"What is that?"
Stefan's shift at the Furever homes shelter was nearly over. The hour hand of the clock was tantalizing close to the shelter's 6pm closing time when Jackie walked in with a trapper cage held out at arm's length as it shook violently, growls erupting from under the sheet she put over the cage. She set it on the ground,
"I really don't know."
Stefan rolled his eyes,
"Jackie, it's almost time to go home. I don't have time for games. Fill out an intake form for whatever feral dog or cat you found and let's close up," he said. Jackie quietly pulled the sheet from the cage and stood to the side, pointing at it. Stefan's jaw dropped,
"What in God's name?" he muttered.
"I told you, I don't know," Jackie said. The two stared at the rattling cage as the thing inside hissed and sputtered, slinging a strange green ooze from its hands. Stefan pulled the phone from the receiver and quickly punched in a number. He waited as the phone rang,
"Hey, it's Stefan at Furever Homes, we have a, uh," he paused, staring at the cage, "Situation." He waited a moment, "Ok, see you soon." He hung up the phone and looked at the wall clock.
6:05
"Looks like we're doing overtime tonight, Jackie." he remarked. She sighed and threw the sheet back over the cage, prompting a frustrated roar from the creature inside.
"Great..." she muttered sarcastically.
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Antoinette stood outside of her small midcentury modern brick home as blue lights illuminated the front of it. She filled out a police report, standing beside an officer while others searched her home. Her front door hung on its hinges and the wood around the lock had splintered from the force of being bashed in. This was the second break-in since the year started and it was only May.
"You really should invest in a security system, ma'am," the officer standing next to her said. She looked up at him and forced a smile,
"My Social Security check isn't going to cover any extra expenses. Otherwise, I'd just move." she replied.
"Do you have any kids? Can they help?" the officer asked.
"If you stand here long enough, you'll meet my son."
No sooner had the words left her mouth, a silver sedan whipped into the driveway, nearly taking off the front bumper of one of the patrol cars parked on the curb. Antoinette's son, Davis, exploded out of the driver's side and ran to his mother.
"Mom, are you okay?" He asked breathlessly, ignoring the scowl from the police officer whose car he nearly totaled.
"I'm fine, I just got home from the grocery store and found my door like this." She replied. She signed her name on the police report and handed it back to the officer.
"You really should get your mom a security system, son," the officer said.
"Please don't tell my child what to do," Antoinette requested sternly. The officer nodded and silently took the report back to his car, sitting in the patrol car and waiting for his colleagues to finish their sweep of the house.
"He's just trying to help, mom." Davis said but Antoinette waved him off.
"I've made it on my own in this neighborhood for close to thirty-five years. I'll be fine."
"The neighborhood has changed, mom," Davis retorted.
Antoinette knew he was right but this was her home. When she had first moved here in the late eighties, the neighborhood was just a quiet well-kept suburb. Everyone on the block knew each other and looked out for each other. When her husband died in December of 1993, her neighbors would bring food and take walks with her so she wasn't alone. But time was cruel to the neighborhood and developers forced themselves into the outskirts and caused property values to jump and taxes to skyrocket, the neighbors started to leave. Those that stayed eventually passed away or were put into hospice by their family members. New people would move in and out but eventually the neighborhood suffered from the same fate as other older residential areas. The city seemed to forget about it and potholes sprung up in the roads, houses remained empty as more attractive developments that were closer to the city center sold like hotcakes. As economic opportunity moved away from the neighborhood, drug dealing became more frequent and the streets got more dangerous.
Antoinette refused to leave her home though. She was a stubborn woman and only got more so with age. She had paid off her mortgage decades ago and had no interest in taking out a new one or trying to find a place that would rent to her with her only source of income being her pension and social security. She had enough to get by, but just barely. And she wasn't willing to give up her home because of a few break-ins. She had thought that the first time would have been the last, she didn't own much of value. But now she was back out in her front yard while police canvassed her home for the second time in just six months.
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The officers completed their search of the house and came out onto the porch where Antoinette and Davis were standing.
"It looks like they took a tv and rummaged through your room before exiting through the back door. File a full report of what was taken with your insurance and they should reimburse you. I would highly recommend putting up a security system, ma'am. This neighborhood isn't safe for a single woman." One of the officers, a woman herself, said. Antoinette shook her head and waved her hand dismissively,
"Well they haven't killed me yet," she scoffed. The officer grimaced,
"Ok, you be safe now ma'am." she said and her and her partner left. Davis and Antoinette watched the patrol cars as they shut off their blue lights and drove out of the neighborhood, swerving to avoid the potholes on the way out.
"Davis, go get my tool bag out of the garage, and grab that door that's against the wall in there," Antoinette instructed her son. He looked at her in disbelief,
"You have an extra door?" he asked.
"I'm not stupid, son." Antoinette said, inspecting the damage to the door frame, "Just stubborn."
Davis grabbed the door and the toolkit for his mother and stood on the porch, watching as the nearly eighty-year old woman removed the damaged door with expert precision and quickly installed the new one. He hauled the door to the side of the road and then came inside the house as she tested the newly installed door and deadbolt.
"I can help you get a security system like the cops said, mom." Davis said as Antoinette beamed at her handiwork and brushed off her hands.
"That's too expensive son, and I wouldn't know how to work all those fancy cameras no how." she said, "Do you want some sweet tea?" She asked as she made her way to the kitchen,
"Mom, can you focus please? This is the second time someone has broken into your house just this year." Davis pleaded with his mother. She walked back into the living room with two glasses filled with ice and tea, setting one on the coffee table in front of her son.
"I know, but what's the worst that can happen? I'm not buying another tv so are they going to steal my Fabergé eggs? My quilting kit? Maybe they're interested in my medieval smut novels?" She laughed as she said the last part.
"Mom, this is serious. What happens if they break in and you're home? You could get hurt. Or worse."
Antoinette heard the concern in her son's voice and she took her son's hand, holding it gently in her own.
"If you won't get a security system, you should at least get a dog. A big one, one of those dobermans or pit bulls. Something that can protect you and the house," Davis said. Antoinette thought for a moment, it was lonely in the house, maybe a dog was the solution.
"Alright, I'll go to the shelter in the morning and get one." She agreed and Davis smiled. "Now are you staying the night or do I need to tell you to go home because I'm ready for bed?"
"I'll stay here tonight." Davis replied.
"You know where the guest bedroom is, make yourself at home. Would tell you that you're welcome to the tv but I don't have one of those anymore. There's leftovers in the fridge if you're hungry. Good night."
"Good night, mom."
The next morning, Davis drove his mother to the Furever Homes Animal Shelter on the opposite side of town to find a guard dog. They pulled into the driveway and Davis opened the door for Antoinette, helping her out of the car and onto the sidewalk. The pair entered the shelter and Antoinette approached the front desk,
"I'd like to see what dogs you have, please," she said and the lady at the front desk beamed, pulling out a binder and passing it to Antoinette.
"All of our dogs are listed in there and you can visit any that catch your attention." she said. Antoinette read her nametag,
"Thank you, Jackie," she said. She flipped through the binder, skimming over the intake forms with the pictures of the dogs at the top righthand corner. One caught her eye. It was a new intake, just arrived to the shelter the day before based on the information on the form. There was no picture and the details were strange. Antoinette read over the form,
Breed: Unknown
Color: Green
What kind of dog is green? She thought to herself.
Age: Unknown
Sex: Male (?)
Special Notes: No idea what this thing is. Found in the garbage. Adoption not recommended.
There was nothing in the world that Antoinette loved more than a challenge and those three words "Adoption not recommended" seemed like a challenge to her. She pointed at the page and spun the binder around,
"I want to see this one," she said triumphantly. Jackie's face fell,
"Uh, ma'am, we can't recommend that you adopt that, um, creature." She said. Antoinette tapped on the page again,
"This one, please" she repeated. Jackie could see that the old woman wasn't going to give up. She sighed and stood up from the desk, grabbing the keys jangling at her waist.
"Ok, come with me."
Davis and Antoinette followed her as she unlocked the doors to the hallway that contained the cages of dogs for adoption. They walked along, passing by various dogs, some small and some large. Some barked and whined to be pet, others quietly watched them pass. They made it to the end of the hall and Jackie gestured at the last cage on the left. Antoinette peered into the cage, squinting to try and see the dog in the dark recesses of the kennel.
"What the hell is that?" Davis asked disgustedly. Antoinette slapped his arm,
"Watch your mouth," she said, but she shared in the sentiment. Hunched up in the back corner of the cage was some impish green thing with floppy pointed ears that jutted out from its head. It had long thin limbs that extended out into spindly fingers and toes. Various boils poked out of its skin and oozed a greenish yellow pus from them. The creature had a long hooked nose that extended out over a mouth that had rows of sharp teeth stuffed inside. The creature wheezed in the corner as Antoinette slowly stuck her hand through the bars of the enclosure,
"Ma'am I wouldn't..." Jackie warned and Davis went to go pull his mother back. The creature turned its head and looked at Antoinette with its big eyes with red pupils. It slowly stood up, standing at the height of a toddler. It walked over with a strange limping gait and looked at Antoinette's hand. There was complete silence as the trio remained transfixed on the otherwordly creature.
After a moment, it wrapped its long bony fingers around Antoinette's wrinkled hand and let out a sort of jubilant chittering before releasing her hand and slowly stepping back. Antoinette stood up and looked at Jackie,
"Gumby's coming home with me," she said matter of factly,
"Gumby?" both Jackie and Davis asked in disbelief.
"Yes, Gumby. That's the name of my new dog, I want to adopt him." Antoinette said. Jackie sighed and Davis shook his head,
"I'll draw up the papers," Jackie said.
"That's no dog, mama."
"Sure it is, he just has a skin condition." Antoinette replied dismissively. She smiled warmly at the impish little green thing with the big red eyes. It's lips parted in a grotesque imitation and she laughed.
"Me and Gumby are going to be the best of friends." She said, before following Jackie back down the hall to fill out the adoption papers. Davis paused for a moment to stare at the strange creature before shuddering and following his mother back down the hall. He knew it was useless to try and convince her to rethink her decision.