Last night Holly and my cat, buddy, were fighting. I thought Bud was going to get hurt so I opened the dog door. I'm so stupid. Mom and Ryan always told me not to let her out, that she'd get into trouble unsupervised. But I never listened. And she ran out, and I never gave it a second thought, until my little brother announced he was unable to sleep because he couldn't find Holly. I told him it'd be fine. I knew she couldn't be in any trouble. And we both went back to bed and for a minute, just a minute, I was scared.. Then I went to sleep. I woke up this morning to Mom and Ryan worried, anxious because Holly never came home last night they said. I got scared too. Went to take a shower while they searched the neighborhood. I stepped out of the shower and began drying off when I heard doors slam and Ryan unleash this scream of grief and horror and outrage, something inhuman, like a wild animal being slowly turn apart by paleolithic hunters. And I knew. My legs buckled, and I fell down. "I killed my dog I killed my dog I killed my dog". I heard mom speak through the bathroom door. Taken by a car, she says. It halved her little body. Must've been decent folks, they left a blanket over her. I let my dog die, TFS. Instead of taking her to the back room I let her out. I killed her. I killed the only thing I'd ever known to love me unconditionally. I'm a goddamn murderer.