Writetober 2019

October 2-Mindless

The screech of tires rent the air. A solid thump followed. A woman in scrubs rushed towards the scene, uncertain if she could help, but she certainly couldn't do anything without being there. The motorist cursed at the figure limping away from the collision. Then they spotted the woman. A motor revved, and they sped away, hoping she hadn't gotten their license plate.

They needn't have worried. The woman only had eyes for the victim, who had gone down an alley. The woman hesitated at the mouth of the alley before taking off her backpack and setting it against a dumpster. She took off her coat and draped it over one arm before cautiously stepping closer.

A pained growl warned her back, and she crouched instead. "Hey," she murmured. "I don't want to hurt you. I think I can help, but you have to let me, okay?"

The shadow between dumpsters shifted, and a chewed up brindle muzzle appeared to sniff at her. The sniff rattled, and the pitt sneezed bloody froth.

The woman's worry peaked at the sight, but she didn't dare to move. "Please."

After a few tense seconds, the pitt groaned and lay down to rest his head on the dirty concrete. The woman got a closer look at the dog's chest and flank as he moved. More bite wounds. Possibly a bait dog. Fury seared through her for a moment before she focused back on her patient who was getting a little glassy-eyed.

"No, don't you dare!" She said, kneeling on the ground heedless of the rancid puddles and trash. She cradled the dog's head in her hands and stared into his brown eyes, willing him to stay.

The surrounding world faded as she mentally tallied the dog's injuries. The internal bleeding and concussion were the most dangerous on that list.

An hour later the woman called a friend to come pick her up. A Ford Fusion pulled up outside the alley a short time later, and a tall man stepped out. His eyes immediately found the trail of blood speckled on the pavement. "You okay? What happened here?"

The woman called back from the alley, and the man rushed over. He stopped when he saw her sitting on the ground with a pitt's head resting in her lap. Her coat was draped over the rest of the dog. "What the hell?"

"Can you help me get him in the car? He can't walk yet."

"Yet?!" The man sputtered. "Please tell me you didn't do what I think you did. Your powers are too new. You could have hurt yourself. Of all the mindless—"

The icy look on the woman's face shut him up. "If I didn't, he'd be dead. Now he has a chance."

"Yeah, a grim one," The man grumbled and crouched to scoop up the comatose canine.

The woman grinned as she stood. "That's his name. Grim."