Karma by Phil Temples

Evan Hilliard and his German shepherd, Max, leave Evan’s popular haunt: an upscale bar in Boston’s Allston neighborhood. It’s a cold, windy Friday night. Evan has had more than his usual number of drinks that night. It’s only 9:30; he’s shut off. As Evan leaves, he levels a few choice profanities at the bartender. Evan stands up and heads for the door, dragging Max roughly behind him. Once outside, Evan moves swiftly down the sidewalk toward the bus stop on unsteady feet, throwing caution to the wind.

    “Jesus, would you hurry up ya’ mangy mutt! It’s friggin’ cold out here!” 

    Evan turns around and tries to land a kick against Max’s rump, but the dog senses the blow coming and dodges it easily.  The lack of a target with which to connect nearly causes Evan to fall. He spews more profanity at the dog. It’s not the first time Evan has abused him.

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Evan’s friends and associates wonder how a guide dog organization would allow Evan to be assigned a dog. Owners are carefully matched with their dogs, and required to live in a residential program for weeks with their canine companions while completing a training program. Organizations typically invest over a hundred thousand dollars in their animals, from breeding to medical to food to training. But what people don’t know is, Evan cheated. He approached a family member of Max’s recently deceased owner and offered him a large sum of money for the animal in exchange for the relative’s silence. Evan is completely unskilled as a guide dog client. And he’s grossly unfit to care for any animal.    

#

It’s almost 11:00 when Evan and Max arrive at Park Street Station to catch the Green Line train. Evan mutters under his breath. He gives Max a painful jerk on his leash, an action not unnoticed by several passers-by. They give Evan dirty looks and they shake their heads in disgust feeling sorry for the dog. Several people consider reporting him to the police. 

    As a train approaches, Evan steps toward the yellow rubber warning stripe lining the subway pit. Even in his inebriated state, Evan can feel the difference in the surface under his feet. He realizes that he is perilously close to the edge and at the last moment he catches himself, balancing on the balls of his feet.

    Max knows it is now or never.  The dog circles around behind Evan and charges at him, planting his front paws squarely on Evan’s butt. The force of the 72-pound animal causes Evan to topple over into the pit. Fortunately for Max, Evan drops his hold on the leash, leaving Max behind on the platform.  Passengers watch in horror as Evan bounces off of one track rail and onto the second. Then he starts crawling the wrong way—toward the third rail.

    “NO!”

    “GO BACK!”

    But it’s too late. Evan comes into contact with the 660-volt electrified rail and is electrocuted. Before onlookers can render assistance, an oncoming train runs over him, slicing his torso in half.  In all of the horror and confusion, Max bolts up the stairs and escapes the subway station unnoticed. He is never seen again.

Phil Temples resides in Watertown, Massachusetts, USA. He's published six mystery-thriller novels, a novella, and four story anthologies in addition to over 240 short online stories. Phil also likes to dabble in mobile photography. He is a member of GrubStreet and the Bagel Bards. You can learn more about Phil by visiting his website at https://temples.com.