Tail of Terror

His eyes were cold, his teeth were clenched and sharp. He didn’t like me, and I didn’t like him, but he...that thing, was the only thing between me and the money, and I needed that money, this was the summer that I was going to by the Red Bolt, the bolt was only the BEST mountain bike that’s ever been created...i was a couple of hundred dollars away from it.

My name is Trey, I am 15 and I was the best damn dog walker in the whole town of Hollowhill.

“Thanks again, Mrs. Williams, it’s always a pleasure,” she was my best customer.

“Oh, the pleasure is all mine young man, Bandit just loves you.”

“Same time next week?”

She handed me a twenty and smiled, “oh, most definitely. Also, trey, I have a number of a good friend; whose dog needs a babysitter for the weekend, her name is Gloria Hamilton, she is a sweet lady who pays well.”

The voice in my head shouted HELL YEAH, but my cool, calm, and collected voice uttered something like: “I very much appreciate that Mrs. Williams. I will give her a call.” I sounded like a tool.

I tried calling the next morning, I left a quick voicemail and then went to my first walk of the day. During the summer, i was walking dogs pretty much daily, it was a good summer hustle, especially in this neighborhood.

As I was walking with a confidently rude Great Dane named Bruno, my phone started going off, it was that Gloria lady.

“Hello?”

“Hello, there, my dear friend referred you to me, something about being good with dogs.” she had a voice that made me grateful I wasn’t house-sitting her.

“Yes, Maam, Mrs. Williams said you were going away for the weekend and…”

“Yes, the whole weekend and I need you to watch my sweet little joy.” I swear if I had a dollar for every time someone called their dog that, I’d be a millionaire.

“I will text you the address, be there today at 4 pm sharp.

“Well, I would have to check my sched…”

“Young man...listen here, i will pay you $500 but I leave tonight and my only time to meet you is today at 4 pm.” she had me sold at $500

“Looks like my schedule is cleared.”

This is nuts, what a loser, I get to watch this pooch for a few days and, now I’ll be able to buy my bike and then some.

Calling it a nice house would be an understatement, this was a freakin mansion, I had to request to be let in at the front gate, she had a front gate. The landscape was so clean, she must’ve had one of every kind of tree, and the flowers, my mom would be sooo jealous. The door was as tall as two of me when I rang the bell I could hear the melodic tune that played throughout the house from outside the door.

Just as I was about to press the button for a second helping of the obnoxious ring, the door was opened by a small old lady, which was hilarious considering the door.

“Hello, Are you Mrs. Hamilton?”

“Call me Gloria.”

She welcomed me inside, and it looked even bigger than the outside.

“So what kind of dog do you have, Mrs. Hami...Gloria?”

“A special one.”

She called her bundle of joy down to say goodbye, “ here, Cupcake, here boy.” yeah its name was Cupcake.

His eyes were cold, his teeth were clenched and sharp. He didn’t like me, and I didn’t like him, but he...that thing, was the only thing between me and the money, and this 5-pound Chiwawua named Cupcake was about the be the easiest $500 bucks I’ve ever made.

Part 2

The first hour was calm, it didn’t bark much, just when the mailman dropped something off.

“You really like the name Cupcake?” I gave the little pooch a look...he looked right back, but with more sarcasm

“You want a bath?”

He scampered up the stairs so fast, “no way…” what kind of stuck up dog runs upstairs on his own to take a bath.

He was sitting in the tub, “no freakin way.”

I gave him a quick bath and tried wrapping him up in a towel to dry, but he jumped out like a missile and sprinted to one of the many rooms in this suburban castle.

“Where’d ya go?” I followed him as fast as I could, right into what I assumed was Gloria’s room; which smelled like old perfumes.

He was just sitting on top of her bed, sound asleep. Gloria said he likes to sleep in her room so I just left him there, it was getting late anyway.

As I walked away I saw a weird door at the opposite end of the hallway, I didn’t know how I missed it earlier, it was a small 3-foot tall door painted black with a little golden knob on it, “must be cupcake’s lunge room,” I laughed.

The little door was locked and I really didn’t feel like breaking and entering into a room owned by a dog who probably has his own lawyer.

I had packed my Xbox with me to pass time, it was such a nice break to not have to walk so many dogs every day, and just sit in a huge house with an easy dog, that I just ended up passed out on the couch with a controller in my hand.

When I woke up I felt so groggy, the Xbox wasn’t in my hand anymore and the TV wasn’t even there anymore, I wasn’t even on the couch, I must’ve walked in my sleep or something.

What was even weirder was I was in Gloria’s bed, “what the hell.” I checked my phone and i froze when I saw it said 12 pm on it, how was I out that long, I fell asleep probably around 8:30. The next thing on my mind was way more important than my sleep cycle, where was Cupcake

“Cupcake,” I yelled through the halls, “where are ya, boy.” I searched everywhere, I spent hours going up and downstairs, looking in the yard, the poolhouse, and every bedroom. I decided to check Gloria’s room one more time, and as I walked toward the room that I mysteriously woke up in, I heard the sound of little paws moving around, it wasn’t coming from the room, but from the small black door behind me, “Cupcake, you in there?”

I could hear his paws scratching against the other end of the door. How did he even know how to get in there, how would he get in there, the door was locked. After nonstop pounding on the door and listening to him bark, it went silent, and after a few minutes of nothing, the tiny black door crept open. “U-uh hello? Cupcake?”

I crawled in, hoping I would hear the barking again because it was pitch black.

I felt around and kept calling out for him, it was just silent, I can’t lose this dog.

I finally felt something, it felt like his fur, it wasn’t moving, and it wasn’t barking, as I kept feeling around, I soon found that it wasn’t Cupcake I was touching...it wasn’t even a dog for that matter. It was a head, it was a human head, with a human face, and a human body that wasn’t breathing, “what the hell.” as I turned back to crawl out of there, I heard the small black door slam shut. I knocked so hard on that door that I’m sure I’d see blood on my knuckles it there was any light.

Just as I finally gave up knocking, I began to cry, I never cry, but I cried. Through the tears and cries, I heard the little sound of dog paws knocking against the door, but now on the other side, “WHAT ARE YOU!” I shouted at the psycho dog. My voice started cracking from all the screaming, I didn’t know what to do, I didn’t care about the $500, I didn’t care about the stupid bike...I wanted to go home.

I pressed my head against the door, feeling hopeless. I felt something touch the back of my neck, it was warm and wet, like a tongue, “Cupcake,” I said with a dry, shaky voice.

“no, honey, do I look like a dog to you?” the voice was disturbingly familiar.

“AHH!, What the hell, who, w-what is going...G-gloria...is that you?” I said as I turned around only to see the dark.

“I see you found, Cupcake’s special room, this is where he keeps his friends, like Tommy; who met a few minutes ago.” she jammed something sharp into my throat, “Cupcake, time to clean up the mess.”