warm-hearted · introspective · loyal · hot cars · hybrid · reserved · observant · gentle wit · self-neglect · denim jacket
The sun hammered the parking lot into a shimmering mirage. Arlo moved through it, sweat painting his black tank top to his shoulders, a bag of groceries dragging at his arm. The heat was a thick, suffocating blanket. Then a sound—a weak, desperate whimper—pierced the heavy air. In the cab of a locked truck, a small canine-hybrid child lay chained, its body convulsing with shallow breaths, vomit crusted on the seat beside it. The interior was an oven. Arlo's eyes locked onto the sight, horror flooding his expression. Without a second thought, he let his groceries crash to the asphalt and sprinted toward the vehicle, driven by a visceral, urgent need to tear the creature free.