The Summer Anthology ✔

Story #13- Blood Child

Written by user 4everdreamer2014

Vincent exhaled slowly and looked at his watch again. It was almost three in the morning and all he had seen was a couple of call girls come and go through the front door of the house he was watching. He grabbed his pack of cigarettes and lit one up, inhaling the smoke deeply before blowing it out the open window. He wasn't going to see anything here tonight, that much was obvious.

The half-eaten sandwich sitting on the passenger seat had lost its appeal hours ago, and the dregs of coffee left in his paper cup were cold as ice. It was time to get refueled and start again tomorrow. He was sure that something would happen, and soon. His gut was never wrong. Flicking his cigarette butt out of the window, he turned the key on his old Impala and drove off down the side road. He was cruising around 35 miles per hour when a small streak of white disappeared under his car.

"Shit!" he yelled as he slammed the brakes and brought the car to a shuddering stop. Vincent quickly got out and ran to the front of the vehicle, leaving his door open. There were spatters of blood across the chrome bumper and a white puddle of fur directly below it. He could see the dog's side moving, so he knew it wasn't dead yet. That was a good thing. Going to his trunk, he got out a towel out of his gym bag. As carefully as he could, he wrapped the towel around the dog and picked him up, placing him in the passenger seat while pushing the sandwich into the floor. He touched a button on his watch and a face appeared.

"What do you need?" a female voice asked.

"Directions to the nearest vet clinic that's open," he barked to the hologram. It didn't take long, a few seconds at most, and directions were loaded into the GPS set in his dashboard. Perfect! It was less than ten minutes away. Vincent put the pedal to the floor, smoking his tires, as he headed to his destination.

He looked at his little passenger and softly told him, "You don't die on me." Reaching over, he put his hand on the little dog's head and gently scratched behind his ears. The dog whined pitifully and wagged his tail, almost as if in appreciation for the gesture despite his pain. Vincent looked him in the eyes and the poor creature turned his head to lick the hand that was comforting him. He couldn't help but smile back as tears tried to well up.

Vincent stopped the car in front of a small building and took the dog in as quickly as he could. An assistant took the bundle to the exam room in the back and told him to wait there in the front of the office.

After twenty minutes, the vet came out to speak with him. He was sitting with his elbows on his knees, and the first thing he saw were her feet. They were small and nestled into a pair of plain black flats. They were connected to beautifully shaped ankles that led to shapely legs. His eyes shot up to her face when he realized that he had been staring. A pair of stormy grey eyes met his and he stood up to meet the woman who owned them.

"Hi. I'm Dr. Daniels. What's your friend's name?" Her voice flowed into his ears like a rainbow flowing through mist. It was rich and full of quiet authority.

Vincent stretched his arm out to shake her offered hand.

"Hi. I'm Detective Ashe, and that dog isn't mine. I was on my way home when he ran out in front of my car. Is he going to be okay?" His concern was genuine. He remembered having a small dog when he was a child and how it had died one day for no apparent reason. She had been his best friend and her loss had left such a large void that he never wanted to replace her. To this day, he had a soft spot for dogs that he would never feel towards another animal.

Remy flicked her long brown braid over her shoulder and led him back to where the injured dog was enjoying a drug-induced sleep. His back leg had been casted from the hip down, and there was an IV catheter taped down on his forepaw. Vincent felt awful. He looks so pitiful! This is all my fault.