before staring outside while barking. It’s very rare for him to bark unless someone is here, so I slowly move toward the window, careful to keep myself out of sight in case it’s not Dave, the only person who has shown up since we arrived, besides our new neighbors passing by. When I peek out the window something lunges at it and I jerk back, startled, before realizing that it’s Dave’s dog jumping up to stare at Bear.
“You scared the shit out of me,” I holler at Buddy before looking at the driveway, but Dave’s rumbling old truck is nowhere to be seen. He’s a crazy old man, but I can’t imagine he walked here, so I wait a few minutes before giving his cell phone a call. When he doesn’t answer, I call Shepherd.
“Hello?”
“Hey, so Dave’s dog is here, but Dave’s not. Do you think it’s okay if I put the dog in the car and drive him back to Dave’s?”
“You tried calling him?” Shepherd asks.
“Yeah, he didn’t pick up.”
“Sure, that should be fine. If anything seems suspicious, keep moving, okay? But we should be pretty safe out here. We haven’t left in god knows how long,” he says. “But take your gun just in case.”
“Oh lord. If I shoot myself, I want you to know that it’s your fault.”
He sounds amused instead of concerned like the loving and caring man he is. “Okay, that’s fine. If you shoot yourself, I want you to know that you really should have practiced more.”
“Okay… that’s fair,” I say.
“You were practicing this morning, right?”
I haven’t even touched the gun yet today. “Yes…”
“Great. I’m glad to hear that. I bet you got even better.”
Nothing like a good little white lie. “Yes… so much better. Like… I’m probably even better than you after all the work I put in this morning. I’m just now taking a break.” I pick up the gun for the first time today and stare at it, unsure of where to put it. Not interested in the idea of shooting myself, I set it to the side as I stuff my feet in my shoes.
“You must have been using a silencer? That’s why I didn’t hear any shots?” Shepherd asks.
“Yes! I did. I silenced the shit out of all of those shots. Like a whisper in the wind.”
“Wow. That’s awesome.”
“Thanks, I know I’m awesome like that. So awesome,” I say as I head outside with Bear who romps around with Buddy. “Come on, demons.” I pat my leg and they instantly respond to their new moniker.
“Don’t call the dogs demons.”
It’s clear that they loved it because they’re both waiting by my side. “They like it! They both immediately came,” I say as I open the back door and both dogs jump into the car. “What time are you coming back?”
“Do you miss me already?”
“No. Not at all… maybe a little.”
“Well… our neighbors are currently naked in their hot tub and getting a little frisky.”
I start the car. “You’re joking.”
“Nope. It’s like… I feel weird as hell and should look away, but I can’t look away. She’s smacking him in the face with her tits now.”
My face scrunches up. “Oh…”
“He’s calling her his queen.”
“You’re making this shit up,” I say.
“Now she’s doing a handstand in the hot tub.”
“I’m hanging up on your lying ass.”
He starts laughing. “I might be exaggerating, but there definitely was some tit-to-face smacking going on.”
“I’m actually jealous. When I get done here, maybe I’ll join you,” I joke.
“Deal,” he says as I turn into Dave’s driveway and immediately see why Dave wasn’t answering the phone. He’s lying on the sidewalk next to a ladder that appears to have tipped over.
“Shit,” I say as I jump out of the car.
“What happened?” Shepherd asks.
“I think Dave fell off a ladder,” I say as I rush over to him. I kneel next to him and give him a gentle nudge. “Dave? Dave, can you hear me?”
He groans but doesn’t open his eyes as I notice his head is lying in a puddle of blood.
“He needs to go to the hospital. Do I call them here? How far away are they?” I ask.
“How serious is it?”
“He’s not responsive,” I say.
“Call them and see how far it is. If it’s too far, just take him.”
“Okay, I’ll call you back,” I say.
I hang up on him and call 911. When they answer, I explain what happened and they tell me it’s thirty minutes to the closest hospital, which will likely be more with