008 | Dog Days Are (Not) Over

9 1 0

by leighyeann

by leighyeann

Things have gone south since my beloved dog went missing. Days of non-stop research ended up being useless as I realized that I'd never find my pet friend again. Worse still, my parents insist that I should adopt a new pet; I won't replace my dear friend Walker, though.

We used to go trick-and-treating together, but now there's no point in going if I'm alone. I just stay home, watching the dark sky and wondering where Walker could have gone, even though it only makes me feel worse. If only he could come back to me...

***

"Hey, Ryan, I'm going to the party. Are you coming?" asks Bonnie, referring to the Halloween party organized by our high school, which I have no interest in going to. Even though she's a little annoying, she's still the best sister a guy could have.

"I prefer to stay at home. I'm not really into parties." I shrug, after which she glances at me and leaves me behind. I stare at the ceiling, wondering whether I should've followed Bonnie after all, but then realize I'm making the right choice. I don't need a party to feel better.

As Bonnie heads towards the entrance door, I follow her to say goodbye in a proper manner as well as warn her to stay away from alcohol. She dismisses all that jazz with a shrug and a raised hand, then she opens the door and bolts out of the house.

As I'm about to close the door behind me, however, I see a black dog sitting at the threshold. He really looks like Walker: same eyes, same red collar, same expression. This must be a coincidence. It can't be Walker. He disappeared last year - there's no chance he's back.

My thoughts are washed away as the dog seems to recognize me and then jumps on me, making me fall and licking my face afterwards. Then, I stare at the medal on his collar - it's got a W engraved on it.

That's definitely Walker.

***

As days pass, my sorrow has turned into joy for my best friend is back. Bonnie is also excited that Walker isn't gone forever; still, I know she's a little relieved since she won't have to deal with me whining about his loss again. It can be said things have since gone back to normal.

Though, this is isn't exactly the case. Indeed, I notice that Walker is behaving weirdly. He barks for every little thing, biting whoever upsets him. Sometimes, his eyes turn bright red when he's enraged; also, his tendency to mess up at night is worrying.

One sleepless night, I decide to check on my dog, hoping to put an end to this shit. However, as I approach me, he barks at me and bites me, pressing his fangs on my flesh. His eyes turn red, after which I'm lifted from the floor and thrown back on it.

What the fuck is happening with my dog?

[498 words]

This is a short story written for the contest held by _Dark_Fantasy for Halloween Vault.