The Dog (14 page)
“Go on, Hannibal!” Thomas yells from a distance. “You can do it! Kill the bastard!”
As the creature approaches, I bare my teeth again and let out a low growl, slowly increasing the volume in the hope that a warning will be enough. By the time the creature reaches the wooden stake, however, it's only about ten feet away and still showing no sign of fear. I bark a couple of times, as loud as I've ever barked before, but the figure stumbles closer and closer until finally I have no choice but to run past and around to the other side of the stake.
I bark again, but the creature stops for a moment and then turns. Its dull, rotten eyes stare at me for a few seconds, and then it starts stumbling toward me once again.
“Get him!” Thomas shouts from the safety of the rocks nearby. “Do it, Hannibal! Don't hold back! You're a dog! Act like one!”
“My money's on the zombie!” Alex yells. “We're gonna see guts spill! I bet you all a meal that the dog gets ripped open!”
Still barking, I hold my ground as the creature once again stumbles toward me. I know deep down that I should attack and bite its leg, but the stench of death is overwhelming and my instincts are telling me to keep as far away from this thing as the rope will allow. Even a warning bite might be dangerous, since the creature seems to be carrying some kind of infection. It looks a little like a human male, with scraps of clothing hanging from its thin body, and it's letting out a constant, low gurgle.
Suddenly it stumbles and reaches for me.
I turn and run, hitting the limit of the rope and then ducking a different way. I feel the rope catching on something, followed by a heavy thud that shakes the ground, but I keep going until the rope pulls tight again. Turning, I see that the creature has fallen, and I realize that it must have tripped over the rope.
I try to run again, but the rope prevents me from managing more than a couple of paces.
“Good tactic!” Thomas shouts. “Now go for the kill, Hannibal!”
“The dog's got brains!” one of his friends adds. “Maybe you're gonna lose this bet, Alex!”
“Go fuck yourself!” Alex yells with a laugh. “Some mangy dog isn't gonna bring down a fucking zombie! No fucking way!”
Still groaning, the creature struggles back up, and for a moment it seems to be struggling for balance. After a few seconds, however, it lurches toward me again, and I back away until the rope pulls tight. All I want is to run and find Julie, to warn her, but the rope won't let me get far and the creature is already coming closer again. My heart is pounding as I bare my teeth, followed by more barks, but nothing seems to be scaring this thing. It just keeps coming, and finally I have no choice but to run in a circle again until I'm on the far side of the stake.
When I turn again, the creature is already coming this way.
“Who's gonna get tired first?” Thomas shouts. “The dog or the zombie? Come on, Hannibal, don't let some rotten sack of shit bring you down! Prove yourself, hound!”
I start barking again, louder and faster than before, but the stench of death and rotten flesh is overwhelming as the creature stumbles toward me. I try holding my ground, still hoping that I can scare the creature away, but finally I have no choice but to run. I duck past the creature's hands, and then I feel the rope tugging against my collar. There's another thud, and this time I struggle to pull free. Once I eventually get to the far side of the stake, I turn back and see that the creature once again tripped over my rope. Short of breath, I watch as it rolls onto its front and stares at me, and I wait for its next move.
For a moment, the creature simply watches me, but then it looks down at the rope. My heart is pounding. I wait, and slowly the creature reaches out and puts its hands on the rope, while still letting out a series of grunts and groans.
“I think you might have a problem, Hannibal!” Thomas yells. “No-one can run forever! You're gonna have to get stuck in!”
I continue to bark as the creature holds the rope in its rotting hands, and then slowly I realize that it has begun to pull on the rope, trying to drag me closer.
I dig my paws into the ground, but the creature is stronger than I expected and after a moment I'm yanked forward. As if it has begun to realize that its approach is working, the creature looks at me for a few seconds before pulling on the rope again, dragging me closer. No matter how hard I try to push my paws into the dirt, I'm powerless to hold myself back as the creature – having finally figured out how this works – starts pulling harder and faster on the rope, dragging me closer and closer.
Nearby, Thomas and the other humans are cheering and shouting.
Turning, I try to run, but a moment later the rope is pulled again and I'm dragged closer to the creature. The stench of death is all around me now, and a sense of pure panic is rushing through my body. I dig my paws into the dirt, but I'm powerless to stop the creature as it drags me even closer, and now the stench is stronger than ever. I can hear the creature grunting and snarling, and finally I turn and see that I'm just a couple of feet away. It reaches its rotten hands further along the rope, until it's almost close enough to touch my flank, and then it pulls again.
This time, pure instinct takes over as I realize that I can't pull away. Instead, I take a step toward the creature and then I jump straight over its body, landing on the other side and pulling as hard as I can manage to get away. I can already feel the rope snagging on some part of the creature, but after a moment I'm able to drag myself a little further. Every muscle in my legs is aching with the effort, and I'm terrified that the creature is about to yank me back, but I pull as hard as possible as I feel the rope straining.
“No!” Alex shouts in the distance. “That's not fair!”
“Do it!” Thomas yells. “Harder! Get the fucker! Go for it, Hannibal!”
Ignoring them, I continue to pull on the rope. I don't know why the creature hasn't grabbed me yet, but all I can think about is that I have to get away. Finally I feel the rope starting to slip slightly and I manage a few more paces, and then I look back over my shoulder. The rope is caught around the creature's neck and has begun to dig deep into its rotten flesh. With its eyes still fixed on me, the creature is on its back, as if now I'm starting to drag it across the ground.
Turning, I keep pulling, still trying to get away, until finally I feel the rope slip free with a sudden jolt and I'm able to run several feet until it tightens again.
I look back, and this time I see that the rope was caught around the creature's neck and has finally broken all the way through its rotten meat, tearing the entire head away.
The creature's hands twitch for a moment, and the eyes blink on the decapitated head, and I start barking furiously to warn it off. I'm breathless and trembling, but still terrified in case the headless creature is still able to come for me.
“You win!” Thomas shouts, hurrying closer but still keeping well clear of the creature as he comes and pats the back of my neck. “Hannibal, you legendary beast, you killed a zombie!”
“I think technically it's still, like, moving and stuff,” one of his friends points out.
“Yeah, but not for long,” Thomas adds, grabbing an old tree branch and raising it high above his head. “Looks like you lost the bet, Alex. I'm gonna enjoy eating your meals for a day or two.”
With that, he brings the branch crashing down against the creature's head, crushing the skull and splitting the forehead. He keeps hitting the corpse with surprising force, this time aiming at the torso and smashing the rib-cage a little more with each strike. Finally the creature's hands stop twitching, but Thomas starts screaming as he hits it again and again, crushing its chest and spine until pieces of broken rib start flicking up into the air. He only stops once he runs out of breath, at which point he tosses the branch aside and steps back, breathlessly admiring the shattered corpse.
“And that,” he mutters, turning and coming over to me, “is how to kill a fucking zombie.” He slams a hand into my flank, patting me hard, before walking past and kicking some stones on the ground. “Fuck! Yes! Now who's the fucking boss around here? Huh? Who's the boss? It's me, you fucking assholes!”
“You just lost me a bet, you furry piece of shit,” Alex says, untying the rope from the stake and then turning to me. “You realize that, right?”
He hesitates, before stepping closer and kicking me hard, catching my right rear leg.
I let out a yelp and pull away. He kicks at me again, before holding back at the last moment as I flinch, and then he starts laughing.
Still out of breath and exhausted, with my heart pounding, I look over at the crushed zombie and then I see that Melissa is watching me from nearby. Whereas the others all seem either annoyed or exhilarated, Melissa still appears to be very calm. She's simply staring at me, barely even blinking, with no trace of emotion on her face at all.
“Harry!” Julie shouts suddenly. “Harry! Wait!”
As we reach the edge of the camp, I turn and see Julie running through the crowd.
“Harry!” she gasps, dropping to her knees next to me and putting her arms around me. “Thank God! I was starting to worry!”
“His name's not Harry,” Thomas tells her, still holding the rope that's attached to my collar. “His name's Hannibal, and he's our guard dog.”
“He's
my
dog,” she replies, before turning to Melissa. “Where have you been? It's starting to get dark!”
“You told me to look after your stupid dog,” Melissa mutters, her voice sounding bare and empty, “so I looked after your stupid dog. You should be grateful.”
“Give me the rope,” Julie says, reaching out toward Thomas.
“He's
our
dog now,” Thomas replies. “He's one of my followers. I'm gathering followers.”
“He looks injured,” Julie continues, leaning around to look at my rear leg, which has been hurting on the walk back down to the camp. “He's bleeding! What happened to him?”
“It's none of your fucking business,” Thomas tells her, as he and his friends surround us. “Like I said, whatever might have happened in the past, Hannibal's our dog now. We arranged things fair and square with Melissa, we needed a guard dog and he's turned out to be quite the zombie killer. He's useful, he has a role to play in our little group.”
“Are you okay?” Julie asks, wiping some dirt from my face as she looks into my eyes. “Harry, it's me! I'm so sorry I let these people take you. I was busy helping patients.” She leans closer and kisses the top of my head, and I feel a flash of relief as I pick up her scent again.
Suddenly I'm yanked back.
“Like I said, lady,” Thomas sneers, “he's our dog now! So get your filthy fucking hands off him, okay? And don't even -”
“Go to hell!” she hisses, trying to grab the rope from him, only for him to step back. “Melissa, did you give my dog to these people?”
“Who says he's
your
dog?” Melissa asks. “He's not a piece of property.”
“I'm not arguing about this,” Julie continues, unfastening the rope from my collar and picking me up. I immediately feel a flash of relief as I feel her heartbeat against my flank. “Come on, Harry, it's getting late, we need to eat and think about sorting out how we'll sleep tonight.”
She steps back, carrying me away from the others.
“Hannibal!” Thomas says firmly. “You're with us! Come on, boy!”
I glance back at him, and after a moment he comes closer and reaches out for me.
I immediately bark before letting out a low snarl, and this stops him in his tracks. I bare my teeth, warning him to stay away, and finally he steps back.
“The fucking mutt looks rabid anyway,” he continues, staring at me for a moment longer before glancing at Julie. “You're the new doctor, aren't you? Maybe you can
buy
the dog back. You must have some medical supplies sitting around somewhere, right? My friends and I wouldn't mind a few pills and bottles, just something to take the edge of the fucking monotonous misery of this place. That seems fair, right?”
“Go to hell,” she says again, turning and carrying me away through the crowd. “Come on, Harry, let's get moving.”
“We'll come and collect payment later, then!” Thomas calls after her. “Have a think about what you've got to offer! You're taking our dog, bitch, so we're gonna want something in return! You can't just ignore us! We'll come and collect on the debt!”
***
“I'm so sorry I let Melissa take you away like that,” Julie says a short while later, as we sit on the ground next to her car. Behind her, the sun is starting to set, casting an orange glow across the sky. “I had no idea she'd barter you away to a bunch of idiots. Please forgive me, Harry. I'll do better tomorrow, I promise.”
She opens a small bottle and pours a strange-smelling liquid onto a piece of cotton wool.
“This might sting a little,” she continues, “but I need to disinfect that cut on your leg. I'm sure there's nothing to worry about, but we have to be careful. Just trust me, okay? It's for your own good.”
She reaches down and presses the pad against my leg. I feel a flash of pain, but I don't pull away. Whatever Julie's doing, I trust her and I'm sure she's right. All that matters to me right now is staying close to her and not seeing Melissa or her friends ever again, so I sit patiently and wait while Julie continues to work on my wound. Finally she sits back and smiles at me, even though I can tell that she's exhausted.
“I'm not a veterinarian,” she mutters, “but I guess a cut is a cut, whoever's leg it happens to be on.”
Turning, she leans against the side of the car and place a hand on my flank, stroking me gently as she looks out at the sunset.
“I miss him,” she says after a moment. “I bet you do too, huh? You miss Jon?”
I turn to her, feeling a flash of excitement at the mention of that name, and then I look around at the other people sitting next to their cars. Hoping that I might spot Jon coming this way, I sniff the air, but the only scents I'm picking up right now are coming from the food that people are cooking nearby.
“I didn't mean to get you excited,” Julie says, still stroking my fur. “Sorry, Harry, maybe I shouldn't say his name around you anymore.” She pauses for a moment, watching the sunset. “Did I do the right thing at the cabin, Harry? He was so far gone, but I keep thinking that maybe I could have found some way to undo the sickness. I've not heard of anyone recovering, it's a death sentence and I thought I was putting him out of his misery, but now I keep wondering whether...”
Her voice trails off for a moment, and she nuzzles her faces against my fur.
“What if someone finds a cure? I could never live with myself if...”
She pauses.
“No, there's not going to be a cure,” she continues. “I've seen enough of this thing to know that once it takes control of a human body, it doesn't let go. At least it seems to be contained right now. Our best hope is that it just dies off and then we can begin to regroup. I know this camp isn't perfect, Harry, but there are already plans for us to start moving and find a better place to set up. And you know what else? I still believe that people are fundamentally good. Nothing I've seen here has made me change my mind or lose my faith in humanity.”
She kisses the side of my neck.
“We're going to pull through this. Not just you and me, but all of us. I can feel it in my bones. One day this nightmare will be over and there'll be hope again.”
Feeling another burst of pain in my injured foot, I settle next to her and rest my head on her lap, while staring at the horizon.
“The sunset's beautiful tonight,” she whispers after a few minutes, still running her hands through my fur. “I've got a feeling the sunrise will be beautiful in the morning, too.”
Later, once night has fallen and we're in the car, I sleep next to Julie on the back seat. There's not much room for both of us, but we manage, and I'm determined to stay close to her. There are voices in the distance, and it's clear that plenty of other people in the camp aren't sleeping tonight, preferring instead to sit around the fires. But the pain in my foot is getting a little better and although I wake several times, I'm too exhausted to keep from sleeping for long. Once or twice, I realize that Julie seems to be crying, so I lick salty tears from her face and she smiles.
All I need now is for Jon to come back, and everything will be okay again.