Tracker "The Killer"

CHAPTER 1

I didn't used to be known as The Killer. I used to be a loyal, good-hearted, loving dog, but that all changed when I met Robert, more commonly known as Rob because he often "robbed" people of their money.

My siblings and I had a wonderful life. As wonderful as being a stray could be. We were all very young, but our mom took good care of us. Food was scarce in the place we lived. Mom would often beg humans for scraps and dig in garbage cans just so we could stay alive. She wasn't in very good condition herself, but she kept us healthy. One day, when we were crossing a street that rarely had any cars going by, she was hit by an old pickup truck. The truck came to an abrupt stop and two men got out of it to check on her. My brothers and I waited at the edge of the street.

"Is it dead?" asked one of the men. The other man crouched down to get a closer look.

"It's still breathing, but it's not moving so it might as well be dead." he said. My older brother started walking closer to the men.

"What are you doing?" I asked, "Are you out of your mind?"

"If those men take Mom away, we'll have no chance of survival." he said. He walked straight up to the men and barked.

"Looks like the poor ***** is a mother." said the first man. The other man got up and looked over at my brother.

"Only one?" he asked, "There's gotta be more." He looked around and spotted us.

"Come here, little puppies. We won't hurt ya." the man said, reassuringly. My brothers and I looked at each other and cautiously walked over.

"They look purebred." he said, "We can probably sell them for some good money." The man picked up my youngest brother and held him in the air to examine him.

"What do we do about her?" the first man asked, gesturing to our mother.

"We'll just leave her there for the scavengers." the second man answered.

"Put my brother down!" my oldest brother barked. The man paid him no attention though. He handed my youngest brother to the other man.

"Throw them in the back." he said, "I don't want them soiling my truck." The man did as he was told and he grabbed my oldest brother and put them both in the back of the truck. My mother whined and I came next to her. While the man put two of my other siblings in the truck, the other man grabbed my other two siblings and put them in the back.

"Don't worry, Mom. I won't leave you." I said. The first man came back and tried to grab me, but I dodged out of the way.

"It's okay." he said, "I don't bite." The other man came over and helped him out. The first man blocked my way while the second man tried to grab me. I growled at him, but that didn't stop him so I bit him.

"Wow. He's a feisty little pup." he said, "I just might have to keep this one."

"It's okay." my mother said, "I'll be fine. Go with them and you'll be safe."

"But, I can't just leave you here." I whined.

"Just go." she said.

"No." I said, "I'm not leaving you!" The man behind me grabbed me by the puppy skin. I tried to turn and bite him, but I couldn't quite reach him. I snarled and growled, but it was no use. He dropped me in the back of the truck where my other siblings were. The truck started up.

"Mom!" I shouted. The truck backed up and drove around her and then sped away. I scratched on the inside of the tailgate.

"It's no use." said one of my brothers, "We're doomed." The windows of the truck were rolled all the way down and I could hear music playing from the inside of the truck. It was really fitting for the moment.

"He put that bottle to his head and pulled the trigger," the two men sang along, "And finally drank away her memory..."

"The angels sang a whisky lullaby, la la la la la la la, la la la la la la la..." We were brought to some old building where there were other dogs being sold. My siblings were sold to some strange people and I was kept. The man, who I learned was named Rob, brought me to his own house and raised me. He was really abusive. He kept me in a cage most of the time. The times I wasn't in the cage, it was because he was drunk and wanted someone to beat up. If I tried to defend myself, he would beat me harder. Rob would sometimes bring food home for me if he was feeling generous. Once I was old enough, Rob introduced dogfighting to me. It was the first time I've seen a dog besides myself in years.

"That dog in gonna be torn to shreds!" said the other man. He was holding another dog back. The dog's leash was the only thing really preventing the dog from killing me. I was trying to hide behind Rob's legs, but he kicked me.

"The only reason I got this dog in the first place was to earn me cash in the dog fights. If he can't fight then I don't want him anyway." Rob said.

"You must be drunk." the other man said. I recognized that man. He was Rob's friend and I hadn't seen him since they captured me.

"Ready?" the man asked. Rob nodded. The man let his dog loose and the dog attacked me right off the bat. Rob let go of my leash and I tried to run away, but the dog had a chunk of my shoulder in his mouth and I couldn't get away from him. I wondered if that was the end of me. I fell to the ground, ready to give up.