《A Dog's Loyalty》


 Night of the Walking Dead Hoomans

    Bellerose had many names. Bella, Rosey, Fluffy or even Floof to the family. She was a good girl of many talents, from fetching tennisballs and sticks to chasing mailmen and cats. She could even stand on her hind legs and balance popcorn on her nose! For some reason, the hoomans, especially her little Sarah, liked to stack things on her nozzle. She didn''t mind. Their giggles made her happy too, and she got to eat yummy snacks! Bonus! It was great.


    Yus, Bella was a good girl. Which was why when she smelled something strange in the middle of the night she was up in an instant. Her little hoomans had gone away for a few days. At first, she was verysad because she couldn''t come with, but her little girl made sure she knew they would be back and gave Bella her favorite doll to safekeep. She would definitely be back for it and Bella would make sure to guard it for her!


    She would check out the smell herself, no need to bother the parents of her little girl. She waslaying on Sarah''s bed upstairs, so she had to quickly climb down the steps. She found the source of the odd smell in the form of another hooman knocking into the back door. At least she thought it was a hooman, but being this close she wasn''t quite sure anymore. They smelled like rancid meat and diseased flesh. She wasn''t sure why, but she felt an odd sense of danger from the stinky man. Her instincts flared and it screamed at her to run, but she couldn''t.


    She was not only a goodgirl, but she was a strong girl. She couldn''t let the helpless hoomans who took her in be in danger! What if this thing attacked them when she ran away? They were without fur to protect them nor claws and fangs to fight. They were too fragile to fight and could get hurt. Unacceptable! Who else would she snuzzle with, who else would rub her belly and feed her delicious peanut butter? She''d protect them!


    With determination in her blue eyes she let out a series of warning growls, but it seemed to have the opposite effect, as the weird hooman only gave out a low groan before increasing the force of its blows on the door. She let out a few loud barks, both to wake up her sleeping hoomans, and as a final attempt of intimidation. It was no use. The door started to creak loudly, she wasn''t sure it was going to hold much longer.


    The situation only got worse. The door fell down as the hinges were torn off the frame, but that wasn''t why she was worried. She heard a scream upstairs and the smell of fresh blood mixed with a scent similar to the thing in front of her, which she was now pretty sure wasn''t a hooman like she had thought. It was missing an arm and she could see it having deep gashes and wounds all over its body as if it had fallen into a giant version of a blender, yet no blood leaked out. There was only a disgusting smell of pus and bile which stung her eyes and burned her nose.


    She had to hurry and take this creature down and help fend off the intruder upstairs. Without any more hesitationor fear, she rushed forward to attack. She bit its one remaining arm and used her weight to push it down. Its filthy yellow liquids spilled into her mouth and she almost wanted to gag, but she held on with thoughts of her family. She bit deeper into its arm and jerked her head side to side while clawing at the thing''s head. With a sickening crunch, she managed to tear off the entire limb, though not before it bit her side, the small scratch barely drew blood, but it stung something fierce.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    She ignored it and swiftly ran upstairs. The thing wasn''t an immediate threat for now. She bounded up the steps two at a time as she barged into the master bedroom. Yet the sight before her was both horrifying and confusing. Her ''mommy'' seemed to have attacked her mate. She didn''t understand, but she knew she had to calm the situation down. She used her mass to shove her off of the male hooman. He didn''t look too hurt besides a bite on his forearm, yet he seemed pale and sickly, and her eyes widen as she saw him cough up a glob of blood.


    She looked around the room and sniffed cautiously, yet while the smell of rotten meat was definitely nearby, she couldn''t hear nor see anything else. Had it left already and merely left its putrid scent lingering? Was it waiting in ambush? She didn''t know and was worried. Suddenly she heard more loud coughing from her hooman.


    She whined in distress as she didn''t know what to do. She licked his face to comfort him and his face seemed to relax some.


    "Thanks, Bella, you''re a good girl." She didn''t know what he was up too, but she helped him move towards the drawer next to the bed. He retrieved something shiny and metallic and pointed it at his mate. His hands shook ever so slightly but his resolve was firm as he used his other hand to steady his aim.


    A loud boom surprised her so much she yelped and jerked in surprise. She had accidentally dropped him as he fell to the ground without her support. She was greatly surprised and in shock as the head of her mommy exploded into a bloody mush. The scent of death grew stronger and she realized it the source was from the corpse near her.


    While she was staring uncomprehendingly at the scene before her, her hooman gently tugged her face towards him. She cried loudly as she tried to deny the truth her ever faithful nose was telling her. Surely it was a mistake? Never had she ever cursed her gifted senses until now. Yet she knew it wasn''t wrong as it was starting to be plain to see. He was also starting to smell like the other two. Was he going to turn into one of them too? His shaky hands reached for his wallet on the nightstand. He opened it up and showed her a picture of Sarah smiling at the camera while hugging her favorite bunny doll.


    "Watch over her for me, will ya?"


    Somehow, she felt like she knew what he was trying to say despite not understanding a single word. She''d protect Sarah, she won''t let her turn into one of thosethings. She won''t fail the only family she had left. She gave a loud affirmative bark and nodded her head at him. He hugged her and rubbed her head gently for a few moments. They stayed there in silence before he coughed once more. But what came out was a foul-smelling black ooze rather than blood.


    "I guess this is it. You''re a good girl Bella, make sure you both stay safe, I''ll watch over you both."


    He smiled at her and pushed her away. She didn''t want to leave him, but he kept pushing her away with increasing force, straining himself each time. Eventually, she conceded and went out of the room, yet never out of eyesight. Staring at the photo beneath the moonlight shining in his room he closed his eyes. He wanted his daughter to be the last thing he saw. When burning the image into his mind he thought back on his life. It was a good one. With a small peaceful smile as he placed the gun to his head and pulled the trigger. A sorrowful howl was head through the now lifeless house.

 Schools out

    Everything was blurry as tears stung at her eyes and as she prodded forward she ended up tripping and falling ungracefully on her face. She couldn''t bring herself to care though as in the past few minutes her world had been turned upside down. And the worst part was that she couldn''t even be there to comfort any of them at their end. A bitter taste was in her mouth and she was sure it had nothing to do with the blood and gunk from the first monster. It was stupid and hopeless, but she couldn''t help but to crawl over and nudge the leg of her dad. There was no response, yet she didn''t stop and started to whine. She wished for a miracle, that somehow some way he would get back up, that everything would become normal again.


    He never even twitched. She lay with her body over his lap like it was yesterday when he was watching his magic square with the moving pictures. Her eyes closed as she nudged his hand over her head back and forth. Bella could almost pretend, imagine that he was petting her once more in the moment. If she could ignore how old and lifeless it was. It wasn''t the same she admitted and she doubted anything ever would be again.


    She couldn''t waste any more time.


    As she went down the stairs and washed her muzzle in her water bowl of the blood before she retrieved Sarah''s pink bunny from its clever hiding spot of under the couch. She went out of the open door and proceeded through the dark city. She didn''t know where Sarah was so she quickly ran towards a location she knew Sarah went too everyday. The local high school.


    It had been mere minutes after she had left her former home that it suddenly happened. Screams echoed throughout the quiet night as the scent of rot became overwhelming. It was an all-consumingtidal wave and Bella felt as if she had been physically struck. She did her best to suppress her urge to gag, not wanting to dirty Sir Hops-A-Lot, and increased her pace. She had to reach her little girl before everything turned to chaos. Fueled by desperation and fear she sped by as fast as she could, the houses and trees quickly blurring as her vision narrowed to focus only on what was in front of her.


    Which was the fastest route? How does she best get over those obstacles, how could she preserve the slightest bit more of momentum and speed? Her mind raced a mile a minute as she channeled everything she had into eating away at the distance between her and her goal.


    Thankfully they didn''t live far away from the school, and with her mad sprint faster than even a horse she reached it within minutes.


    The door was locked.


    The door didn''tsurvive 73 pounds of pure determination and fury as Bella kicked up a notch further and crashed straight through the glass.Glass fragments had made cuts into her body and small fragments bit into her skin even more with every step, but she didn''t stop for a moment. Her nose sniffing out all hints of Sarah''s scent as she went around the halls. It was incredibly difficult as there was simply so many scents mingling in the air. She raced through the halls peering into every classroom she passed by as a woman possessed. Her barks echoed through the empty hall in hopes that her little girl would hear her to no avail.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    Sometimes she opened a door in excitement of picking up a particularly strong trail of Sarah, but it always ended up being an empty seat or room. She didn''t give up though and thoroughly check every location she could. This was her best bet of finding Sarah and she could hardly stop simply because she was tired or it hurts.


    Yet even as the minutes ticked by and she had cleared all three floors, there was nobody to be found.


    She left the building and went towards Jay''s Pizza and Ice cream parlor which was Sarah''s favorite place to eat. Maybe she went out for a late night snack? Bella herself was prone to such eating habits. As she left the school''s entrance through the hole she had made earlier a bright light suddenly lit up nearby. She was about to ignore it as she didn''t have time to waste, Sarah could be in trouble right now waiting for her! It was no time to indulge in curiosities. Just as she started to get ready for another sprint two beams of light flashed towards her and momentarily blinded her. The familiar screeching of car tires got her attention and she darted to the side.


    It was evidently a wise decision as a navy blue car crashed right next to where she was previously. Moments after, a panicked voice could be heard and someone had crawled out of the window of the car, the doors having been warped in the collision and unable to be opened. A young boy with bright red hair came tumbling out and fell limply on the ground. He was clearly injured and they had made eye contact.


    "W-what? A dog..?"


    She didn''t understand what he said, but she was sure he had referred to her. He passed out moments later. Bella was now conflicted. If it had happened somewhere else she could''ve just ignored him, but now that a hooman was clearly in a vulnerable state and right next to her she felt guilt eat at her if she just left him to die to the monsters. Her ears picked up faint groaning from inside the vehicle, the same sound she was growing increasingly disgusted with. He would die if she left him, but she couldn''t bring him with her, nor could she stay and guard over him. Sarah was waiting.


    It was no matter, Sarah was infinitely more important to her than some stranger, yet as she turned to start her journey again a flash of pink caught her eye. The black beady eyes of Sir Hops-A-Lot stared at her as if condemning her actions. One word described her thoughts at that moment. A phrase she had heard from her dad that seemed to fit the situation.


    Shit


    She didn''t know what it meant but it seemed appropriate. Her sweet little girl wouldn''t want her to just leave him for dead. So she gently placed the bunny down and went over to the boy. She sniffed him thoroughly and glanced all over him, even flipping him onto his stomach. He was still clean from the rot.


    She bit onto the back of his jacket and carefully pulled him into the school, dropping him into a secure office she had found. Thankfully she had been trained to open doors. Turns out there were more ways to use her skills than sneaking into the kitchen and eating peanut butter, who knew?


    She closed the door tight and then raced down the stairs, picking up the pink bunny as she went.

 Second encounter

    The small town she lived in was used to quiet nights. In such a small community in the countryside, there were no tall buildings nor late night clubs. Everyone went about their day at their own pace without the hustle and bustle of the city, you could hardly find a store open after 10. At least that was how it normally was. This night had proven to be anything but normal.


    Lights flickered on in everybody, screams echoed through the night, and the scent of iron hung heavy in the air.


    The broken hoomans ran away from their once former fellows rushing out of their homes in pajamas or their underwears. Panic-stricken people ran for their cars and others hideaway. Few stood to fight, most that did simply became bigger targets for the hungry monsters.


    In the chaos, a golden blur dashed through the streets, quick as an arrow. Bella took a sharp turn right into an alleyway as the main roads were becoming crowded with people. Her haste gave her tunnel vision which allowed her to move in the shortest path possible, but what she had gained in time she lost in caution. From a cardboard box came a hand. Even when she saw it coming she couldn''t avoid it as her momentum was far too great. A startled yelp escaped her mouth as the hand grabbed onto her right leg with a vice grip.


    The sudden shift in movement had sent her and her unfortunate passenger flying into the wall with a heavy thud. Slamming into a wall at over 36 mph was not a fun experience. Thankfully the extra weight and ensuring tumble had bleed off enough of her speed that she didn''t end up breaking anything.


    Still, Bella found herself gasping for her breath in pain. Her vision was filled with black spots and her legs felt tired and weary. A low groan and the shuffle of clothes caught her attention, her ears twitching in response. An old man with yellowed eyes and teeth met her gaze. His feet were bare and he had on a thick brown jacket and torn jeans. No, not a man she realizes. She didn''t notice it before with all the garbage around, but this one was like the others. He might even be worse. His legs were mostly strands of flesh and she had no idea how he was even walking, yet it didn''t matter if she understood or not as he was surely walking towards her.


    She tried to get up, but a sharp pain in her leg had her crumpling to the ground once more. A constant buzzing filled her ears as she watched him approach. She was sleepy. So, so, sooo very sleepy. Maybe a quick nap would do? She had been running as hard as she could this entire time, surely she deserved a bit of rest? Her eyelids felt heavy. The walking dead drew ever closer to her still form.


    She tried her best.


    Yet as she laid there and waited she hear an all too familiar pearl of laughter.


    "Cmon Bella, it''s not bed time yet!"This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    "Watch over Sir Hops-A-Lot for me will ya? I''ll see you soon, I promise!"


    "I love you Rosy"


    "Roll over, roll over Bella! Good girl!"


    Good girl...


    Yes, she was a good girl. As the creatures claws were moments away from grabbing her by the neck, Bella rolled over on her side and away from its grasp. The murky look in her eyes disappeared as the fog was wiped clear away from her gaze, replaced with a wave of clear and fiery anger. How Dare this stinking walking corpse try to get in her way of reaching Sarah? To tear them apart. No, the only thing getting torn apart this night was him!


    Rage and adrenaline were a hell of a concoction as pain and exhaustion were burnt away by its intensity.


    She crouched low in a position ready to pounce at the slightest of movement. As soon as it turned to face her direction, she charged and knocked it down. Unfortunately, unlike the first one she had met, this one wasn''t so easily dispatched. She went at it in a frenzy but was met with equal fervor. It was hard to tell which of them was the wild animal as both bit and clawed at each other. And it was clear who had the upper hand. With the thick jacket covering most of its torso and long arms keeping her away from the neck, she wasn''t having an easy time.


    A flailing arm clawed into the side of her face, tearing at the skin and having blood trail down her right eye. The distraction was all it needed as it had managed to toss her from on top of it. It had cost the thing the bones in its left arm, but it hardly seemed to be fazed.


    Never had she faced such an opponent, from the most stubborn of mailmen to the most fierce dogs at the park or occasional wild animals. Nothing could shrug off her sharp fangs before. None had ignored slicing claws. None had absolutely no self-preservation instincts. It ignored the gravest of wounds, did not flinch even when she gorged out an eye with satisfaction, it only aimed to attack. Bite, claw, punch, forward, forward, forward!


    She didn''t know how to handle such a bizarre manner of fighting! Her second wind was still going strong, but the things never seemed to tire. She couldn''t make this a battle of attrition. She had to end it in one decisive blow.


    She backed off a bit and watched it carefully. It slowly got up on its feet and marched towards her. Its movement clumsy and awkard and when she moved to the side it took a moment to readjust to her new position. She tested it. Moving back and forth, up and down, she came to a realization that had her maw in a wide and dark grin.


    This thing. It was stupid. Worse yet, it was slow. A fatal flaw she had every intention of taking. She darted around it in circles and like clockwork it turned slowly trying to keep up with her. Finally having its timing down she struck like a viper. Ramming herself into its back she leveraged her weight to pin it upper body down before hacking away at the base of its skull where the jacket wouldn''t protect it and its arms couldn''t reach her.


    She tore away at the flesh until she saw something pale white. She dug in deeper and with a harsh crunch and a wet sqlouch she pulled out part of its spinal collum, strands of nerves and veins snapped like floss as blood pooled around them both.


    She was panting hard from exertion, but her guard was never dropped. She was ready to continue if it so much as twitched. A few moments passed and she used her paw to smack at its head like a soccer ball. No movement. She couldn''t be sure with these unnatural things though so she continued to prod at it for a few more minutes until she was satisifed it was finally dead.

 Brain Flavored Ice Cream

    Bella felt her legs shaking as she slowly trod pass the body. She couldn''t get a break it seems as the noise of the fight had caught the attention of another group of walking dead. She barely had time to grab the bunny before hurrying along through the alley and crawled under a hole in the fence. A half dozen body slammed into it right after, but it held strong thankfully enough. Her knees gave out on her and she laid limply on the ground panting for all her worth. Her once beautiful fur was slick with blood and her right eye had swollen shut. The spirit was strong, but alas the flesh was weak as she couldn''t get back up.


    As she rested the adrenaline slowly wore off and pain racked her body. The skin of her paw was red and aching from her constant neck-break pace, her side bleeding not only from the monster''s claws and teeth but from the glass embedded in them, and her muscles ached something fierce.


    A soft squeaky came from beneath her as she laid her head on the large doll. She felt terrible, but the thought of every step bringing her ever closer to Sarah brought a smile on her face and drove the pain away like nothing else. This was nothing. She would gladly take on a hundred more of the creatures if it meant having one less out there to try and hurt her girl.


    After she caught her breath and could stand up again she started walking towards the restaurant. She could see a few of them roaming around in empty stores through the glass window. They didn''t seem to be able to see her as none of them reacted when she walked past them in plain view. She didn''t let her guard down though. She couldn''t afford to waste time nor needlessly get hurt. She wouldn''t be blindsided again. Bella carefully scoped out the surroundings. She tried to pick up the lingering scent, but the nose was clogged and she couldn''t smell a single thing.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    She slowly watched pass the door and towards the back. There was the counter that blocked off the kitchen where the food came out of. The once pristine glass was full of cracks and she could see a body slumped over it. There was a large indentation in the side of its head, blood leaked out of its eyes and ears. Another had its skull shattered and grey matter mixed with the large containers, turning the blue raspberry a murky brown. Tables were up turned and broken bowls were scattered everywhere.


    She couldn''t help but reminiscence over the last time she was here with her family. Merely last month, but it felt like a lifetime ago. It was snowing in early January where most would huddle in their home with something warm to drink, but the cold never bothered her little girl and any time was a good time for ice cream as Sarah would say. She completely agreed. Especially when it meant she could have some of the delicious pinktreats.


    Like watching a movie she could see the past play itself in front of her eyes, superimposing itself over the abandoned store. A young little girl in a pink T-shirt and blue jeans laughing as Bella had a big dollop of pink on her nose, trying her best to will her tongue to extend enough to reach it. Her parents sat on the other sideof the table watching them with large smiles on their face and their own bowls of ice cream. A bright yellow drizzled with the sweet smelling brown syrup she wasn''t allowed to have any of.


    She shook her head to clear her thoughts from the depressing thoughts, although it brought with it a wave of dizziness that almost had her falling over. She would find Sarah, there was no doubt about it, and then they could go for ice cream together again next year, and the next year, and even the years after those. Until her muzzle was grey and her little girl had a litter of her own pups. She would make sure of it.


    Who knows, maybe then one day she would finally taste the forbidden chocolate?