What's Left

Jake sat in wait for the jingling sound that meant she was home. But the dog had become accustomed to waiting, for this was a daily ritual for his master, April. She spent most of her days out, while Jake waited by her bed.

Finally he heard the sound, a jingling at the door and then a click. 'She's Home!!!' The Dog's mind rang repeatedly like an alarm.

As the door swung open, Jake bolted from the ground and barreled toward her. He howled at the sight of her return. Jake bounced in front of her singing her name and telling her how happy he was that she was home. She chuckled at the sight, his curly tail wagging quickly. “How’s my Jakey boy?” She patted his head and squished his face before turning to close the door.

April then untied her blonde hair and kicked off her shoes, before heading to her bedroom. Jake followed after, the colorful scents on her filling his nostrils. ‘Usual places!’ He thought. The girl let out a sigh removing some articles of clothing, including her favorite necklace, which she hung on the knob of her dresser, before falling on the bed with a sigh.

Jake settled by the bed, but kept his eyes on the locket as it gently swung to a stop, accepting its place, slightly ajar. The Dog sniffed at the familiar item feeling his nose push it open fully, inside was a picture of the pair, him and her. It was the one thing April always took with her. His Master sighed again, catching his attention. As he turned toward her a bright light suddenly filled the entire room, forcing Jake to close his eyes. Then the room was back to normal, or so he thought. When the dog’s eyes adjusted to the room, April was seemingly gone.

He became alert, feeling a strange weight drop in his gut. As he used his senses to find her, her scent was still strongest on the bed but she wasn’t there, and he couldn’t smell a new scent leaving the room. A feeling in his gut twisted in an unrecognizable way.

He barked her name several times before he began to search the home, in dead silence. Where had she gone? As Jake searched he began to hear haunting barks from outside; barks similar to his own, barks of dogs…searching for their Master’s.

Their barks were beginning to fill with fear, a fear so clear yet so unfamiliar and in that moment all he could think was. ‘Where are our Master’s!? Where is April!?’

Jake awoke with a gasp. Despite the time passed, he still dreamt of the day The Bright Light, happened. This was the event that caused all masters to disappear in a blink. Vehicles lay where they were, driverless accidents caused fires and damage to the land, while metal birds caused tremendous explosions when they fell from the sky, he had even witnessed one fall himself. But Jake and the other animals managed to survive since, at least most of them did.

The dog sighed; his memories stuck to him like his own limbs ever since that day. It was the same for every animal. Since The Bright Light, animals began to feel and think more complexly. This quick change destroyed some...others took up positions of leadership, in things called Factions. Most faction leaders were animals who figured their changes out the quickest and felt they knew best. Most let go of what was and looked forward, leading the way for others to follow.

Not all faction leaders were the same, some were crueler than others; but all did agree on one thing… Life before The Bright Light was best forgotten. Those seen clinging to the past...were typically executed to purge the weak.

Jake knew how to hold on without being noticed, most of the time, but he sometimes felt he was alone in that.

The black and white dog let out a heavy sigh, washing the thoughts away for now; as he did so, the door to his room was pushed open by a big dog he recognized well. "You’re awake!” The dog barked happily. He had brown fur with a dark face and a black saddle pattern on his back; his voice was darker than Jake’s and a tad gruff but Jake liked it.

Jake turned and smiled weakly while sitting up. “Audi...good morning…" Audi was his best friend, roommate, and leader of his surveying squad.

Audi stepped closer and continued casually. "Good morning to you too, sleeping in a bit, huh?" His friend looked at him critically but playfully.

"Yeah sorry..."

His friend laughed. "Just giving you a hard time, it's cool."

Jake nodded and looked to his paws sheepishly; he wondered sometimes what Audi’s life had been like before everything. "You ever...think about…The Bri-“

Audi cleared his throat loudly to cut him off. “No Jake.” He looked back at the door seemingly checking if anyone else was around. “Don’t bring it up…you know the rules. If even a whisper got to Rex... he'd probably..." He scrunched his face, clearly not wanting to say it, but he had made his point.

The black and white dog nodded. "Yeah sorry... I didn't mean to… I just..." He trailed off but for a moment he thought he saw something in his friend's eyes. A remembrance...a pain; maybe he simply saw what he wanted to, regardless the subject was passed.

"Come on Jake." Audi barked gaily, as he began toward the door. "Let's get a quick bite; Rex wants surveyors out there, like… now. So we better hurry."

Jake followed after him into the hall. "Yeah, okay."

As the two dogs made their ways through the halls, Jake's eyes were drawn to the red signs with the rules set by their Faction’s leader, Rex. Rules about good behavior, doing your work, never trusting another faction’s members, and many other rules Jake sometimes questioned. Noticeably the one rule that wasn't listed was the rule to never speak of The Bright Light. Rex, like many others, believed that it was better to keep that rule unspoken, that way newborns never even wondered about it.

The two dogs swung by the cafeteria, quickly eating two strips of slightly cooked, peppered beef, the way Jake liked it. Once finished, they hastily made their way to the armory. They slipped into their designated surveyor vests that were equipped with a radio, a mounted lightweight gun, first aid supplies, and several rations.

While they adjusted their vests they were greeted by the other two members of their squad; Phoebe and Casper. Jake knew them decently well, but not as well as he knew Audi. Phoebe had long thin legs and had curly white fur that had taken on a bit of a sandy hue from the outside; she was typically nice. Casper on the other paw was much smaller than all of them, with a short white coat and brown patches across her fur; she was typically grouchy.

They quickly geared up exchanging pleasantries, before Audi asked if they were ready to head out. Each dog confirmed and their squad leader nodded. "Good.” He turned toward the exit hatch and pushed a pressure plate to open it, exposing the outside to them. “We survey, for Rex and the Faction!" He barked while rushing out the hatch, the others barked in tandem as they rushed into the sunlight after him.

For a while, the surveying was normal; normal was boring, but good. All the dogs kept to themselves except for the occasional order from Audi.

As Jake peered into a small building he assumed used to be a shop of some kind he suddenly heard Casper let out a terrified scream. In an instant he felt his blood become hot and his insides all leapt, next thing he knew his legs were propelling himself toward her. Once regrouped he saw Audi and Phoebe both staring at what Casper had found.

Before them all lay the severed head of another dog. Jake didn't recognize it but it ran his blood cold. His hackles rose and his body was alert. His pointed ears swiveled in every direction, his nose filling with the scent of death. He looked to Casper and Phoebe and noticed they bore his same alert features but when he looked to Audi he was surprised. Despite his hackles being raised and his tail low, he seemed calm. ‘What was his life like before The Bright Light?’ He wondered.

"Orders, Sir?" Phoebe asked uneasily.

Audi looked to her and the rest of the squad. "Hold, I see no blood trails anywhere; this dog was dead long before his head was brought here... I'll call it in." Audi turned away and walked a couple paces off.

Jake watched Audi calling in over his radio, then he looked back to the dismembered head, the expression on it looked almost pained, he wondered if the dog had suffered. 'Probably…but why?'

Phoebe and Casper were looking over the immediate area, but found nothing else.

A moment passed before Audi walked back over and ordered them together. "Alright squad, we’re to take our new friend back to base for observation, but Rex still wants the districts surveyed so J-“

Jake's ears perked up, he knew he had to act fast to get his desired district. "I'll survey the border district, Audi-Sir!"

"Huh?" Audi turned to him with a surprised look. "I mean… I like the enthusiasm but...I was going to order you to take him back."

Jake nodded, but he couldn't lose this. "Sorry Sir! It's just… I know the border district like the back of my paw; I’ll be able to tell if strangers went through... and if I run into danger... I'll know exactly how to escape and where to hide." He swallowed what felt like a stone as his leader stared at him silently.

Suddenly Audi nodded in agreement, "You're absolutely right. We must be where we work best; I’ll see you back at base. Good luck." He finished with a wink before turning to the others. Jake didn’t stick around to listen; he was already eagerly halfway down the street at a quick but quiet pace.

The dog made his way past old vehicles and homes, familiar clearing and signs. As he went, he quickly combed over the district like he always did, nothing was seemingly out of the ordinary. Once finished, he made his way to his favorite part of the district, one he knew from before The Bright Light.

Here Jake stood before his old home. This was why Jake had become a surveyor, so he could hold on to what was left of his past.

As he made his way in he saw how time continued to alter it in little ways. Jake immediately headed to his Master’s bedroom, pushing the door open with his snout. Once inside he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, he felt he could still smell a glitter of April in the air and if he listened hard enough he could almost swear he could hear her laughter.

Jake stepped further within, stopping by the bedside before laying down where he had many times before. He couldn't recall any of her words, but he remembered the sound of her voice perfectly.

Finally he looked to her heart shaped locket, still hanging on the knob of her dresser. Inside, he could see her clearly once more; her smiling face and her loving arms holding him close in the frozen moment, forever.

Jake laid his head on the musty carpet, but kept his eyes on the picture and here he waited for her, like he always did.

This was all he had left, but he knew he'd never let go. Jake would have to return to his squad and report in soon; but he knew he'd be back here again, he always would.

"I'll be here...waiting for you... forever.”