Withdrawal
It was early in the morning and Stripe was in his car, with Muffin. She was sitting in the passenger seat, on her phone texting her friends. Stripe was a bit tired from staying up late, But he had to make a stop at Wendy's house to see how she was doing. He was curious to see if the chow chow had stopped smoking or not. "I really need a drink right now". Stripe whispered, to himself, Every night He felt anxious, and restless. He couldn't get good sleep like he used to, it was from always drinking a good amount of beer before heading to bed.
"Ready to see Wendy again Muffin". Stripe asked the young white heeler, Which made her eyes widen. "Dad, why are we going to Aunt Wendy's house"? Muffin said with worried eyes, which weirded her father a bit. "What's wrong you don't seem excited to see her". The blue heeler said as drove to the top of the hill. "Well I've been texting judo, and she says for the past 2 weeks she's been acting strange". Muffin said as she turned off her phone and placed it in her pocket. Stripe parked his car, as they both got out and began to walk up her door.
"Ding Dong"
Stripe rang the doorbell, waiting for Wendy to open the door. A few seconds later, a chow chow opened the door. It wasn't Wendy, but Judo looking a bit worried. "Hi, Uncle Stripe. How's it goin-
"WHOS AT THE DOOR"!
Yelled Wendy angrily as, Judo and the 2 heelers flinched. Judo groaned and turned her head towards her mother who was in another room. "Mum could you please not ye-"
"I SAID WHOS AT THE DOOR YOUNG LADY"!
She yelled again, Judo groaned, slapping her face. "IT'S UNCLE STRIPE AND MUFFIN ALRIGHT, THEY ARE HERE AT THE FRONT DOOR ARE YOU HAPPY"! Judo said yelling back at her mother, Judo had been calling the blue heeler. U
"DON'T YOU YELL AT YOUR OWN MOTHER"!
After that last comment, the teenager and her mother began to yell back at one another commenting on who was in the wrong. "Dad I'm scared I think we should go home". Muffin said hugging her father, Stripe held her shoulder for comfort. "It's alright Muffy, I think I know why she is acting like this". Stripe said as he tapped on Judo's shoulder to get her attention, the teenage chow chow stopped arguing with her mother and turned her attention towards Stripe. "Hey Judo is it alright, if we come in and see how Wendy is doing". Stripe raised his voice, since Wendy was still screaming in the other room, something about tax evasion. "You guys can deal with her, I'm gonna go to Bingo's house"! Judo said, walking out of her home. Tired of dealing with her mother's yelling.
Stripe sighed as he began to walk inside Wendy's house, Muffin was behind her father still scared, using him as a shield. Wendy had stopped yelling, But as soon as Stripe viewed the corner of her workout room where she was. He had to quickly dodge a 10-pound dumbell, the chow chow had thrown at the wall. "I'VE ALWAYS HATED THAT WALL COLOR ''! Wendy yelled, right now she had a swear band, she didn't even notice that she almost hit Stripe's head. The blue heeler then slowly peeked his head in the room, as Wendy was walking around in circles, she had a scowl, Her hands were balled up into fists, shaking from stress. Stripe patted muffin on the head, letting her know to stay here while he dealt with the chow chow. Muffin gave her father a thumbs up, as he took in a breath and began to walk towards Wendy. "Hey Wendy, how's it goi-
"THUMP"
But before Stripe could finish his sentence the chow chow had accidentally thrown a 20-pound ball right in Stripe's crotch, causing him to fall to the ground, silently screaming in pain. "My Nuggets," he said out loud as Wendy's scowl turned into a shocked face. "Oh my goodness Stripe, Are you ok". Wendy asked as she helped the blue heeler up from the ground. "Wendy, What the fuck is wrong with you, Why are you throwing shit around". Stripe said trying his best not to punch the chow chow in the face. "W-Well, It's not my fault you got in my way, You could have let me know that you were coming into my house". Wendy said, ignoring that Judo had literally yelled that Stripe and Muffin had come to visit. "But even then, that still doesn't answer the question why are you throwing your gym EQUIPMENT". Stripe yelled, as he grabbed his crotch again, feeling the afterpain. "DON'T YOU YELL AT ME IN MY HOUSE". Wendy Yelled back feeling threatened, The two middle-aged dogs continued to argue with one another as Muffin looked from the corner. Muffin shook her head, watching the two argue. Muffin then took out her phone and took a selfie of her with Stripe and Wendy in the background, she made a bored face as she took a picture. She then went to her snapdog app, uploading it so her friends could see. "Two old dogs arguing like a recently married couple". She then uploaded it and then turned her head back to see what would happen next.
"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND, I HAVE NOT SMOKED IN THE LAST 2 WEEKS. IT'S KILLING ME, I FEEL LIKE I CAN'T BREATHE, EVERYTHING IS PISSING ME OFF, I BARELY SLEEP, AND I'M STARTING TO EAT MORE"! She yelled at his face, waving her hands in the air, showing just how stressed she was. "WELL, AT LEAST YOU'RE ACTUALLY KEEPING YOUR PROMISE, THIS TIME! BECAUSE I'VE BEEN STRESSED OUT TOO. I HAVEN'T HAD A SIP OF BEER, OR WHINE IN 2 WEEKS. I ALSO HAVE TO DEAL WITH ALL THE ISSUES YOU'RE DEALING WITH, BUT EVEN THEN I'M NOT YELLING AT MY OWN DAUGHTER". Stripe said getting his stress out, to the chow chow, both of the adults were going through their withdrawals. "PLUS, I'M NOT JUST DOING THIS BECAUSE OF MY ALCOHOLISM, I'M DOING THIS BECAUSE I CARE ABOUT YOU". Stripe said, pointing his hands at the angry chow chow, stripes attitude then changed, from being angry to being worried. "I'm actually scared for you Wendy, Don't act like I haven't read your medical papers because I was there, I even took pictures". He said taking out his phone and going through his gallery. "Don't you fucking dare read it out loud"! Wendy said gritting her teeth, she couldn't yell anymore from the lack of breath, but Stripe didn't listen to her.
"Wendy Angelica chow chow, Lungs have been slowly turning black, due to smoking more than 3 packs a cigarette every week. Studies have shown that if she does not stop smoking, She will more than likely develop lung cancer, in less than a year"! Stripe said, out loud feeling more than stressed out when he read the information. "La, La, La, La, I can't hear your bullshit, I'm not listening". Wendy said, grabbing her ears as she shook her head at the blue heeler, She had read the papers before, but she was in denial. "Why are you acting like this, why are you acting like you're not gonna die, Don't you care About Judo". Stripe said, waving his hand towards the direction of the heeler house. "IT'S NOT LIKE SHES GONNA MISS ME". She yelled at the blue heeler's face one last time, grabbing him by his chest, and gritting her teeth, as she tried to catch her breath.
…………
They both stared at each other for what felt like hours, Wendy then began to slow her breathing down, her face slowly changed to a pout, as tears began to drip from her eyes. "w-wendy" Stripe stuttered, as the chow chow placed her face on the blue heelers chest, crying, for one main reason. "Do you really think it will make a difference if I die, I barely even see my own daughter. ITS BECAUSE I'M A FUCK UP". Stripe slowly brought her to the ground, not letting her go. "IT'S MY FAULT JUDO IS BARELY ALLOWED TO SEE ME, ITS FAULT BINGO HAS TO WEAR THAT STUPID MUZZLE, IT'S MY FAULT WHY CHILLI DIED"! Wendy yelled, looking straight into his eyes. Stripe was now confused and worried about the chow chow. What could she have done that caused the death of the red heeler? "What are you talking about, how could you have killed Chilli". Stripe said, with a worried look as the chow chow began to hiccup. "It was before the incident at the hospital, I was smoking a cigarette outside on the top porch. I-I saw Bandit carry a black black, He buried it, So I got curious and I jumped over the fence to see what it was. And when I poked it with one of my garden tools I thought Bandit had killed his kids, and buried them, because it had their fur. BUT IT WAS THEIR SHEDDED FUR". She yelled the last part, Making Stripe feel bad having an idea of where her story was going.
"S-So I called the cops on him, And they went to arrest him. Causing chilli to break out and kill 2, So Bandit had to kill Her, by shooting her head. And I never told anyone this, But Bandit beat the shit out of me because it was m-my fault, And it is". She said to the blue heeler her voice was now cracking, almost hard to hear. Wendy continued to cry silently, as Stripe went through what she just said to him. If it was all true, then that would have meant that it was Stripes' fault for not only causing the death of 3 dogs, But also for Wendy getting beat. He felt a wave of guilt hit him, causing her ears to fold down, And if he were to tell her that it was his fault she would blame him. It was also a bad moment to tell her, But he still felt the guilt overwhelm him. He didn't say anything and let the chow chow cry on his chest. And behind them, muffin was hearing everything. She was trying to make sure she heard everything right. Not only did her uncle kill her aunt, But he also hurt the only other adult she cared about. That would explain the black eye she had when she was younger. The young 12-year-old heeler scowled, now hating her uncle. Stripe continued to comfort Wendy until she was done having a mental breakdown
After Wendy was done crying, she went to her living room where she was trying to make herself feel a little better, by eating a tub of ice cream. Muffin walked into the room, seeing the chow chow eating the desert. "Aunt Wendy, you're not supposed to be eating ice cream so early, My dad is already making us something to eat," the young heeler said as she sat beside the chow chow. "You always said it's bad for your appetite". Muffin said, But Wendy couldn't help it, it was her way of distracting the idea of smoking, Wendy just rolled her eyes at the white heeler. Muffin wide-eyed by the disrespect groaned in frustration, as she walked back to the kitchen, bringing back the same wooden spoon the chow chow would use on muffin.
"Whack"
She slapped Wendy's hand from the cup, and grabbed ice cream away from the middle-aged dog. "Ow, Hey, give that back"! Wendy complained, as she was trying to reach for her ice cream, Muffin then slapped her hand again. "No, ma'am, look at your stomach, you have been getting fat lately. If I'm not allowed to have sweets until I lose weight, Neither are you"! Muffin said, closing the lid, And poking the chow chow on her stomach. Wendy's stomach has grown a bit, making it jiggle, Wendy covered her stomach from embarrassment. Also because she was feeling like a hypocrite. She wanted to argue with the young heeler, but she had already wasted a good amount of her energy on stripe. She just groaned in annoyance growling at the small heeler. But instead of backing down, the muffin went up to the chow chow and hugged her. "I'm just looking out for you Aunt Wendy, You've always been there for me even ever since I was 3. You've always helped me and my…..late sister and mother. So I wanna show you that I care about you". She said putting her head on the chow chows shoulder.
It was such a simple hug, yet it meant a lot for the white heeler. It calmed Wendy down, and she then embraced the hug. "You were always such a good kid, you know. You know you actually remind me a lot of judo, so energetic and happy". The chow chow said giggling, scratching muffin's head, while she smiled, and wagged her tail. Bingo then looked at the corner of the couch, and saw her video game that Wendy had made her stop playing, it gave her an idea. "You know, Aunt Wendy, at one point in my life, I was sad. And to be honest I'm still sad, But I do something to distract myself". She said, letting go of the chow chow, and grabbing her video game showing it to the chow chow. The game's cover showed a dog holding 2 giant swords with chains, with a big red tattoo on his body, the title said, Dog Of War. "Judo, I've told you before, you cannot play that game, It's too violent for your age". Wendy said, as the white heeler walked up to her console and placed the game inside. "I may be too young to play the game, But you're not". Muffin said with a large grin on her face. "What, I've never played video games before, It's not really my thing". She said, as Muffin gave her the controller, The middle-aged dog looked at it with confused eyes. "Don't worry Aunt Wendy, that's why there's a thing called easy mode". Muffin said as she sat beside the chow chow, as the TV screen turned on the game.
Stripe was in the kitchen, for some people, it wasn't normal for a guest to cook food for the house owner. But it wasn't Stripes' first time, he normally did it when he visited Wendy over, and he decided to stay for a good while. He was boiling potatoes, and when they were ready, he took out 3 potatoes with a gripper. He used a knife to slice it in half, stripe then used the knife to slice up some ham, then he dropped the sliced pieces in the middle of the sliced potato, He then added boiled broccoli, and sour cream. The food was steaming, as Stripe sniffed up the scent. "I hope they like it, it's my second time making this". Stripe said, as he looked up noticing Wendy's collection of wine, There was one that he noticed was from 1959. Age gives wine a better flavor, and just the thought of it made him lick his lips. But he groaned and turned around, walking towards the living room, where Wendy was trying to figure out how to use a game controller. "Aunt Wendy, Block Poseidon, He is literally the easiest boss to win"! Muffin said as Wendy tried her best to beat the water horse abomination. "WHAT IN GOD'S NAME IS THAT WRETCHED THING"! Wendy yelled, feeling the intensity of the game.
"Muffy, why is Wendy playing that game we told you not to play". Stripe asked as Wendy managed to beat the water horse as she ripped its jaw off. "Dad! Shush Aunt Wendy is feeling the adrenaline rush". Muffin said while wagging her tail, holding Wendy's shoulder feeling excited. "Holy shit did I win". Wendy said thinking that the boss was over, but then the water horse came back, and it looked pissed. "HOLY FUCK"! Wendy said as she almost dropped the controller. "DODGE, DODGE, DODGE". Muffin yelled, her tail continued to wag even faster, Wendy was even starting to sweat. Stripe just rolled his eyes as he placed the food on the table, walking back to the kitchen and grabbing plates, and forks for him and the girls. When Stripe returned with the plate and forks. He put one potato, and a fork for each plate. He sat down on the carpet, and watched the game as Wendy played.
"FUCK"
The chow chow yelled as she died in the game, She got up and pulled on her hair. Stripe sighed in annoyance, as he shook his head. "Wendy you're overreacting, It's just a stupid game". Stripe said as he ate half of his potato, She quickly turned her head to the blue heeler. "You Try, I'm gonna eat this potato". Wendy said as she too sat on the ground to eat her potato. "Oh, this is actually really good Stripe. I really like the way you cooked the broccoli". Wendy said completely changing personality, Stripe grabbed the controller off the table and started to play. Muffin grabbed her potato off the table, as she smiled like a maniac. This was the most exciting day of her life, Wendy and her father were both playing video games. Since Stripe was always busy he never had time to play with her, Wendy did play with her, but never games. "Come on! It can't be that hard ''. Stripe said
2 hours later
"TAKE THAT YOU MOTHERFUCKER, FUCKING WATER GOD, IM ABOUT TO GOUGE YOUR EYES OUT"! Stripe yelled out loud smashing the buttons on the controller, as a 3d dog of war was gouging the eyes of a water dog. It took the 2 dogs 2 hours to finish a 10-minute boss at the beginning of the game. They took turns trying to defeat the water god, Wendy was holding Stripe by his shoulder shaking him and cheering him on. As they both cussed out the now blind water god. Muffin was still sitting on the couch watching the 2 adults cheer, as they hugged each other. Taking out their stress on a video game, muffin was still sitting back, enjoying seeing the 2 middle age dogs having a good time, But her smile slowly dropped. She knew this joy and happiness wouldn't last forever, eventually, stripe would have to back to his house, and they wouldn't be together anymore. Then muffin would miss seeing the chow chow, And when stripe had to leave for a week, because of a job. She would begin to miss her father, She sometimes wished……..they were together, as a couple.
FLASHBACK
This was a few weeks ago, At Wendy's house, The chow chow was sleeping in her bed, resting. But then a ringing sound interrupted her peaceful dream, she slightly opened her eyes as she saw a light shining from her phone. Wendy sighed as she shifted in her bed and grabbed her phone, light shining on her face. It was muffin calling her in the middle of the night, She groaned already knowing what was going on. She answered the call and put the phone up to her ear. "I'll be there as soon as possible sweety……….2 bottles this time……..and beer". Wendy said growling in annoyance, she ended the call, as she lifted her sheets off her body. She got up from her bed and began to walk, trying to find her balance. She walked up to her desk grabbing her cigarettes and lighter, walking down the stairs at a slow rate. "I swear to god stripe I'm going to kill you". She said as she put the cigarette in her mouth, lighting it up. When she got out of her house a gust of wind blew on her body, making her feel the shivering freeze.
It even blew off the cigarette from her mouth, She growled as she began to walk faster to her car. She then took out her key, at first dropping it but then grabbing it from the ground. She quickly opened the door and shut it tight, turning on her car as she turned the heat on. She turned on another cigarette as she took a puff. "Stripe this is the 36th time you have gotten drunk, When I get to your house. You better hope I don't RIP YOUR BALLS OFF". Wendy said as she began to cough, driving down the hill. Since it was late at night, there were barely any cars at night. Making her driving a lot easier. Wendy then eventually made it in front of the blue heelers house, She turned off her car and began to walk towards the front door. She was shivering from the cold, as she began to knock as hard as she could. Waiting for Muffin to open the door.
"Creak"
The door opened, to reveal the young heeler with a worried look on her face. "I'm so sorry Aunt Wendy, But I tried to get him to bed". Muffin said as Wendy got inside, shutting the front door. "It's alright Muffy, Just tell me where he is, So I can beat his nuggets". Wendy said, looking around the house. Trying to see where the blue heeler was, scowling around the room. She could hear music coming from the second floor. She growled walking up the stairs as Muffin followed the middle-aged dog. She turned around the corner to see furniture and paintings all over the floor, the kitchen table was flipped, and the smaller tables were on their sides. Wendy shifted her attention to the blue heeler who was dancing in front of the TV waving his hands, his eyes were halfway shut, a bit of drool dripping from his mouth. "But Forget about that, blow the whistle, baby you're the refere-
"Click"
The TV turned off, and he dropped his hands as she moaned sadly. Wendy then walked behind the blue heeler, forcefully turning his body so he could see her eye to eye.
"Oh good evening we-
"Whack
But before he could finish his sentence he was slapped by the chow chow. But since he had drank a lot of alcohol he couldn't feel much pain. "Ow, you asshole, why would……….you do that"! Stripe said as he shut his eyes for a second about to sleep. "Oh good evening Wendy, wanna drink". Stripe said forgetting about her for a moment, as he offered her a half-finished wine bottle. Wendy then slapped the bottle off from the blue heeler's hand. "Do you have any idea, what Fucking Time it is"! Wendy said, trying to keep the little patience she had for Stripe. "Hold on I got this……….Is it multiple choice". He said with a huge and confident smile, pointing a finger at her.
Wendy lifted her hand again about to slap Stripe in the face, again. But with a sudden burst of strength, stripe pulled her up to his chest. "Oh, you wanna dance I, gotcha mate". He said as he began to forcefully make her slow dance. Wendy, already tired and exhausted, tried to get out of his grasp, but he kept on moving her. "Twirl, Girl," Stripe said as he spun her to the kitchen, Wendy spun to the kitchen hitting the counter and feeling dizzy. "STRIPE I SWEAR TO GO-
But before she could finish her sentence the chow chow looked up to see a grown-ass man jump right at her.
"Thump"
Her back hit the counter, and they both fell to the ground, Wendy still had her back on the counter, with the blue heeler between her legs. He had the same stupid grin, as he giggled on her stomach. "GET OFF OF ME," Wendy said trying to push the blue heeler off, as she blushed weirded out by their position. But he wouldn't budge, as he continued to giggle. The chow chow eventually gave up, she would have gotten up from the floor, but she was in a bit of pain from the fall. "Your such a fucking mess stripe, look what you have done to your house. There's glass on the floors because of the pictures you have thrown down". Wendy said as the blue heeler laid his chin on Wendy's stomach looking right at her with a stupid grin. "Nuh Uh, Nuh Uh, Th-Th-There is one picture that I did not throw on the ground". Stripe said, pointing his finger to the right, Wendy shifted her gaze to where the blue heeler was pointing.
It was a picture of socks, smiling at the camera with her hands up. Her anger left her body, as She then turned her head back to the blue heeler. He continued to giggle, This time instead of slapping him. She began to stroke his head, but she still looked annoyed. "You miss them don't you". She said as Stripe looked back at the chow chow, as he continued to giggle. "Y-y-you have literally no idea……B-But what can I do…..Im a fucking mess". Stripe said as his giggling turned into whimpering, His eyes began to water up. "But what does it even matter? Nothing will bring them back, My wife is dead, She even killed socks. A-A-And I just stood there doing nothing, SHE FUCKING LOOK AT ME STRAIGHT IN MY EYES RIGHT BEFORE SHE WAS TAKEN. AND I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING"! He said now completely sobbing, as he put his face on the chow chows chest. Wendy was used to the blue heeler's mental breakdowns, it was something he did commonly every time he drank. She didn't even flinch, she just continued to let him cry. "It's not your fault, there was nothing you could do". She said, now feeling empathy for the weeping blue heeler. "I don't get it, w-w-why are you still here, helping me, You could just leave and just never have to deal with a shitty person like me"! Stripe shuddered as he looked at Wendy in her eyes, she stayed quiet, thinking. "Because I know you would do the same for me, Even though you're a mess, we've known each other for so long. And you've helped me when I was at my lowest, just like I did with you when your wife couldn't walk". She said with kind words as began to wipe the tears off his eyes. Placing one hand on his cheek, the stripe leaned towards it.
"Even though I ruined your life when we were kids, When your parents disowned you, and you had to live with your grandpa". He asked, as his ears dropped, feeling the guilt from his childhood haunting him. "Honestly If I had stayed with my parents, I think they would have forced me to do baile, and I probably would have become a horrible parent just like them. Honestly, I was glad when I had to move with my grandpa, He was rough on me. Making me do stuff no girl should ever do, But I don't hate him for it. He showed me more love than my parents did". She said, remembering the good and bad times she had with her father. He was a Vietnam veteran, cold and hardworking. There were times when he had a PTSD breakdown, and she had to help him calm down. He one time almost stabbed her with a knife, thinking she was a Vietnamese soldier. "Plus even when you're not drunk, you're a good friend to talk to. You're so kind and sweet, and a good dog. But everything that has happened to you has made you stressed out, and now you have an alcohol problem". She said, as the blue heeler laid his head back down on her stomach, feeling her soft and warm fur, as he felt her heartbeat.
"You know, at one point in the past 6 years I had a thought about you. It was a thought of you……And I……In a relationship". Stripe said, smiling at the chow chow, causing Wendy to blush a bit. "It's not just because you're pretty, or even because we met in the past. It's because of how much effort you put in. You never give up until you're satisfied. And you always call on me or muffin to see how we are doing. And no matter what I do you always try and change me for the better, Even though I don't listen to you whatsoever". He said while giggling again, Wendy was trying to find the right words to say to Stripe. Even she couldn't deny that he had done the same, trying to get her to stop smoking, and practically visiting her every week he could. She did in fact love the blue heeler, But just didn't know how to tell him. "But as I said, I'm a fucking mess, a horrible disgusting dog. Why would anyone want to be with a wreck like me". He said his smile leaving from his face again, as his eyes began to shut close. He yawned as he began to snore, Wendy couldn't take his eyes off him.
But she did get up from the ground and gently laid him on the floor. She was about to turn around until she stopped mid-step, returning her gaze towards the blue heeler, she stood there thinking. Wendy then sighed and went up to the blue heeler putting her knee on the ground and feeling his fur on his head. "I'm a mess too stripe". She said leaning down even closer and giving him a kiss on the forehead. What the chow chow didn't know was that muffin had been looking at them the whole time.
PRESENT
7 hours later, Muffin was now on the carpet on her stomach watching the 2 middle-aged dogs still playing dog of war. The sun had set and the inside of the house was dark, as the screen illuminated. Right now Wendy was fighting Hades who now had his mask off as he was in a purple river, suffering. Stripe was yelling at Wendy, but out of excitement. As she was actually sweating from the pressure she was feeling. She eventually won, and the 2 adults cheered at the death of a god, Stripe grabbed Wendy from the waist and lifted her up, feeling the moment. Wendy hugged Stripe as she was in the air, also feeling the excitement. However, for Muffin she was feeling tired, as she then used her arms as a pillow and laid her head on the carpet, Her eyes got heavy, feeling already tired.
"Holy Shit, I feel better not gonna lie, this game is actually really fun Muffin…….Muffin"? Stripe said as he put Wendy down on her feet, turning around to see his daughter now sound asleep on the carpet, snoring very gently. "She must have been tired". Stripe said as he picked her up from the ground and she snuggled in his arms. "You can take her up to judo's old bed, If you want to keep playing for a little longer, Stripe". She offered to the blue heeler, Stripe nodded as they began to walk into the hallway and towards the staircase, heading upstairs to another room. Where Wendy kept her judos old toys, And even her old bed when she was 10. Muffin slept in that room when Stripe was out of town, and Wendy had to take care of her for a week or so. The blue heeler laid her down gently and covered her body with the sheets. He leaned forward towards her head and gave her a small kiss. "Good night muffles". He said as Wendy petted her head. "you wanna keep on playing for a few more minutes"? Wendy said as she offered the controller to Stripe. "Yeah, let's keep on playing for half an hour and I'll head out with Muffin". Stripe said as they walked out of the room, leaving the white heeler to rest.
Later that night, in the middle of Brisbane woods, was the square-shaped building surrounded by army guards. And inside the building were now over a hundred rooms filled with infected specimens, all of which were females. Some were sleeping, others were prowling in their rooms. But they were all waiting for their next victim. But deeper under the square-shaped building was another large room that looked like a theater, and in the middle of the stage was only 1 light shining. There were over 50 seats and yet only 2 were occupied. The 2 dogs were 4-star generals of the army, generals were soldiers that had been in the army for decades, given special responsibilities by the king and queen of England. The male 4-star general was a tall black and white Irish wolfhound who was in his 50s, The other was a light orange and white beagle, she was a 3-star general who was in her 60s, and her left hand was missing and replaced with a fake plastic one. They waited for the dog who was supposed to show them a slideshow of what exactly was infecting innocent civilians.
And out of the corner of the stadium walked out a black and gray German shepherd wearing a white lab coat. Shaun walked up to the middle of the stadium, as the light shined on his fur. He stared down at the 2 generals as they waited for him to speak. "Good evening, sir and ma'am, My name is Shaun Shepard, and I'm the lead doctor who is trying to find a vaccine for this horrid outbreak. I asked Sergeant Corso to invite you 2 here tonight so I may show you what we are dealing with. And by the end of the event, I hope you will help us out". Shaun said as a large Promethean board dropped from behind, The 2 generals' faces did not change one bit, as they got comfy on their respective seats. Shaun took out a small remote and clicked it to show them the first slide.
The first slide showed a picture of Brisbane Hospital where it all began. "9 years ago in this very hospital we had an incident where a red heeler had been showing signs of cancer, Her name was Chilli Heeler. One day her family came to visit her and they planned on going out and getting food for her. However 3 females stayed behind, one was an elderly lady, the other was a middle-aged dog, and lastly a kid. The red heeler then out of nowhere began to have an angry mood swing that caused her to attack the 3 females, She bit the middle-aged one on the neck and stabbed her in the vagina with a broken glass bottle". He said, as he clicked for the next slide, where a video was in the middle. "We had to cuff her to the bed, and call the police who guarded the door making sure no one got in. But one day her husband came to visit her, and he got arrested for a false reason, He had taken off the muzzle we had placed on her, and when he was escorted out of the room, this happened". Shaun said playing the video, as it showed Chilli breaking out of the room and killing the rottweiler first and jumping on Berry. It paused, and Shaun clicked the remote for the next slide. Where it showed the red heeler dead in the ground with 6 bullet shots in her head, she was subject zero".
"After this, they had thought it was the end. However for me, I sent out a letter to headquarters saying we should be studying this. I even sent them pictures of the tumors I had taken out of chilli heelers brain. But they didn't say anything, instead, they ignored me, And now we have an issue". He said as he clicked again to show the next slide. The generals were not fazed by the blood or gore they had just watched, They were used to seeing dead bodies. But the next slide made them widen their eyes.
"We have an infection"
Shaun said as he looked at them with an emotionless face. The Promethean board showed over 4 dogs that they had in the building. He clicked again on the button, it showed subjects that had first been brought to headquarters, they were pale and malnourished."The first stages of the infection could last anywhere from a week to a day. But in every case, their fur begins to get pale, and they lose a significant amount of weight that can easily be hidden as cancer. They bleed from their mouths and even their privates, It's all caused by the tumors growing inside their brains. Shaun clicked the button again, It showed a picture of a random dog with her skull cut in half, showing the tumors in her brain. "These tumors are a dark maroon color and normally have six tentacle-like flesh piercing inside the subjects brains. The cancer weakens the subject's body so the tumors grow in their bodies. When the tumors grow large enough they begin to pump, not only the brain with steroids, but the whole body. Causing the subjects to not only become aggressive towards other dogs, but an increase in their strength and jaw muscles. They now even have a healing factor, where they regrow limbs, and flesh". He said, as he moved away from the middle part of the stage. The square section split open and when it did, a glass box rose from the ground revealing an infected female border collie.
"RAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH"
She screamed at the 2 generals, slamming her fist on the glass. The 2 older dogs jumped a bit at the sight, But tried to look calm. The female then stopped trying to escape, and began to its secondary jaws in its mouth.
"Click"
"Click"
The sound could be heard from a good distance. "When a subject is fully infected they will roll their eyes backwards, to protect them from any sort of damage. So they use their secondary jaw as a clicker for echolocation, They can still however see through their eyes.
"But That's their weakness. The pupils have veins that connect to the whole body. I don't even know how or why it works. All the subjects we have in the building are females". Shaun said tapping on the glass, as the female border collie tried to jump at him, but the wall saved him. "Do you have any questions, sir and madam?". Shaun said, waiting patiently, as the female continued to bang on the glass as hard as she could. Both of the generals were genuinely shocked to see the infected dog, they then gulped, this was a serious threat to not just Australia but the world. There were a lot of questions they wanted to ask, so the beagle got up and tried to find the right words before answering. "Why has this happened recently, wasn't subject zero 9 years ago. This whole operation started only 6 years ago". How does headquarters already have over a hundred subjects, Is the infection airborne"? She asked, waiting for the German shepherd to answer her. "Thats thing maam, The infection isn't airborne. The only way someone could get infected is by blood from the subjects making contact with a victim's blood system. That also brings me to the next slide". Shaun said clicking on the button again, where it showed a map of Australia, where red dots were scattered all over the place. "These are where we found the infected subjects, But there is an issue, all of the infected have been scattered around Australia. It only started after patient 1, Trixie Heeler was infected, she was the female that got bitten by subject zero". He said looking at the generals, it however did not make sense to them. "It Could be some form of terrorist attack, maybe a whole team infected dogs all around Australia, so they wouldn't get caught But why"? Said the Irish wolfhound, as he scratched his chin.
"If that's the case then we have to alert the queen, and keep all this information hidden from the news". Said the beagle, as she then had a realization looking at the infected female. "Wait, Dr. Shaun, you said all the subjects here are females. Does that mean males are immune to the infection"? She said, raising an eyebrow, causing Shaun to widen his eyes just a bit, he sighed. "No, males can get infected, We just kill all of them that get transported here". He answered as the glass window box began to go down, as the female was now in the dark. "Why is that?". Said the male general, looking up at the black and white German shepherd.
………..
"They are way too dangerous to be kept in the building sir, or alive, More than the females". He answered as he clicked on the remote one last time. Showing them the video of Cujo the Saint Bernard ripping open a metal door, as the 2 corporal's began to shoot at the large dog. "What we've gathered from this single video is that male infected subjects are not only stronger than females, but are also more resilient to firearms. So every time we kill all the males we get, due to them being more of a threat, we also discover that if we do manage to shoot out their pupils the tumors begin to pump the body with all the steroids it can produce, until the tumors dry up". He said as the promethean board turned off and went up. He stood there in front of the 2 generals, waiting for anything else they had to say. The 2 old dogs began to whisper to each other, trying to think of a plan, but then they both came to an agreement and looked up at the German Shepherd. "Alright doctor shaun, you have caught our attention, we will help you in any way we can to find a cure for this cancer, But may I ask, what is the name of this infection". The Irish wolfhound said, giving the German shepherd a determined face.
Shaun just tilted his head, his emotions not changing one bit, as he answered the older dog.
"psychorabia"
THE NEXT DAY
It was early in the morning as the sun rose from the horizon, Judo walked out of the Heeler house. She had a sleepover with bingo, Not really wanting to deal with her aggressive mother. She rubbed her tired eyes, as she took her keys out of her pocket and opened her front door. She yawned, walking into the kitchen and grabbing a carton of orange juice, and poured it into a glass container as she took a sip of it. She walked out of the kitchen and began to walk towards the living room, wanting to turn on the TV and watch her shows.
"Splat"
The teenage chow chow dropped her juice on the carpet, shocked to see her mother lying on stripes chest as they both snored from staying up and playing all night. They both looked so happy as Wendy had her hand on his chest and Stripe had his hand on her back.
"MUM WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING"!
She yelled, grabbing her hair and pulling it from stress. The 2 middle-aged dogs heard the scream and they both slowly opened their eyes. "Huh", they both said, realizing that they were in an awkward situation. Both of their pupils constricted as they stared at each other.
Inside the Heeler house, bandit was holding brandy close to his body, as they both snored while still sleeping.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"
Bandits' eyes opened as he recognized his brothers and neighbors screams, He smiled as he brought Brandy closer to his body, he smiled closing his eyes again.
"Classic stripe"
End of chapter 39
A/N: Only 6 chapters left