I'm hiding in a dumpster when I hear Buddy calling my name. Warmth flushes me at his voice. He's the closest to a friend I've ever had.
Everyone else says I'm cursed. I made the mistake of telling a few they were in danger. Then they showed up dead. The only advantage is they scatter when I come around, so I always get first dibs at the restaurant leftovers.
The tingle forewarning a vision shoots up my spine, making every hair on my body stand on end. I growl deep in my throat and curl up, frozen, as it washes over me.
No! my mind screams. I see Buddy trapped in a length of wire in the dumpster at the end of the alley. He'd gotten inside to look for me. The garbage truck doesn't hear him calling over the noise of the hydraulics.
I've never tried to save someone before, don't know the consequences, but I don't care.
I wrench at my frozen body, desperate to move, but I'm trapped in my mind until Buddy dies. I watch him tumble inside when the truck lifts the dumpster. He's battered by old bricks and slimy things. Sunlight momentarily slices across his horrified face when the lid swings open, and he falls into the compactor. My heart is crushed along with him.
His cries of pain echo in my mind after they end.
My body is finally free, though. It's too late, but I don't care. I push open the dumpster lid and barrel down the street.
A worker guffaws and points at me. "Check out that crazy dog!" I leap to sink my teeth into his leg.
March 2019 Entry for @Mystery 's Contests and Writing Prompts: Contest #21 - Flash Forward