whispers through in dark;

   When they split, he headed towards the kennels. He arrived quicker than he thought he would and he had to hesitate at the door. The guard dogs were alert, they seemed to smell him instantaneously. He chucked the meat at them, it was laced with a harmless tranquilizer. When they fell asleep, he assessed their treatment. They seemed well-fed. Obvious favourites of a greedy owner. Then he waited for the lights to switch off.

    In the moments it took Maia to turn off the electric, Leo thought a lot about the dog he had come to save. All his life he’d wanted one, but he couldn’t quite face the commitment. Now, things were different. After everything, he wanted his life to be stable. The dog was the first step. The next was the girl. He hadn’t quite figured out that part yet.

   Girls had never been a strong point for Leo. When he was younger, he used to tell his friends the hardship of being in the shadow of a guy who could pass for a male model. When he and Eric drifted, he came to realise that most of it was just due to his disinterest. He preferred to have girls as friends. In fact, he felt they made better friends than most. Alaska, Julie, Sam. Then there was Maia. She didn’t fit into the same category as the others; she meant so much more. Leo had decided early on that until Maia had found someone to settle down with, he was going to steer clear of relationships. It was unfair of him to expect a girl to have to be constant competition with his best friend, especially when the latter would always win.

    When it all goes dark, Leo runs to the cages and breaks off the locks. The dogs are like a stampede, trampling their way to the doorway which he left unopened. He grabbed the leads and attached them to each dog. Thankfully, and unfortunately, the numbers were dwindled from when he was last there making it easier to manage. When he got to the cage, Maia was already waiting for him. “Now comes the fun part.” He says while taking out a pair of wire cutters from his back pocket.

    After turning off the electric, Maia made her way back to near the kennel. She was hoping Leo got pass the guard dogs and... was safe. She was more nervous than before, almost feeling like biting her nails. Trying to get her mind on another things for a moment, she thought of Roxy.

    She remembered how happy she was the day she got her. How all of a sudden her days were brighter, more meaningful. And then, she met Leo. They talked and bonded, he made her laugh and even took care of Roxy when she had to spent long nights in the University. Soon they called each other best friends.

   Then he found out her secret. She thought it was the end of their friendship -- but she was wrong. Leo, unlike many others, actually stayed. He didn't call her crazy, weirdo or a liar, he believed her and told her it was okay.

    Maia had to leave memory lane as she heard the dogs barking. She hadn't even noticed she was sitting on the ground, so she got up quickly few seconds before she saw Leo coming her way. She sighed softly out of relief that he was okay. As the boy pulled out a pair of wire cutters from his pockets, she was confused by what meant by that. She stayed silent, only looking him with a confused face.