Instead of cursing at the dog, however, I just screamed in a commanding voice, “Stop it! Jake, no!”
However, the dog didn’t oblige, which is strange for him. In fact, the dog’s fit was also strange. Normally, he was extremely quiet. He didn’t have to be loud. His size was intimidating enough.
Still, strange, or not, I was knowingly plagued by a bout of depression, through which, the dog’s behavior only aggravated me more.
I looked at the picture I kept in the old, beat-up wallet I no longer needed, save for the reminder of the normal life I could no longer have.
I had no idea why I kept the damn picture. All it ever did was cause me more pain and misery.
Still, though, I kept it. It reminded me of a better time; a time where I was far more ignorant and had the stupid notion that I would end up having a good life.
Yet, the girl in the photo was the one I should’ve stayed clear of. She was a heathen, who I blamed for nearly everything wrong with me and my now worthless existence.
I figured I was too much of a coward to take my own life and more than that, the dog would be left alone, which I couldn’t have. So, I stayed up here, away from anyone who even reminded me of the bitch that tore out my heart and stomped on it.
Again, Jake’s bark ripped me out of my thoughts.
“Shut up, Jake!” I screamed, balling my fists to keep from throwing something in the dog’s direction. I was tired of hearing him. He was consistent and with each bark, I was growing more aggravated.
For a moment, though, he tried to comply. Jake groaned and turned around, hanging his head while his tail tucked under his legs.
However, the silence didn’t last long, as he apparently heard something else in the distance that caught ahold of his attention far more than my scolding.
Rejuvenated, Jake let out a shrill howl before barking again.
This time, as I heard the dog’s nails dace expectantly across the wooden floor, I stood up and eased my way toward the door. Part of me was trying to intimidate the dog but by now, part of me was curious what had gotten the dog so riled up.
“What is it, Jake?” I asked the dog in a calmer tone and he yelped out another intense bark, staring from me to the door in response.
I listened carefully, trying to hear or sense anything that would make him react this way.
A moment later, I heard what sounded like a woman’s scream.
The sound alarmed me momentarily, but I was inclined to believe it was simply drunk teenagers roaming the hills again, since that happened every once in a while.
Yet, when Jake groaned as I turned away, now standing on his hind legs and pressing his massive body against the door, I was unable to convince myself the noise I heard was simply due to anyone’s drunken fun.
I heard the scream again, this time sounding far more desperate, with Jake nearly breaking the door down to get outside.
I rolled my eyes, knowing that I had to go out there, even though I had zero interest in seeing what was going on. I opened the door and Jake barreled outside, strides full and fast before I had a chance to stop him.
“Dammit!” I grumbled, taking off in the direction of the dog.
I hated having to run after the dog, especially in my current state, but something told me that there was a good reason.
I could hear him barking but due to his speed and the darkness, I only had that and the rustling of trees to rely on to find him.
As the dog ran, the screams grew closer, but they weren’t as frequent. It appeared as if they were being muffled, or the person yelling was growing tired.
However, after a few moments, both Jake and I were alerted to a scream of sheer terror, followed by the pitch of someone begging.
Even though I couldn’t hear what was being said, I knew this wasn’t some drunk chick at this point and I quickened my pace, as Jake’s snarls and barks became more insistent.
Eventually, I came upon the sounds of rustling that weren’t the dog, followed by the woman’s now much fainter screams.
Even through the darkness, I could see that there was a man on top of a woman, pinning her to the ground and trying his best to take advantage of her as she attempted to fight him off.
The man seemed to be taking an intense amount of sadistic pleasure in the woman’s inability to get away, taunting her as she grew weaker.