“Buddy!”
Panic surged through me. Even though I was barely steady on my feet, I stumbled down the stairs to the living room. I took the last few steps in a tumble, landing hard.
And there he was—my Buddy—curled up in a pool of blood, his golden fur soaked and matted. He looked up at me with a sorrowful gaze, tears glistening in his eyes, and then he lay still, unable to close them for the last time.
He’d never hurt anyone. Just sitting quietly in the hallway, he didn’t deserve this brutal fate.
“B-Buddy, wake up! Please, just wake up!”
Ignoring the blood covering him, I cradled Buddy in my arms, begging him to come back to me. But he was gone—his breath no longer there, his eyes forever closed.
Buddy had been a stray I took in years ago. When I first found him, he was just a tiny, starving pup. I’d only tossed him a few scraps, but he’d saved my brother and me from a gang once. He’d jumped in front of us, getting hurt in the process, and I couldn’t abandon him after that.
I named him Buddy, hoping he’d stay with me forever. But now, he was gone, and the thought of the monster who took him from me made my blood boil.