Note: The following Short story contains animal death & animal neglect. Proceed with caution.

The rain fell heavily in the sky, the populated streets unrecognizable through the umbrellas. It was dark, and yet so bright from all the city lights.

A dog limped helplessly among the people, its ears dropped down and its tail low. It followed the same route it always did. Blood dripped from a scratch under its eye. It looked worn out and tired, stumbling every now and then.

It entered an empty ally way next to two apartment buildings. Inside the ally lay a dumpster and some trash cans. A cardboard box and a food bowl was found right next to the dumpster. The dog let out a sigh, heading back to its home.

It laid down in the cardboard box, hoping to hide from the rain. It lay there, its eyes growing dull. A smell of death swarmed around it, but it forced itself to stay awake. I have to be there for my owner. It thought.

Maybe she'll come back for me... Maybe she'll finally let me inside and we can play together... It thought, but the thoughts only made it yearn for more in this life. It lay in the rain, growing more and more desperate for its owner to come back for it.

She couldn't have left me, right? It wondered, looking directly at an apartment door. It waited, and waited, and waited, hoping she'd come back. Finally, with a last sigh of despair, it curled itself into a little ball.

It looked at itself for one more time before taking its final breath and dying "Rocky! Come here boy!" A voice called out. The dog didn't answer, simply too far gone to hear anything "Rocky? Are you okay?"

A young teenage girl ran over to the dog, gently nudging to see if the dog would wake up "Rocky? Please wake up, I brought you some food and an umbrella!" She said, hoping it would catch the dog's attention.

It remained motionless, its body slowly growing cold. The girl stared in disbelief, tears swelling up in her eyes "Rocky? Rocky, please don't leave me." She whimpered, trying so hard to wake it up. It never moved.

The girl wailed, mourning over her dead dog. Her parents stared in disgust from an apartment building, a cigar in hand. The girl crouched over Rocky's body, holding it close to her "I'm so sorry, Rocky. It's all my fault."

She sobbed, her heart filled with grief. A faint glowing appeared behind the girl. Rocky's spirit watched her silently, his eyes filled with sadness. He moved closer to her, sitting down next to her and silently trying to comfort her.

Together, they sat in the rain all night long...

Word count: 451