In Part 1 of our story, Butch the Renegade Alsatian went for a walk outside the gate, although he’s not supposed to. Two strange men lured him into their van.
Butch’s Big Adventure: Part 2.
I was really frightened now. I knew that I was stolen, but I couldn’t think why. After a while the van slowed down and turned and we started to bump along a rough road. Soon we stopped and the men got out and went away. They came back with another man and they all looked at me through the windows. The new man asked them where they got me, and they lied and said they got me from a farmer. They said I was a bad dog and I killed sheep and the farmer was going to shoot me. Then they started to argue about money and they all walked away.
It didn’t make any sense. Why did they say I was a bad dog?
They came back again and slid open the side door. The new man had an electric stick. That really scared me because I know what those sticks do. When I was a guard dog, my owner had one. It just has to touch you and it hurts like fire and you can’t run. The new man pointed it at me and I was so frightened I peed. “Oh, you dirty bugger,” he said and he reached for me. I squeezed into a corner but I couldn’t get away and he touched me with the hot stick.
I cried and peed again and this time he poked me hard and kept the hot stick on me. I collapsed on the floor, jerking and kicking. He put a rope around my neck and dragged me out cause my legs wouldn’t work. He kicked me and hit me with another stick. He beat me so bad. WHY???
I couldn’t stop crying, and the men who brought me there just watched. And then they drove away.
I managed to get to my feet, and when the man pulled on the rope I followed him. It was an old farm. There were broken rusty things and rubbish all over the place. He took me to where there were some other dogs. A pen with big fences, gates, and cages. Three dogs were jumping and running about in there, and there was another one locked in a big cage.
They were all barking at me, but the one in the cage was going especially berserk. The man opened the gate and shouted at the three dogs, who immediately shut up and cowed away from his electric stick. But the one in the cage just got louder, jumping into the mesh.
The man locked me in the big cage, with just a mesh divide between me and the crazy dog. He was screaming at me, biting the wire and dripping saliva.
“I’LL KILL YOU KILL YOU KILL YOU. FUCKEN KILL YOU. I’LL RIP YOUR FUCKEN GUTS OUT. GUTS OUT. KILL YOU KILL YOU. AHHHRRGH RHAAHHHGG GRRUUHHGH.”
Whoa. He was insane.
Once the man was gone the other dogs came over to talk to me. The leader was a big Alsatian like me. A bitch. The other two were mixed breeds. They were all scarred, with patches of fur missing, but otherwise healthy. I could tell (smell) they were strong proud dogs, and now the man was gone they were curious. They gathered around the cage, and the Alsatian spoke.
“My name is Amazon. This is Abel and this is Cain. And that crazy fucker is Chopper.” Chopper sprang at the wire again, snapping and slavering. “Don’t mind him. He’s had that many hot stick shocks his brain has gone away. He can still fight though. The master saves him for death matches.”
“Death matches?” I said? “What is this place?”
Amazon laughed. In a kindly way. She smiled at me, sly and friendly, like a bitch in heat.
“Welcome to Fight Club.”
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To be continued …
Artwork: By Sang Jun.