crying into her pelt.

“Oh, you have my word that I will never harm them.”

Lilith sighed. That’s all she really could do now. She felt a rough paw rub over her back gently, but she dared not look up.

“Now, I want you heading to Nome immediately. I must take care of something and get to the new mail sack before the team comes back from their break.” Hal began to walk away triumphantly before he paused for a moment and turned around. “Oh, and please leave any medicine that you are on now here. You wouldn’t want to make your brother unhappy now, would you?”

Lilith shook her head back and forth guiltily. Hal snickered at her as he walked away from her and the pups. Stevan moved up beside his aunt and cocked his head.

“Auntie… Why are you crying?” he asked innocently.

Lilith brushed away her tears with a paw and forced a smile. “It’s… It’s nothing to worry about. Let’s just… go back to the house.”

They began to head out from the alley and again, Stevan had a question. “Auntie. Why do you need medicine?”

She stared at him silently, and then quickly whipped her head away. She was hoping that they’d never have had to hear about her medication. She swallowed hard as she tried to think of how to sort her words.

“Well… Let’s just say that your Auntie is very sick…” She turned back to them and blinked away more tears. “B-But I want you to know, that whatever happens after tonight, th-that I still care for all three of you dearly and-”

Her muzzle hung agape as her train of thought derailed. She raked her brain, but she only came up with blanks. She closed her mouth slowly. She realized that if she was gone too long from her medicine, that she would soon remember less and less, and that logic would soon fail her. A strong feeling of dread showed through to her face as something else came to mind. This was exactly what Hal had wanted. Soon, she herself would be the very puppet that Hal could use to control. She glanced down at the three black and white pups. Seth almost completely white, Becca with the swirls on her shoulders, and Stevan with his two white stripes that ran parallel to his body. She couldn’t risk having the death of a single one of these angels on her paw. She had to do this… for them.

Chapter Fifteen:

Inside the darkened windows of a home, a beeping was heard. The once quiet telegraph machine began to tap furiously, repeating the same thing over and over again. A paper-thin wire was tied around this machine, and was pulled each time the machine bounced. It ran up through the floor of the second story and had attached itself through a hook and onto the end of a bell. The bell was sent into a frenzied ringing and a light switch flipped on. Mr. Kode threw the covers from him and hopped into an old worn out pair of slippers. He lifted up his dog from the foot of his bed and carried him down the stairs. The ball of his nightcap dangled uselessly around his head as he batted it away multiple times. He fumbled around on the first floor until he finally found a light switch and sent streams of light flying from his hanging lamp. He grabbed a pad of paper and a pencil and began to hastily write out the letters as he said the words aloud, his dog moving in time with beeps as well.

“Nome STOP Do you copy STOP White Mountain STOP”

“White Mountain STOP I copy STOP”

“Thank the stars STOP We need your doctor immediately STOP Small girl with dog bite STOP Must know if it could be fatal STOP”

“Roger STOP B-R-B STOP” (‘Be right back’ for those not familiar with this ‘telegraph shorthand’ that he and Maurice had made up.)

Mr. Kode picked himself up from his chair and nearly ran to his coat rack, throwing on his coat hastily and almost forgetting to close his door as he rushed out of it. Within a minute he reached the front porch of Dr. Welsh’s home. He banged on the door loudly and waited anxiously until he saw the old white haired man appear in his doorway.

“A’yes?” he asked. “Ahh, Mr. Kode, a pleasure to see you, even if it’s a tad late. And I love the coat, nightcap, and slipper attire.”

Mr. Kode stared down at his feet and saw the fuzzy slippers. He quickly shook his head and looked at the doctor.

“Listen Doc, we gotta get you back to the telegraph office. We got a little one who could be dyin’ right as we speak!” Mr. Kode spoke urgently.

In an instant, Doctor Welsh was already in his heavy overcoat and black hat. “Then let us not waste a single moment.”

The two moved briskly through the dark snow-swept streets, flinging open the telegraph office door. Mr. Kode sat down in his chair while the doctor, Kurtis, took a pen and pad of paper from his coat.

“Alright Mr. Kode, first I need to get the details of the event, and any symptoms she or he may have,” he said calmly as he grabbed himself a chair from a near corner.

Mr. Kode began to furiously beat down on the small machine, wasting no time. The incoming message was already being beeped in almost right after he had finished. The telegraph operator scribbled down the letters, not even bothering to say them aloud this time. He ripped the sheet from his own pad and handed it to Kurtis. His eyes glanced over the small paper.

“Dog bite. Deep. Girl was alone at time. Says it was some kind of clown. Must be some kind of hallucination. Fever. Watery eyes. Nausea,” he mumbled. He mulled over his thoughts as he took up a pace back and forth across the floor. His pen dropped from his hand, an idea suddenly coming to his mind. He shook Mr. Kode. “Come with me, quick!.. Oh I hope I’m wrong on this.”

“Wait, why? What’s happenin’ Doc?” Mr. Kode asked, standing up slowly from his chair and following Kurtis.

“Well, normally, it could be any number of things from a dog bite, if all the symptoms are just nausea and fever, but with hallucinations, it makes me worry if it’s rabies.”

“Rabies!? That hasn’t been seen since nine years ago!”

“Yes. I regret to say, but that’s the strongest of possibilities. Ask if they have any Rabies Shots. That should do it.”

“Alright, I’ll just be a quicky.”

Mr. Kode sat at his desk and beeped the telegraph multiple times, hearing a few replies, and answering a few as well. He cleared his throat when he finished and shook his head at the doctor slowly.

Doctor Welsh laid his chin on his fist. “Darn… Alright, listen. I need you to help me start my car. I’ll come and assist you after I visit the office.”

Mr. Kode saluted and Doctor Welsh ran out the door. He pushed through blasts of bitter wind and down the empty streets. The clouds above were becoming thicker, but he had no time to notice it. He came upon the porch of a dark building, and he fumbled with his keys before finally unlocking the door. The lights flicked on as he made his way to his office. He hurriedly scanned his cabinet, his finger following along the names. He opened the glass of a small cubby and pulled out a syringe from within, smiling triumphantly. Doctor Welsh turned the glass tube in his hands delicately. Something seemed a little strange about the liquid inside. He frowned miserably when he found the reason staring at him through bold, black letters.

Mr. Kode saluted and Doctor Welsh ran out the door. He pushed through blasts of bitter wind and down the empty streets. The clouds above were becoming thicker, but he had no time to notice it. He came upon the porch of a dark building, and he fumbled with his keys before finally unlocking the door. The lights flicked on as he made his way to his office. He hurriedly scanned his cabinet, his finger following along the names. He opened the glass of a small cubby and pulled out a syringe from within, smiling triumphantly. Doctor Welsh turned the glass tube in his hands delicately. Something seemed a little strange about the liquid inside. He frowned miserably when he found the reason staring at him through bold, black letters.

“Use by: 5-13-19... Eight years overdue.”

Dr. Welsh sat down heavily and the vile clanked onto his desk. He began to rub his forehead over and over, trying the think. But he realized that it would be better to think on the way, rather than just sitting here doing nothing. He got up from his chair and switched the lights off, but not before grabbing his doctor’s bag. His boats made deep impressions in the snow as he plodded to an alley. He heard the sound of a spinning crank as he caught the glimpse of a silhouette.

“Mr. Kode!” he called out, the figure spinning around as he did so, “Most unfortunate news. The only thing that can do much good in saving the girl, is outdated by eight years. I’m going to head over there now, but while I’m gone, can you please contact other town’s outside White Mountain and see if they have a supply of Rabies shots available?” The telegraph operator shook his head, and the doctor cocked his in return. “Well, why not?” he asked.

“Doc Welsh, Maurice and I’ve been trying our darnedest to get a connection past White Mountain for almost a month now, and so far nothing.”

“And why on Earth did you not tell anyone sooner? This could be a matter of life and death!”

“Because Mr. Kurtis sir, it’s my job to keep that connection alive, not no one else’s.”

“Lawrence, you have to learn when to reach out sometimes. You’ve got to fix this, and soon, or I’m afraid I won’t be able to do much without this medicine. And worse yet, it could spread to other people and our dogs, and then to Nome. I’m counting on you.”

Lawrence Kode nodded as he bent over again and began to crank the crank. The old engine of Kurtis’ Model-T sputtered to life instantly. Doctor Welsh opened the door and threw his bag to the other side of the seat and shut the door again quickly. He put the car into gear and pushed on the accelerator gently. Lawrence stepped aside from the vehicle as it putted into the distance and waved good-bye.

“I wish ya the best of luck,” he whispered after the machine as it disappeared from his vision.

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