Raises By Humans

Chapter 3

“What on earth is wrong with you! Stop pointing that gun at my kid!” Ronel puts herself between the gun and Luke.

“I am putting that dog out today! He tried to f*cking kill me!” Kieran shouts, shoving Ronel out of the way, making her fall to the ground.

“No! Please don’t!” Luke cries putting his body over Samuel’s (Sky) head.

Ronel managed to find her feet and charged for Kieran, shoving him, making the gun go off.

“Mom?!” Luke cries out, jumping up to grab his mom as she falls, clutching her chest.

“Ronel!” Kieran shouts, shoving Luke out of the way, “I didn’t mean to shoot you.”

Kieran has his radio by his shoulder strap and immediately calls for an ambulance.

Luke is in shock, sitting on the ground where he landed after Kieran shoved him.

Luke looks at his mom’s lifeless eyes, thinking, ‘this is not happening.’

The ambulance arrived and called the time of death on the scene. Kieran went with Ronel’s body to give a statement. Luke could not move. No one was even bothered to check on him, he just sat there, staring at the spot where his mother died.

Samuel (Sky) startles and pulls Luke back to reality. “I thought you are dead, boy,” Luke says, getting up and running into the house to call the Wild Animal Sanctuary. His mother’s assistant arrived in the Wild Animal Sanctuary’s vehicle and with Luke’s help, they manage to load Samuel (Sky) into the vehicle.

On the way to the Wild Animal Sanctuary Luke explained what happened, “my Stepfather claims that Sky attacked him and that is why he shot him.”

“Do you think he is telling the truth?” Cindy asks, worried.

“Kieran never liked Sky so I don’t know,” Luke says.

“Is there physical proof that Sky attacked him?” Cindy wonders.

“Yes, Kieran was bleeding from the neck,” Luke admits.

“Well maybe your mother will convince him that surrendering Sky to the Wild Animal Sanctuary instead of reporting the attack and having Sky put down will be a better option,” Cindy says, hopeful.

Luke starts to cry uncontrollably.

“Luke, it will be ok. Your mother will never allow Sky to be put down. I am sure once Kieran is taken care of, she will come over,” Cindy says.

“Kieran shot my mother by accident,” Luke sobs.

“What?! Is she ok?” Cindy asks in shock.

“She is dead,” Luke continues to sob.

Cindy loses control over the vehicle for a moment at the news.

“I hate guns!” Cindy cries. ‘There is no way Kieran or the authorities will allow Sky to stay alive,’ Cindy thinks but keeps it to herself, ‘Luke doesn’t need to know that he is going to lose his dog as well.’

At the Wild Animal Sanctuary Sky was put on a stretcher before being rolled into the operating room.

“Luke, you will have to wait outside, in the waiting room,” Cindy says, before going into the operation room.

‘I don’t think it is even worth saving Sky’s life since he will be ordered to be put out in anyways,” Cindy thinks, hot tears running down her face, thinking about the fact that Ronel is dead, not able to wrap her head around the situation.

‘What is going to happen to poor Luke? All he has left is this wolf and an @sshole for a stepfather. How old is Luke now? Almost sixteen,’ Cindy thinks, her mind going crazy while she operates on Sky.

“Luke, Sky is stable, follow me,” Cindy says, walking into the waiting area, finding Luke with his knees pulled to his head on one of the chairs, crying.

Luke follows her, wiping his tears.

“Can you take me home and I can just say that Sky ran away? Or can we say that he died and you came to fetch him and cremated him already?” Luke asks through sobs, petting a sleeping Samuel (Sky).

“I can lose my license and where is the Wild Animal Sanctuary going to find someone again that will work for free?” Cindy asks.

“Why did you save his life then? Why didn’t you just let him die?” Luke asks, his tears replaced with shouts.

“Luke, let us not think about it now. Maybe everyone will be so busy with your mom’s death that Kieran will forget to report it,” Cindy says, walking Luke out of the Wild Animal Sanctuary to the vehicle.

Luke continued to plead his plan to Cindy on the way home.

Cindy pulls in front of Luke’s house. “I will keep you updated. Luke, I am so sorry for your loss,” Cindy says, taking one of the Wild Animal Sanctuary cards and writing her cell number on it before giving it to Luke, “don’t hesitate to call me if you want to talk or need help.

“Where have you been? Where is that stupid dog?” Kieran asks, furious when Luke walks into the house.

“Dead,” Luke says, walking up the stairs, hoping to avoid Kieran, thinking, ‘I hoped that he could have sent at least one night in jail for killing my mother.’

“Come to the living room,” Kieran demands, walking to the front door to see the vehicle that dropped Luke but he was too late.

Luke ignores him and goes to his room instead.

“Are you death boy?” Kieran shouts angry going up the stairs, three steps at a time.

Kieran does not even feel if the door is locked, he just kicks it in, “there, no more door for you to shut in my f*cking face.”

Luke scrambles to the other side of his bed to put some distance between him and Kieran, “I didn’t mean to,” he pleads.