Lulu, Part Two

>today was the first of a stretch of bad days
>it started off well enough, you found Lulu while she was rummaging through dumpsters and got her something to eat
>while she was eating you decided that you wanted to do something nice for her
"Do you want to go to the park?"
>you couldn't believe the way her eyes lit up, or the way she smiled
>a short train ride later and you're in the part of the city everyone thinks of when you tell people where you live, with all of the skyscrapers and office buildings and fancy coffee shops
>you've never been to a park this clean
>the lack of broken needles and used condoms is a refreshing change of pace
>and it's nice to play outside without having to run for cover
>you buy a Frisbee from a vendor and throw it
>Lulu sprints after it and brings it back to you
>she drops it at your feet and looks up at you expectantly, her tail wagging
>you pat her on the head, feeling her soft fur under your fingers
>you throw the Frisbee again and she laughs and chases after it
>you're so engrossed in your activity that you didn't notice the people staring, or the two men who just walked up to you
"Is that your kid?"
>you turn around at the sound of someone's voice
>it's a large animal, his arms are huge and there are sharp looking tusks coming from his mouth
>you don't like the way he's eyeing you, so you figure you should answer honestly
"No, I just know her from my neighborhood"
>that was a mistake
>he grabs you by your collar
"So you're one a those perverts huh? You like preyin' on little kids?"
>you have no idea what this guy is talking about, but any protests you might have made were cut short by a fist being buried in your stomach
>you forgot how strong anthros can be, his punch nearly lifts you off your feet
>you fall to the ground, your eyes full of stars
>you black out and wake up in a police station
>the cop gives you a sympathetic look
"Look, I'm sorry. You know how these Lakesiders are, some of them can be a bit... overzealous."
>in a way you couldn't blame them, after what happened last summer you'd be suspicious of any man hanging around a kid
>you shake your head
"So can I go?"
>the officer nods
>you leave the station, Lulu is sitting by the entrance
>as soon as she sees you she jumps up
"I'm sorry. I tried to tell them but they wouldn't listen"
>you rub her head
"Don't worry about it."
>the two of you leave the station
>as far as bad days go, getting arrested is definitely up there
>still, the day wasn't all bad
>it could have been a lot worse

--

>it was hotter than ever today
>you'd heard that heat does weird things to anthros, but today was confirmation
>you've seen five fights since you left your apartment
>you take special care to avoid attracting any attention to yourself
>you head to the cornerstore to buy something to drink
>it's one of the few business that managed to stay open in this neighborhood
>probably because it's a front
>you get your beverage and leave, bumping into Lulu on your way out
>you sigh, hand her your drink and go back in for another one
>there is no way that was an accident
"So, are you going to go to school in the fall?"
>she nods, she's been looking forward to the school year starting again
>she wasn't the best student, but she was good enough
>besides, state lunches
>you can't blame her for wanting summer to be over, every night on the news there's another story of a kid around her age getting killed either by mistake or intentionally
>you really don't want to think about that right now, so you focus on Lulu
>she's gotten pretty attached to you over the past few weeks
>before you realized it she became a part of your life
>you never thought you'd become attached to someone like this
>Lulu's ears perk up
"Do you hear that?"
>you don't hear a thing, her ears are much more sensitive than yours
"No"
"It sounds like people arguing"
>that was your cue to leave, you've seen enough arguments to know how they usually end
>you and Lulu stand up to go when you hear the all too familiar pop of a nine millimeter handgun
>the argument must have went south
"Man, every day with this huh Lulu?"
>before she can answer you there's a second pop
>she falls to the ground, a red hole on her chest
>she doesn't move
>for a few seconds everything stops
>then it all comes crashing down
>there are screams all around you, but you can't hear any of it
>you're focused on this girl
>the blood on her shirt
>and the pleading in her eyes

>shit shit shit
>what are you supposed to do in kind of situation?
>your mind goes back to that time you watched that video of a guy bleeding out
>one of the comments said that the people watching should have put pressure on the wound
>you take off your shirt and ball it up
you press down as hard as you can onto the hole in Lulu's chest
>you try and reassure her
"Stay with me. It's gonna be okay, but you need to stay awake"
>she coughs
>you don't know if that's good or bad
>you wonder how much longer it'll take for help to arrive
>eventually you hear sirens
>you look up and see police cars
>the street suddenly fills with cops to contain the citizens
>once they have the scene secure the paramedics come in
>one of them grabs your arm
"We've got her"
>you let them do their job
>Lulu is loaded up in an ambulance and taken to a hospital
>you have no idea what to do but you know you can't stay here
>there's only one hospital near this part of the city so you start walking
>by the time you reach the hospital the sun has gone down and your legs feel like lead
>strangely enough you don't feel tired at all
>you find the receptionist, an older looking owl
>her large eyes have an indescribable weariness to them
"I'm looking for a girl. She was shot, got brought here earlier"
>the woman's face was a mask
"Do you have a name?"
>you blank, she said her name was Lulu, but you have no idea if that's her real name
>you get desperate
"Ma'am, that girl is the only person in this world I care about and I just saw her get shot. I just want to know if she's okay"
>you hold up your hands, covered in her blood
>the woman wasn't moved
"Well I can't tell you anything if you can't give me name"
>you feel yourself getting angry
>someone calls out to you
"Hey, you're that guy from earlier"
>it was one of the paramedics
"I talked to a doctor, she's gonna be fine. She just needs a few days to recover"
>you sigh with relief and slump into a chair
>she was alive
>but, what happens now?