Read Online Ellie's Story by W. Bruce Cameron - Free Book Online

“Looks like he dropped his weapon.”
    â€œOkay, now what?”
    â€œFind!” Jakob commanded.
    I dashed ahead, leaving the two men to follow. The man’s scent was painted on bushes and hanging in the air, and it wasn’t long before I could hear him scuffling through the leaves and the rough grass. I ran more quickly. The breeze from ahead grew damp, bringing me his smell more strongly.
    I pushed through a thorny bush into a little clearing. The air was moist from a tiny stream, and the trees lifted their limbs high overhead, letting shade fall gently on the ground. He saw me and ducked behind one of those trees, just like Wally used to do. But Wally had never fooled me, and this man with the dark, bitter smell could not fool me, either.
    I turned and ran back to Jakob. “Show me!” he said.
    I stayed close to Jakob as he pushed his way through brush and saplings back to where I’d left the man. Jakob and I stepped out into the little clearing. I could hear the stream trickling over the stones.
    I knew where the man was hiding; I could smell his fear and his hate and his angry scent. I led Jakob toward the tree.
    The man stepped out into the sunlight.
    I heard Jakob shout, “Police! Freeze!”
    The man raised his hand, and there was a noise as sharp as a thunderclap.
    Just a gun. I knew about guns; Jakob had shown me. Guns were okay. Noise couldn’t hurt me. Noise could not hurt anybody.
    But I sensed a flash of pain from Jakob, and he fell to the ground. I smelled blood, warm and salty, and I heard his gun clatter away over roots and rocks.
    The man took another step forward, his arm still out, the gun still pointed at Jakob and at me. I sensed the man’s pleasure, saw his gloating smile. I didn’t know how, but somehow this man had hurt Jakob. He’d used the gun to make that noise, and now Jakob was on the ground.
    Behind me, Jakob gasped for breath.
    I didn’t growl; I just lowered my head and charged. The gun made its terrible noise two more times, and then I had the man’s wrist in my mouth. His weapon fell with a soft thump into the dust. It couldn’t make that loud sound now, the sound that could hurt people, that had hurt Jakob so badly.
    The man screamed at me, and I held on, shaking my head violently, as if he were my prey. My teeth broke his skin and tore into the muscles of his arm. His foot smacked into my ribs, but I did not let my jaw loosen.
    â€œLet go!” he yelled.
    â€œPolice! Freeze!” shouted another voice. It was the big policeman, shoving his way out from behind a bush.
    â€œGet the dog off me!”
    â€œEllie, it’s okay. Down, Ellie. Down!” the other policeman commanded. I let go of the man’s arm and he fell to his knees. His eyes met mine. I could feel his pain but also his cunning. He was happy in some odd, twisted way, even though he was on the ground with his arm bleeding.
    I didn’t trust him, and I growled, warning him. He thought he was going to get away with something.
    â€œEllie, Come,” the policeman ordered.
    I had always obeyed Come, ever since Jakob had taught me the words with treats in his pocket. I backed up, my eyes never leaving the bleeding man.
    â€œDog ripped off my arm!” the man shouted. He waved at something behind and to the left of the policeman. “I’m over here!” he called out.
    When the policeman turned quickly to see what was behind him, the man lunged, scooping up his gun and leaping to his feet. I barked, quickly, loudly, and my body tensed to spring.
    The man I’d Found fired his gun and the noise made my ears hurt. But the big policeman was already turning. His gun made its own noise twice, and the other man fell to the ground, just as Jakob had done.
    â€œCannot believe I fell for that one,” the big policeman muttered, pointing his gun at the man while he lay on the ground. The policeman took a few cautious steps forward and