to appease Old John.

at first, when I wasn't looking. Then deep

need to send him to a trainer,

ou. What are you doin' to him behind our backs, huh? You try to

ume, Izzy? Or... or maybe we should get him neutered? I heard tha

fume. I agreed to the

et appointment,

he house, cal

ophia. A shriek

her room. Blood

was gone. Mangled. Fl

nightmare. Every bump, I thought the

anesthesia. They had to stit

rses cried. I held her hand, my own body num

r with a no-questions-asked euthanasia poli

e him. "I'll make sure he gets there,"

ad stopped for a bathroom break, he claimed. Thu

ong. Too c

sleep, I pulled up the security camera footage. We

he left with Thunder. He was

't be a real dog anymore. She's doing it to spite you, boy. I'd keep you, but...

ing towards

od ran

ack further.

I s

w nights before S

eeping into

a, covering the lens with

ens was cl

r her crib, his pan

h, landing on h

as empty, then dry-heaved unt

e didn't make excuses for his father.

house, the car, everything

o my mother's old place, a small, somewhat isolated cottage on the outskirts of

eleased from the hospital. Her

kept looking at her in the re

I carried he

y, Thunder explode

, his teeth snappi

e, dragged S

dy on the floor. A pool of

d to s

e door shut with his body and n

rned towar

hance, I knew what

the library the next day. S

rted maki

cottage. It was

ew, high-definition, motion-activ

, I checked

a familiar tr

him around the cottage, letting him s

door, pointing, whispering

g Thunder. For

like

time, I w