I decided to get a dog when I moved away from my family to go to my dream college. It was my first time living on my own and I figured it would be easier with a pet. I’ve always loved dogs and can’t remember a time where there wasn’t at least 3 of them in my home growing up. I knew how to train them and care for them so I figured it wouldn’t be such a big deal having just one on my own.
I got him from a shelter and named him Thor (after my favorite Marvel hero). He looked young and healthy, but the vets couldn’t identify the dogs exact age. He had apparently been at the shelter for a couple years. Most people wouldn’t have wanted him, but I had a soft spot for unwanted dogs and the sad look in his eyes made me want to get him out of there.
He was an amazing dog, listened to everything I said and hardly needed any training. It felt like he actually understood every word I spoke to him. Unfortunately he never caught on to the name Thor, and I would only listen to commands like “come here buddy” or “go fetch pal”. Also, that sad look in his eyes never faded.
I noticed it a few weeks after getting him, how desperate his eyes really looked. Staring into his eyes felt like he was piercing your soul, like I was looking into the eyes of a loved one on their death bed. I could feel his gaze before I even knew he was in the room. It got to the point were I would avoid the dog as much as I could while still caring for him, and slept with the door locked.
After about 6 months of this I decided I needed a roommate to ease the tension. I made a post online and got quite a few replies since the place was reasonably priced and nice. I had a few of them come over one at a time, but they all backed down. It was only when one guy mentioned it that I realized it was because of the dog.
“Why is he looking at me like that?”
“Oh the dog? yeah he-“
I was stunned into silence as I glanced at the dog and noticed that the sad look he held for so long was now a burning anger. Not only that but you could feel the bloodlust. It was extremely abnormal for any dog to look like this. Being around dogs for my whole life I knew what a dog looked like when it was ready to attack or felt threatened. They would show their teeth, start a low rumbling growl and take a stance ready to leap on it’s prey. But Thor didn’t do any of these. In fact if you took a picture he might’ve looked like a normal dog. But the look in his eyes was haunting. Like a deranged killer looking at a victim.
The guy obviously left and when I looked back at Thor his eyes had returned to their saddened state. The only reason I didn’t get rid of him right then and there was because he had never done anything wrong. He behaved perfectly fine, never attacked a single one of the guests I had over and ultimately didn’t deserve to be abandoned. But still, his eyes haunted me.
I decided to continue looking for a roommate. One after the other would come over with high hopes and leave frightened. It all changed when one girl named Vanessa came by. I was always worried about having a female roommate, since I had long distance girlfriend back home whom I loved very much. When she came by she was really nice, and quite attractive, so I was quick to introduce her to Thor as my girlfriend would get very jealous. But when I called him over his face filled with joy as he saw her. His eyes looked happy and he even seemed to smile as he ran over and jumped on her, licking her face and panting. This would have made me feel happy or relieved, but I couldn’t shake this uneasy feeling.
After a lot of convincing and swearing to stay loyal to my girlfriend, Vanessa finally moved in with me. I was relieved to finally have someone other than Thor in the house especially since she agreed to help with taking care of him. The two of them got together so well. He had always been a good listener, but he actually showed emotion around Vanessa. He would run enthusiastically when she called him, smile and wag his tail when she pet him, it was like he turned into a whole new dog. He even slept in the same room as her and would sometimes cuddle up in bed with her. But I saw something sinister in his eyes. Even though he finally looked happy, it was like he couldn’t fully mask his true feelings.
This arrangement continued for a year, until one night when things changed. It was 2am, I was at the dining room table studying for an exam I had the next morning, when Vanessa came out of her room and sat across from me.
“Does Thor ever creep you out?”
I was sort of taken aback. Didn’t she love Thor? She was the only one he acted normal around.
“Umm, well yeah actually. That’s why I got a roommate, I couldn’t stand the look in his eyes, he gives me this awful feeling.”
She sort of nodded in agreement, which was unexpected.
“Yeah, I find it hard to look at him sometimes. He always seems so happy, but his eyes scare me. Like, I know it sounds crazy, but sometimes he looks like he wants to hurt me. It’s like some deranged man who is happy he’s found his victim.”
I sit back and can’t seem to get any words out. It was relieving and terrifying that someone else felt the same way as I do. After a minute of silence I finally spoke.
“Yeah I know what you mean, he kind of has thi-“
I stop in my tracks as I notice this terrifying look in her face. I look behind me and see Thor standing in the hallway, giving us that haunting look, bloodlust oozing off of him.
“Thor go to bed”
I say with a shaky voice, terrified of what he could do. He just stands there, as still as a rock, locking his gaze with mine. I feel this sharp pain rush through my body as we lock eyes. I can’t move. He starts to walk towards us slowly. Vanessa let’s out a light scream before I hear the clap of her hands quickly covering her mouth. Our eyes stay locked until he walks right past me.
All of the sudden everything turns dark.
I wake up next to Vanessa completely naked beside me. I jolt up in a panic, trying to remember what happened the night before. My heart fills with anxiety knowing I must have made a terrible mistake. I suddenly remember Thor, and what happened last night. Was that a dream? Did he attack Vanessa? Why is she laying beside me naked? My mind spun with questions I didn’t have the answer to.
Vanessa woke up, rolled over and looked at me with a smile.
“Last night was fun, but I think it’s time we parted ways buddy. I’m finally free.”
I stood there confused. Her eyes were different, they were bright green yesterday and full of joy. Now all I see are these dark, menacing eyes. She stands up in a terribly awkward way, and struggles to put her clothes on. She tries walking across the room but stumbles multiple times, as if she couldn’t remember how to work her own body.
“You aren’t Vanessa are you?”
She spoke while looking away from me.
“You know Thor is a really stupid name for a dog, right? I never really liked it much, so I think you should name her something else. You know, something someone wouldn’t mind being called for awhile.”
“What are you talking about?”
She finally turns her head and gives me a smile, this unshakable feeling of terror running through me.
“I’ll be seeing you soon, pal!”
As she walked away I saw Thor, sitting in front of the door with that sad look again. But the look didn’t creep me out like it did before. It was like the day I saw him at the shelter, I felt bad for him again. I slowly walked closer to him and felt my heart sink as I looked into his bright green eyes filled with tears.
“Vanessa?”