Julie
Why did I do this to myself?
Bailey
What? Get a job at an overnight kennel when you have a crippling fear of dogs?
Julie
You don’t have to rub it in…
Julie
But honestly, you should be thanking me.
Julie
Now you won’t have to cover my rent.
Bailey
Is it really that bad?
Julie
I guess not…I mostly just sit at a desk all night.
Julie
Mr. Eddings said I don’t even have to take the dogs out.
Julie
Some other guy shows up at 3am to do it.
Bailey
Is your boss cool?
Julie thinks about Mr. Eddings.
He was an older guy, with bright white hair.
He’d just kept looking down the hallway as they talked…
Like he heard something she didn’t.
Julie
IDK. He mostly just seemed distracted when we talked.
Bailey
Distracted is the best kind of boss.
Bailey
Maybe we can sneak in drinks and have a fun night sometime soon 😉
Julie
Yeah…it’s kind of creepy in here by myself.
Julie
They only left my one desk light on.
Julie stands up to stretch.
She checks the clock on the wall.
Just six more hours till she gets off.
Suddenly, she hears something scraping down the hall.
She can barely see anything down by the kennel doors.
The scraping stops, and she shivers.
She looks down at the post-it note where Mr. Eddings left his phone number.
He’d written, “Emergencies only,” beside it.
Julie picks up her phone.
Julie
So what are your plans tonight?
Bailey
Well, I’m brushing my teeth now.
Bailey
Then I plan to go to sleep.
Bailey
So not to brag, but it’s going to get crazy.
Julie
You want to come hang out tonight?
Bailey
I’m working tomorrow morning.
Bailey
And not all of us get paid to play with puppies.
Julie hears something bang down the hall.
But then all she can hear is her pulse pounding in her ears.
She leaves the phone on the desk and walks toward the sound.
She takes a step further…
And then notices that partway down the hall—
One of the kennel doors is open.
She holds her breath, and leans around the corner of the kennel.
There are deep claw marks on the inside of the door.
Julie feels something catch in her throat.
She tries to remember protocol and checks the room number.
But there’s no number on the outside of the door.
Julie walks back to her desk, trying not to run.
She counts down from ten, trying to stay calm.
Julie
I think I lost a dog…
Julie
What’s that supposed to mean?!
Julie
Forget it. Should I call my boss?
Bailey
Not if you want to keep your job.
Julie
I’m kind of freaking out right now.
Bailey
Just calm down and take a look around.
Julie tosses her phone on the desk and covers her face in her hands.
She breathes, then picks up the bag of treats Mr. Eddings left.
She grabs her phone and turns on its flashlight.
As she walks down the hall, she hears whimpering behind some of the kennel doors.
Suddenly, a huge pit bull appears at the end of the hall—
It’s looking directly at her, snarling.
White froth is dripping from its open mouth.
Julie
It’s okay, boy. It’s okay.
She staggers back, its mouth missing her arm by an inch.
She turns and sprints back toward her desk.
When she looks behind her, the dog is gone.
Julie
Bailey, the dog that got out is ginormous and it’s trying to kill me!
Bailey
Chill, girl. I know dogs freak you out.
Bailey
Just give it some treats and it’ll calm down.
Bailey
Let me know how it went in the morning!
Julie keeps checking the hallway for the dog.
Julie
I’m serious! I’m calling my boss.
It goes straight to voicemail.
Julie
Mr. Eddings, this is Julie from the Hound Lounge.
Julie
A dog got out, and it almost bit me.
Julie
I’m kind of freaking out here.
Mr. Eddings
Hi Julie. It’ll be all right.
Mr. Eddings
Which room was the dog in?
Julie
The door didn’t have a number on it…
Julie pulls out the kennel room map and looks for the room.
It’s just marked as a storage closet.
But, she thinks, it was definitely set up as a kennel room.
Mr. Eddings
Julie, DO NOT APPROACH THE DOG.
Mr. Eddings
I’m on my way.
Julie
What if it comes back?!
Mr. Eddings
You know the swinging door into the desk kiosk?
Mr. Eddings
Block it with your chair, and hide under your desk.
Julie hears growling echo down the hallway.
She looks behind her at the front doors.
They’re locked, but maybe…
Maybe she could outrun the dog.
When she looks back down the hallway, she still doesn’t see the dog.
Julie
Bailey, you’re my best friend…
Julie
I just wanted to say, I love you.
She blocks the swinging door like Mr. Eddings said.
Then she pulls out the logbook.
No one checked in a pit bull this entire week.
She puts the book back, but at the bottom of the drawer, she sees a picture.
It’s Mr. Eddings, holding a pit bull puppy and laughing.
Mr. Eddings
It’s a long story.
Julie
But he looks so friendly in this picture!
Mr. Eddings
Something bit him last week, and he…
Mr. Eddings
I got him a rabies shot, but I think it may have been too late.
Julie hears rattling at the front doors.
When she looks, she sees Mr. Eddings pushing a metal bar through the handles.
He’s trapping her inside!
Julie
What are you doing?!
Mr. Eddings
I can’t let you tell anyone about him…
Mr. Eddings
I can’t lose him.
Julie
HE’S GOING TO KILL ME!!!
Mr. Eddings
I can pin it on another dog.
Mr. Eddings
I have the whole kennel.
Julie hears growling behind her, back down the hallway.
The dog is there, creeping toward her.
Foam is bubbling between his bared teeth.
Julie grabs the bag of treats and throws it over his head.
He turns around for a second, distracted—
She grabs her chair and runs for the front doors.
She throws the chair at the glass.
It bounces off, cracking the front pane.
Julie hears the dog tearing at the bag of treats viciously.
Mr. Eddings shouts from the glass.
Mr. Eddings
Just let it happen, Julie! You can’t get out.
Julie picks up the chair and throws it again.
The glass fractures more, but still doesn’t break.
She hears the dog’s claws clicking on the tile floor.
She picks up the chair and turns to face the dog.
And bits of the treat bag are caught in his teeth.
Julie ducks to the side and shields herself with the chair.
The dog flies past and hits the glass.
But it still doesn’t shatter.
Julie spins in a circle and flings the chair at the dog.
It jumps out of the way and begins to slink toward her.
All of a sudden Julie hears Mr. Eddings screams from outside.
A car crashes through the front doors—
Right between Julie and the dog!
Glass shatters, flying in every direction.
And then she hears a familiar voice.
Julie barely takes time to register what’s happening.
She wrenches open the door and dives into the front seat.
Bailey
I came by to surprise you and saw that creep locking you into the building!
Julie
Let’s get out of here!
Bailey
The car’s not starting…
Bailey slams the locks down just as Mr. Eddings lunges for a car door.
Outside, Julie and Bailey hear a growl.
Mr. Eddings
It’s okay, boy. Good boy!
Bailey turns the key, but the car still won’t start.
Mr. Eddings
It’s me, boy! It’s Mr. Eddings.
Mr. Eddings
Don’t you remember me?
The car finally jumps to life, and Bailey backs out into the parking lot.
From outside, Julie hears a savage bark…
Then, as Bailey drives away, only a distant howl.
