Read Online The Dog by Amy Cross - Free Book Online Page B

but I have to do this. I've been a wretched coward all my life, but now I'm going to step up. And if that means learning to kill a man, then I guess I have no choice. I might as well pop my murder-cherry while I have the chance.”

Chapter Ten
     
    Barking at Richard as he steps toward me, I hold my ground, ready to strike if he gets too close to Jon.
    “Oh, you're a loud one, huh?” he says, adjusting his grip on the knife. “Well, I think I'd better get this done fast.”
    He tries to step past me, but I back away until I'm at the door. Jon looks to still be asleep, so I turn back to Richard and see that he's still coming closer with the knife.
    “Don't worry,” he mutters, “I won't make him suffer. Believe me, I want this over and done with. I'm a good person, I've always stuck to the rules, but the world has changed now. And I need to change with it, if I want to survive. So I'll just do this, and then you and I can head off. You'll start to like me soon, and respect me, so just -”
    Suddenly filled with a sense of blinding panic, I rush at him. He swings the knife toward my face but misses, and I bite down hard on his arm, sinking my teeth deep into his flesh. Letting out a cry of pain, he drops the knife and stumbles out through the door, but I keep my jaw clamped shut, even as my teeth start grinding against the bone of his arm.
    “Fucking animal!” he hisses, grabbing my throat and then slamming me into the wall.
    His blood is running into my mouth, but I refuse to let go. After a moment, however, he raises me high above the ground and then punches me, sending me crashing down. Before I can get up, he kicks me hard in the belly, and the flash of pain is enough to make me loosen my grip. Letting out a brief yelp, I fall onto my side but immediately get stagger to my feet, just as Jon stirs.
    “Your fucking dog bit me!” Richard yells, clutching his arm as blood run down to the elbow. “That fucking thing is insane!”
    “No way,” Jon stammers, still sounding a little groggy. “Harry would never -”
    “Look at my fucking arm!” Richard shouts, briefly moving his hand away to reveal the torn flesh. “He bit me through to the fucking bone!”
    Jon stares down at me with pure shock in his eyes, but I quickly step past him and snarl at Richard, forcing him to back away down the steps until he's out in the pouring rain. For the first time, he actually seems scared of me.
    “Harry's not a violent dog,” Jon says firmly. “I don't know what happened, but you must have provoked him and -”
    “He's a fucking monster!” Richard yells.
    He steps closer, but I immediately start barking. Clearly terrified, he backs away again.
    “What were you doing?” Jon asks him. “Why did he attack you?”
    “I wasn't doing anything!” he hisses. “That fucking maniac just launched himself at me.”
    “No,” Jon replies, “that's not like Harry. I know this dog better than I know most people, and he wouldn't turn against you unless he felt threatened. You did something that upset him.”
    “He's probably got rabies!” Richard splutters, as the pouring rain washes more blood down his injured arm. “You need to get rid of that goddamn little shit!”
    He steps closer.
    I snarl again, and then I bark.
    He flinches and steps back.
    With rain still crashing down and just a single light shining on the porch, Richard's face is marked by patches of blazing light and deep, black shadow.
    “It's okay, buddy,” Jon says, patting the back of my head. “I trust you. I know there's no way you'd ever attack someone unless you had a good reason.”
    “Seriously?” Richard shouts. “You're going to trust that thing?”
    “Were you in the kitchen?” Jon asks suddenly, stepping over to the doorway. “Why are the cupboards all open? Why's there a knife on the floor?”
    Richard hesitates for a moment, before hurrying back up the steps. I bark at him again, but this time he tries to kick me. I'm too quick for him,