The Hand of Fate
CHAPTER SEVEN
Whining, Sergeant paced around in the back-seat. Normally, he wasn't much of a problem; however, the dog cell wanted to play with his pals, and his building hyperactivity wasn't helping, either.
As Ozzie drove through the seemingly desolate capillaries of a subdivision in Frank's shoulder, Drix glanced at Sergeant out of the corner of his eye. "I'm not entirely sure of this dog business," he remarked in skepticism. "Perhaps we should have-"
"Given him back to the chief and do this without any help?" Ozzie interrupted. "Listen, I'm no big fan of Sergeant either, but this dog's our ticket to the kidnapper. Once that guy is behind bars, we'll take him back to the chief, and he'll take him back to that training school. It's like getting a dog from the pound, except there's no papers or that shameful look they give you when the dog's back."
At that moment, Sergeant poked his head between the two front seats. Panting wildly, he started kissing his two pals with the utmost affection.
Finally, Drix managed to push the beast's head aside. "Jones!" he gasped. "Open a window!"
Acting quickly, Ozzie rolled down a window in the back-seat. Any more of this extreme love and he'd run into kidnapper alright- with his car!
Noticing the open window, Sergeant recoiled into the back and stuck his head out of it. Maybe there'd be something out there to bark at or even chase.
Sighing in relief, Drix turned to Ozzie. "You're right, Jones," he replied with a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "I don't see how this could be any easier."
"Just chill, alright?" Ozzie snapped back. "I know what I'm doing. Let me handle the dog if you're so uptight!"
Suddenly, Sergeant saw a shadow moving past the car. The dog cell barked frantically, trying to squeeze through the window and run after this odd organism.
Looking out the side window, Ozzie saw what Sergeant was barking at and stopped the car. "Drix, it's him!" he alerted his friend, stepping outside. "It's the kidnapper! Let's go!"
"I'm right behind you!" Drix reassured as he stepped outside the car, cannon-arm at the ready.
Yawning, Aimee stared at the ceiling and counted the tiles. She had done just about everything to keep busy, but nothing seemed to keep her awake for long.
Aimee rolled over on the couch. She thought about home- her family and friends were probably worried sick, and she'd fall far behind in her studies. Once more, she couldn't get the last book to the Pawn Treader series she wanted to finish.
Sighing, Aimee's thoughts drifted to that Drake kid she'd met earlier. 'I wonder where he is now,' she wondered. 'He's probably out looking for a place to stay for the night. or gambling for food. or getting intoxicated.'
A strange haunting feeling came over Aimee as she sat up. 'I hope he's okay,' she thought. 'I'd hate to see him crouching in a fetal position on the street, cold and hungry.'
Meanwhile, Drake pushed his way through a cluttered alleyway. Apparently, something was troubling him enough to send him down a path where he'd surely be discovered otherwise. The unusual look of extreme fear in his eyes was the only thing that kept him running.
Then, Drake heard it again. That loud, rambling bark of a vicious immunity dog! He'd never think that the cop and the pill would figure out the only thing that scared him worse than death.
Unfortunately for Drake, he'd long developed cynophobia since an incident in his younger years, involving a dumpster behind a restaurant and a pack of hungry strays. Since that day, his fear of dogs had cost him food, shelter, and even health.
Looking upwards, Drake saw a condo building with a fever escape and many empty rooms to break into and hide in. Who knows? He might find a feast fit for Frank in on of the fridges.
Drake quickly climbed up the ladder to the fever escape. 'This ought to throw off old Fido,' he thought to himself as he climbed higher. 'I've still got what it takes!'
Looking downwards, Drake noticed that the cop and the pill had discovered him. The dog seemed to be growing more feral by the second, as his constant barking could very well indicate.
Now Drake was more terrified than ever- he had seen dogs climb fever escapes, even those of that size. His only chance was to find a place to hide, and fast!
Aimee sat up and stretched. Maybe she'd feel more energized after that meal Leah left in the fridge for her. It was almost dinner, anyway.
Opening the door, Aimee reached into the back of the fridge and pulled out the meal. She then reminded herself that she should thank Leah for this hospitality when she got back- not many people would do this for a person they just met.
Suddenly, Aimee heard something bang against the window in Leah's living room. She walked out of the kitchen to see the frightened face of a very familiar person.
"Drake!" Aimee screamed as she raced to the window and let him inside. Something had scared him beyond belief, and she wasn't about to let him suffer.
Gasping, Drake just looked at Aimee. "Nice. meeting. you again," he commented between breaths. "How'd. you. get here. anyway?"
Allowing Drake to lean on her, Aimee dragged her distressed friend into the kitchen and let him sit on a nearby chair. "This apartment belongs to Ozzie's girlfriend," she explained. "She's letting me stay here for today. Now, I'd like to know what's got you so scared."
Before Drake could answer, a knock came to the door. "Aimee?" said a voice. "It's Leah. I'll be right in, okay?"
'Great,' Drake thought to himself. 'I've got a cop, a pill, and a dog after me, and now this! How am I going to make my way out alive?!!'
CHAPTER SEVEN
Whining, Sergeant paced around in the back-seat. Normally, he wasn't much of a problem; however, the dog cell wanted to play with his pals, and his building hyperactivity wasn't helping, either.
As Ozzie drove through the seemingly desolate capillaries of a subdivision in Frank's shoulder, Drix glanced at Sergeant out of the corner of his eye. "I'm not entirely sure of this dog business," he remarked in skepticism. "Perhaps we should have-"
"Given him back to the chief and do this without any help?" Ozzie interrupted. "Listen, I'm no big fan of Sergeant either, but this dog's our ticket to the kidnapper. Once that guy is behind bars, we'll take him back to the chief, and he'll take him back to that training school. It's like getting a dog from the pound, except there's no papers or that shameful look they give you when the dog's back."
At that moment, Sergeant poked his head between the two front seats. Panting wildly, he started kissing his two pals with the utmost affection.
Finally, Drix managed to push the beast's head aside. "Jones!" he gasped. "Open a window!"
Acting quickly, Ozzie rolled down a window in the back-seat. Any more of this extreme love and he'd run into kidnapper alright- with his car!
Noticing the open window, Sergeant recoiled into the back and stuck his head out of it. Maybe there'd be something out there to bark at or even chase.
Sighing in relief, Drix turned to Ozzie. "You're right, Jones," he replied with a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "I don't see how this could be any easier."
"Just chill, alright?" Ozzie snapped back. "I know what I'm doing. Let me handle the dog if you're so uptight!"
Suddenly, Sergeant saw a shadow moving past the car. The dog cell barked frantically, trying to squeeze through the window and run after this odd organism.
Looking out the side window, Ozzie saw what Sergeant was barking at and stopped the car. "Drix, it's him!" he alerted his friend, stepping outside. "It's the kidnapper! Let's go!"
"I'm right behind you!" Drix reassured as he stepped outside the car, cannon-arm at the ready.
Yawning, Aimee stared at the ceiling and counted the tiles. She had done just about everything to keep busy, but nothing seemed to keep her awake for long.
Aimee rolled over on the couch. She thought about home- her family and friends were probably worried sick, and she'd fall far behind in her studies. Once more, she couldn't get the last book to the Pawn Treader series she wanted to finish.
Sighing, Aimee's thoughts drifted to that Drake kid she'd met earlier. 'I wonder where he is now,' she wondered. 'He's probably out looking for a place to stay for the night. or gambling for food. or getting intoxicated.'
A strange haunting feeling came over Aimee as she sat up. 'I hope he's okay,' she thought. 'I'd hate to see him crouching in a fetal position on the street, cold and hungry.'
Meanwhile, Drake pushed his way through a cluttered alleyway. Apparently, something was troubling him enough to send him down a path where he'd surely be discovered otherwise. The unusual look of extreme fear in his eyes was the only thing that kept him running.
Then, Drake heard it again. That loud, rambling bark of a vicious immunity dog! He'd never think that the cop and the pill would figure out the only thing that scared him worse than death.
Unfortunately for Drake, he'd long developed cynophobia since an incident in his younger years, involving a dumpster behind a restaurant and a pack of hungry strays. Since that day, his fear of dogs had cost him food, shelter, and even health.
Looking upwards, Drake saw a condo building with a fever escape and many empty rooms to break into and hide in. Who knows? He might find a feast fit for Frank in on of the fridges.
Drake quickly climbed up the ladder to the fever escape. 'This ought to throw off old Fido,' he thought to himself as he climbed higher. 'I've still got what it takes!'
Looking downwards, Drake noticed that the cop and the pill had discovered him. The dog seemed to be growing more feral by the second, as his constant barking could very well indicate.
Now Drake was more terrified than ever- he had seen dogs climb fever escapes, even those of that size. His only chance was to find a place to hide, and fast!
Aimee sat up and stretched. Maybe she'd feel more energized after that meal Leah left in the fridge for her. It was almost dinner, anyway.
Opening the door, Aimee reached into the back of the fridge and pulled out the meal. She then reminded herself that she should thank Leah for this hospitality when she got back- not many people would do this for a person they just met.
Suddenly, Aimee heard something bang against the window in Leah's living room. She walked out of the kitchen to see the frightened face of a very familiar person.
"Drake!" Aimee screamed as she raced to the window and let him inside. Something had scared him beyond belief, and she wasn't about to let him suffer.
Gasping, Drake just looked at Aimee. "Nice. meeting. you again," he commented between breaths. "How'd. you. get here. anyway?"
Allowing Drake to lean on her, Aimee dragged her distressed friend into the kitchen and let him sit on a nearby chair. "This apartment belongs to Ozzie's girlfriend," she explained. "She's letting me stay here for today. Now, I'd like to know what's got you so scared."
Before Drake could answer, a knock came to the door. "Aimee?" said a voice. "It's Leah. I'll be right in, okay?"
'Great,' Drake thought to himself. 'I've got a cop, a pill, and a dog after me, and now this! How am I going to make my way out alive?!!'