Windfall

She woke up in a dark alleyway. The stench was overwhelming. She clutched her bag and looked inside in a panic.

It was still there. She sat up in relief, head resting against a brick wall, then tried to stand up.

Her leg wouldn’t budge. The dog was still there. His enormous head lay on her foot, dead weight as he twitched and growled softly, seemingly lost in the midst of an intense dream. Was he chasing a playmate? Being chased?

She was being chased. She needed to get out of there. Muttering an apology to her furry companion, she pushed him gently off her foot and looked around.

She rifled through her bag until she found a granola bar, and out of habit, pulled out the little black notebook where she jotted her thoughts. The most recent page was a shopping list with milk circled twice on the top.

Her laugh sounded a bit hysterical. She supposed she could buy a lot of milk with $20,000.

She'd been baffled when the man pulled her aside and offered to stake her at a private poker game. She tried to explain that she'd never played the game, but he'd shepherded her inside so quickly she never had the chance.

On the first hand, she picked up two aces. She didn't have to be a pro to know that was good. So she gathered her confidence and said "all In", pushing her chips into the center the way she'd seen people do in the movies. Several people called and she'd panicked, but amazingly enough, after the cards were dealt, the dealer pushed all the chips her way.

She'd quickly cashed out, stashing the cash in her handbag -- $20,000 was surprisingly light -- and ran out before she could be robbed. Only later did she realize that the man probably expected some form of payment. But by then, it was too late.

I could just go back and give him the money.

She felt a twinge as she imagined all the things she could do with that money.

But it was a moot point. She was sure he'd have someone pursuing her by now. One of those men who broke the arms of people that didn't pay. She doubted handing over the money would keep her alive. After all, she'd seen too much.

I have to stop watching those crime movies.

She heard panting by her side and was surprised to see the dog gazing at her appraisingly. He nudged his head under her hand and she pet him automatically. He leaned against her, the weight of his warm body reassuring.

He was a beautiful dog, black with a tiny streak of white between his ears and a patch of soft white fur on his underbelly. She'd guess he was about 80 pounds. She had to admit he'd make good company tonight.

A bag of garbage fell from a nearby building.

They were not spending the night here.

She took out her phone and started to look up pet-friendly motels. It looked like if she walked over to Brown street, there would be plenty of options.

The location function on her phone flashed, and she turned the phone off quickly.

Could she still be located with it switched off? Her tech-obsessed friend thought so. Then again, he also thought the government was building an army of semi-autonomous robots.

Ok. She would walk to the main road and stay at the first place she saw. Preferably somewhere a little shabby, where paying in cash wouldn't raise suspicion. No one would expect her to stay in a cheap motel after the windfall she had.

“Come on,” she said to the dog, “you can be my security detail tonight.”

They walked along the alleyway until they reached main street, and about a half a mile to Brown street. Sure enough, the street was teeming with seedy motels, about half with flashing vacancy signs. She entered the third building on the right, the dog trotting beside her, and walked up to the front desk.

“One room, please,” she said and handed over a small wad of cash. The tired teenager behind the desk handed her a key and said, “5c, elevator is around the corner to the left.”

She turned on the TV, switching the channels until she got tired of looking for something good. She settled on the home shopping channel.

"Tired of the day-to-day grind? Want to quit your dreary job? Become a travel agent and fly around the world! This kit has everything you need for the low low price of $29.99."

She looked over at her new furry friend. His head perked up at the enthusiastic woman on the screen. It did sound good. I mean, not being a travel agent. She’d be a terrible travel agent. But she had money now. She could travel. They could travel.

She smiled. It was a nice dream.

She looked out the window. It was a full moon. A beautiful view, really. She grabbed her coat and took the dog outside. It was a gorgeous night.

And then she saw it. Some movement in the shadows. A man in a dark-brown trench coat. A familiar face.

Was that him? The same man? Didn't he have any enforcers to send?

Amateur. The thought made her want to giggle. Her smile vanished as he moved out of the shadows to look at her. They locked eyes and he tapped his shoulder, then curled his fingers towards him.

The meaning was clear. She took the bag off her shoulder with a twinge of regret and moved towards him.

Something heavy blocked her way. The dog stood in front of her, pushing her back.

She was suddenly afraid for him. What if the man had a weapon? But he didn't seem to. He ran towards her, yelling and shaking his fists.

That was a mistake. The dog took off like a shot, baring his teeth with a low growl.

She'd never seen anyone move that fast. Her pursuer ran screaming in the other direction. The dog watched him go, and, when he was satisfied the man was gone, trotted back to her, looking very pleased with himself.

"Good boy." She fumbled in her bag for a snack, and he gobbled up some potato chips. A piece was stuck on his nose and she chuckled as she leaned over to kiss his head.

She turned to her new partner in crime and said, "$20k ought to buy us a first-class ticket to just about anywhere. Let's have an adventure. What do you say?"

He barked and wagged his tail, and off they went.