Dog Fight

Cage

....

The man lays in his bed, sweating. He breathes in as his head bobs side to side. His fists clench and unclench as he groans in his sleep.

Suddenly he gasps, sitting up and raising his fists as if he were about to fight.

He crosses his arms over his chest and begins to breathe like he was hyperventilating.

He lifts his covers up, getting out of bed.

....

Jane

I open my eyes as my alarm goes off. I huff as I sit up. I stretch and do a few scratches before getting out of bed.

I walk out of my room and down the hall to the guest room. I knock a few times before opening the door, peaking inside.

"Good morning-"I cut myself off, seeing that he was no longer in bed.

I begin to panic as I enter the room, looking in the bathroom and closet.

"Shit."I huff, running out of the room.

I run down the hall and into the kitchen, grabbing my emergency walkie talkie.

Then I stop myself, realizing I had noticed something.

I take a few steps back, and I notice him asleep in the dog kennel. He was curled up in a ball, sleeping like a baby.

I huff as I fold my arms. I walk over to the cage and tap it a few times.

He wakes up instantly. He sits up a bit, embarrassed.

"What are you doing in there, kid?"I ask with a small smile.

"I had a bad dream."he says quietly.

"...did the cage help?"I ask.

He nods.

"Okay. We'll put it in your room."I say.

....

A man dressed in a fancy suit walks down the path of the empty warehouse. The one that was raided by the FBI days before.

He takes a puff from his cigarette as he approaches the empty cage Dog had been removed from.

He huffs, breathing out smoke as he pulls out his phone.

He dials a number and puts it to his ear as it rings.

"Jord! What can I help you with mate?"the voice over the phone says.

"James."Jord says, his voice deep and intimidating.

"Y-yeah, what's up?"James says.

Jord doesn't speak for a bit, puffing on his cigarette.

"James. Where is my dog?"

.....

Jane sits with dog, watching him clear his 3rd plate of scrambled eggs.

"Dog. We need to talk about where you were, sweetie."Jane says.

His eating slows and the mood in the room shifts.

"What about it."he says quietly.

"Your master. When did you first meet him?"Jane asks.

He picks at his food as he huffs.

"I think I was 15."he says.

"How old are you now?"she asks.

"...I don't know.."he says.

"Were you fighting at 15?"Jane asks.

He nods.

I don't remember much. Too many blows to the head."he says softly as he eats.

"...have you ever lost a fight, dog?"Jane asks.

..

He looks at me.

"You don't lose fights. You lose, you starve."he says, pointing his fork at me as if he were quoting someone.

"Did master tell you that?"I ask.

He nods.

"I couldn't lose. If I don't eat I don't get strong. If I don't get strong, then I go in the pit."he says.

My mind reverts back to the pit of dead bodies at the warehouse.

"Honey, we need to find your master. We need to stop him before he finds someone else and does the same thing to them."I say.

He lets off a small chuckle as he eats.

"Master would never do that. I'm his champion. Once you have a champion you don't let them go."he says.

"So..do you think he'll be looking for you?"I ask.

He picks at his food.

"Yes."he states.

I huff in worry.

"Master always finds me. No matter how far away I run."he says softly.

A lightbulb goes off.

"Always?"I say.

"Always."he repeats.