"Lana! Get Charles in the car, now!" Her father called out to her, pointing to Vanzilla.
Lana was in doorway of the front door, the small pup in both of her arms. Its black and white fur was soft against her skin. The feeling of the dog was the most comforting sense that she felt. Charles meant a lot to her. She had him since he was a puppy, and they had been inseparable. They did basically everything together. Eating, bathing, playing, you name it. Lana had so much love for such a small dog and honestly he was the light of her life. But soon enough, that light was going to be cast away in a matter of moments.
"Dad... please. We can still keep him. Maybe if we train him enough he won't do it again." She pleaded, grabbing on to any string of hope that she had left.
"Lana, it was horrible what Charles did, and I'm afraid if we continue to keep him, it is just going to continue. Sometimes in life, you have to let the best things go, no matter how much they mean to you." The words that came out shocked her, as she was surprised her father was sympathetic about this event.
Near tears, Lana carried the sleeping dog into the car, sitting down in the front seat and putting him in her lap. Her dad got in the driver's seat and started the car. No one turned on the radio. They only listened to the sound of nothing. Every so often, she would pet the head of her dog ever so gently, the touch causing the dog to stir in its sleep. It was so peaceful to see Charles in such a state, especially since what had happened to get them here in the first place.
It was two days ago, when she arrived home from another day of school. She was happy to come home and receive many "I missed you" kisses from her pets, Cliff the cat, Izzy the lizard, Geo the hamster, and Walt the birdie. She had many others, but she was forced to sell them. But she was happy, since she figured that they would have better homes than they did then. However, when she opened the door, she was greeted to a horrible sight. Since the family barely had any money, they could only afford there own food, barely having enough money left to buy pet food. So when Lana came in to see her pet dog had killed the family cat, along with the rest of the pets, she was more than shocked.
But now, she couldn't even sell him to a better home. No, there was only one place they were going.
"Come on, Lans. We're here." He said.
And they were there. The last place where Lana would ever see Charles alive.
She picked up the sleeping dog, waking him in the process. He greeted her with little licks on the nose, and she smiled. Though a growing sadness made itself known once she realized that she would never receive such tender love from Charles ever again.
They had parked right outside of the animal hospital. Once in, Lynn Sr. made his way to the reception counter. He spoke with the receptionist for a short while. Lana wasn't listening, as she was playing with the dog for what could be their final moments having fun. Her dad took a seat and after about ten minutes a veterinarian appeared.
"Lynn Loud?" She asked.
Lana gulped, and they both followed the doctor inside.
"You can set the dog here," the doctor patted on the table. She put Charles on it as the doctor spoke.
"Now, here's how this is going to work. I'll give you a few moments to say your goodbyes, and then I'm going to inject this medication into its back leg--"
"His back leg." Lana corrected her angrily.
"Y-yes." The vet said. "The medication will cause its heart to slow down. It takes thirty seconds. It'll be painless and no harm will be done. I'll give you time to say your goodbyes to him." The vet left the room.
Lana and her father looked at their dog. She was the first one to speak.
"Charles, old pal, I want ya to know that I love ya with all my messy heart, and--" she sniffled, a tear rolled down her cheek as she started crying. "I don't know what I'd do without you."
As if knowing her emotions, the pup licked at her face, wiping away the tears that flowed. She smiled.
"T-thanks, Charles." She said. The vet walked back in.
"Are we ready?" She asked. They both nodded. This was it. This was the last time they would see Charles alive.
A pain in Lana's heart began to swell as she saw the vet inject the medicine into his leg. It stuck its tongue out, panting softly and licking at the air for a few moments. It looked up at its owner, and seemed to smile. She smiled back, fully knowing that this was the best decision. Rather than letting him live on in a house where barely anyone loved him, he could go to a better place. Although it was not in this realm, he would still have a happy life afterwards. She continued crying, as his breaths died down and he closed his eyes. He exhaled one more time, and his breathing stopped.
And so did Lana's happiness.