by Melissa Licciardello
I looked out the passenger’s side window, enjoying the breeze while Bill left to fetch breakfast. I’ve been working with him for a while now, but this was our first time on the early morning shift. Seeing the streets with so much life was great. I watched children slow as they walked past our car, pointing excitedly at me. I smiled at them as their mothers pushed them along to school.
“BILL! What kept you so long?!”
“Hey there, Buddy. I have breakfast.” He put a cup in the cup holder and placed a skinny rectangular box on the glove compartment between us.
Sunlight reflected from his badge and aviator shades and nearly blinded me as he maneuvered into the car. He closed the door behind him and pulled the box into his lap. He opened it to reveal the sweetest smelling frisbees I had ever seen in my life. He picked one up, put it in his mouth and swallowed it. Confused, I tried to mimick him. I hit the box with my paw to no avail.
“GIVE ME SOME FRISBEE TREATS.” I whined.
“You want to try a donut? All right, all right.” He opened the box.
“Donut? No. I want a FRISBEE TREAT.”
He picked up a frisbee treat and fed it to me. “Wait- this is called a DONUT? What a dumb name, I’m going to continue calling them frisbee treats.” I protested once my mouth was empty.
He ate the rest of the treats and turned the car on. He pulled out of the spot and thus began our patrol. Seeing the streets at a different hour was exciting until the school busses disappeared and less people wandered the streets. After the morning rush, our route looked the same as it usually did with the exception of the street lights being replaced by the sun. I sniffed the strange water he placed in the cup holder earlier, looking for something to keep me entertained while we drove. Its odd, strong scent flowed into my nostrils and caused me to sneeze. Nope. Definitely not interested in drinking this. “Bless you” he laughed. He scratched under my jaw and then reached for his disgusting drink. This is no laughing matter, Bill. I am bored and the frisbees are gone. I sighed and poked my head out the window as we passed the same old streets.
A gargled voice came over his radio and he responded, “I’m on it. Ten-four.” I pulled my head back inside the car as he sped up. The wind roared through the open windows as he maneuvered the car from side to side to avoid oncoming traffic. My boredom was a thing of the past. He came to a halt in front of an alley and I quickly stood up in my seat, ready to go chase whatever he was chasing.
“No need, Buddy. Back up should be here in a bit, but I should be able to handle this alone. Just a few rowdy kids who skipped school.” He patted my head, but I still wanted to go. “Stay and I’ll give you more donuts tomorrow.”
Mmmm, frisbee treats. I sat back down in the seat as he disappeared into the shadows between the buildings. I put my head on the dashboard and watched a dumb family of cats chase each other across the pavement, eagerly waiting for him to return. I heard his voice yelling in the alleyway and my ears perked up.
BOOM. Voices yelled in unison and then quickly dispersed.
I shot out the window and down the alley after the boom. As I grew closer to the sound’s origin, the smell of rust filled my nose. When I got there, Bill was lying down on the floor, “this is no place for a nap!” I snapped at him. The smell of his fear was so potent, that it was impossible to track down the source of the other voices. I nuzzled his shoulder, trying to roll him over and get him up, but he put his hand on my head and ran his wet fingers through my fur, making me all wet with his rust, but I didn’t mind.
“Easy, Buddy, easy.” He patted his chest and I obediently rested my head on it while he continued to stroke my head. His stomach rose and fell at an odd, uneven pace.
I heard the sound of sirens get louder and louder until they were almost unbearable. At this point, Bill was fast asleep, so I trodded out of the alley and howled for them to be quiet, but they didn’t stop until a big red and white light-up truck parked next to me. People poured out of the truck and ran down the alley where Bill was resting. I chased after them and tried my best to protect my sleeping friend from their big machines. Amid my best growls, gritted teeth, and thrashes, I felt something sharp hit my thigh and I began to feel woozy.
The next thing I knew, I woke up in a room full of rhythmic beeps and sharp smells, the most welcoming of which was familiar… I turned my head to find Bill lying in a bed that looked like a cage at the sides. I hopped up beside him and licked his face. His fingers met my fur and I rested against him as his chest rose and fell along with the lines on the machine next to him.
When the beeps stopped, so did his hand, but I didn’t nudge him to keep going this time; something felt wrong. I opened my eyes to see his were closed and his hand, limp. Why is he playing dead? I howled my loudest in an attempt to wake him up.
