z

Young Writers Society



Those Final Days

by Auteur


This is Biffle1's story, he just wanted me to post it for him ^^

As the world abandons me, I stalk my way around the city. Bright lights blind me and cars fill the streets. A woman in an olive coloured suit picks me up with gloved hands. I bark in retort, but she doesn't deter. I try another way to make her drop me. My teeth are sharp. As they sink into her arm, a guilty pleasure spreads through me. It feels like a heaven. I do it again, on her other arm. She drops me now. With a harsh snarl I go for her ankles. Her scream of pain is a treat for me. A gulp of icy water in a hot desert. The blood in my mouth sends a chill down my spine. A good chill. Insanity brims my senses. I almost lose it when a man comes and whacks me in the head with a baton.

"What happened to you?" someone says. I know it's not directed to me as soon as I look up. The woman is standing next a familiar man. My owner! I jump up and yelp and slobber. He glares at me. It feels like a slap to the face. His eyes turn back to the woman. Her uniform is stained with blood. I feel a yearning in my stomach. She tasted so good. "I'm afraid he will have to be put down," she says. My owner's expression changes. Sadness? I don't know. "That's okay. He deserves this," he replies. I look at him. The uniformed woman's words hang in my ears. He will have to be put down, what does that even mean? I stare into the woman's eyes. She glances in my direction. My owner looks at her injuries. "Kelly, when will this happen?" he asks.

"Three days."

The other dogs in this place seem to all want to play with me at the same time. I shoot them all a warning bark, meaning, stay away from me or I will bite the shit out of you. They all stop and walk away. One stays. She looks sad. Her eyes are glittery and wet. I pad my way to her. I go round and sniff her. She smells familiar. I walk to her front. She is the same breed as me. I look at her eyes again. It’s my sister! I jump on her and start licking. She returns the gesture. Her eyes say, "I can't believe you are here!"

I reply "Me neither! Can I ask a question?"

"Sure,"

"What does put down mean?" Her head drops. It's amazing how much we can communicate using our eyes. She just walks back to the corner. I follow. She looks at me with distinct fear. I cock my head to the side. She just looks down and closes her eyes. I lay beside her and we stay there for just long enough to fall asleep. I don't want to bite her like I wanted to do to that lady.

I wake up. Only two days 'till I get put down. Whatever that means... On my right my sister is fast asleep. In the large kennel a man in an olive suit is checking the dogs. I sit down quickly. He reminds me of the man that hit me with a baton. His footsteps are quiet; I close my eyes as he turns to us. I feel sick. The craving to bite something is making me shake. I put my leg in my mouth and set my jaw. The taste of blood is unsatisfactory. I want human blood. I open my eyes. The man is just above me. I jump up. "Hey hey, whoa. Easy there boy," he warns. I just walk past him. He seems astounded. "Heather! Come check this out!" he yells making me jump. A female in the same olive suit comes to the massive kennel. I snap from careful to deadly. I find myself at her feet tearing into her leg. She screeches out in pain. I just bite harder. The man is astonished. After I behaved he called the woman in. I don't get any of this. Oh well. My jaws fall limp as the man punches my head. I stop immediately. I back away, afraid of him. My sister, now alert and awake, runs to me and barks loudly. I don't think I have made a great start for the first morning in the pound... I stare into the Male's eyes. He sends out a smell of unsureness. I put an apology into my eyes, but he doesn't notice it. I run to another corner where the small dogs whimper.

I am outside; the men in the olive suits opened the gate in the kennel and let us play. The grass feels amazing under my paws. The sun gleams on my coat. The people at this pound believe music will calm us down. Some dogs are still fighting. It works on me... A female worker is in here, and I haven't bitten her yet. I sit with a German Sheppard. The woman is playing fetch with my sister. I don't like sitting still. But I think I might bite her. So I stay all on my lonesome. The words put down run through my mind. I can't remove them. I stand up and join in on the game trying to forget them. The woman suddenly falls still. I feel ashamed. I never meant to hurt the other one. It... It's complicated. She has a fear in her eyes. She washes it with a sort of authority. I back away and she smiles. "Now you can play, Yuri," she knows my name. The name I left at in the streets. Icy memories, I don't want, seep into my mind. I try to push them away, leave them behind but they come anyway.

Yuri walked along with his master. He was with a woman and she didn't like Yuri very much. The dog walked up to her. The woman scowled. The scene changed. Yuri was in a room with his masters lady friend. She didn't look happy. "You fucking mutt!" she screamed. There was no reason for what she did next. She stood up and kicked Yuri square in the face. Yuri was only young then and he couldn't defend himself. She kept kicking and started to punch. Yuri tried to bite back, but the lady was too strong and fast. Yuri's owner walked in. His mask of calmness washed away into a furious glare. He yanked Yuri away, the woman astonished. "What the fuck do you think you are doing?" he shouted. She looked at him apologetically. A little too late. He stalked out of the room with Yuri in his arms.

I flood back into reality, the woman in the olive suit right in front of me. She waves her hand in front of my eyes. I snarl and let off a massive bark. She jumps. I feel the urge to snap my jaws around her hand. Resistance is hard but I try my best. I back away. I pour apologies into my eyes. I never mean to do these things. Even if it's just a snarl or bark. I slump down in the corner.

My last day is tomorrow. I will find out what this mysterious put down means. My thoughts are jumbled. There is a large group of dogs over in the shallow pool. Hm, it's been a while since I've taken a swim. That can be my alibi. My legs push forward. I'm beginning to get the old Yuri back. I start to gain speed. The pool gets closer to me faster than it should have... Was I really that fast? I guess so. The dogs look up. They look menacing. Their eyes have a certain speck of danger in them, making me regret coming. The biggest one looks at me. His eyes say, "Well well well, what do we have here?"

"I don't mean any harm," I put into my eyes.

"Well, we might," I begin to shake.

"I just need to ask a question,"

"What do you think guys?" They nod, "Go ahead,"

"What does put down mean?" They freeze. I just keep staring at them.

"You... Are you sure?" he looks confused. It must be bad if he's this hesitant.

"I'm sure," I try put an adamant tone in my eyes. It works.

"Put down, means that those people... are going to kill you."

My sister, Yara, looks at me apologetically. "I'm sorry you had to find out this way..." her eyes say.

"Why do they want to do it though? Why me?"

"Well, didn't you bite three of these workers?"

"Oh..." I look at her. Her brown and ivory coat almost shines in the sun. She just stays sitting there. We are in the corner of the kennel. I has been three hours since I found out what put down means. Vertigo sweeps me over into a sleeping position. My eyes droop and I fall asleep.

A crack. Pain. I twitch. The wood of the batons hit me hard. Why? More cracks, more pain. I try run but I'm cornered. They are killing me. Putting me down. If this is how it's done, I have to get out of here. The kennel door is open and a sudden hope surges through me. My front paw is broken, I just know it. I limp as quick as I can. Crack. Pain is everywhere. No time. Not enough time for pain. Adrenaline works it's magic and the door is so close. Nightmarishly, it moves back. Every time I get just close enough it moves away. The men are catching me. Faster, faster. I push my legs across the slippery concrete. It isn't enough. Hands around me. The concrete disappears under my feet.

Yara barks, waking me up. It's morning. Morning! Oh god! This is my last day. They could come and get me at any time!

I look at her frantically. I cannot believe how short this has been.

Yesterday, I found out I was going to die. The day before that, I met my long lost sister. And the day before that, I ruined my life by biting that woman. Fantastic. Yara looks at me with sorrow in her eyes. I just look back.

"If this is my last day, I want to spend it well," I put into my eyes.

She nods. I search around the kennel and just look at all the dogs in here. The big Great Danes, the small Chihuahuas, the perky bunch of Labradors.

I take in every scent, every image, and every echo of sanity I can have.

The air inside the kennel is musky. The man in the olive suit is just twenty yards away. I walk over and sit at his feet. He looks down and cocks his head to the side. I put a hint of begging into my eyes. He is unsure but opens the gate to the grass area outside. I bark in appreciation.

The last breath of fresh air. The last fast run. The last moment. These are my final minutes. I can just tell.

Yara comes and sits down next to me. I pounce on her. Playing and barking happily.

The man brings out a big container of balls and chew toys. Everyone runs over and grabs something. My last play in the sun. It feels like a hundred butterflies have been let into my stomach, almost making me fly. It feels like it should. Like a family.

Blackness envelopes me as I am hit with a sharp object. Yara knows what's happening. She stares at me. I pass out as the man holding me opens the door.


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77 Reviews


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Mon Mar 08, 2010 2:45 am
whatevr says...



Thanks. It was really hard.




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199 Reviews


Points: 14356
Reviews: 199

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Sun Mar 07, 2010 3:19 am
Apple wrote a review...



This is really really really good! I couldn't find hardly any grammatical errors or other errors that usually lag in peoples work (usually mine). But anyway I really love this peice of work and I think you have great potential to become famous one day!





Once you have read a book you care about, some part of it is always with you.
— Louis L'Amour