Black Dog Short Stories Read Free Page B

of tearing metal. Someone started screaming, and someone else said, “Oh my God—oh my God—” over and over, and a somewhere a child was crying, great gasping wails that sounded frightened rather than hurt.
         Natividad stared at the accident in shock. It was the shop that sold chocolates. The fragrance of chocolate rolled out into the cold air, mingling with the sudden acrid smell of burning plastic and something else underneath that, something even less pleasant, sharp and chemical.
         By this time, Keziah had shoved Natividad back into the doorway of the nearest shop and stepped in front of her, which was fine, she was supposed to protect Natividad after all, but it was also infuriating because Natividad couldn’t see . She stood on her toes, which didn’t help because Keziah was too much taller than she was, so then she ducked and tried to squeeze around Keziah, back onto the sidewalk. But Keziah wouldn’t let her. She said furiously, “Stupid girl! Stay back! Did you not see that car was aimed straight at you?”
         “Aimed!” said Natividad.
         “There was no driver!” said Keziah. “Someone pointed it at you and jammed the accelerator down.”  She was not shouting now. She still sounded furious, though. She was scanning the street, both ways but mostly the way the car had come. Natividad could hardly believe Keziah could be right, but she stayed behind the black dog girl anyway. She ducked down so she could see past her, though.
         The child was still wailing, but the screaming had stopped. Someone, a man, was giving urgent orders to Move that damn car and Get that table up off there , but as far as Natividad could see, though lots of people were edging close to the disaster, no one was listening. Fire was crawling over the rear of the car and up the shattered remnants of the front of the shop. She could see everyone was afraid of the fire. That made sense:  didn’t cars explode when they caught on fire?
         But Natividad could see a little now, though Keziah still blocked most of her view. She could see that a man, a big man with a beard and a leather jacket, didn’t seem afraid that the car might explode. Or maybe he was just desperate—he was shouting—now he was pulling on the car all by himself, trying to lift it, ignoring the fire. Of course he couldn’t move it, an ordinary human man like that. Natividad didn’t understand why he was trying. A woman was holding back a little girl who was trying to go help him, or maybe trying to pull him away –
         Then she understood. She  said urgently, “Keziah! There’s someone trapped under that car! Or pinned in front of it, or something!”
         “Yes,” said Keziah. She didn’t look at Natividad. She was staring at the accident, then around at the street, then back at the accident. “A girl. She was sitting there. She was twelve, perhaps.”  She went on after a second, “She looked nothing like Amira.”
         “Well, she’s somebody’s sister!” Natividad said.
         “Yes,” said Keziah again. But she added, “I am supposed to protect you .”
         “I don’t care!” Natividad said energetically. “I think it was an accident! No stray would use a car to attack me, you know that. If a stray was out there, he’d already have attacked! In two seconds I’m going to go help that man move that car, and you can come protect me if you want me to stay safe!”
         Keziah made a sharp, angry gesture with both hands. “This is impossible! This is all impossible!”
         “It was an accident,” Natividad insisted. “Or some random thing, not aimed at me especially, we just got in the way! Keziah, that car is going to explode! Think of that girl—Amira’s age, you said! It wouldn’t take you a second to move that car!”
         “Grayson would be very angry if you were injured.”  But Keziah clearly wanted to go help the girl—that surprised