Requested by Zack Throat
Marcus was having a really good day. He had the day off for the first time in a while and got the pleasure of sleeping in. He was eventually awakened by the cold nose of his little dog. She snuggled against his face until he made himself sit up. Delilah was the ugliest little terrier be had ever seen , but she was also the sweetest. He took his time rolling out of bed And throwing on a sweater over his pajamas. He hooked Delilah up to her leash and slipped on his comfortable shoes. Delilah was skittering around in excitement for her morning potty walk. They strolled out and down the street; Delilah sniffing everything that came close to her.
He splurged a little and grabbed a coffee from the cafe on the corner. His favorite barista was working; Brad, who had a cute smile and always give him an extra shot. He chatted for a bit before taking Delilah home., And he made a late breakfast. He left the dishes on the sink and decided to spend the afternoon rereading a book from his ever growing collection. He'd been hoping to get some new ones, but his favorite bookstore had been closed for almost a week. He didn't know the details, but the owners daughter had disappeared under mysterious circumstances. Hed seen her missing posters on practically every billboard in the city. He hadn't known her well, but he'd become very good friends with her parents. He hadn't heard from them since everything started, and had decided to give them their space.
After lounging around for quiet a while, he decided to go out somewhere. It was his day off after all. He put on some real cloths and got Delilah ready. A little trip to central park would make her day. He let her walk all the way to the subway before he had to pick her up and put her in his tote bag. He had purchased it specifically to carry her in, so really it was her bag. He was struck with more good luck. The train wasn't very busy and he was able to find a seat with some elbow room. He pet Delilah's head to keep her calm.
When they came to their stop, he hurried of off the train and got Delilah back inro the fresh air. They walked the rest of the way to the park and he treated himself to some street food. There was a gentle breeze and clear sky's today. When they reached their destination he let the little dog off her leash and she rushed around in the green grass like a tiny bullet. He found a bench to sit on and produced a bright tennis ball from his pocket. Delilah went absolutely mad until he tossed it for her to chase. They got into a good rythme of him tossing and her running it back. Marcus zoned out for a bit, and his relaxed. Things had honestly been rough lately. He didn't much like his job, and it consumed so much of his time. He felt like he was spread to thin and never found a moment to catch his breath. However today was a pretty good day. Hed lost sight of Delilah for a moment.
"Delilah?" He called out. "Delilah, don't wander off." He got up to go look for her. It was easy for such a little dog to get lost and she usually did. He spotted her sniffing around some bushes, ignoring him as if he wasn't the one that put food in her bowl.
"Delilah!" He called again. This time she perked up and darted towards him. He crouched down to meet her when she dropped something at his feet. His stomach sank. Where he expected a tennis ball, was a bloody shoe. He looked from the bushes, to the dog, then back again.
"Please don't be a dead body, please don't be a dead body" He whispered to himself as he slowly approached the brush. It wouldn't be the first time he saw one; he did grow up in this city after all. He swept the branches aside with his arm and held his breath.
"It's you!?" He exclaimed. The daughter of the book store owners laid on the ground covered in dried blood. Her eyes were distant and she stared right through him with hollow eyes. He crouched next to her and wrapped his sweater around her shoulders with quaking hands. "We need to get you to a hospital."
"No." She grabbed onto his arm, some life creeping back into her eyes. "Please don't"
"Of course I'm taking you to the hospital!" He said. He was trying not to panic, but it was a loosing battle. "Where are you hurt?"
"I'm not." She insisted holding his arm tighter. "I-its not mine. My friend- I think something really bad happened, but I can't remember." Tears were welling up in her eyes and dripping down old tracks in her dirtface.
"Then I'll take you to the police station." He said trying to get her up.
"No!" She shouted. "You can't! Their going to think I did it!"
"Why would they think that?" He asked more confused.
"Please believe me!" She was getting hysterical. "There was a stranger in my friends apartment, and I blacked out. When I woke up he was dead and she was gone. No one's going to believe me. Please just leave me alone!"
Marcus was completely out of his depth. He didn't know what to do. The girl stared up at him with puffy eyes and sobs kept bubbling up from her throat. He looked down at Delilah. The usually nervous dog was licking the girls fingers affectionately.
"Alright, alright just let me think." He said getting a shitty idea. "Uhm, you should come to my place."
She looked suspicious. "Your place?"
"I know, it sounds bad" he said. "But you can't just stay out here, something could happen to you."
"Ok." She said letting him help her stand "I guess I don't have alot of options."
He knew this was stupid. He knew it was, but she just looked so scared. He helped her button up his sweater; her hands were shaking more then his. A quick stop by the rest rooms so she could wash her face and he found himself smuggling a runaway on the subway with him.
"Uh, I'm Marcus Thatch, by the way." He said awkwardly on the train.
"Nadine." She replied. "My name's Nadine."
His first day off in over a month and this happened. Marcus was suddenly having a really bad day.
💜 Thanks for reading! This request took longer then I expected, but was fun. I didn't originally intend for it to be a continuation of my first prompt request, but they just fit so well together! I don't know if I'll continue on Nadine and Marcus's story unless you guys want me too! Comment if you want to see more I guess?
Tonights Spotlight is one of my favorite humans AK Nephtali! Check them out on Twitter, their super fun,with a great sense of humor, and posts great writing questions! 💜
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