stupid shit, Killian. I can’t imagine anything you did was worse than what I just did in that house.”
Was it? “It feels so much worse.”
“That’s because it’s your pain, and you’ve spent so long fixating on it. Sometimes you just have to let shit go or it’ll eat you alive. I know there are things you’re not telling me, and that’s fine, we don’t know each other all that well, but I know that you’re a good person, even if you’re kind of whiney when I try to make you sleep on the floor.”
I give him a small smile, glad for the break in all of this. It was getting too much. “That was just mean.”
“Good. I’m going to do it again if you don’t straighten up. Let’s pull off at the next exit and find a place to dump the car. We need to start making long-term plans or we’ll be running for days.”
“Okay,” I say as I pull off and park the car in a Walmart parking lot.
While Shepherd wipes down the vehicle, I get the dog out and stare at him. “Thank you… I suppose… for maybe a tiny bit saving me,” I say to the monster.
“I thought he wanted to eat you,” Shepherd says.
“Don’t give me that sarcastic tone, Shep. He does want to eat me. Look at his face.”
He glances over at the dog that might be just chilling, but I’m positive it’s like the calm before the storm. The calm before he tears my face off and feasts on my toes.
“It’s not Shep, and he’s a good boy,” Shepherd says, which is a huge lie.
“It’s just waiting until we drop our walls to eat us.”
“Where did this irrational fear come from?”
“I told you I was bitten!”
He doesn’t seem convinced. “Yeah, but was it that traumatic?”
“Even more! The dog had me pinned down and would have torn my face off if someone hadn’t helped. He bit my arm and was going for my throat next. Just like this thing is going to do.”
Shepherd grabs the dog in a bear hug and twirls it around while looking like a fool. The dog wiggles and laps at his face as I stare in horror.
“You’re asking it to eat you! Did you not hear the noise that man’s arm made when it crushed his arm?”
Shepherd hoists the sixty or so pound dog up higher and kisses the side of his face. “Did you crush some evil man’s bones?” he coos. Literally coos at the dog.
The dog licks his face, tail thwacking against Shepherd’s leg.
“That’s it. You’ve both fucking lost your minds,” I say.
“I’m going to run into the store and grab us some stuff and you’re going to sit here and wait for me while I’m in there. You will also apologize to the dog for being mean to him.”
He shoves the dog into my arms and I instinctively grab him so he doesn’t fall to the ground. The moment Shepherd lets go, Bear swings his massive head at my face. He gets one lick in before I drop him in horror. “I thought he was going to eat me,” I say.
“Bear, you can only snack on Killian, no eating him. He comes with the promise of more money. We’ll live in luxury when we’re done with him. Then you can suckle the marrow from his bones.”
“You’re disgusting and not funny. Go away. I’m going to see if we can get five bucks for this dog. Five dollars! Anyone want the dog? Five dollars! Now going for two dollars.”
Shepherd pulls out his wallet and hands me a hundred. “Now watch him for me, alright?”
“Yeahhhh…” I grab the hundred and wait until he’s a few feet away before going, “One dollar for the dog. I will now pay you one dollar to take the dog.”
The dog merrily watches Shepherd as he walks away, and I contemplate how I’ll get rid of it in a way Shepherd won’t notice. Instead, I sit down and poke the dog in the side.
“You’re secretly evil, aren’t you?”
He wags his tail.
“Don’t give me that lying shit.”
He rolls onto his back and wiggles around.
“Ew.”
By the time Shepherd returns, Bear has tried all of his tricks and none convince me that he’s not going to eat my face at some point.
Seventeen
“A… cabin?” I ask as I get out of the taxi. I’m skeptical about this, but Shepherd assures me we need to ditch the hotels. There are too many people in the city and out here