Free The Dog by Amy Cross Page B

again.
    “I'll bury him in the morning,” he says finally. “We'll keep all the doors locked, we won't sleep, and then at first light once the rain has gone...”
    He pauses, before turning and heading inside.
    “Harry! Get in, right now! In!”
    I don't need to hear that command twice. Hurrying into the cabin, I'm relieved as Jon swings the door shut and turns the key. He takes a step back, and I can tell he's not sure what to do next.
    “This isn't what it looks like,” he says finally. “It can't be. We'll wait until morning, then we'll be able to see better and we'll know what really happened. Everything's going to be fine, buddy, I swear. We just...”
    His voice trails off, and he stands in silence, staring at the door.
    Above, rain is still pounding against the roof.
    “Julie'll come,” he adds finally. “She has to. Then we can get the hell out of here.”

Chapter Eleven
     
    By the time the morning sun starts rising in the distance, Jon and I are in the bedroom. He's still holding the rifle in his arms, and he's sitting on the floor next to me, with his back against the bed. Neither of us slept during the night. We both stayed right here, watching the door and listening in case there was any hint of movement outside.
    Now that the storm has passed, however, light is streaming through the rain-spattered window and the only sound comes from dribbles of water running down off the roof.
    “I should go take a look,” Jon says finally, turning to me. He seems exhausted, with rings under his eyes. “I should, right? I should go and...”
    He pauses, before gasping as he gets to his feet.
    Letting out a faint whimper, I paw his leg.
    “It's okay, buddy,” he continues, his voice filled with fear. “I'm going to be real careful. And don't worry, we've got plenty of ammo for the rifle. That's one of the advantages of not really liking the goddamn thing. I never even opened the box of ammunition until yesterday.”
    He heads through to the cabin's main room, and after a moment I follow. The night's storm has changed the scents coming from the other side of the front door, and it takes a few seconds before I realize I can smell death. I wait as Jon opens the door, and then finally he swings it open to reveal the two dead bodies down at the bottom of the steps. I hesitate, worried that they might stir, but the only movement comes from beads of rain that dribble down their sides.
    Richard's dead eyes are still open, covered in spots of water.
    “Fuck,” Jon says, stepping out onto the porch with the gun still in his hands. “I was kinda hoping...”
    His voice trails off.
    “Well, you know. That none of it actually happened. That it was all just some kind of nightmare.”
    His hands are trembling, and I can tell he's shocked by the horrific scene.
    “What do I do?” he asks finally, turning to me. “What the hell am I supposed to do with them? Even if everything Richard said yesterday is true...”
    He stares at me for a moment, before looking down at the bodies again.
    “I guess I have to move them,” he continues. “I don't want to touch them, though. I'll find some other way. And then when this is all over, I'll have to explain to the cops...”
    He pauses.
    “And it will be all over,” he adds finally. “Soon. I can feel it. Everything's going to go back to normal.”
     
    ***
     
    It takes most of the morning, but Jon finally manages to move the two bodies. He uses a couple of branches, which allow him to push the bodies around without actually touching them. I keep back, watching from the porch, because something about the scent from Richard's body is making me nervous. Somehow the smell isn't changing properly, and I let out a few cautious growls every time Jon uses the branches to push Richard further from the cabin.
    Finally, once he's done, Jon comes and sits next to me on the steps.
    “Should I burn them?” he asks, a little out of breath. “I can't just leave them like that, can I? It's