Exit Technique by Kathy Lanzarotti

The canine stopped. Its brown eyes widened in realization.

“Oh,” it mentioned. “Outdated habits die exhausting I assume.” Its voice was clipped. Sami detected a touch of a British accent.

She was delighted when her dream canine hopped up and kissed her cheek earlier than persevering with, “I am Kevin. I am a black Labrador and an excellent boy, and I’m so grateful to you for getting me out of that basement.”

“Basement?” Sami did not keep in mind being in a basement, however this was a dream in spite of everything, so she went with it.

“I have been there for thus lengthy.” Kevin continued. “And the folks weren’t good. Although I’m an excellent boy, you advised me and that is how I do know.”

She leaned in to present Kevin a giant hug.

Then got here that horrible second simply earlier than Sami had utterly woken up that she remembered the night time earlier than.

She groaned and pushed her face into her pillow to defend her eyes from the daylight. What had she carried out? She remembered wine, after which Mark purchased her a Tito’s and tonic, after which she purchased herself a bunch extra. After which there was the bizarre woman with the piercings and the pink ponytails and… a board recreation?

She had a bottle of Fireball.

Sami’s abdomen lurched. She had drunk the Fireball. Numerous it.

The reminiscence of this and the understanding of the ache that was to come back had simply settled when she heard it.

Respiratory.

She slid her head sideways, eyes nonetheless shut and opened them. The black Labrador by the mattress was deeply asleep, loud night breathing like a freight prepare. It might have been cute apart from the truth that Sami did not have a canine.

She jumped up and flung a hand out towards her nightstand till she discovered her cellphone, pulled it over and texted Amber.

What occurred final night time? She wrote. Is any individual lacking a canine?

She watched the little thought bubbles roll and thanked God that Amber was up.

Aww, look! You freed Kevin!

The canine sneezed and reorganized itself on her rug.

Sami began to textual content, however her hangover stabbed a stiletto into her temple. She pressed the cellphone icon.

Amber answered on the second ring, “Sam?”

“Amber! What the hell occurred final night time? There is a canine in my condominium!”

She sighed. “Yeah babe, that is your buddy Kevin.”

Sami shut her eyes tight and tried to assume however her reminiscence couldn’t be accessed with out fairly a little bit of ache.

“Sam, you probably did like 5 photographs of Fireball -”

Sami fell again onto her mattress and shut her eyes. Kevin, having heard her voice, stretched his physique and yawned for a very long time earlier than he jumped up subsequent to her. She flapped a hand to maintain him away, she hit ears, a nostril, lengthy legs till he lastly shuffled off to the top of her mattress, Christ, she thought because the fecund odor from her dream hit her nostrils. This canine stinks.

“Then you definitely and Amaya obtained right into a battle over a Ouija board of all issues.”

Amaya, Sami mouthed the identify. “Pink pigtails?”

“That is the one,” Amber mentioned. “She obtained so pissed at you, since you stored ‘partaking the spirit’ and speaking about Led Zeppelin.”

“Led Zeppelin?” Sami mentioned. “Like, the old-guy band?”

“Yeah,” Amber giggled. “Boomer.” Sami heard her swallow one thing, in all probability one in all her acai smoothies. Wholesome bitch.

She should have actually been wasted. She nonetheless hadn’t tried to rise up, which was in all probability a good suggestion.

Amber laughed. “You were not taking ‘The Board’ significantly! That is what she known as it.” Amber slipped into her greatest California woman accent, “She advised you to not mess with what you do not perceive!”

Sami had a fuzzy reminiscence of the pink woman pulling one thing away from her. A board. A Ouija board. Sami remembered telling her that she needed to get it again, that she had to assist, that she needed to free the spirit, as a result of he was trapped. It had appeared actually essential on the time.

Amber was nonetheless speaking, “You have been operating round saying ‘we’ve to free Kevin!’ and Amaya was chasing you and screaming that you simply needed to say goodbye, that the spirit was tricking you.”

“The place’d I get the canine?” Sami requested.

“He was exterior of the bar, he would not go away you alone, so that you advised him he was an excellent boy and also you have been taking him residence and naming him Kevin.” She was overtly laughing now. “Bitch, you stole somebody’s canine.” Sami heard the sound of liquid sucked via a straw.

It actually regarded that approach. She stared at its massive rear because it slept on the top of her mattress.

She sank again onto her mattress. Nice. Now she was going to should convey the canine again. Was the Humane society even open on Sundays? Oh God, what if she was arrested for dognapping? She could not go to jail. She had courses tomorrow! To not point out a seventh circle of hell degree hangover.

She sighed. “So why Led Zeppelin?”
“Oh, you defined,” Amber stretched out the final phrase. “In nice element. Appears there’s some album of theirs with an emblem on it, or symbols?” She paused. “I do not know as a result of I am not a thousand years outdated, however I assume one in all them is the image of a demon that lives within the Ouija board or one thing.”

Sami nodded and swallowed; her mouth tasted foul and she or he might scent her personal breath. She wanted water. The album Amber was speaking about was in her dad’s vinyl assortment, and it was one in all his favorites. She’d seen the sleeve with the creepy symbols on prime of the turntable in his research.

“Is that true? Is it like a Ouija demon?” Dad all the time advised her that they did not actually imply something, they only represented the band members. Then once more, it would not be the primary time he had been improper about one thing.

“Is it true?” Amber scolded. “Come on!” She sighed. “You mentioned that the Ouija board stored spelling out that image, and Amaya was Fuh-reeking out, and also you stored saying,” her voice pitched increased, “‘We’ve to free Kevin, he is a Led Zeppelin fan.’ And Amaya was identical to, ‘YOUHAVETOSAYGOODBYE!‘” her voice went hoarse and breathy.

Sami closed her eyes, God it smelled unhealthy. She opened them. “Ugh!” she advised Amber. “I’ve to go. I feel this canine is farting and it smells like outdated mayonnaise.” She lined her face along with her pillow once more and lifted it to suit her cellphone. “Will you include me later? I feel we must always simply take him to the Humane society.”

“No matter, simply textual content me if you’re on the way in which,” Amber mentioned. “See ya, Babes.”

Sami pressed the top button and breathed into her pillow.

“All proper, Kevin,” she mentioned as she pulled the pillow from her face.

The canine raised its head. Kevin was much more angular than she had remembered and far bigger. His legs rose lengthy and muscular on huge silvery paws. His black ears, now fringed white, pricked as he turned and regarded her with piercing yellow eyes and an extended lupine nostril.

He opened his mouth and Sami noticed black gums, an extended pink tongue and sharp white incisors. A guttural voice rasped, “She was proper, you recognize.” He stepped ahead, stood over her physique and lowered his snout to her face. A string of foul-smelling saliva dropped onto Sami’s uncovered throat.

“This can be very essential that you simply say goodbye.”