Friend or Killer?

Chapter 19

"Did you seriously just beat up a bunch of trained professionals that are like the animal version of the FBI?!" Chloe yowled as she and the others ran. Leading the group by a full three feet, Gidget didn't bother looking over her shoulder at the tabby cat as she answered curtly, "You got a problem with that? They were going to take our friend and I wasn't going to let that happen." Struggling to catch up with his short legs, Buddy barked, "Yeah but that doesn't mean you have to beat them senseless!"

"I actually think they might be following us by now," Duke reported, looking over his shoulder to see Benedict and his comrades racing after them. Luckily, they were several yards back and wouldn't be able to catch up to them for awhile. It seemed odds would be in their favor. However, that was diminished when Mel happened to look up and see a dark shadow diving towards them. His eyes widening in fear, he yelped, "LOOK OUT!"

Hearing Mel's warning, Gidget quickly raced for the cover of a cardboard box. She didn't reach it though when the red tailed hawk from earlier swooped down and snatched her in his unusually large talons. Pain rushing through her, she barked in agony and terror. Seeing what happened, Max howled, "GIDGET!" He attempted to jump up and grab his girlfriend but the hawk was gaining height rapidly, climbing higher and higher into the sky. The Jack Russell terrier and the rest of the gang could only watch in horror as the events continued to play out in the sky above.

"Let go of me!" Gidget demanded, struggling to free herself from the hawk's grasp. This only brought more pain as the bird of prey's sharp talons dug deep into her shoulders, back and right foreleg. She could feel blood seeping out. Growling, the Pomeranian attempted to bite the hawk's leg but that proved to be futile. Plus, the talons dug themselves even deeper. All the while, they continued going higher and higher into the cloudy sky. Dark storm clouds were all around them, making it hard to see anything until a lightning bolt flashed. Turning her head towards the red tailed hawk that was holding her, Gidget barked, "Let me go!"

Just then, the red tailed hawk stopped going higher. He now hovered in the middle of the storm, lightning flashing and thunder roaring all around them. When he looked down at her, Gidget's blood ran cold. The hawk looked so much like Tiberius that it was not even funny. His eyes glistening in the lighting of the lightning flashes, he smiled menacingly as he leaned down and whispered in Gidget's ear, "Still standing up for me, aren't you?" Horror filling her up when she recognized the voice as her best friend's, the Pomeranian shook her head quietly as she whimpered, "It can't be... you wouldn't..."

"Guess you don't know me that well."

"I do know you. Tiberius, this isn't you."

"Oh but this is me."

"Please let me go."

"With pleasure... pal."

The next thing Gidget knew, the hawk she thought she knew released his hold on her without any hesitation whatsoever. Plummeting towards the ground at high speeds, she howled in terror while the red tail flew off, not even looking over his shoulder. The wind rushing past her bloodstained fur, the fluffy white Pomeranian fell through the storm and raced past the towering skyscrapers of Manhattan. The ground was fast approaching. It was only a matter of time before...

All of the sudden, Duke jumped up and caught Gidget like a professional football player. The two dogs landed in on top of some trash bags that cushioned their fall. While Duke struggled to get out of the mess, Gidget limped over to Max while everyone else gathered around. Sobbing while she bled from her wounds, she buried her face into her boyfriend's chest as she cried, "It was him... I didn't want to believe it... but it was him..." Shocked, the rest of the gang gasped. Bounding forward, Norman protested, "It can't be! He would never do this!" Shaking tremendously, Ozone yowled, "What are we going to do?!"

Whimpering, Gidget whispered softly, "There's only one thing we can do..."