I was walking down our road smoking a cigarette. When I turned onto Cemetery Drive. A big dog...a great dane came thundering toward me.
"Oh my god!" I screamed, the canine leapt and pounced on me. I fell back, fucking up my arm. The beast's paws on my chest. The dog's floppy lips drew back in a snarl, the white teeth sharp and growling.
"Fuck!" Someone shouted. "Satan! Down now!" The dog obeyed slightly, it sat down on me, its nose hovering above mine.
"Jesus Christ!" I yelped. The owner came and grabbed the Dane's spiked collar and tugged. The beast laid down. The owner was Frank. I stared at him, I had no idea whether the dog would eat my face or not.
Frank stared at me with wide eyes, he shifted awkwardly and finally got the dog off of me. The beast was almost as big as Frank. I got up slowly, my arm, just below my elbow and scraped down to my wrist was torn and bleeding. Frank looked terrified. He reached out and grabbed my hand, he peered at my arm.
"I'll be fine." I said, Frank shook his head and kind of pulled me into his yard, the fence gate was open. The house was old, but it looked somewhat in a good new shape. "Frank?" I asked, he let go of the dog's collar and the Dane ran into the house through the open front door.
Frank pulled me inside and closed the door. He looked at me, his cheeks turning pink. I walked with him upstairs and he pushed me into the bathroom. He went through a bathroom cabinet and got some rubbing alcohol and strips of gauze.
"Your dog is huge." I said. Frank nodded and frowned.
"His name is Satan." Frank said quietly. Another dog ran into the room, a black and white Siberian husky, along with a mottled brown boxer. "Shasta." He said pointing at the husky, "Elric." He said pointing at the boxer.
"You like dogs I see?" I asked. Frank began cleaning the cuts on my arm. Frank nodded and the husky came in and sniffed around my jeans. "What about your parents?" I asked, Frank looked up at me and shook his head. I didn't understand, they didn't like dogs but they had three? "They have dogs, but they don't like dogs?" I asked.
"They aren't here." Frank said, he wrapped my arm in a large gauze strip and fastened it. "What do you mean?" I asked. Frank sighed and put the stuff away. "They at work or something?" Satan came up the stairs and shared me down.
"They aren't here." Frank repeated, he looked at me with narrowed eyes. Satan let out a growl and I raised my hands innocently. I could hear something fluttering in another room, but Frank sighed heavily.
"Sorry, I just didn't understand." I said, Frank nodded slightly. "So, you live alone then?" I
asked. Frank shook his head.
"I've got my pack." He said, his eyes wandered onto the three dogs. "And Vendetta." He added, his eyes went vacant for a second, then he blinked and looked at me. "I'm sorry about Satan, he is nice when he knows you." Frank told me. "You should leave now." He said strangely. I nodded and we went down the stairs to the front door.
"Uh, here's my number if you ever need anything. I live just down the road if you need to stop by. I'll be there." I said, I pulled my small sketchbook out of my pocket. I wrote down my number and address and pulled the page out. I handed it to him and he eyed the little vampire doodles on it. "Thanks for cleaning my arm up. I'll see you around, Frank." I said, he nodded and I opened the front door. I took one last look at him and his
dogs and I left.
I made my way home. Frank was what? Sixteen or Seventeen and he lived alone? I didn't understand.
