III - The Dogs
Men and women could be heard shouting and laughing while dogs barked in the distance. Tiny raindrops fogged up Clyde's glasses, making it difficult for him to see through the fence that the group were now outside of.
Luna looked through the chain-link fence around the backyards and peered into the cul-de-sac, seeing umbrellas covering large poles with LED lights. Dogs were fighting each other while the Laborers were drinking and cheering on the dogs. Armored cars were blocking the road on the other side while armed Laborers sat on top of them, guarding the area. The drizzle floating around the dogfights were made visible by the LED lights.
"How's it look?" asked Lynn.
"I don't know," said Luna. "Can't really see the whole thing."
"There's fifteen Laborers," said Aiden. "We killed three earlier. So that leaves twelve."
"Alright, I think we can do this without losing one of ours. So, you got a plan?"
"Well… I was going to do this on my own… originally. So I got my own back. You guys make a plan amongst yourselves. Just don't get in my way."
Luna let out a frustrated sigh and looked back at her group. She looked at everyone's faces, seeing who was capable of attacking the base. But then it hit her. She was choosing who she was willing to sacrifice for the weapons.
"Well…? What's the plan?" asked Lynn.
"We need one good angle. Just one," said Luna. "I need to get in an attic and set up my rifle. Sam's my spotter. I need someone to guard us. Lynn?"
"Yeah. I could do it," said Lynn.
"I need someone to–"
Aiden leaped over the fence and began to sneak around the backyards, making his way to the armored cars while avoiding detection.
"Darn it. Okay, Lynn, Sam, with me. Benny, Jackee, Ronnie Anne, come with us too. Rest of you stay back."
"I'm coming too," said Luan.
"You are most definitely not," said Luna. "Stay with the others. Get yourself out of here."
"We'll be alright," said Benny. "We already have enough people."
Luan reluctantly nodded. Luna then leaped over the fence, while the others followed, trying to stay away from the sight of the LED lights.
"Where do we hide?" asked Clyde.
"There's a house with a treehouse over there," said Roger, pointing at a house across the linear street they were in.
"Yeah, let's go," said JuJu.
"Wait, where's Jane?" asked Vonda.
The group looked around. Vonda then looked at Carlitos.
"Did you know where Princess Jane went?"
"No…" said Carlitos.
While looking down at Carlitos, Vonda saw with the corner of her eyes, wet footprints along the sidewalks. She immediately rushed to track down the prints.
"Wait, Vonda!" whispered loudly Clyde.
Vonda turned around.
"Watch Carlitos," mouthed Vonda. "I'll be back quickly."
Clyde stood by the fence, defeated.
"Let's go, already," said JuJu.
"Where?" asked Clyde.
"The treehouse, man! Shit's about to go down and I don't want stray bullets flying at my face."
Clyde nodded as the group followed JuJu across the road and into the backyard of the house with the treehouse. He took one last sight of the road and saw Vonda disappear into the mist of drizzle.
Roger looked up at the treehouse.
"Small treehouse," he said.
"Who has binoculars?" asked Luan.
"Over here," said JuJu. "Here, you can take it."
JuJu handed his binoculars over to Luan.
"I'm gonna see what's going on," said Luan. "Anyone wanna come with?"
"I'm good here," said JuJu.
"I'll come up there," said Clyde.
"Actually… I need to talk with you, man. Privately if we can."
"Uh… sure."
"I'll go up then," said Roger. "Watch the kids."
JuJu nodded as Simon and Lana glanced at each other. Carlitos sat himself on a swing, though he immediately got off of it as his pants became drenched in water. Roger joined Luan as they climbed up to the treehouse.
"What did you wanna talk about?" asked Clyde, his voice shivering softly.
"Ah man, it's cool, don't be so nervous," said JuJu.
"It's just cold. And my muscles feel sore."
"Yeah, word. I just wanna go back to Royal Woods now."
JuJu looked up at the treehouse before clearing his throat and lowering his voice.
"Anyways… I just wanted to tell you something. I ain't gonna lie, you're not gonna like what you hear. But it's the truth."
"O-Okay."
"Lynn… ain't that into you anymore. Sorry."
"Huh?"
"Me and Lynn were talkin' and she said that she had liked you a lot, but as time passed, she started losing feelings for you. I don't know, she kinda explained it better, but the thing is… she don't wanna tell you. So, I'm breaking the news to you now."
Clyde looked stunned as JuJu looked at him.
"Hey, man… you good?"
Clyde remained speechless.
"Hey, if you need to talk, I'm here for you, bro. Just don't freak out on me, man."
"What… on Earth… do you think you're trying to get at telling me all this?" asked Clyde. "Heh, you're trying to take Lynn for yourself?"
"Bro, she ain't yours to own. She makes her own decisions."
"I know. And she chose to be with me. She's strong enough to tell me herself, so I don't know what you're trying to achieve by lying to me about all this. You want Lynn? Is that what's going on?"
"She doesn't wanna hurt you. Simple as that. Ain't nobody lying here except you to yourself."
"And so what? What do I do with this information?"
"She's gonna tell you soon. Just wanted to soften the news up a bit."
"You don't know Lynn at all."
"No, I think you don't know Lynn at all. You don't know what she's doing or where her mind's been at. For all you know, someone could've been fucking her in your bed and you wouldn't have had a damn clue."
Clyde yelled and punched JuJu across the jaw, though JuJu instantly recovered and swung back, smacking Clyde across the face and sending his glasses flying off into the grass. Carlitos's eyes grew wide as he looked at the ensuing fight and turned his face up, looking at the treehouse. Sure enough, Luan and Roger heard the commotion.
"Hey, guys, stop it!" whispered Roger loudly.
"Boys, stop it!" warned Luan as she climbed down the steps.
Clyde growled and stood up and lunged towards JuJu. However, JuJu grabbed Clyde's arms and resisted him, before Clyde made a powerful kick on his right leg, banging against the bone of JuJu's leg.
JuJu screamed as he collapsed, wondering why Clyde's foot felt like a boulder. JuJu felt like his leg shattered apart as he opened up the sleeve of his right leg, seeing a large bleeding gash on his shin. He groaned in pain as he pressed his hand against it.
Clyde stood above him, his hands curled up into a fist, though his face wasn't angry. The look on his face was one of fear. He looked at his own fists and was reminded of Francisco. The part of Francisco that he saw in JuJu at that moment, he now saw in himself. The scary part.
The raindrops continued to splatter against his glasses in the grass. Roger kneeled down to check on JuJu. However, JuJu pushed Roger's hand away and quickly lunged at Clyde's legs, pulling him down to the ground.
"JuJu, stop!" gasped Luan.
Clyde struggled to push JuJu off of him. JuJu pulled the sleeve on Clyde's left leg and saw metal. Pure metal.
Upon seeing this, JuJu grew angrier and elbowed Clyde in the face before being grabbed by Luan.
"Enough!" Luan cried out.
"You motherfucker!" growled JuJu, resisting Luan. "That's the cheapest shot I've ever seen anyone take! And I have taken plenty of cheap shots! Metal? Pure metal? What the hell, man?"
Luan then tossed JuJu into the ground.
"It's over, already! Stop it!" said Luan, taking out her katana.
"You're gonna…?"
Luan then cried out as she leaped over JuJu and sliced a roamer's head off. JuJu groaned as Roger wrapped his scarf around JuJu's right shin. Clyde stood up and grabbed his knife, helping Luan take out the roamers, while Carlitos stayed next to Roger.
JuJu groaned as he struggled to get up without limping.
"We need to get outta here," said Luan. "You two caused too much noise."
"Where's Simon and Lana?" asked Clyde.
The sound of the drizzle muffled Lana and Simon's footsteps as they made their way to the cul-de-sac, each of them holding a pistol and a knife. They snuck into the backyards and went around the street, trying to find out where the rest of the dogs were being held. The sound of a gunshot caused them to flinch as the sound of dogs barking followed.
"That truck over there," whispered Lana.
Simon nodded.
The Laborers all rushed away from the center of the cul-de-sac as the dogs ran away from the body with the bullet hole in their head. The guards on the armored cars stood up and turned around with their guns raised at the house opposite to them before they too were shot.
Smoke puffed out from the barrel of Luna's rifle as she adjusted the scope by zooming out. Sam looked around the street, finding no Laborers. They were all hiding behind cover, such as houses, picket fences, and empty cars. The sound of the drizzle and dogs barking filled the silence. The laughter and cheering from earlier was now gone.
A Laborer hiding in the driveway of a house away from Luna's line of sight was checking the loaded magazine for his rifle. He then placed the magazine back into the rifle before being shot twice in the chest. Benny placed his pistol down and picked up the rifle that the Laborer had. He then knelt down and followed Jackee and Ronnie Anne as they continued to circle around the street.
A Laborer hiding behind a car heard the gunshots close to him. He saw a Laborer's dead body on the dark driveway near him and raised his rifle. He aimed through the iron sights as he tried to lock onto the shadowy figure moving about in the driveway. Sweat formed on the grip of the rifle and on the barrel. However, he couldn't get a good aim without risking exposing himself to Luna's line of fire. The shadowy figure then escaped him.
One of the guards by the armored cars groaned in pain as he pressed against the wound on his chest. He looked at his fellow Laborer, the other guard, on the ground and knew that he had no life in him. He tried to drag himself away from the cul-de-sac, but upon hearing a humming noise, he turned around and was met with a gunshot through the skull. His head was then shoved into the ground as Aiden patted the Laborer's body, continuing to hum "Clair de Lune."
Two Laborers walked into the house that Luna was at. They went through the front door, sneaking their way to the stairs. To avoid making any hasty mistakes, they tapped on the staircase and teased their rifles, hoping to get a reaction out of any trigger-happy ambushers. But there were none. The Laborers looked at each other and nodded before they rushed up the stairs.
Lynn then came out from the kitchen, alerting one of the Laborers. However, it was too late. She fired one shot after the other, filling the stairwell with gunshots.
Sam turned around and looked down, hearing the rapid firing coming from below. She then looked back outside of the attic and continued to help Luna spot targets.
Lynn looked as the body of one of the Laborers slid down the stairwell, leaving a trail of blood on the steps behind them. She grabbed the Laborer's rifle before walking up the stairs. The other Laborer was on the steps of the top of the stairwell, holding onto his rifle while appearing lifeless. Lynn tried to take his gun, though the Laborer resisted, trying to hold tightly while groaning in a low voice. She quickly shot the Laborer in the head and pulled the rifle away from the body.
A Laborer in the garage of a red house tried to get a good shot on the attic of the house on the end of the cul-de-sac. However, whenever he tried, a shot was fired in his direction and he would quickly take cover. He then looked at the Laborer hiding behind the car. He motioned his head towards the attic. The Laborer behind the car nodded. The one in the garage then began to fire wildly towards the attic while the Laborer behind the car quickly stood up and attempted to make a getaway. However, the getaway was futile as a bullet tore through the front of the throat, killing the Laborer. The one in the garage was then slammed with the base of a hammer, leaving a gaping hole near his right eye socket. He cried out in pain before Aiden turned the hammer around. Aiden then swung the hammer down, piercing the top of the Laborer's skull and leaving the hammer there.
A Laborer hiding behind a picket fence went into a prone position and tried to aim a rifle at Aiden. However, Jackee shot her multiple times, damaging the wooden fence behind her as well.
Aiden snuck into the backyard of a house opposite of where Benny, Ronnie Anne, and Jackee were at, humming as the gunshots continued to pop off around him. There, he found a Laborer trying to make it to the house where Luna was at. Before the Laborer could react, he was shot three times on the chest, causing him to fall back on the grass. The Laborer then found himself pinned against the grass with the barrel of Aiden's gun pointed at his head. Aiden paused his humming.
"Where are the dogs?" asked Aiden.
"Orange house across! Basement!" gasped the Laborer.
Aiden placed the gun back into his holster and stuck his fingers into the bullet wounds of the Laborer. The Laborer screamed in agony as Aiden grabbed his clothes and dragged him out of the backyard. Aiden then kicked the Laborer into the driveway. The Laborer tried to crawl away while coughing out blood, making it to the front yard as he heaved.
Another Laborer tried to help the wounded Laborer, but she was then shot in the forehead by Luna. Aiden then walked away from the wounded Laborer, who covered his head with his arm and pleaded for mercy. Aiden began to hum again.
"Wait, wait!"
The Laborer was then shot in the forehead by Luna.
Aiden walked into the middle of the cul-de-sac, crossing the street, signaling to Luna that the Laborers were no longer a threat. Luna stood up and left the attic with Sam and Lynn behind her. Benny, Jackee, and Ronnie Anne continued to look around the street for any potential hidden threats.
Aiden walked towards the orange house and kicked the front door in. He was then ambushed by a large Laborer, who had a pistol drawn on him. The Laborer fired a shot into Aiden's chest before Aiden quickly twisted the Laborer's wrists and disarmed him. Aiden released the magazine and tossed the gun away before he grabbed the Laborer's wrists again and pulled them forward before quickly twisting them back, snapping the wrists. He then pushed the screaming Laborer against the wall, but not before the Laborer fought back and grabbed Aiden's body and tackled him into the floor. Aiden groaned as he felt his back taking a strong blow against the wooden floor and the bullet lodging itself further into his chest. However, he endured it and grabbed the Laborer's beard and pulled it sideways as hard as he could, slamming the Laborer's head against the floor. The Laborer rolled on his back, freeing Aiden, who tried to reach for his pistol. However, upon grabbing it, his arm was kicked by the Laborer, sending the pistol across the living room. The Laborer then stood up and kicked Aiden across the floor, causing him to roll towards a bike near the front door. The bike then fell on him as the Laborer walked towards him.
Aiden quickly grabbed and held on to the bike as the Laborer lifted his boots. He then stomped down, though Aiden used the bike as cover. That didn't stop the bike from slamming against Aiden's body, though, and Aiden grunted in pain. Luckily for him, the Laborer's foot got stuck in between the body of the bike, which Aiden quickly took advantage of by yanking the bike to the side, causing the Laborer to fall. The Laborer tried to kick the bike away before Aiden wrapped a bicycle chain around the Laborer's neck.
Aiden tried to stand the Laborer up, though the bike on the Laborer's foot prevented him from getting his footing, causing both of the men to stumble down. Aiden once again fell on his back, causing him to cry out in pain for a second as he felt the bullet tear some tissue in his chest. He now had the Laborer's back on top of him and his hands were still holding on to the bicycle chain. Aiden then pulled back on the chain, strangling the Laborer.
The Laborer lifted his arms, trying to get a hold of the chain with his hands. However, his dislocated wrists prevented him from even being able to clasp his fingers on the chain. He grit his teeth as he tried to grab Aiden's eyes from behind with his fingers. However, he felt the wet touch of Aiden's tongue before feeling a surge of pain rush across his body. He let out a deep guttural sound as Aiden chomped down on his fingers and ripped them off his hands. Aiden spit the fingers out as blood squirted out into his face before pulling back harder on the chains. He then began to move the chain back and forth, grinding it against the Laborer's throat. He went faster and faster, tearing through the flesh. The Laborer then began to cough out blood that went back into his throat, causing him to gurgle on it. Blood quickly seeped out of his lips and throat as the chain tore through the esophagus, staining Aiden's shirt. The Laborer then went still.
Aiden rolled the Laborer to the side and crawled over to his pistol, picking it up and double-tapping the Laborer, leaving two gunshot wounds on his head. Aiden then let out a huge painful groan as he fell to his knees. He then heard footsteps approaching the house, prompting him to aim his pistol towards the front door. However, he quickly lowered it, along with his head as he took rapid breaths.
"Holy…" whispered Luna as she stood outside the front door, stunned by what she saw.
"Dogs… should be in this house," panted Aiden, before letting out an exhausted laugh.
Benny felt tense as Sam felt the instinct to step in front of Luna. However, it was clear that Aiden wasn't a threat to them at the moment. Yet, he still felt dangerous to be around with.
"Are you… okay?" asked Jackee, who shuddered at the sight of the dead Laborer in the ground.
"I should be fine… bullet didn't go in that deep…" panted Aiden, standing upright.
"Right. Totally what I meant."
Aiden walked into the kitchen, clutching his chest, and saw a door. The group were behind him as he placed his ear against the door. He slowly knocked on the door, but got no response. He then opened the door and turned on his flashlight before pointing it at the stairs. He walked downstairs as Luna and Lynn reluctantly followed him.
"The dogs were supposed to be here?" asked Benny.
Aiden curled his hands into fists as he started breathing heavily. He then chuckled to himself before letting out a scream. He then stormed out of the basement, leaving the rest of the group frightened.
The drizzle splattered on Lori's face while a cold mist of air puffed out of her mouth as she kept her arms up, allowing the Yellowjackets to cover her body with roamer blood and flesh. She then saw Debi returning with four large yellow raincoats.
"This smells so bad…" whispered Whitney.
"You'll get used to it," said Lori.
"You better get used to it because these raincoats are gonna make sure the smell sticks," said Debi. "Besides Lori and the old man, who has done this before?"
Bruna raised her hand while Whitney looked around, feeling left out. Albert and Lori looked at Bruna, caught a bit off-guard.
"Tim showed me," said Bruna. "What a smart fella he is."
"Can't I get sick from this?" asked Whitney, squirming softly.
"Yeah," said Debi. "Make sure to take a good bath after this. And do not touch your eyes or nose or mouth. And if you can't help yourself… we can give you a mask."
"You guys have extra masks?" asked Lori.
"We have too many. Here, just take them."
The Yellowjackets handed the group surgical masks. Lori put it on carefully while Whitney quickly placed it on face. Bruna slowly put it around her face while Albert hesitated. Debi then looked at Whitney.
"Walk very slowly. Limp too. Keep your head low and try not to maintain eye contact with any of the dead ones," said Debi. "Do not draw attention to yourself in any way. If you have to say something, whisper."
"Okay," said Whitney.
"Just relax, it'll be easy as long as you don't cry like a baby."
Whitney blushed softly from embarrassment.
"Can I ask you a question, Debi?" asked Bruna.
"Sure," said Debi.
"How old are you?"
"Eleven."
"Oh, wow. I did not… expect that."
"Never underestimate an eleven-year-old," said Lori. "Debi… you're a very strong girl. Knowing what happened to your sister and still keeping a strong face… you're one of the toughest people I met."
"Thank you," said Debi. "It means a lot. After this is all over… I hope your people and my people can become friends."
Lori couldn't help but smile and nod. She then put the hood on and walked through the woods with the rest of the group following her. They followed the creek downstream while the drizzle splashed on their yellow raincoat. Debi and the Yellowjackets watched them as they made their way down a hill where a herd guarded their territory.
Whitney's breath could be heard trembling as she looked at the herd at the bottom of the hill. She saw many glowing eyes, all looking at the roamer ahead of it. She felt her feet gluing themselves into the grassy slope as she began to breathe faster. She then felt her left hand being grasped by another hand. She looked to her left and saw Lori.
Lori's blue eyes looked into Whitney's hazel eyes as they reassured her that she was safe. Whitney then followed Lori to the herd while Albert and Bruna each held hands as well to make sure they weren't separated.
The roamers' growl were louder now that Whitney was walking among them. They turned their heads towards her, causing her to lower her face. She continued to walk where Lori led her, being careful not to bump into any of the roamers.
To the roamers, four new dead ones were simply passing by.
A Laborer walked back to his truck, which wasn't covered by rusty armor, nor metal scraps. He zipped up his pants and pulled out a lighter and a cigarette. He lit up the cigarette and puffed out smoke. He grabbed his walkie-talkie while holding the cigarette in between his fingers.
"Yo, is it over? I don't hear no more rounds going off. Y'all took care of it?"
Nothing but silence.
"Yo. Y'all still alive out there? You sons of bitches better respond. I'm not tryna' drive all the way to Ann Arbor in this darkness."
Once again, the Laborer received nothing but silence. He groaned and walked over to the back of the truck to check on the dog cages, which were fastened onto the trunk walls.
"Looks like you bitches are in for a long, bumpy drive."
The Laborer then walked away as he rolled his eyes.
"Fuckin' dumbasses."
The Laborer paced around the truck, awaiting to hear the sound of the crackle and static. However, minutes passed, and nothing came of it.
Suddenly, a growl was heard coming from the intersection by where the truck was parked. The Laborer turned around and puffed out more smoke as he noticed the golden glowing eyes on the roamer. He groaned and took out his knife. He walked up to the roamer and swung the knife, cutting apart its face before he sent the knife back into the skull, killing the roamer.
"Yeah, I think it's time to—"
The Laborer quickly dropped his knife and took out his pistol, firing at the figure behind him. Simon quickly leaped and rolled out of the line of fire before reaching for his pistol. The Laborer quickly aimed his pistol at Simon. However, a gunshot to the back of his head prevented him from pressing the trigger, and he fell down stiff on the pavement.
Simon took a deep breath as he held out his pistol, aiming where the Laborer stood.
"Hey, you good?" asked Lana, her pistol drawn out.
"How… how did he know I was behind him?" panted Simon.
"Don't know. C'mon, get up already."
Lana held out her hand. Simon looked at her hand, hesitating. He then took a deep breath and grabbed it, allowing Lana to help him up to his feet.
"You look shook up," said Lana.
"I must be tired," said Simon.
"Yeah, I am. I really want to go to bed right now."
Lana jogged to the back of the truck while Simon bent down and patted the Laborer's body. She gasped in horror at what she saw.
"Simon! Look!"
Simon looked up and stood up, pocketing the ammo he found on the Laborer. He walked up to the truck, seeing Lana whimper softly.
"C'mon, hurry!"
"I'm coming," said Simon.
Simon arrived at the back of the truck and grabbed the trunk and took a step on the wheel to climb up. The dogs all growled at the kids, though their growls were muffled. His eyes then opened up, seeing dogs in cages as he expected, but being caught off-guard by the muzzles on their mouths as well as the scars and wounds on their faces and bodies. He shone his flashlight on the cages, now noticing that one of the dogs, a Rottweiler, was missing an eye. The dog seemed so aggressive, barking at the kids, but Lana couldn't help but feel pity for the dog.
"I hope these are all of them," said Lana.
"No, there were more," said Simon. "But who knows where they went? Probably ran off when they heard the gunshots—no, they definitely ran off."
"Poor dogs, should we go look for them?"
"They could be anywhere. I think the most important thing to do right now is getting somewhere safe, then we ask the people from the other communities to look for them when we take care of Becky and her evil group first."
Lana seemed to be tearing up. Simon lowered his eyes and took a deep breath again.
"At least we rescued these dogs," said Simon. "Thanks to you and me, they're gonna have a good home being raised by people who love them. Right?"
Lana sniffled and smiled.
"Yeah," said Lana. "That's true."
"Now, come on, let's check to see if this thing has any gas."
Simon walked up to the driver's seat. He looked at the fuel gauge. It was filled halfway, which surprised him.
"It actually has a lot of gas," said Simon. "Lana?"
Simon stepped out of the driver's seat and found Lana holding one of the dog cages. Lana looked heartbroken.
"Simon… why doesn't this little fella have a muzzle on?"
Simon looked at the puppy, a Golden Retriever, who seemed small and terrified. It was moving its jaw muscles, opening its mouth, lunging at the cage before flinching back. But no barks came out.
"It's not barking," said Lana. "Why is it not barking?"
Simon seemed shaken as he pointed the flashlight at a bandage that was wrapped around the dog's neck. He didn't even want to think about opening up the bandage to see what was underneath it.
"Hey!" cried out a voice down the road.
Simon and Lana both raised their pistols. Then, Lana lowered her gun before Simon did.
"Guys!" cried out Sam. "What are you two doing here?"
"We saw this guy getting away with the dogs so we had to chase him down," said Lana.
"You followed us?" asked Luna.
"Yeah… we wanted to help. That's all."
"Ugh. We had this handled."
"Yeah. I think you did."
"What's wrong?"
"The dogs," said Simon. "They were really treated horribly. I'm glad you guys took out the Laborers."
"The dogs?" asked Sam.
"Yeah. They're in the truck."
Sam turned around, facing the group.
"See? I told you guys."
Aiden walked towards the truck. He then saw a small group approach from the intersection. He raised his pistol, just as the rest of the group did.
"Hey, easy there!" exclaimed Luan.
The group members all lowered their guns, except Aiden. Luna placed her arm on Aiden's wrist, motioning him to lower his gun. Aiden nodded and listened.
"And why are you guys out here?" asked Sam.
"The backyard we were at got infested with roamers," said Roger. "We had to make a break for it."
"We were also looking for Lana and Simon when we heard gunshots coming from around this area," said Luan. "Looks like the whole party's here."
"Not Vonda and Jane," said Ronnie Anne.
"Crap."
"We have to go back to the cul-de-sac," said Clyde. "Vonda went to look for Jane, I think. If she's found her, she must be headed there."
"Okay. Looks like we're going back there," said Luna. "Does that truck have any fuel?"
"Yeah," said Simon. "I checked already."
Aiden walked over to the truck. He looked at the cages. A shadow formed under his eyes as he lowered his face, repressing his anger. He then looked at his blood-stained hands and smirked.
"What do we do with these dogs?" asked Benny.
"We could drive them to Detroit," said Luna.
"There's enough space to take some of us though if we remove the dog cages," said Lynn.
Aiden and Lana both glared at Lynn.
"...but it's fine. I guess we'll walk the rest of the way."
Luna nodded. Upon hearing one of the cages unlock, she quickly turned around and saw Lana grabbing the small mute puppy.
"H-Hey…" stammered Luna.
"It's fine," said Lana, handing the puppy a piece of her granola bar. "She was just hungry."
"It's a girl?"
"Yeah. A very good girl, wouldn't you say?"
Lana rubbed the puppy's back slowly, comforting the dog as it ate the granola bar. The dog then shook its body, removing the raindrops from its fur before snuggling close to Lana.
Aiden looked at Lana, having a blank stare. However, he seemed tranquil.
Luna smiled as Roger grabbed his scarf and wrapped it around the puppy. The dog then closed its eyes.
Luan watched the dog fall asleep on Lana's chest as she rocked it slowly back and forth. The drizzle continued to fall on her hair, on her shoulders, on her face. Tears rolled down from her eyes as she let out a pained gasp.
"Luan?" said Luna in a concerned tone.
"I'm fine," whispered Luan as she began to walk away.
"Hey, Luan, where ya' going?"
Luan then picked up speed and jogged away, causing Benny to go after her. The group were left standing in the rain, confused.