Disclaimer: Garfield and all related characters are the property of Paws Inc. and Paramount Global/Nickelodeon at the time of this story's creation.


Warning!

The following chapter contains graphic content not necessarily suitable for certain readers.

Viewer discretion is advised.


What if Odie Was Killed?


"HOLY SHIT! A PANTHER!" Garfield panically shouts.

*BARK BARK BARK* Odie yelps in rapid succession, leaping down to the lake to protect his owner at any costs.

"ODIE! GET BACK!" Garfield desperately tries to grab the puppy's tail, but it's too late.

As the panther continues to stare down Lyman, Odie now stands between them, growling at the dark feline as it now stares at the dog with its glowing yellow eyes.

"Odie! What are you doing!?" Lyman frantically shouts. "Get away from here!"

But the puppy refuses to leave his owner's side…

…for he's now face-to-face with the vicious animal.

The black feline can tell just by staring at his brave little eyes that he has no intention of backing down from the much larger creature…

…and he will protect his owner…

at any cost!

*BARK BARK BARK BARK* Odie runs behind the panther and leaps onto its back, biting and clawing as it tries to violently shake him off.

"ODIE!" Lyman shouts, frozen in fear as he watches his dog attack the panther with everything he's got. He resists the urge to run away to safety…

…for he would never abandon his dog…

no matter the danger…

and no matter the cost.

*ROWARRRR* The panther roars as it furiously shakes Odie off its back, slamming the puppy onto the ground.

*AROOOOO* Odie howls in immense pain, blood pouring onto the ground next to him as he finds himself at the mercy of the feral beast slowly approaching him.

"ODIE!" Garfield frantically shouts from the top of a tree, only just barely resisting the urge to jump back down there and rescue him.

"SPOT!" Lyman attempts to rush to his dog's aid…

*BAM*

…only for the panther to kick him with its hind legs, sending him falling straight to the lake. With the human out of the way, the black feline returns its attention to the small, defenseless puppy as it lowers its body and prepares to strike.

With blood continuously pouring out of his paralyzed body, Odie could only watch helplessly as the panther eyes its prey…

before LUNGING DIRECTLY AT HIM!

One by one…

its claws slice right into his tiny ribcage…

blood spilling all over his body…

carving through his fur…

then through his skin…

the monster shows no mercy…

as its teeth rips his large brown ears completely off…

gnawing his small body…

the kitten could only watch in horror from atop the tree…

as it rips open his skin…

piece by piece…

one by one.

*ZIP*

Before the panther could satisfyingly finish its meal, it suddenly felt something directly hitting its neck. It was a tranquilizer dart, slowly sedating the creature as it loses consciousness before falling to the ground.

Jon and the park rangers, one of which carrying a tranquilizer gun, arrive at the campsite…

*GASP*

…but realize that they were too late to save everyone, as they find the puppy's mangled body lying next to the unconscious panther.

"ODIE!"

Garfield climbs down the tree, his eyes filling up with tears as he runs straight to the mutilated corpse that was once his best friend.

Jon drops to his knees as he breaks down in tears. Garfield approaches Jon and clings onto him as tightly as possible, his tears drenching his owner's clothes.

Lyman eventually manages to get himself out of the water and rush back to the campsite…

"Odie?"

…only to wish he hadn't…

"ODIE!?"

...for he couldn't fully process what he saw next…

…as it was something so horrible…

…that it nearly caused him to lose his will to live.

Upon seeing his dog…

…or rather…

what remains of his son…

…he could no longer contain himself…

…his knees dropping to the ground…

…before sobbing in despair…

Cradling his dog's unrecognizable corpse, Lyman completely shuts down, sobbing as he refuses to let him go, no matter how hard they tried to pull the body away from him.


Several months have passed since tragedy struck at Lake Woebegone, and the lives of the survivors would never be the same again…

especially Lyman.

For days on end, all he ever did was sit on the living room chair…

…crying and mumbling to himself…

…believing that he should've done something…

anything…

…so that Odie could've lived…

…for he needed him now more than ever.

Quite often, he would cry himself to sleep, and wake up the next morning to see the puppy alive and well again, ready to sit on his lap like he always did, only to wake up and realize that it was all just a dream…

…a dream that he wishes would last forever.

Just the sheer thought of a life without Odie was impossible for him to accept. The dog was all he had left, and he meant everything to him…

…and now that he's gone…

…he has nothing…

…nothing except memories…

…memories that he would now much rather forget…

…for just thinking about them was too painful…

…too painful to remember…

…and yet too painful to forget…

…for there are some memories that are still tucked away in his mind…

…happier memories…

…memories that Spot would've never allowed him to forget…

…at least…

…if he were still here.

The other survivors of the panther's attack weren't faring that well either. Jon would occasionally come out of the bedroom to check up on Lyman, but he usually received no response. Other than that, he would only leave his bedroom to go down to the basement and work on his cartoons. It helps keep his mind occupied from thinking about the event.

Garfield would just lay in bed, only getting up to eat something, which happens to be most of the time. He often pondered to himself on how he could miss a dumb, drooling mutt like Odie this badly. Normally, he would be excitedly jumping up and down, celebrating that he was finally gone from his life for good, but now, things just aren't the same without him. He would even shed a tear whenever he thought of Odie, which is something that he would never admit. Deep down, he never truly hated the dog, and even grew to like him, if only a little. Now that there's no stupid mutt to kick off the table, life was boring, as there was never a dull moment in the house when Odie was around.

The kitten turns his attention over to Lyman, still sitting on that chair. His scruffy hair unkempt from not washing it for so long, his clothes reeking a foul stench all across the living room, and his body now as thin as a skeleton, as he would often go for days without eating anything. It was not a pretty sight, and just looking at him makes the kitten even more depressed than he already is.

"Lyman?" A voice was heard from across the hallway.

Turning his head around, Garfield notices Jon heading towards the living room, a concerned look on his face.

"Hey, buddy." Jon softly greets. "Are you feeling okay?"

"No." Lyman said bluntly. "Why would you think I'd be okay?"

"I was just asking." Jon replies. "Just wanted to see if you're feeling any better."

"Well, do me a favor, and never ask me that again." Lyman said, a hint of anger in his voice. "In fact, don't even speak to me ever again."

Jon was deeply hurt by what he just said. They've been best friends since high school, and for him to just blow it off like it meant nothing made him even more devastated.

"Lyman." Jon places a hand on his shoulder. "I know how much you miss him, and…"

"No, you don't!" Lyman interrupts him, slapping his hand away. "You have no idea what it's like to lose someone you love more than anything else!" He angrily shouts.

"How could you say that!?" Jon argues. "I miss Odie just as much as you do!"

"No, you don't!" Lyman repeats, getting up from the chair after having sat on it for months. "You can never understand how it feels!"

Garfield slowly backs away from the argument, believing that it was best to not get involved and wait in the kitchen until the heat cools down.

"Well, while I'm here, I might as well make myself a tuna fish sandwich." The kitten said to himself, making his way to the refrigerator to grab the proper ingredients. But before he could open the fridge, his eyes spot something peculiar hanging on the door. Curious, he grabs the object hanging from a fridge magnet and sees that it's a picture of Garfield and Odie happily tickling each other. Holding the small photograph with both his hands, his mind starts flashing back to the many times the two young pets would play and tease each other.

"I'd never thought I would miss him this much." Garfield said to himself, a tear falling from his eyes and onto the photo.

"I never knew I'd have to say so long…*SNIFF*…so soon."

*SMACK*

The kitten snaps back to reality upon hearing a smack from across the living room. Running through the kitchen door, he is shocked to see his owner lying on the floor with a big red mark on his face, Lyman standing next to him.

"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!" Lyman furiously shouts. "IF YOU HADN'T TAKEN US CAMPING, NONE OF THIS WOULD'VE EVER HAPPENED!"

Jon didn't say a word, too broken to even fight back.

"WE'RE NOT FRIENDS ANYMORE, JON! I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN!"

And with that, Lyman storms out of the house, not once looking back as he drove away from Maple Street forever. Jon, suffering a mental breakdown, bursts into tears as Garfield gently hugs him.

Now, it was just the two of them once more, but they know that things would never be the same ever again…

…because even though both Odie and Lyman are gone…

…the memories and scars that they've shared with them…

…will never be forgotten.