She reached into the darkness, whispering desperately for the one she’d lost. “Prince, come here. Please!” The terror shot through her body, leaving tremors in its wake. It was so hard to set each foot in front of the other, not knowing where the next step might take her. Yet, she knew that he lay out there in the darkness somewhere. If only he would whimper or leave some quiet hint of his presence, she’d be able to find him.

Suddenly, she felt a pang in her big toe, which in normal circumstances would have sent her into fits of complaining, but right now, it paralyzed her momentarily. She refused to move for a while, and finally, when she did, she nudged whatever it was that she had rammed her foot into.

Surprisingly, as she pushed her foot against it, she felt something soft give way. Her heart stopped. It took everything she had to lower herself to the ground with her arm stretched out in front of her. Her fingers slipped through the dry, dirt-covered coat of Prince. A sigh of relief escaped her lips, and she lowered her head to rest upon his stomach. She pushed her hand along his side when, all of a sudden, it hand came upon a wet substance.

At first, she believed to have stuck her hand into the consequence of Prince’s fear, which she’d dealt with for years, but as she felt along, she found an opening in his skin. She ripped her hand back, trembling once more. She began to wonder if she had felt Prince breathing, but she couldn’t remember if her head had risen up and down on his stomach.

Everything remained just as silent as before. It was as if all sense of life had drained from the world. Inch by inch, she reached her hand toward Prince. Slipping her hand onto his side, she brought her head to rest upon his stomach. She lay there for minutes, knowing that at any moment her head would lift up with his Breath of Life. She went through the night listening, waiting, in hopes that her greatest friend would find his way back to the world of the living.

This was how they found her, lying upon a beautiful, old golden retriever. Blood stained its fur and covered her body. They lifted her off the dog with no struggle, and as the police officer looked into her eyes, he realized that there was no one present to speak to. She was distant and unreachable, and her body was paralyzed from the shock.
Yet, he attempted to bring her back, “His last efforts in life were to save you, Faith, and he did just that. We caught the man that broke into your apartment right up the road. He’s not going to hurt anyone now. You should be proud of that there dog. He’s truly a hero.”

She slowly turned her head, at a chilling pace, and looked into his eyes with a depth like no other, and she simply said five words, “He still is a hero.”