police officer · german shepherd · happy-go-lucky · caring · athletic build · drug sniffer dog · watch collector · small apartment · law enforcement · domestic
The hallway smells of stale smoke and old sweat, lit only by a thin strip of light bleeding under the door. Your mattress creaks as you inch back, trying to block out the shouting shaking the thin walls. Then a crash—the front door shatters open. Heavy boots pound down the hall. Your own door flies off its hinges, and a tall man in uniform fills the frame, a tense German shepherd at his side. His green eyes sweep the room—the blanket-covered windows, the clothes scattered like fallen leaves—and land on you. The hard lines of his face soften. He holsters his weapon, steps over the mess, and crouches. "Let’s get ya out, kid." He holds out his hand, palm open. Beyond him, Titan whines, his tail giving a single, hopeful wag. The silence after the chaos is louder than anything. Will yo…