Chapter 1: Free

Mercie "forgot" her umbrella again. Looking out the bus window, she could see tiny drops of rain begin to fall.

Black clouds were rolling in slowly.

Mercie knew it was going to rain today, but she couldn't muster up the extra energy to bring it with her. It took too much effort to be afraid of getting a little wet.

Mercie hopped off the bus and began her walk home. She could feel the cold tickle of rain on her legs.

Today was Sunday, her day to lounge freely and watch Netflix.

Today was also an anomaly.

She had gone bridesmaids dress shopping for her friend's upcoming wedding. Her recent purchase was now safely buried in the brown bag hanging from her fingers.

The rain had a cooling effect on an otherwise hot summer day. The wind picked up, blowing crisp air from the lake down by the park.

Mercie breathed in as much as she could. The smell of rain washed over her.

Rumble. The sound of thunder vibrated through her headphones. The wind howled again, indicating that a storm was about to arrive.

Mercie picked up her pace. Even she knew when it was time to head indoors.

The street that lead to her apartment complex came into view. Peculiarly, a large cardboard box came into view as well.

It was placed on the street corner with an large opener umbrella poking out and placed upright against the box, effectively covering the inside.

What's weird was that it seemed like a perfectly good umbrella but it was thrown away on a rainy day.

Mercie approached the box to take a good look at what was inside. Shivering in the corner of the box was a brown puppy.

It looked like a Bichon Frise or maybe a poodle, perhaps a mix a both? Mercie couldn't decide.

Next to the puppy was a piece of printed paper that read:

FREE
PLEASE GIVE TO GOOD HOME

Mercie knelt down and peered into the box. The puppy rose on its hind quarters to greet her. Their noses touched. Mercie could feel it's cold wet nose against her own.

The puppy lightly at her lips. Startled, Mercie jerked backwards.

Perhaps it was her love for dogs, or maybe her longing for companionship that compelled her to take that puppy home that day.

Or maybe she was just feeling compassion for an abandoned animal in the midst of an oncoming storm.

Whatever the reason, it's what made her sneak past the "no pets allowed" sign hanging on the apartment bulletin board with the puppy hidden away in her brown bag.

They had missed the downpour by a few minutes and were safely inside the warmth of her apartment.

Mercie reached into the bag and held up the dog to examine it. Bringing it closer she took a sniff.

"Ugh" she turned her head away "you definitely need a bath"

Before setting the puppy down, Mercie noticed a chain around its neck with a dangling dog tag. "Lay, huh? So that's your name?"

The puppy's ears perked up in recognition. It gave a small bark.

"Oh you do recognize your name? What a smart doggie" Mercie kissed the puppy's snout "oh right I forgot you need a bath" She wiped her lips and stepped into the bathroom, puppy in tow.

Mercie drew a warm bath and placed the puppy inside.

"Don't worry I'm gonna get you nice and clean, Lay"

The puppy yipped in response.

Mercie lathered up her shampoo and scrubbed the puppy's matted hair. She wasn't sure if Herbal Essences was appropriate for a dog bath but it would have to do for the time being.

Another rumble shook. The storm wasn't letting up any time soon. A few seconds later a loud crack and a shock of light lit up the sky through her bathroom window.

Bzzt.

The room went dark.

""

Mercie stood and felt for the lights. As expected, when she flicked the light switch, nothing happened.

In times like this, she would use her iPhone flashlight. Unfortunately for her, she forgot to charge her phone.

Mercie rummaged blindly through the bathroom medicine cabinet for candles.

"I know they're in here somewhere" Mercie muttered. Ever since she moved into her own apartment, she had started a habit of talking to herself. Of course, now that she had a dog, she didn't feel as crazy.

"Aha!" Mercie grasped at the scented candle hidden behind the pipes of her bathroom sink cabinet. The candle was a gift she never thought to use, until today.

"Now I just need matches" Mercie kept her matches in the kitchen. She fumbled around for the door and felt her way to the kitchen.

Another loud crack of lightning filled the kitchen, giving Mercie enough light to see and grab the matchbox.

However, in her haste, her shoes, wet and soapy from the puppy bath slipped on the smooth kitchen floor.

"Ah!" Mercie fell to the floor with a thud.

Her head felt woozy. For some reason she couldn't find the strength to get up. All this just for a matchstick.

If she was smarter, she wouldn't have wasted her energy. She should have just waited for the backup generator to power on.

Mercie struggled to get up again. This time it wasn't because she had no energy, but because something was holding her down.

Mercie felt something cold and wet touch her nose. She felt a at her lips.

"Oh Lay, it's just you--" Mercie giggled

Bzzt. The backup generator kicked into gear and the kitchen lights flickered on.

Mercie froze.

She was face to face, not with her puppy, but with a boy who was crouched over her. Mercie blinked as a drop of water dripped from his damp brown hair and onto her cheek.

"I heard a scream, are you ok?" The boy's brow was furrowed in concern. His face came closer to her. He her nose.

Mercie's eyes widened in horror as her vision focused.

Her eyes trailed down from the boy's eyes, to his lips, to his arms at either side of her, to his bare chest, to his--wait, BARE CHEST?!

Mercie screamed.