The dead-thing tried to get up, but the girl kept bring her foot down over and over and over until at last the dead-thing's skull split open, and a black liquid that smelled of rotting leaves oozed out onto the ground. The dead-thing did not move again after that.
The girl stood there for a moment, then hoisted the bag onto her shoulder and started walking. The dog watched the dead-thing for a while to make sure it was really dead, and he jumped up and ran after the girl. The girl was walking fast, but not running, and the dog did not smell any more of the dead-things close by so he walked along next to her, sometimes straying off to the side of the road to sniff at interesting smells in the bushes.
The dog had never seen this much of the world outside before. Sometimes his people used to take him on walks around the block, but they never went very far and they always ended up back at the place where they started. Sometimes the people would take him for a car ride, and he would get to smell all kinds of new smells, but they were always gone before he could learn where they came from. As the dog explored his new world, he found himself wondering about the people. If the came back home they would not find him there. They would find the dead-things, and the broken window. The dog wondered if they would be angry about the window. One time he had knocked over a picture frame onto the floor and it had broken and the people had been very angry about that. They had hit him very hard with the rolled up newspaper and then put him out in the back yard all alone. The dog did not like the rolled up newspaper. The dog did not like to be alone.
He turned his head and saw that the girl getting further away, so he jumped up and raced after her. But when he got closer to where she was he smelled something on the wind. It was another dog.
The dog did not know where the other dog was, but he could smell the other dog's smell, and he knew that the other dog would not like him in his place. But the girl was in the other dog's place, so the dog did his best to ignore the smell and hurried to keep up with her. But as they went on the smell got a little stronger, and then the dog heard something behind him, and saw the other dog running toward him from one of the yards by the road. The dog turned around and growled at the other dog, but the other dog looked very big and the dog was afraid. The other dog ran up snarling and barking at the dog, but the dog stood his ground and growled at the other dog. The dog could hear the girl saying something, but he did not stop growling, because he knew that if he turned his back the other dog would chase him and bite him.
The girl stood there for a moment, then hoisted the bag onto her shoulder and started walking. The dog watched the dead-thing for a while to make sure it was really dead, and he jumped up and ran after the girl. The girl was walking fast, but not running, and the dog did not smell any more of the dead-things close by so he walked along next to her, sometimes straying off to the side of the road to sniff at interesting smells in the bushes.
The dog had never seen this much of the world outside before. Sometimes his people used to take him on walks around the block, but they never went very far and they always ended up back at the place where they started. Sometimes the people would take him for a car ride, and he would get to smell all kinds of new smells, but they were always gone before he could learn where they came from. As the dog explored his new world, he found himself wondering about the people. If the came back home they would not find him there. They would find the dead-things, and the broken window. The dog wondered if they would be angry about the window. One time he had knocked over a picture frame onto the floor and it had broken and the people had been very angry about that. They had hit him very hard with the rolled up newspaper and then put him out in the back yard all alone. The dog did not like the rolled up newspaper. The dog did not like to be alone.
He turned his head and saw that the girl getting further away, so he jumped up and raced after her. But when he got closer to where she was he smelled something on the wind. It was another dog.
The dog did not know where the other dog was, but he could smell the other dog's smell, and he knew that the other dog would not like him in his place. But the girl was in the other dog's place, so the dog did his best to ignore the smell and hurried to keep up with her. But as they went on the smell got a little stronger, and then the dog heard something behind him, and saw the other dog running toward him from one of the yards by the road. The dog turned around and growled at the other dog, but the other dog looked very big and the dog was afraid. The other dog ran up snarling and barking at the dog, but the dog stood his ground and growled at the other dog. The dog could hear the girl saying something, but he did not stop growling, because he knew that if he turned his back the other dog would chase him and bite him.
