PA 3.5: End of a Tail

Chapter XXVIII Part I

Butterflies battered around Dell's lungs- the same feeling she had always felt when she was alone with him. The kitchen's atmosphere hardly helped; it was fraught with the stench of congealed blood, lemongrass, tar, and the taste of poison.

"Okay," he sighed, closing the kitchen door. "Before you tell me what you want to tell me, I just wanna say..." he paused, tasting the words and sighing, "I'm sorry, you were right."

"Right about what?" she said, trying to maintain eye contact and failing. "Or- no, you don't need to be sorry. I was the one who tried to help out a... a maniac. I should've just told you more of how I felt, I'm so stupid."

"Hey, you're not stupid," Cujo said casually, "I was gonna go out and get you from the cellar once things started going crazy, but Coco didn't like the idea, and I guess-" he stopped when he saw the intense frown on Dell's face.

"Why do you care so much about what Coco thinks? He- He could've killed me, right?"

"Yeah, but-"

"Or wait, you mean- she forced you to stay here? Right?"

"Well..." he scratched at his nape, putting his arm under his huge floppy ears. "Kinda? I mean, I knew it was a bad idea to go out and get you, but yeah, I was worried."

Dell let her expression sag. "Yeah... you're right."

"Heh, yeah, and-"

"And I'm so sorry about the corgi- I'm not actually his girlfriend, she just says that because she knows it gets on my nerves and-" suddenly Dell gasped, placing a paw against her muzzle and sucking in anxiety-ridden air through her chest. She felt every imperfection of her form as she apologized, "Sorry I-I interrupted you."

Cujo smiled, laughing, "It's fine! You usually don't even notice when you talk over me, I'm kinda surprised."

She beamed. Sometimes, she didn't know what about Cujo made him so lovable, but her feelings for him were something she had tried denying when they first met, and it didn't work. She had to let herself out, talk to him, and thank him for everything, but her voice got stuck in her throat as the two dogs shared silence.

"Hey, are you alright?" Cujo asked, almost confused, "Heh, I think... I think you're tearing up a bit, Dell."

She put a paw up to her face, wiping away at the rivulets and then staring at the wetted fur before her eyes stung again. The terrier clenched her teeth, trying to suppress her droning sobs with the raggy, blood-stained sleeve of his old hoodie. Touching it reminded her of how long she wore it, how often she looked forward to it coming out of the dryer so she could pretend the warmth it radiated was his.

"I-I'm sorr-ry," she choked out. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry." Her paws balled up as the pain in her tear ducts made her cringe. She stood, but only barely as her weak and tired body was screaming for help. "Please, please, please, please! I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry!"

"Dear Dog, Dell, it's okay! Just get a hold of yourself, cmon." Cujo smiled weakly, trying to remain composed as the dog hung her head.

"Never again! I won't do this ever, I'll stop, I'll draw all the time, every day, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." She fumbled forward, her legs stumbling as she desperately tried to keep her monstrous body upright. She couldn't control her words, much less her tears now, and the only thing preventing her from falling was the idea that she could be stronger than that, if she just steadied her legs, and stopped crying. Stop crying; you are MANIPULATING him. STOP CRYING.

"Dell," he interjected, growing tired, "take your meds, calm down."

He watched, some scraps of pity welling up in his heart as she sobbed, squeezing her reddened eyes shut as more tears slid down her cheeks. Her paws shakily went through the motions; pushing the flaps of her ragged hoodie aside, gripping the off-purple fanny pack by the zipper, slipping her paws meekly into the bag and gripping the inhaler like it was a hot coal.

Once she had taken the thing, she took a deep breath that felt like someone running a blowtorch against the inside of her neck. "I-I'm sorry I did all this." She let her tired eyes addle as suddenly the lack of sleep and food caught up with her. "I d-didn't mean... I didn't mean..." Her vision welled again with tears, and she fought them back with a clenched frown. "I didn't want this, I just wanted- I..."

A paw landed on her left shoulder, startling her eyes open. Time stopped as she realized she could feel his breath on her cheek. For a second, the pain in her throat and eyes didn't matter; her whole body was on fire.

"I... ah, Dell." She shook lightly at his disappointed tone. "You did something bad. You did something really bad this time." He stared at her pupils a second before shaking his head. "And I just can't do this..."

Dell whimpered, letting the scolding sink in as the warmth was doused, and she looked away.

"I tried thinking for hours about why you might've helped him... and, I guess eventually I just started believing what you had told me about Coco. I just didn't want it to be true because everyone else trusted her- mostly, at least. But Dell, you hurt a dog really bad, you kidnapped someone, then gave a weapon to a murderer..."

She wanted to beg for his forgiveness, to tell him how she'd change, but her features sank as she realized he wouldn't believe her- and rightly so, she had never done anything deserving of his trust.

Then, inspiration struck, and her eyes widened as she figured out the piece that would finish the metaphorical puzzle. She smiled generously, reddened eyes filling up with joy much like the rest of herself as her eyebrows relaxed and she took a step towards Cujo, barely able to restrain herself from hugging him.

"Coco! You believe me with what I said about Coco! If- We could go out there and talk to her! I can- I can get her to admit it! I have proof! I just need you to believe me!" she pleaded.

He laughed lowly, and took a step back from her, covering his face with a paw in shame. "Dell, I already know she did,"

Her smirk froze. If that was the case, then why-

"Coco told me."