The Dog Days of Summer
Ripley is only trying to protect her human. The only problem is a vampire stands in her way.
I could smell my master; he was close but not as close as the dead human standing before me. He flashed his fangs at me, and I did the same. Mine were bigger, but the dead human was stronger.
My human was kinder and did his best to protect me. Now it was my turn to do the same. I couldn't let him become dead like the man before me. This person was unnatural and not part of this world, and he would have to die.
The monster hissed at me. I backed up a bit, all four of my feet ready to leap. My hackles on end as I barked furiously, answering his challenge. I waited for an opening. My human trained me to look for those as all dead humans moved the same, and at least to me, they did.
He lunged, and I leaped forward, scratching at the monster's chest. The man flashed his fangs at me and tossed me to the side, and I yelped as I fell, and it hurt, but I suffered worse.
Stalking forward, I limped a bit. My front right paw isn't working as well as the other three. I walked around the monster and saw my human behind, leaning against a dumpster, stirring.
I didn't smell any blood on him, meaning the dead human didn't harm him yet. He'd get no chance to do if I had anything to do about it. The monster turned with me, his face a twisted mask of hate and evil.
He smelled of blood. They all did, and I sensed my human on him as well. As I walked around him, I panted from the heat. Cooler weather was best, but my human insisted we had to come here.
He was hurt, and it was up to me to save him. The dead human lunged, and I dodged, scrambling behind him. I launched myself at him, my jaw clamping on his throat as the man turned.
With all my force, I tore at his neck, pulling most of his throat with me as the man pushed me off. The blood stained the air like a red, foggy mist, muting the noises of the city while amplifying the sounds of the man's rasping death rattle.
His eyes bulged, almost popping out of his head. He grabbed at his neck as if he were high on drugs, his eyes wild and full of fear and panic.
He's pale. His skin is almost translucent, and his veins are a dark blue. I can see the veins through his skin. They are like a highway map in his arms, his hands, practically everywhere.
The reek of the blood acted like a drug, burning my nose, filling my lungs, and pumping it through my veins. The salt of his blood was so powerful it washed over my tongue, filling my mouth with a tangy, metallic taste.
I could taste the blood as it rushed out of his body, hot and metallic. It was as good as I imagined and was coppery and warm, like a freshly caught rabbit. I licked my mouth as the dead human fell on a piece of wood.
It impaled him quickly, his dead flesh giving way so easily. I sat and panted, watching him slowly dissolve into dust.
"Ripley, come here."
I happily ran over and licked my human's face. He tried to push me away, as he hated when I did that, but it made me do it more. He was safe, and so was I.
"Where's the vampire?" He asked.
Do you mean the dead human with weak fangs?
I ran over to where the monster died and spun, barking loudly. My human got up and staggered over slowly, and surveyed the area. He patted me on the head before kneeling and wrapping his arms around me.
I was not too fond of that, but if he liked it, I'd tolerate it. He was my human, and they were so needy at times.
"You did good, girl. Let's get out of this city. Maybe take a vacation."
He walked off, and I followed him by his side. My limp wasn't so bad now, but I'd get better. I always did. My human cared for me, and I did the same to him. I yawned as we walked. It was almost time for a nap. But first, a treat.
***
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That is the end of The Dog Days of Summer. Thanks for reading.
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