PA 3.5: End of a Tail

Chapter VI Part III

Brownie only responded with widening eyes and a curt frown.

Dell was starting to freak out at the suddenness of everything that had just happened and was terrified at the idea of actually hurting this dog, but she knew she would have to fight for her goals sooner or later. "I d-don't want to do this, so please just l-listen to me."

"Wow, first time huh?" Brownie smugly commented.

Dell didn't lose her fervour; the dog's insults only made her more vindictive in tone. "Shut up. I'm asthmatic."

"I didn't know asthma made you so nervous." Brownie retorted with a rolling of her eyes.

"I have a knife!"

"You have a stutter!" Brownie said, still confident. It was clear to Dell that the corgi thought the blade was just for show.

Dell roared in anger, clutching the knife like a bat in her right paw, and raised it threateningly.

"Woah! I'm joking, I'm joking!"

"SHUT UP. What's the cat's number?!"

"Who? Coco?" Brownie stammered, then quickly 'corrected' herself, "I-I mean: cool, cause I don't know any cat's numbers."

Dell lowered the knife, staring at Brownie disapprovingly. "Look. I'm worried that P-Patches is going to do something to you." She groaned. "I don't want anyone else to get hurt, so please, just tell me what her number is; I just want to talk."

Brownie cringed a bit. "Dude I just offered to let you speak to her. It's pretty clear you don't care about just talking with her." She scoffed. "You really have no idea what's going on, do you? I bet Patches hasn't told you the full story yet."

"No, I'm pretty sure he hasn't," Dell admitted with a stern gaze. "But I don't care about him. Coco's the one who hurt everybody- he's the one who recognized that and tried to help us. He hates what Coco's done as much as everyone else does."

The corgi sighed. "You're just like Ginger. If you think he's on your side, you're just a useful idiot to him- haven't I told you he killed people?"

"Yes, back in the woods."

"But I never told you who he killed," Brownie adopted a sly face, "and why. See, a long time ago, Coco's brother and Patches dated," Brownie paused, watching as Dell began to process the information, "that's why he killed him!"

Dell looked aghast after she was done comprehending the words. "Are you seriously saying he dated that murderer's brother?!"

"Yeah! And after he dumped Patches' creepy ass, Patches killed him on his way to school."

Dell furrowed her brow. "And y-you expect me to believe you? That's just convenient, isn't it?"

"Well-"

"Just shut up. I want to believe Coco's not as bad as she seems, but you can't just project your own weird obsessions and expect me to believe you." She grit her teeth, gripping the blade of the knife menacingly like it was a hammer. "And even if, that doesn't just magically justify her killing everyone at school." Dell said, energetic spite crackling in her voice.

Brownie frowned. "Dog, you're really stuck up about her, aren't you?" She rolled her eyes dismissively. "Well, maybe telling you about what happened afterward will help you change your mind?" She started to smile, convinced the story would sway Dell. "So, after Coco did her-" Brownie wiped the smile from her face, trying to pick her words carefully.

"Killed everyone. She killed everyone at school." Dell interjected, bemused. She stowed the corgi's words away for later. Suppose Patches really was the catalyst leading up to the events of the massacre. In that case, it might be worthwhile to actually learn what he did and why, but it simply was not the whole truth. Brownie was wrong.