Canid Undead: A Dog's Story

32 - A Sad Dog

A female human has a long, sharpened stick, walking alongside a male, going down a road. Eventually, they find roadkill, which is probably safe to eat.

The male, Tyler, studied a map, observing it closely. They'd come far. Winding roadways, highways, buildings and stores, just miles ahead of them. They left their hometown behind.

Someone of Fellinground speaks to them on a walkie talkie, telling them that, ahead, there should be a lot of abandoned cars. A boat tied to a car would be there. The bridge that would pass over to a city was broken. They'd use the boat to reach a beach, which was hours away from Fellinground. They had to take the long way - probably the longest way there is to get to Fellinground.

The two had heard about Fellinground after leaving the building they'd been evacuated to. Ferals attacked them, forcing the evacuated to scatter and flee to safety.

Tyler turns on the walkie-talkie, chatting with Fellinground.

Fellinground tells them what they will provide, what to expect. They are told to be careful, as another group and Fellinground are a bit rocky right now. Fellinground doesn't know what to expect. They wish Tyler and Maja the best.

***

Token visits Juno's grave and talks to him there, moments before leaving in the cover of the night.

"Juno, look what happened. Is there any sort of life without the one who'd made it?" Token rested his dog-tired gaze upon the midnight sky. One star in particular had twinkled before him.

In the night, after Token fled, Kyan and Tom had awoken. Tom had stirred first, troubled.

He couldn't sleep. He needed some time to himself. Tom kept getting caught up in the past, reliving his long gone anxieties. He identified an inner conflict within himself.

His dream haunted him. Yes, dream Merli's words still lingered, but it was a different dream that held onto him.

"Tom, where are you?" His used-to-be owner would call out, looking for Tom. This owner of his was much older now. She'd grown used to this new apocalyptic world. "Tom, please, come back to me."

She was so lost without him, and Tom felt so alone without her. He felt as if he wasn't apart of this story... what was the point? Are we all going to die? Is that really our fate?

He finds himself going through a broken, wooden fence, the dog struggling to climb up a hill of almost gargantuan rocks. He sat there; thorns pierced his heart as he pondered.

Kyan finds him there. It was fate that lead her paws here.

"Hey, there. What's wrong?" Kyan situates herself beside the husky. Together, they set their eyes upon the almost starless sky. The cosmos clouded Tom's stare.

"Everything is wrong." Tom's paws shuffle. "I don't belong anywhere, it seems."

"Whatever is troubling you will be resolved soon enough," Kyan says, the dog gazing out, watching the sun.

They talked that lonesome night.

"You just have to let go, Tom," Kyan would say.

"I suppose that'd be for the best," Tom finishes, glad that he finally felt free. His worries hadn't been fully alleviated, but he could tell that these anxieties had gotten better.