and lifted the piece of plywood board that was the base of his trunk. His spare tire and tools were held there and that’s where he put the cloth that had stains of blood on it now. He would get rid of it some other time in a way he thought appropriate and slipped the board back into place covering up everything below it. Danny sat with her enjoying their triumphant moment and just as he felt after every fight he felt a great deal of affection toward her. She moved over and placed herself almost in his lap and Danny knew that she felt the same way. 

13: 13

He woke up as tranquil as he was before bed, He played everything over in his head and everything they did seemed acceptable to him; even the ecstasy he got from it. Danny replayed everything because although the act of purifying his town of that villain was right to him it was still illegal and he knew that. All of it went as planned and it was as full proof as it could have been but still he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. It might have been guilt or fear whatever the case may, be he couldn’t place it so he finished up everything he needed to and prepared to take Sam on a walk. In the shower, Danny watched the last drops of scarlet rinse down the drain as he found some of it had splashed onto his skin. Everything was officially clean and dealt with and Danny watched Sam bask in the sun before disrupting her nap. They picked up Bob before they went to the park and he gladly joined them on their walk. Bob found Danny delightful as he wasn’t pre-occupied by thoughts of distress for him, his dog or whatever mischievous deed they were doing at that particular point in time (although Bob didn’t know those were the thoughts that occupied Danny’s mind).

 

Danny gave Bob a different excuse when asked what he and Sam were doing for fun. When they got to the park, a police car was standing at the far end of the path with a large area around it covered with yellow tape to block anyone from getting closer. People trying to find out what happened or trying to get a better view surrounded the whole area.

“Let’s go see what happened” Bob said.

When they went to investigate, they learned that a dead body was found. That was the only thing most of these people knew. That wasn’t enough for Danny and they kept asking questions to random people amongst the crowd. He found out that the arm was missing and that was the only credible pieces of information that crowd had to offer. Other stories were spreading around that the man appeared shot with a shotgun at close range or that someone butchered him but one thing that was apparent in all their sources was that almost everyone judging by his appearance believed that man was the infamous Dexys park attacker. The police didn’t put a lot of man power into this investigation. The officer posted at the crime scene told a few of the people that got there early that the police department thought that the man was the attacker as they compared him with very rough and brief descriptions and this was music to Danny’s ears. He knew they wouldn’t put much effort into finding out who did it because they were lazy and prejudice. He really wanted to know what the preliminary cause of death was or what clues and suspicions they might have uncovered thus far but clearly he had overestimated his local police force. Danny didn’t stay long and after playing around with Sam and Ben, the four of them made their way home. At lunch, Danny made sure to not sound suspicious when he told everyone what he they had seen at the park and he was especially careful when he asked his mother what the gossip was around town. A jogger found the body early Sunday morning.

 

Early Sunday morning wasn’t the ideal time for rumours to spread so Danny didn’t get much news from his mother. The only good thing about what she’d heard was that there was no speculation about any dogs or animals unless you count the birds that were found pecking at his open wound. It was late afternoon and Danny was happy, as he didn’t have a care in the world at this particular moment. Contemplation and doubt would come later but for now, he enjoyed the victory, the feeling of job well done. It was a chilling evening and Danny made a small fire in the backyard to warm him up. He stood with Sam for their late night ritual of stargazing and tonight, the addition of staring into red and orange flames. A strange smell came from those flames as the last of the white cloth burned away. They stared entranced at the blazes while Danny thought that this was good, that they were being cleansed by fire.

School, walks to the park, staring at the stars while brushing through Sam’s hair was the recurring actions that occupied Danny’s life. A monotonous routine was starting to settle into their lives. They loved what they had, their habits and system but still they couldn’t stay like this forever. Danny hadn’t thought himself to be an adventurer and although he always thought there was more to life, he never yearned for extraordinary feats. However, with Sam by his side now he could barely keep from exploding with intrepid intensity.

 

They would walk the park grounds late at night in the footsteps of the late attacker hoping to find something but all the while not expecting much. They drove to neighbouring towns on weekends hoping to find illegal dogfights or even for someone be it human or animal to seek out a bout with them. As time went on their situation became direr. They had this foreign intent, this energy bubbling up inside of them with no means of release whatsoever. Danny was so agitated at home and at school that if anyone spoke to him or even touched him he would overreact immensely, assaulting people with cold stares and if they didn’t back away(which everyone did)Danny would ready himself for a fight. He had in fact ostracized himself at home and at school. His mother was teeming with grief for her son, her pleas fell on deaf ears, and in her heart she believed that it was Sam that had done this. Deep down Danny still remembered his first or true nature not the person he portrayed now and it was at these times or in the midst of the battle between good and evil within him that he hated himself the most. Danny would run away for a day or two, just drive and stay in solitude away from Sam and the rest of the world. He would contemplate and grieve for himself and for Sam. Sam too would run away at this time of trouble between the two of them, sometimes she would run after Danny, not tiring one bit but she was never successful in tracking him all the way. He got away from her but in the end they would always find each other. Of them knew neither where the other was going nor what the other was doing when they were not together and it never bothered them.

 

This went on for a long time and soon Danny noticed a strange difference in Sam. They went for a walk and she felt distant. Danny had always somehow shared a consciousness with Sam but now she felt a little remote, not completely but Danny could feel something was amiss. He dismissed this as there was no way of explaining their connection in the first place so trying to understand what the problem was now would be senseless. He was fine with it until Sam started walking with a pallid limp also she didn’t eat all her food like she usually did, her eating pattern became erratic and some days she was completely drained of all energy. This tremendously troubled Danny and after the vet (scarcely and hastily) examined Sam and found absolutely nothing wrong, Danny became overwrought with fear. He knew the diagnoses wouldn’t be reliable judging from the vet’s unwillingness to help. He still needed to find out what the problem was. After weeks of Sam in that sickly state, Danny found the answer. It all happened so suddenly and it was as if an envelope opened inside Danny’s mind and he saw his instructions, he finally knew how to help Sam. Proceedings around town had settled back into the straight and narrow lifestyle that Dexys had been known for, since the attacker’s death. More and more people stayed out late at night. Friday night, Danny slipped on a warm coat and walked the streets of his serene town. Unlike the other times they walked late at night Danny didn’t hope to find a sparring partner but rather observing the habits of the various people. Most of them went to stores, friends’ houses and any other place by means of a car, which wasn’t what Danny had in mind.

 

He was looking for the ones that were eager enough to walk around town unsuspecting. He needed to find someone soon; the urge was there but not as strong as it would be in a few days or so. However at that time Danny didn’t think that Sam had a few days to spare. The most successful prospect and what seemed like his solution was the local watering hole. Delinquent drunks and other scruffy looking men walked home after kicking off their weekend with a couple after of work beers. It wasn’t the perfect plan but that didn’t occur to Danny and even if it did he probably wouldn’t care.

He had a life to save and that came first. As he walked home, he made plans following the same process as he did when they went after the park attacker. However, his mind was scattered and he only came up with half, sloppy ideas on ways they would do it and how they could get away safe and free from any consequences. Sam was walking and looking more or less like her old healthier self but

Danny could see she still wasn’t functioning at 100% yet. Saturday morning he went to the store to buy a fat steak to prepare Sam’s sick body for the evening events. He thought they could follow the same plan but he made preparations hastily and foolishly. He didn’t account for the change of locale or the fact that they hadn’t studied the person they were going up against, that he/she might be more experienced. The other thing was that someone was killed not too long ago in the town so citizens might be alert.

 

Danny wasn’t thinking clear enough to be making such risky decisions for that kind of operation. Nevertheless they proceeded without caution, the prospect of doing the one thing they guiltily relished excited both of them long before the sun even set. Again, Danny packed a bag with things they might need and the two of them got into the car and rushed to the tavern. The packed tavern they had chosen to stake out was one the corner of deserted streets, this was the part of town you wouldn’t want to be caught in after dark. They parked the car in front of a ramshackle house that looked abandoned and walked the short distance toward the pub. Sam was in good spirits and Danny knew she would feel better as they got closer to the inevitable. They stood across the road for a while and watched people leave one by one, sometimes in groups and others in pairs. The one thing they all had in common was that no one came out clear-headed, it was clear that this was the place you come to when you want to have a good time. There were only two cars and one motorcycle left in front of the pub and Danny knew that the time was ripe for them to make their move and with the addition of Sam’s raising hairs caressing his fingers as he moved his hand on her back he sprang to action. Danny started toward the drunken slob that stumbled out of the door. He didn’t see them as they approached; Sam was a few paces behind Danny. He didn’t have to tell, it was as if they had rehearsed this a thousand times and now it was just another show and they were playing there parts perfectly.

“Excuse me sir, do you need some help?” Danny wanted to lead the man further down the road so they could all be alone.

“Why thank you boy scout, but I think I can manage on my own,” the man laughed as he answered

The man’s sarcastic remarks angered Danny all of a sudden and he couldn’t control his rage. He lifted his foot and kicked the sprawling man square in the jaw. The man looked to have gone straight from work to the pub as he still had overalls on that he now stained with drops of blood emanating from his mouth. He laid on the side of the road and Danny watched him as Sam slowly approached.

 

This was his hunt and Danny would make the first move tonight. Danny’s foot was throbbing from that blow and he was surprised to see the man get up steadily. The man spat a mixture of saliva and blood in the direction of Danny and came quickly with cruel intent. Danny tried to react fast but this man knew a thing or two about fighting and as Danny swung his arm heavily around in an ill-fated attempt at a right hook the man simply lifted his arm and absorbed the brunt of the shot. Danny left himself wide open as he realized too late and found the man’s very own right hook to be devastating. He flew back and fell over still not fully recovering from that last blow. He was getting up but the man was already on top of him, the man kicked him in torso lifting Danny’s entire body up with the momentum of his steel-toed work boots. The world seemed to slow down around Danny and he could feel the excitement rising in his body. Sam wanted to join, she was foaming at the mouth and Danny knew just how badly she wanted to but he was enjoying this although he was taking a beating. It was part of the hunt and Danny spat out the blood that filled his mouth and rolled away from the approaching man to get back onto his feet. Danny still wasn’t seeing straight but he managed to make a taunting hand gesture at the drunken man that drove him into an enraged state. The man charged at Danny and he looked at Sam, in a flash she was at the man’s side. The three of them had drifted further away from the streetlights but Sam’s eyes were designed for nights (or nighttime hunting) so that didn’t slow them down. The shock of her sudden appearance made him freeze. It didn’t take him long to register what was happening and he was about to attack Sam instead of Danny as he thought she had come to help him. He was wrong as Sam was merely the diversion and the man felt the wind knocked out of him as Danny tackled him to the ground. Danny didn’t waste any time in jumping onto the man’s chest and delivering a barrage of right and lefts fists at his head.

 

The man managed to block some of them but he realized they were together and they had planned this. The man had lost his previous self-confidence and was about to scream for help but Danny’s continuous blows to his face was making it hard and his mouth was filled with blood and a few of his own teeth. Danny didn’t tire and laughed as the man’s hands dropped to his side. He couldn’t fight back anymore and Danny was overjoyed but he knew he had to be quick; he couldn’t present a dead prey to this particular Alpha female. He stood up and as he backed away Sam was at the man’s side. He was breathing heavily and as Sam took a bite into his open neck his screams echoed through the midnight skies. His face was already covered in blood from Danny’s assault and now the blood seeped out of him from Sam’s assault. He quickly clapped a hand onto his neck in an attempt to stop the bleeding and in a miraculous burst of energy, the man sprang to his feet and slowly started running. With drops of blood, dripping from her mouth Sam watched the man zigzag down the road and Danny was looking at his crimson hands, which astonished him at the time. Sam barked and the two of them began walking after the man. He had already lost a large amount of blood and Danny knew he wouldn’t get far. The man fell over next to the road not too far from the bar and as they approached, Danny and Sam could see he was breathing although laboured which wasn’t a good sign for him.

 

Danny stopped and immediately ran back to the car, Sam followed as if she had just gotten the same idea he had. Danny reached the car in a matter of minutes without feeling the effects of excessive running, which he usually felt; he knew Sam wouldn’t tire from running any time soon as she was born to run. He reached into the back and took about a small blue bottle; he checked the nozzle, still sealed so they made their way back to the man. When they got back to the man, they couldn’t tell if he was alive just by looking at him. Sam wildly tore her teeth into his face without hesitation and Danny could still feel the familiar high that accompanied these pursuits of theirs, the man didn’t make a sound and only jerked roughly one last time. Danny didn’t have to check the man’s pulse to know that he was no longer with them and Sam pulled her muzzle away from his face. He started emptying the contents of the bottle onto the man. After he soaked the man in lighter fluid, he stood over him. The man’s neck was being held together by a small piece of flesh and his face was covered in cuts. He took the box of matches from his pocket, lit one, and dropped the burning match onto the man’s lifeless body. The body burst into flames instantly and Danny could feel the warmth on his face and backed away. They stood there watching only for a few minutes; although Danny hadn’t put much thought into this killing he wasn’t going to take any unnecessary chances so they crept into the shadows and made their way back to the car.

 

The roads were quiet and the man seemed to have of the last people leaving the pub so this cremation wouldn’t be discovered presently. Danny changed clothes and beside the swollen jaw and aching ribs he was clean. Sam on the other hand had her face painted in red. He used his sweater to wipe her down but couldn’t get all of it off. He drove to the alley where they had dumped the arm of the park attacker and Danny got out. He walked into the darkness of the alley, tore his clothes into little pieces of cloth, and dumped them. The experience of leading a hunt felt surreal to him and he didn’t care what would happen next. Someone would find the burning body; they would find his clothes none of these things mattered now. Danny opened the tap they had in the backyard and he washed the blood from Sam’s face. The blood soaked onto the lawn and left a bland red stain in it. Danny lay in his bed and replayed the events of the night over and over in his head. Unlike the last time, Danny wasn’t checking to make sure they had cleaned up properly he was watching his new favourite experience as if it were a movie he could enjoy a million times. This was what they needed, everything would be all better now.

14: 14

Danny didn’t wake up and run out into the backyard to check on Sam, instead he finished everything he needed to do and leisurely made a cup of coffee and walked out onto the dew covered lawn to meet his beloved pet. He had a purple bruise on the side of his face and all over the left side of his upper body, which he hid carefully. Sam’s condition interested him as he had taken a beating the night before he wondered if she had gotten any knocks too. He froze as his idea of how this scene would look was shattered, Sam didn’t look better at all in fact she looked worse. Sam was lying on her side breathing irregularly; looking at her Danny could not only see but could feel something wrong with her.

 

He did not know what to do and stared haplessly at her. His mother came out of the house and tried questioning him but he was unresponsive.

“Danny…Danny what’s wrong?” she looked at him concerned; his face was twisted in a horrible expression. He looked like he was witnessing the most sickening thing one could see. Danny felt sick to his stomach; he could not believe what was happening right in front of him.

“Danny you’re scaring me,” said his mother. She tried to grab his arm in an attempt to comfort him but Danny broke free and ran to Sam. She was clearly in pain and Danny knew it was not injuries from the night before. He could not understand mainly because their connection (if that’s what you want to call it) he usually knew what Sam was experiencing and the two of them would have similar effects from the prior evening’s activities. This was different and although Danny couldn’t sense exactly what was wrong with her he could feel that it was different and worrying. He tried giving her raw bloody meat, brushing her hair but to no avail, she was still suffering. Danny sat in hopelessness staring at Sam and hated himself and the fact that he was powerless nauseated him. The entire day had passed with Sam in that heart-breaking state and Danny couldn’t bear the sight of her like looking that. His distress had alarmed his whole family, not only his mother.

“Can’t you get her checked out again?” his father asked as Danny was leaving.

“No, they’d just barely look her over and say everything is fine” Danny’s voice was strained. He got into his car and left before anyone could ask any other questions.

 

He drove for hours, only stopping twice to fill his tank and use the toilet. Danny still felt horror-struck and it felt like he was already grieving although Sam was still there. He knew she was he could feel her presence even if they were miles apart. Through tear, stained eyes he peered beyond the darkness barely being able to see while he drove erratically further and further away. All of it was too overwhelming and Danny parked his car in an empty parking lot and closed his eyes. He saw the two of them together in the park and as images flickered through his mind it all became too much and Danny was soon lost in oblivion lying quietly alone in his car.

 

The next thing he saw was, him standing in an empty field; the grass lovely shade of green, blooming and luscious all around except in one spot. Right in the centre of the field was a circle of dried and dead grass and in the middle of that circle was a large piece of stone sticking out it was a gravestone. Danny slowly approached it, he had to find out more even though deep down he already knew. Tears trickled down his face as he felt that familiar sickening feeling.

Daniel Bailey

The gravestone read his name boldly and terrifyingly. Relief wasn’t the first thing he felt although he was happy not to see Sam’s name but finding his own didn’t bring any comfort. He stood over his own grave that was bare, no flowers, no dates or any other inscriptions, only death all around it.

He felt the earth move and saw the ground where the grave would naturally be, start to move.

Standing before his own burial-place desensitized him against any fear so he stood firm. Something was digging its way out from beneath the ground and Danny watched, waiting to face his reanimated corpse. Instead, what he saw made him scream in agony. A large paw clawed its way out, Danny had immediately recognised it but it had soggy earth covered fur over it besides the fact that it looked putrefied. Danny closed his eyes, he wouldn’t look and he wouldn’t see her like this, this was even worse than seeing her in pain. It made that familiar whimpering noise that Sam would make when she wanted Danny to run his hands through her hair. He reluctantly opened his eyes and before him stood the most terrifying thing, he’d ever seen. Sam’s burly carcass looked ghastly, she stood on three legs as her hind leg, bloodied and hanging awkwardly aside. The soiled fur didn’t cover her entire body and in patches of rotted flesh was horridly exposed. She opened her mouth trying to make a sound that would convince Danny to caress her. Her white canines, what was left of them and her entire mouth flowed in a black oozing fluid. The black sludge escaped from her mouth endlessly and as much as Danny tried to contain it he couldn’t deny the disgust her felt towards this abomination. He was painfully weeping and Sam took this opportunity to gracelessly stagger toward him. Danny felt the life sucked out of him and he fell to his knees. Through all the pain and disgust, he stretched out his arms reached out to the grotesque corpse. Just as Danny touched her decayed flesh, the miasma took him over as well. The black goo poured from his mouth and he could see his flesh start to decompose right before his eyes. Sam let out a deep and mournful howl as the two of them suffered the same horrifying fate.

 

Danny woke up covered in sweat and tears. He vividly remembered every second of the dream as if he had lived it himself. His car was stale with vapour and he slowly slipped out to let the cold morning air properly wake him up. Danny checked his phone and saw a multitude of messages left for him from his parents but most of them were from his sister.

“Where the hell are you?”

“Danny this looks serious, I know you’re stressed and worried but you have to come quick”

“I’m gonna try to take care of this but you have to get here soon Danny”

Danny feared the worst must have been over by now but despite that he still needed to get home now. The image of Sam’s zombie corpse was stuck in his head along with hundreds of terrifying thoughts. He tried hard and just scarcely managed to compose himself again. His sister and one of her friends had managed to get Sam to the clinic when things had gotten even worse. Danny drove steadily to the clinic he could feel that horrible dream had not become a reality, not just yet. When he pulled, up to the clinic, he felt déjà vu, maybe the circumstances were different now but it was similar enough to the first time he had come here to get Sam.

 

The concern and the need to be close to Sam was just as overwhelming then as it is now. When he got inside his sister was sitting in the waiting area and nervously talking to a skinny looking girl. He couldn’t even begin to imagine how the two of them succeeded in getting Sam into a car.

“Where the hell were you?” his sister yelled at him.

“Sorry, I had to get away, what happened?” asked Danny.

She could see the off colour condition her brother was in and knew it was because of Sam so she wasn’t her usual obnoxious self and helped Danny. Sam had become even more ill in Danny’s absence, he didn’t care about the details and when his sister informed him that she was all better he stopped listening entirely. The young volunteer that Danny had met on his first visit to the clinic spoke to his sister. Danny had calmed down by this time and felt both relived and delighted but all he wanted to now was to take Sam and leave.

“They said she’s gonna have to stay for a while, maybe a month” said his sister. She looked serious and spoke with genuine concern so Danny wholeheartedly believed she cared about the well-being of Sam. He didn’t question her any further then; she must have had a tiring day already.

“Thank you for everything sis” said Danny “I really appreciate all of it”

“You owe me big time,” she said with a tired smile.

15: 15

Hours, days then finally weeks went by agonizingly slow but eventually the month was over and Sam was home. A second murder in their town had everyone buzzing and throwing around their own theories. Danny and Sam seemed to be in the clear although this time there was evidence, nothing that could implicate the two of them though but nonetheless suspicions had roused that involved the beast of Dexys. The addition of so much lighter fluid had started a blaze that was easily spotted, the flames was put out to early for them to burn away all the atrocities done to him. It wasn’t clear but some officers recognised the bruises on his face as an animal mauling although in their town or any town in fact they couldn’t imagine what kind of domesticated animal could do such damage. Burt, the victim was a regular at the pub and his clothes easily recognised him by the bartender there that night. The place where the original fight had started was found with lots of blood and luckily, for Danny the police assumed all of it belonged to Burt so they didn’t bother testing it. Lastly, he most damning piece of evidence would be Burt’s final screams, it was a quiet night and someone heard them and peeked out of the window to see a figure they assumed a person, running away but minutes later they saw a blaze of fire coming from the quiet road. This would have been very troublesome for Danny only if anyone besides his family had noticed the change in behaviour or the fact that he was Sam’s partner in crime so if you’re looking for a wild animal and a human side-kick you’d be immediately looking at Danny. His other concern would be the people from the dog fighting where he’d killed the champ.

 

Only Rogan, the champion’s owner Stephen and Mark would think of Danny concerning these murders. Only they saw the look on his face and heard the laughter and only they could see the killing intent in both Danny and Sam. Only Mark knew Danny’s name and would be the only on there that could give any real information on Danny but he knew Mark wouldn’t, he knew Mark was shady, too smart and too scared to mess with him especially after seeing what he could do. Unlike Danny, the rest of his family was concerned with the rumours and his mother went as far as to stop Danny from bringing Sam home. She was dubious of Sam all along and wanted Danny to leave her at the clinic but he wouldn’t have any of it. His father and sister had joined her side but Danny threatened to leave with Sam and move along as he put it and they soon gave up on the idea of separating the two.

Leaving was something he had said in the heat of the moment but with Sam back at his side, he thought it was a good idea. Somehow, he would make money to support whatever little things they would need but most of all they could do whatever they wanted without any fear of consequences. This appealed the most to him that they could drive and pillage (or their own sadistic version of pillaging) any town as they went along. With the weight of the earlier matter of life and death of their shoulders, Danny and Sam both felt the urge now. Danny thought more and more that a nomadic existence was perfect for the two of them. In these last few weeks Danny had left school indefinitely, to him it was merely a hindrance right now. He found an acceptable job taking scraps and any other junk to the dump for Ed, the local mechanic, repairperson and all around jack-of-all-trades. It didn’t pay much but beggars can’t be chooses and he knew that, he worked diligently so he and Sam could start their trek as soon as possible. During the day at the park, Danny always had a creepy inkling feeling that they were being watched. He assumed it was people staring as the two of them seemed to attract a lot of attention as of late but at night it became worse and in dark alleys Danny could swear he saw a shadow or heard footsteps but he simply dismissed them as paranoia although it always stayed in the back of his mind.

 

This was not the ideal time for them to think fulfilling their sinful urge. All those people that gave them or Sam in particular fearful gazes now looked suspiciously at them. As soon, as word got out that the cause of death for Burt may have been wild animal mauling, eyes immediately turned to Sam. Danny stayed calm and paid no attention to these rumours as the duo just kept on having a good time together at the park and sometimes in the company of Ben and Bob. If you saw Sam and Danny together at the park, sometimes playing fetch other times, wrestling or even lying on their backs watching the clouds gradually fly by all your uncertainties suddenly vanished and you would still feel ashamed for thinking it.

Spending so much time with Danny and Sam was intoxicating; their affection infected you and this was exactly how Bob felt. He rolled alongside them on the grassy plains of their local park, him and

Ben just as jubilant as the others. As the two dogs chased one another, Danny would occasionally say eerie things and ask strange questions. The relation it had the current events in Dexys and the conversions they had didn’t seem to occur to Bob at the time. It may have been because of the happiness he felt with them, it was a sensational feeling and he loved the way they made him feel just by being in their presence.

“Do you ever think that if something ever happened to Sam or in your case Ben that you’d just lose the will to carry on?”

“I don’t think the attackers killing was so gruesome, it might have even been just deserts for him”

“If we left it would make everything perfect, it would all work out man. We wouldn’t have to be so careful and afraid, we could be judge, jury and executioner, hell there would be no right or wrong.”

Recalling some of the more fear-provoking things Danny has said scared Bob. This was not the softhearted taciturn he knew and loved. He loved Ben but what Danny felt for Sam was something different, it was too much, it was wrong. His views on the macabre things that were happening were repulsive. Bob didn’t know what to do about his friend’s new mannerisms. He knew about Danny’s home situation and the fact that no one would be able to stop him. Danny had always been independent; he’d always been able to come up with a plan for just about anything. So what was he supposed to do? Was he supposed have a chat with Danny or stop him? .

He thought about following Danny because although he felt and knew his childhood friend was a different person all of a sudden he still didn’t think he was capable of such horrible things as murder. He tried to look it as Danny’s mother did, that it was all Sam’s fault but he was with Danny and Sam during their good times and even he felt a certain kind of fondness for Sam. Besides even if they did do it (which was a big maybe) he wouldn’t tell anyone about it, this wasn’t shoplifting or some other petty crime this was unlawful death, would he ruin his best friend’s life even if he was guilty of a horrendous deed? He started spending more time with Danny to try and persuade himself that he was making a mountain out of a molehill and if he was right, to try and turn back the clock and bring back the old, the real Danny. It was clear to him now that Sam was an influence in Danny’s behavioural change but not in the unruly way people thought. He knew that Danny needed something or someone, that something was missing in his life and now Sam was filling that void. He was happy that his friend had found that special something he needed. Therefore, that would obviously change one’s perception but he couldn’t see how she could turn Danny corrupt.

16: 16

Stephen lay in his bed, restlessly tossing in his sleep. Since his encounter with Sam and Danny he’s had the same dream every night. In the dream, he’s surrounded by darkness and feels cold as if he were in the depths of a mossy hole of despair. This feeling alone makes his skin crawl. Then in the darkness, he manages to see them. The large eyes, amber eyes that pierce him like daggers. Below them, he slowly sees canines as white as snow and as large as knives. He’s mesmerized by the combination even though they scare him stiff.

His eyes adjust to the darkness and he sees his beloved Champion, he sees Alexander’s lifeless body thick with blood unmoving under her large paws. He knew who she was the moment the light hit that wicked figure. He doesn’t miraculously gain courage like before but is instead frozen in one spot even though he wants run to the aid of his pet. First, she barks and Stephen’s eyes snap back to hers. She growls and the saliva drips from the exposed teeth like water from a tap and you don’t need to be inside her head to know what that means, his heart starts beating fearfully fast, his chest aching as well. He falls to his knees in pain and as everything becomes dark again, the last sounds of her howling take away the heartache. He’d wake up, breathing heavily and feeling miserable. Stephen sat in his bed weeping; he did not have the strength to fight it tonight and after weeks of torment from his subconscious, he finally broke down. He loved Alexander and his feeling toward his dog may have been as intense as Danny’s feelings.

He got him as a puppy and cared for him his whole life (as short as it was). Stephen did not intend to raise Alexander as fighter but he had a gift in that department. He loved seeing his dog dominate others; they didn’t crave the fighting or the thrill of sparring but enjoyed the victories however. He would give up any feeling of power or achievements if it meant never meeting Danny and Sam. Having been fighting for a while and being of average intelligence he saw the distinction in them, that they weren’t ordinary but he couldn’t have known it would be that grave. When Danny and Sam walked away that miserable raining night, he immediately ran over to help Alexander. He along with everyone in that place knew that it was already too late but he couldn’t believe that it all could come to an end so quickly, that the great Alexander could be killed in seconds in front of his incredulous eyes. The reason he was fine with his dog fighting was because he could throw in the towel at any time but that wasn’t enough. Rogan tried to pull him away but Stephen just brushed him aside, he knelt beside Alexander lifting him onto his lap. The courage he gained from confronting Danny still pumped strength through him.

The blood spread onto him and the rain-washed it away in an endless loop. After everyone left and the light of the truck had disappeared Stephen still sat in the rain crying, holding the dead Alexander wishing, begging God to bring him back. He wouldn’t fight another dog, he would be a saint and all he wanted was for this unbearable night to never have happened. His father helped him bury Alexander after he mustered all his strength to drive home with Alexander’s body on the back seat and cleaning up the blood the following day made him weep all over again. His state of near depression was innocent; he didn’t have feeling s of vengeance or anger but only wanted his dog back. He wished he could reanimate him or put him in some ancient burial ground only for him to appear alive the next day. It was only a dog but he loved that dog and if Alexander had died of old age he would have felt better about it but witnessing his murder with his own eyes plagued Stephen and with the addition of these haunting dreams each night, drove him more insane. Crying in his bed changed it all, as badly as he wanted it he couldn’t have Alexander back and the only retribution he could gain now was getting the people that had done him so menacingly wrong.

17: 17

With the weekend here, Danny was all set to hit the road; these were to be his final days at home. Ed had asked him to stay another week (apparently the workload was at an all-time high) so Danny made the following week his last in the small town of Dexys. He planned to tell everyone about his plans just before he left but because of his (suspicious) behaviour, everyone was snooping around his things. His mother soon found all the camping gear, food (not a lot though as Sam would probably get her food the old-fashioned way).She confronted Danny and he told them about his preparations and arrangements for the future. Talks did not start well but then again he did not expect them to. He tried pleading with them at first but saw that it wasn’t getting him anywhere, he didn’t care if they were against the whole idea.

“I left school, I made enough money and I’m leaving” Danny said aggressively, he and Sam had been staking out the streets at night but have come up short since Burt so Danny was agitated, “I’ve already made my mind, this heads up was out of courtesy, so please don’t try to stop me or plead your case”

He breathed heavily and outside Sam barked which alarmed everyone in sight. His parents were shell-shocked, everyone at the dogfights had seen this but it was the first time his parents saw this intense, alpha behaviour from their son. After the initial, shock his mother cried, as she was the first to realise that they were truly powerless. Danny looked at her and immediately calmed, everything became quiet and through the tears, he could see the sadness in her eyes. It melted him, it evaporated all the tension, anger and compulsions and he felt awful for what he’d done. It was then that Danny thought it would be better to give them some false hope rather than none at all.

“I wanted to take a break from school; I have a job lined up in Ridgemont with Bob’s uncle. I’ll just be away for about two months and if I don’t feel differently I’ll go back to school and just focus on academics”. He could see that they believed it. The words surprised him, not the fact that the lie came to him so easily but the choice of words. How could they believe that so easily? It was clear to Danny that those words were what they wanted to hear, to show them that he wasn’t completely free of their influence. He hugged his mother and she instantly forgot about everything and was just happy to have her baby back. His sister had noticed the changes earlier than anyone else had and wasn’t surprised at Danny’s performance tonight unlike her father who was still shook up at the presence of his son. The idea, at least the one they believed had sunk in for his family and they didn’t just accept his decision now they even felt happy for him and his endeavour (all of it except the part where he leaves school). To Danny’s displeasure, his mother arranged a going away party and against his better judgement, he reluctantly accepted. Danny dreaded it but when the party was underway, he enjoyed it. It was a small affair and he was only the centre of attention for ten minutes and when that was over everyone when about his or her own devices.

He knew his mother had arranged for it that way and he suddenly felt a great deal of tenderness for her and a smidge of guilt for lying to her. Sam on the other hand was exiled to the confines of the garage, as people would feel tense with her prowling about in that animalist manner of hers; this was the excuse Danny’s mother gave him. He didn’t fuss or look into it much after all this was a one-time thing and soon enough they would be in each other’s companionship, alone on the road and everything would be different. For some reason his mother thought the setting of a starry sky was more ideal than a Saturday afternoon. Bob couldn’t stay too late so he was saying his goodbyes now, he knew most of Danny’s family given that they were best friends since they were kids (much younger kids) and he just passed through the door when Danny caught up with him.

“Great party man” Bob said

“Yeah I’m glad you could make it,” replied Danny

“By the way I saw Faith somewhere inside there, she’s sure grown up” Bob said winking with a broad smile on his face.

“You can say that again,” said Danny

“Well I guess I can’t say see you later anymore” Bob exclaimed, he still had the smile but his eyes steadily fixed on Danny and he knew why, Danny suddenly realised that Bob knew his true intentions for leaving.

“I guess not,” Danny answered and waved as he turned around in his doorway.

Sam was already at the small door on the side of the square garage when Danny entered. He put down the food and she just nibbled at it and slowly strode forward toward Danny who sat on the cold floor with his back against the wall. Sam laid herself down between his propped up legs and Danny caressed her furry figure. Sometimes when the urges got bad, just lying under a star crossed sky with his hand stirring through Sam’s hair was enough to quench this particular thirst for the time being.

“Soon Sam, real soon” he said absent-minded to her.

“Yep, I heard that you were leaving” a soft voice from the doorway said.

Danny’s heart seemed to stop in that short time and he turned with wide eyes to the door, again the fact that he and Sam were in their own private world made Danny oblivious to his surroundings.

He started breathing again when he saw Faith.

“Uhm… yes” Danny replied incoherently. The sight of Faith’s olive skin with chestnut hair like silk loosely hanging over her shoulders didn’t help Danny compose himself.

She graciously sat down next to him, pushing her body against his “so where you off to?” Faith asked.

“I don’t really have any particular destination in mind,” he answered

“So just traversing the globe, Dexys did always seem like to small a place for you. And you were gonna go without saying goodbye you jerk.” She tenderly punched him on the shoulder.

Danny laughed softly “I threw a whole party just to say goodbye to you”

Both of them giggled and Faith took Danny’s hand in hers.  “I’m going to miss you,” she spoke softly and Danny could see sincerity on her face “I know we haven’t seen each other much but I always liked you and I always thought we’d have the time eventually”.

“So did I, I need to leave Faith, for the first time I feel like I want to stay but somehow it still just isn’t enough, we can’t stay here” he felt sick at having to rejected Faith’s affections, he was not lying he felt a sudden desire to stay.

“I’ve spoken to your mom and Bob and they all say you’ve changed so I won’t try to persuade you or say anything about your dog, I’ve been advised not to. I just wanted to let you know how I felt”.

Danny looked into her eyes and at that moment he felt like he could deny Sam, he could deny anyone.                                                                                                                                                                                     “I know what they mean about you changing but I still see the old Danny” she moved her face closer to his and whispered, “the one I fell in love with”.

Danny was experiencing a completely new and unfamiliar feeling. His entire body stiffened and he could feel his hands tightly grasping hers. His heart beat faster although not with the same speed as when he and Sam were doing their thing. There was a throbbing sensation in his temples but not so strong, that it hurt him. He thought the most intense and pleasuring feeling he could get was when he and Sam were fighting but this was different even if it wasn’t as ominous or extreme as satisfying the urges he still relished it.

Danny could feel her warm flesh against his, “I didn’t know, I always thought that you didn’t,” they were face to face and he saw tears slowly trickle down her cheeks. He moved closer to her, his eyes only fixed on her ample lips that for some reason were always pink. Danny slowly pressed his lips against hers, they kissed and she knew her feelings towards him were reciprocated. Danny’s mind was scattered but he would not deal with the conflict of interest and the conflict of emotions now.

He put his arms around her and she rested her head on his shoulder and for the first time ever,

Danny spent the night with his arms caressing someone other than Sam.

18: 18

Danny did not know what the next step was. He sat on his bed looking out into the sparkling sky that once was a reassuring and enchanting sanctuary for him but it seemed that tonight the crescent moon’s smile was only taking a perverse pleasure in his misery. He’d already taken on the task of getting Faith home safely and it was not a nuisance because to Danny that particular drive was one

of the best he’d ever had. Faith’s soft angelic voice serenaded him while they drove. Her lovely scent filled the car. When they got to her house, they could not bring themselves to depart from one another and just sat in the car a couple meters away from her door. These were all trivial things but they made all the difference to him, this whole evening felt surreal. He kissed her goodnight, she shut the door behind her and while Danny walked, back to his car, he saw his future a new future with her and it was fantastic, he could not fathom the sudden happiness this girl gave him. While he was in this joyous state, he thought it would be a good idea to spend some time with Sam. Danny thought that Sam would feed off this happiness as they usually shared a peculiar link. He was dreadfully mistaken; she never fed off loving emotions he got from someone else. When Sam approached him he slid his hand onto her back like he usually did but this time he felt that dark attraction she instilled in him. He did not know why it felt wrong now but it did.

His face was impassive but he had gooseflesh all over his body and he’d shivered. Danny looked into Sam’s eyes and still felt the affection, the good kind, the innocent kind. For the first time he had something to compare it to. Danny had never felt anything as strong as he did for Sam in such a short period but now his uncertain feelings toward Faith rivalled them. Sam could feel the imbalance within him, she barked at him but not angrily. She was just as confused as Danny was and he left her and bolted straight for his bed. The reason for his turmoil was that although the feelings for Faith were pure, he still wanted the unhealthy and seductive influence that Sam gave him. He felt like he was betraying Sam’s affections but at the same time he knew that the emotions they shared was evil. He thought back to what they’d done and how could he have thought that their cause was just. Somewhere deep in his mind he knew that Sam wasn’t to blame; before he could point the finger he knew that it was him. For Sam this was survival of the fittest, she was a wild animal and all of this was natural to her.

He was the one that tainted all of it, the thrill, the urge and the organized fights those were all his maniacal pleasures deflecting off Sam but they weren’t bad guys he had reasons for what he did and his intentions were pure even if the act was cold blooded and ruthless. It must have been there all along, deep inside of him there was this dormant killing instinct, more than an instinct a lust for blood, a desire for power. He knew what he was doing while he was doing it, he planned the killings and he made preparations it he was in control of himself, he was conscious and sane, was he a

Psychopath? Although he did not blame Sam, he still heard a voice saying she started it, from the first time you saw her and the first dream you knew she had you under her spell. He couldn’t look at her let alone spend time with her all he wanted now was Faith. What was done is done and all he can do now is move on and he wondered if he was permanently twisted now, all the while he still didn’t cancel the preparations he’d made before. From experience, Danny couldn’t help but think that these doubts may only be a phase, a chapter that would soon pass and Sam would be there as she always was, even if the situation was different. When he woke up he still hadn’t chosen a side but he felt less anxious. He could do something today and just try to sort through the feelings, ideas and thoughts while he was it.

When Danny came downstairs, he was amazed to see his mother hadn’t left for church although he wasn’t sure if he’d just slept in really late. His father and sister were already at the table both with their own bowl of cereal. His sister was wickedly smiling at him when he filled a bowl with cereal and milk and sat down at the kitchen table to join them.

“I love you Danny,” she said mockingly in a high-pitched voice “I love you Faith” this time she made her voice sound deeper emulating a male.

Danny kept his face impassive although he could feel it becoming blush red. His parents were giggling happily not only at their daughter’s performance, which was now rubbing her arms together and at teasingly making kissing noises.

“Hey stop that I think it’s sweet, I always did like her Danny” interjected his mother

“You weren’t the only one,” said his sister.

This went on for most of the breakfast but amidst the mocking, Danny got the idea that everyone at the table was truly happy for him and was definitely rooting for the two of them. Although she had already accepted the idea of her son leaving, Danny’s mother couldn’t have asked for this romantic intervention at a better time she hoped that it would be enough to make Danny stay home. Despite being the bud of this morning’s jokes Danny had thoroughly enjoyed breakfast with his family. He found that for the first time he welcomed the enjoyment of company so with that frame of mind Danny headed for Bob’s to go and see his friend maybe even for the last time

19: 19

As surprised, as Bob was to see Danny he was happy to have some private time with him. Bob thought about it for a while and he wasn’t going to let Danny just leave especially knowing the truth or at least some of it. When Danny arrived at his door, it was like a message from above telling him that what he was doing was right.

“Thought I wouldn’t see your ugly mug again,” said Bob

“The party wasn’t my idea; I always planned to come by before I left,” Danny replied.

Despite the laughter and his jolly appearance, Bob could see that Danny wasn’t fine. He saw that look in Danny’s eyes the one he had before Sam the one he had when he was lost. They walked and Bob didn’t say anything he knew Danny would talk when he was ready but that he was thinking of a way to convince Danny, he hadn’t come up with a plan yet.

“Faith wants me to stay,” Danny could feel his face turn red and he kept his head down.

Although not completely shocked Bob was still pleasantly surprised, “So she told you everything huh” he laughed, “You were the only idiot that couldn’t see it after all”.

“I guess so,” Danny smiled at his friends delight then his face reverted to its gloomy state “wish

I’d have got the message before Sam”

“So she hasn’t changed your mind then?” Bob calmly asked but hid (very well) his joy that Faith

might have done his job for him.

“Not exactly but she’s got me thinking,” Danny couldn’t hold all of his emotions in anymore “I’m starting to think that what we did was wrong, what we’ve been doing might not be right but what am I supposed to do?”

Danny didn’t exactly say but somehow Bob knew what he was talking about. He read between the lines of what he thought Danny was saying except he couldn’t imagine him doing what he did.

“Go back to your old life, at least try to carry on with what you’ve got here,” Bob did not want Danny to see his words for what they really were, pleas.

“It’s too late now we’ve already started and I know even If I wanted to somehow it’d just come back. Faith might not be enough but Sam is always gonna be there I just know it” Bob was confused for a moment.

The way Danny said that Sam would always be there sounded as if he somehow hated and feared the idea that Sam would always be around. He understood Danny’s dilemma, the fact that he thought he’d found his ideal partner and chosen to leave but now finding his true mate and being torn but he did not understand this power Sam had. He had been noticing it for a while but now he truly grasped the idea that there may be more to Sam and Danny’s relationship, that they might have entered into something dangerous, something evil.                          

Bob kept the coded messaging, “Danny whatever was done is done, you have a chance here Faith is your chance and if she isn’t enough you have to make her enough for you, enough to fight… her”.

Danny looked wide-eyed at him. Bob knew that Sam was off limits but he didn’t just mention her he condemned her. Danny knew that the only person that felt a glimmer of affection for Sam beside him was Bob so when he said that Danny couldn’t believe what he heard. His mind quickly understood that if Bob, Sam’s only other friend was dooming her then Faith must be the good option. Yet he couldn’t abandon her, he also realized that he would not find the answers with someone other than himself.

“Okay Okay,” Danny smiled a tired smile and Bob knew that it was over

“You know I’m gonna ask Faith out when you’re gone” he told Danny

“You know I’ll come back and kick your ass pal.”                                                                                                                They had walked all the way to the park and were about to make their way back home as they’d fulfilled the purpose of the visit. Countless visits with their animal counterparts triggered a kind of sense-memory that led them to the park. Danny thought that they weren’t the only ones partying the night before because the town was completely deserted.

Danny could hear a car starting up off in the distance; it might have been his new sophisticated hunting skills. The car started toward them and Danny stepped onto the path that ran through the park, Bob followed and the two waited cautiously for the car to pass. The car turned off the road onto the path and drove straight for them.

“What the hell is this guy doing?” Bob yelled at Danny as he moved off the path and onto the grass towards the trees that he used as a cover.

The car stopped a few metres away from Danny who had recognised the driver and stood firm waiting for him. He watched Stephen step out of the car, he slowly opened the backdoor at when he closed it he had a baseball bat in his hand.

“Whoa man what the hell?” Bob said running to Danny’s side.

“He knows what this is all about,” Stephen spoke directly to Danny.

“Don’t worry about it Bob, go on ahead I’ll catch up,” Bob backed away slowly but he wasn’t going to leave.

“You killed my dog after I begged you to stop,” Stephen’s voice broke as he screamed at Danny with tears flowing down his face.

“It was a dog fight and both of us knew what we were getting into besides they’re dogs when they fight no one can stop them,” Danny clenched his teeth as he wanted to laugh at the last words.

“No…no you and that animal knew what you were doing, both of you killed Alexander,” he waved his bat around as he sobbingly spoke.

“And now you want revenge?” Danny held out his hands arms. Bob looked at Danny and saw someone else, he’s demeanour displayed someone much more powerful and ominous than the person he knew.

“No not only revenge,” Stephen swallowed hard ,“I know it was you I just know it. Those people I know you and that dog did it”

“Who told you that?” Danny smiled at him as if it were some crazy accusation.

“I don’t need anyone to tell me or evidence or witnesses I know it was you”

Bob couldn’t believe what he heard but everything inside told him that what this boy said was true, Bob couldn’t move he just stood motionless watching.                                                                                                  “It doesn’t matter you’ve already pinned everything on me besides what are you gonna say? You know it’s me because we took part in an illegal dogfight,” Danny started giggling, “and that you feel it in your bones”

That pushed Stephen over the edge and he charged at Danny pulling the bat over his head. He swung and Danny put up his left arm, he blocked and threw a punch with his right at the same time that landed square in the face of his opponent. Stephen fell back, Danny look at his arm, his arm had been broken from only one swing, and he clutched it in pain. Stephen wiped the blood from his mouth, got up, and started swinging wildly at Danny. He was about to put his arm up to block but the pain stopped him. Danny quickly backed away but slipped and before he could stand up he felt the bat land with tremendous force into his ribs then again and then in his gut knocking the wind out of him.

Danny looked up, saw the positioning of the bat, and anticipated the next blow to be to his head. In a flash Danny saw Stephen covered by a black figure. Sam leapt onto him and tore at his face, her teeth slicing into him effortlessly. Stephen fell to the ground clutching his face, crying in agony. Stephen was thrashing back and forth blood gushing from his face and Sam just slowly stepped away from him and stood at Danny’s side. Danny sat up leaning against Sam’s mountain of a body and smiled not menacingly but understandingly.

Sam was here she would always be there and things wouldn’t always be good but that didn’t matter to her she would be there and this made Danny happy and for the first time in a long time he didn’t see the monster Faith had opened his eyes to, he saw the beautiful creature that made him happy. He reached out his arm onto Sam’s back and moved his hands through her furry covering.

“Come on we have to get him to a hospital, help me,” Bob put Stephen’s arm around him and started lifting.

“We can’t do that Bob. People might point fingers at Sam and others might come after her. Things have already gone too far.” The great and powerful Danny spoke calmly which scared Bob but also the fact that he could speak about killing someone so easily sent chills down his spine.

“What are you talking about we can’t just leave him here,” Bob screamed up at Danny while still trying to lift the bleeding Stephen.

“That’s not what I meant. Bob I get this might be hard to understand but we just can’t take that chance so leave him and go back home,” Danny stretched out his hand for Bob to take it and his advice.

Bob looked at Danny with wide unbelieving eyes “What… Danny was all those things true… how can? … Danny you can’t, you couldn’t,” Danny could see tears fill Bob’s eyes he knew Bob just grasped the situation but not only that Bob understood what this whole thing had been about, why Danny’s been changing and finally, why Danny’s leaving.

“I know man I’m sorry but it’s not bad it wasn’t bad. The reason’s was there, the right reasons”

Danny knew that he wouldn’t be able to convince Bob. He looked pleadingly at him trying to at least

convince him to leave, “Bob you have to go I’m begging you just go” Danny stood next to Sam and

let go off her. Sam slowly moved forward grimacing, not for the kill this time but for Bob she and

Danny both didn’t want Bob to be collateral damage. Bob didn’t move because he wasn’t going to let Danny cross that line also partially out of fear but Sam still moved they had crossed the point of no return and she had to do what needed to be done. She was almost close enough to silence Stephen’s unbearable screaming when a loud explosion stopped her in her tracks and Sam’s hind legs gave way.

Wooried, Danny looked over his shoulders and saw the local police officer with both hands on his pistol that pointed directly at Sam. Danny stood dumbfounded he could not understand how this man could be here; it couldn’t just be some coincidence.

“Danny I didn’t know, I thought he was gonna hurt you I just dialed the number. I didn’t even say anything,” Bob said

“Those calls get tracked, I was patrolling the area. Hey, kid did that… wait is he okay? ” before the officer could finish his sentence Danny leapt at him fists swinging wildly. The officer put his right foot forward for the proper balance and pistol-whipped an on-rushing Danny who felt the butt of a service weapon slam into his temple.

Danny fell to the officer’s side and before he touched the ground, Sam was upon the officer. She knocked him over and went to work on his arms. She was about to tear it off when he punched her in the side that was already bleeding from a gunshot. Sam lifted her head as she whimpered and Danny tried moving but everything around him was hazy.

The officer tried with all his strength to push Sam off his body but it took too long and before he could make any progress, he felt teeth cut into his neck like finely sharpened daggers. Sam didn’t bite into his neck but instead slashed and tore at his face, arms, legs and abdomen then went to Danny’s side once again. The officer laid bleeding, choking on his own blood and experiencing death by a thousand cuts.

Danny had landed face first into the concrete path and felt blood fill his mouth as Sam ran to his side licking his check and the trickles of blood dripping from his temple. Danny turned his head and looked into Sam’s eyes, which were gradually becoming two and rubbed her mane, which was soaked in blood, and this worried Danny as he felt her labored breathing and a steady flow of fresh blood cover his hand. Danny very slowly tried getting up, “Let’s finish this Sam”

“No no Danny this is wrong,” Bob stood next to the officer. Through tears, fear and sheer astonishment he yelled at them and held the officers weapon shakily in his hand, “I know it wasn’t you Danny this isn’t you”

“Hold on a second Bob just calm down. These people tried to hurt us they had it coming,” Danny stood up straight the adrenaline masking the pain.

“Danny… I don’t know what or why but it can’t go on like this, Look at all of this,” he waved the gun at the officer and Stephen who was lying on his back with his hands still covering his face.              “Bob I don’t have time to explain but don’t be stupid man just put the gun down,” crouched Danny moved slowly toward Bob holding his arms out and hands up but his tone became harsh and the powerful Danny gave way to the angry. Sam noticed that and she turned to Bob and started moving alongside Danny.

“I’m sorry I just can’t,” Bob closed his eyes, used all the force available to him, and slowly pulled the trigger. The force from the shot sent his arms flying back and Bob fell onto his back. When he opened his eyes to the scene before him he threw his face into his hands and cried, he laid back and cried because that was all that was left to do, that was all that could be done.

All of this had been moving frame by frame before Danny’s eyes like many of the fights he and Sam indulged in. When he saw Bob close his eyes he knew what was coming and moved to the side somehow covering Sam’s monstrous figure from the line of fire. He knew that even Sam couldn’t survive another gunshot wound although she wasn’t fairing well with the one she already had. He heard the ear-splitting bang of a close range gunshot and after the ringing in his ears subsided, he felt the white-hot pain in his gut push him back. Danny knew what he had done but still couldn’t grasp it and quickly put his hand to his stomach closing the wound, lifting his blood soaked hand before his eyes and stared unbelieving at it. As corny as it was from seeing it happen in every movie it was still the only thing he could think to do.

Danny fell over onto Sam and even she couldn’t keep the two of them up and her legs crumpled to let the two of them fall to the ground. Danny lay next to Sam, feeling her breathing directly on his face like the first time they met in the darkened corner cell of the clinic. He was becoming sleepy, he knew what that meant, and as blood poured from his stomach he could feel the warmth of his body go with it. He lifted his arm one last time and stretched it onto Sam’s side, he couldn’t reach her back but this was enough. Danny moved his fingers into the wet fur and Sam let out one last howl that put a smile on her owner’s face.

In Danny’s mind, he saw Faith’s beautiful face with all its wonderful qualities and his heart became warm one last time, in his ears, he heard the familiar and unique howl of Sam and in his hands, he held the comforting and loving flesh of his favourite and only pet. To the smiling Danny this wasn’t a bad way to go out, he turned his head to the sky that had for a long time been the one scene that he, and Sam loved to watch together.

20: 20

Standing in front of the clinic was heart breaking and she could feel a nauseating sensation unsettle her stomach but she felt that she had to do this no matter what she just had to. They had found her brother next to the dog he’d cherished and now the only thing left from the two of them was inside this place. She stepped inside and was greeted by Peter. No one knew Danny but the news of his “accident” spread like wildfire and now she was in for another “I’m so sorry”.

“Hi there, I’m sorry for your loss,” Peter tried to take her hand as he gave his sympathies.

“Thank You,” she didn’t break stride as these now recurring and infuriating pitied looks just made her angry. She stepped to the counter and saw the not so helpful clerk that had bothered her brother at what seemed now like a very long time ago.

“I’d like to adopt a puppy,” she said as she saw the clerk immediately recognise her.

“Hey I remember you, so you want one from that time that you were here,” the clerk asked.

“Yes” she breathed deep and lifted her broad smiling face “I’d like to take one of Sam’s puppies”.

 

-End-