Chapter 2

    Over the next two years life became a steady pattern for Sara. Her drunken, abusive, mother kept her still on the balance between hope, and despair, extending her hand in acceptance, and withdrawing it, only to lash out at her both verbally, and physically, in equal enough measures to keep Sara under control. 

    But life was different for Sara now. She had Rubble, and the beautiful, loyal dog was Sara’s anchor. A shining beacon of unconditional love, and joy, in the otherwise vast emotional wasteland Layla kept her in.

    The dog did not seem to be your typical pit bull however. He was not the broad, muscle bound beast, most people thought of when they pictured the breed. 

    Rubble was tall, coming up to Sara’s bellybutton at the shoulder, and long and lean, his coat gleaming over well defined, muscle. His body, from nose to hip was almost as long as Sara’s outstretched arms. And his light chocolate eyes always lit up when Sara bounded in the door from school.

    Layla despised that dog, with every fiber of her being. She recognized what the dog meant to her daughter, and the very thought of something making Sara, 'the thing' that had ruined her entire life, happy, burned in her gut like acid. 

    She took every opportunity she could to kick, or otherwise abuse the poor animal. Often locking him the closet with her water heater for hours at time, where Sara would sit next to the door, whispering to him, telling him it was alright, and that he was a good dog, while Rubble whimpered, and scratched at the door, trying to get back to his girl. No matter how she tried, though, she could not break Rubble, the dog always remained loyal and loving, no matter how hard she pushed him.

    Four days before Christmas , in late December, things finally came to a head for Layla. She had spent the entire night before at The Rickshore House, a local dive bar, flashing her low cut dress, to anyone who showed any interest in her just to make her feel like she was still wanted. 

    Sadly Layla didn't get the attention she was looking for, as only lowlife drunkards approached her, this had simply left Layla feeling hollow, and empty, knowing that this was the absolute best she could get. And so she threw herself back into the bottle, ending the night, not even knowing how she had gotten home, waking up on the couch, her hangover so severe that the sound of the small TV in Sara’s room sounded like a hammer striking an anvil inside her skull.

    This just wouldn’t do. She had to make this stop. Hauling herself to her feet, Layla stumbled to Sara’s room, and only giving her time to slip on a shirt and flip flops, pushed the small girl, and her lousy mutt, out into the back yard, and stumbled to her bed to try and sleep off the worst of her condition.

     Unfortunately it was only a few hours later, that the laughter, and happy barking of Sara and Rubble roused her again. She woke up in a puddle of her own piss, reeking of stale booze, cigarette smoke, and urine. Her condition infuriated her beyond her ability to cope. ‘Why hadn’t Sara made sure she had gone to the bathroom before she let her lie back down!’ She thought darkly, her bleary eyes seeing her in the yard, wrestling with that fucking dog!

     She had, had enough of both of them! She was going to make sure that fucking mutt never bothered her again, and that that little bastard finally learned to respect her properly! 

    Layla didn’t bother with words, as three quick steps brought her up to her now terrified daughter. The look of outrage on her face said everything she needed to hear, as she quickly swung the cane at her. Sara had just enough time to cover the side of her head with her hands when the pipe connected. 

    The long wooden piece of stick landed across Sara's body . Sara screamed in pain, as she fell to the grass, Wallowing in pains

    As she laid there, moaning and screaming Rubble tried to protect her from the woman who had tormented them both their whole lives. Jumping over the nearly unconscious girl the loyal dog tried to cover Sara from his mother’s fury, caring only that his girl, the girl who gave his entire life purpose, was in trouble. 

    Layla swung the pipe again, the heavy club bouncing off of the beautiful fawn coat of the beast she hated so much, again and again she swung, the yelps of pain were somehow satisfying to the horrible woman. Blood from Rubble’s nose, and the wounds the pipe was inflicting sprayed at Layla, and this only spurred her on. 

    Finally, after several minutes of abuse Rubble simply could not hold on any longer. Crumpling to the ground, still covering his girl, the magnificent, loyal animal, tried one last time to protect Sara, the girl he loved.

     Seeing that he could not even protect himself, Layla screamed, and brought the knife down into Rubble’s side, causing the dog to yelp in pain one last time. Sara, stared horrified at what her mother had done to her best friend, lunged over the dying dog, trying to protect him from her mother’s rage. 

    Layla simply didn’t care. The knife fell again, driving through Sara's s forearm, and down again, into Rubble’s body. Thinking to protect her dog, Sara curled up around the knife, wrenching it from Layla’s grasp. Howling in outrage, the woman began to kick, and flared up at Sara with the pipe. The feeling of hot pain as the metal and feet continued to rain down on the poor girl soon became numb as the world slowly folded into blackness, and Sara finally passed into the void of unconsciousness.