Intruders || ✔

"How did you even get it in here?"

I half expected him to rant about how his mother has shown up and he hasn't cleaned his place or how he spilled coffee on some of his important documents or even how he ran over someone with his car.

But what I didn't expect was his hand to reach out, seize my wrist and pull me right in my pajamas across the hall, to his place.

It all happened so fast that I couldn't even decipher it for a second. How he suddenly pulled me from my wrist, kicked close my door with his foot and dashed to his apartment, which is hilariously right across mine, yanked the door open and stuffed both of us inside.

I won't lie. Ken never fails to surprise me... more like shock me.

"What are you—Ken what happened!?" I half-yelled, half-squeaked stumbling forward and turning around as he let go of my hand, swiftly closed his door and stood in front of me with a comically horrifying expression on his face.

"Oh Ryan, I've got this huge problem! Dude, you gotta help me out." He sputtered quickly while frantically looking around as if he had cameras all over the place, recording our every movements.

Sighing, I gave up. "Fine. What is it?" I offered, digging my hands in my pajama pants' pockets.

He turned around to check the lock again and then made a beeline to his bedroom, as I following him with a bored expression, hands still in pockets.

As we reached in, Ken turned to me with a serious look. I raised an eyebrow and he gulped.

Okay, it seems serious now...

"Uh, are you gonna tell me what's wrong here or will you take me to an underground dungeon now?" I asked half-sarcastically, eyes glaring at him with annoyance.

Ken didn't say a word but only nodded towards his closet with his chin. I rolled my eyes at his childish behavior and made my way to it.

As I turned the handle to its door, I quickly made up my mind to expect a dead body in there. But what I actually found in, between messily tossed clothes and dirty laundry, was even more surprising.

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It was a dog.

Yes, a dog.

An actual little puppy of a pug with its little tail wiggling behind it and squinted eyes staring up at me, sitting at the floor of the tightly packed closet and letting out short shaky breaths.

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I slowly turned around and fixed my irritated glare on my best friend who was by now sweating bullets standing a few feet away from me.

I crossed my arms without a word, a stubborn frown evident on my now fully awake face.

"Seriously? How did you even get it in here?"

Ken blanched at me with a baffled look.

"Wha—I didn't! That thing was waiting right beside my couch when I returned home from the jog."

I only raised an eyebrow-since when did Ken jog?-waiting for him to continue.

He further explained, "I panicked since Mrs. Mel was just outside my door and before she could kick me out, I quickly threw a piece of bread in my closet and asked it to fetch. As soon as it reached in, I shut the door and ran up to you."

I shuddered at the thought of Mrs. Mel, our strict landlady, and sighed. I scratched my messy head, thinking of something to get Ken and his new pet out of my hair.

Then suddenly, I felt something damp and wet on my feet. I quickly craned my neck down, only to find the little animal out of the closet and now licking my feet.

I made a face at Ken, who was now pacing around in his room, talking to himself and biting his nails. I looked down again and crouched down at the pug's level.

As expected, I spotted a red collar around the neck of the drool dripping animal and read its content.

My eyebrows furrowed up.

"So what does it says?" Ken asked from behind me.

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"Ed."

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"Ed? Now why does that name sound familiar?" He mused.

I sighed at the lack of concentration in my friend and stood up, ignoring the puppy licking my foot as if I were dog food.

I regarded Ken, "So what are you gonna do about it? I mean pets aren't exactly allowed in here and Mrs. Mel will give you a piece of her mind if she finds out."

Without I could even blink, Ken was at my other leg, hugging it like a koala and clinging to me as if his life depended on it.

"I know! And that's why I have called you bro! Please help me out." He begged.

I turned my gaze from Ken clinging at my left leg to the little dog licking my other foot.

Oh come on... I grimaced.

"Alright, alright. Now get off me... Let me think." I grunted.

But before I could even start to think of something—

BANG! BANG! BANG!

—someone had to show up—

"Ken! Open up!"

—and it had to be Mrs. Mel!