Chase the Ace

1

Chase

Crap, I'm going to be late !"

Chase Owens hurried out the front doors of work—a department store—and to his hatchback at the far end of the parking lot. He wrapped the scarf around his neck tighter to combat against the cool, autumn air. All around him, the trees had changed colors, and while it was his favorite time of the year, he didn't have time to admire the beauty now.

Chase drove to his next destination: the town's only animal shelter. Although his work as a cashier helped to pay the bills, his true calling was working with stray and abandoned animals.

It was a small animal shelter. So very small, in fact, that it was laughable given the size of the community it was serving. Although the town was small, with around ten-thousand people, the stray and abandoned animals far outnumbered them. There were not enough funds to expand.

Once Chase arrived at the shelter, his heart was still racing from the brief bout of adrenaline.

Hey, Chase, one of the other volunteers, an older woman named Henrietta greeted. You all right?

Hey, Henri. I'm fine. I just got stuck with doing some after work stuff, Chase said as he finally let himself relax, the tension in his shoulders dissipating a little.

It's not the end of the world if you're a few minutes late here, you, know, Henrietta teased. At any given time, dogs barking in the background accompanied conversations.

I know, but I just can't stand being late.

Chase was very punctual. If he was given a time, he'd do anything in his power to get there on schedule or early. One of his biggest pet peeves was when people kept him waiting.

You haven't missed too much today, Henrietta said. That application in for Daisy was approved and she was picked up this morning.

Chase's heart fluttered and filled with warmth. Daisy was an old lab-mix that had been with them awhile. She was one of the sweetest dogs he'd ever met, but given her age and the fact that she was a black lab-mix, people overlooked her.

But now she'd get the chance to live out the rest of her days with a new family.

That's awesome, Chase said as he removed his coat and tucked it behind the counter. I'm so happy for her. I'm guessing her spot in the kennel's already been filled?

You know it.

He hated how fast empty kennels filled right back up.

I'll get to work in the cat room first, then, Chase said as he changed his shoes.

We have a batch of new kittens that you're sure to fall in love with, Henrietta teased.

Chase groaned, though it was all in good fun. In all honesty, he was surprised that he hadn't yet gone home with a critter. He'd been close at times, but his apartment didn't allow animals, and it would be too stressful to smuggle them in. Working at the shelter gave him his cute fix while also serving a greater purpose. Doing his share here wasn't only good for the animals, but for himself as well.

As he carefully opened the door to the cat room, a medium-sized room to the right side, he reflexively stuck his foot in at the bottom of the door to deter the runners. One of them, a tom named Soot, was especially troublesome about making a run for it.

There were a dozen or so cats in the room, with cat trees, beds, toys, and litter boxes taking up every corner. Some cats didn't bother to acknowledge him, while others came trotting, their tails up and mewing in greeting.

Hey, guys, Chase greeted as he stooped down to let the cats rub against his hand.

Life was good.

When Chase arrived home that night, he was ready to lint roll his clothes and grab a shower. He shared an apartment with a childhood friend of his, a woman named Becky. For as long as he could remember, Becky had been right there with him. They'd parted ways after high school, both of them leaving their hometown to pursue another life, but ended up right back where they came from. While Chase wasn't ready to live out the rest of his life here, the familiarity and security it provided was what he needed right now.

Welcome back! Becky called from the living room.

Thanks! Chase responded, then was was joined by his bubbly friend within seconds. When Becky was just lounging around the house, she tended to dress comfortably. Right now, though, she had her going-out clothes. Those four-inch high heels were always a dead giveaway. You got plans tonight?

I'm seeing Amber again, Becky said while fixing her hair and brushing out her crimson shirt. How do I look?

Gorgeous, he said while moving to the fridge to grab himself a soda. I see things are getting serious with this Amber. Am I ever going to get to meet her?

Well, if things go well, you might bump into her around here soon enough... Becky said with a wide grin.

Ah, yes. People and their sexy times.

While Chase wasn't bothered by his roommate getting it on, he still didn't like the idea of possibly bumping into naked people. He must've been more expressive than he thought, because Becky continued on.

Sometimes it still just blows my mind that you just... don't want to have sex. I mean, don't you just miss human touch? Becky questioned, leaning against the counter while Chase cracked open the soda.

You can touch without things leading to sex, Chase said simply, as he returned to the fridge to root for leftovers. It annoyed him that even after all of this time, Becky didn't seem to get it. She tried, though.

Yeah, I guess, Becky said in a distant, uncertain way. Anyway, I'm out.

Have fun, Chase bade as he grabbed containers filled with leftover Chinese food to reheat.

Once he was left to his own devices, he took his heated food to the living room to flop down on the couch and watch TV.

Now that Becky had mentioned it, he was missing touch that night. Not the kind of touch that led to a romp in bed, but the simple touches that reminded him that being connected to another human being was wonderful. Like the affectionate bumps of sides and shoulders when walking closely next to someone you fancied, or a comforting pat on the knee after sharing your woes.

Of course, Chase liked hugs the most. Nothing beat a good hug and a cuddle, as far as he was concerned, though very few people seemed to think similarly.

He tried not to dwell on it too much as he chowed down on his chow mein.

2

Chase

It was a cold day and Chase wanted nothing more than to hunker down into his blankets and not move. But the bills weren't going to pay themselves, so he dragged himself to work .

Even though the cold was more of an inconvenience to him, as the temperature continued to drop, his concerns drifted to the animals. The seasonal change was brutal on animals living on the streets or chained outside for too long. He wasn't looking forward to all the animals that would come in nearly frozen to death.

As he drove home from work, night having already fallen, he unwound from the day by upping his tunes. His mood for music changed often, and today it was all about techno. He didn't tend to listen to techno music for too long, though, because it was a bit too intense for his sensitive ears.

Then, a flash of movement to his right caught his attention.

A young dog was running along the shoulder, its muscular but short body powering it forward.

A pit bull! Chase didn't actually see too many of those around town, although pit bull breeds and mixes came through the shelter once in awhile. They were always hardest to place and tended to find homes outside of the town.

The dog kept running straight ahead, then veered off into a ditch where it slowed down. Chase quickly pulled his hatchback to the shoulder and flicked on his hazard lights. He popped open the glove compartment and grabbed the bag of bacon treats and a leash he always had on hand.

He jumped out of the hatchback, his heart pounding in his chest, his senses alert. He needed to see if this dog was all right. This was no place for it to be running loose. He'd never actually rescued an animal himself, but there was a first time for everything. Now and again, he'd thought about becoming an SPCA animal officer elsewhere, but he wasn't sure if he had it in him.

He couldn't see where the dog had gone in the dark, the streetlights on this back stretch far and in between. The road was used by residents a lot since it connected two different neighborhoods. Chase's concern now was that the dog—wherever it was—might bolt into the road at the wrong moment.

He whistled and clapped his hands. Here, boy! Where are you? Want a treat? He shook his bag of treats, squinting through the darkness. He was about to grab his phone to use as a flashlight when he heard the rustling and crunching of dried leaves behind him.

He slowly turned around and spotted the pit bull approaching from behind, its ears flattened and tail low. The lights from his car, although not shone directly at them, revealed to Chase that this was a beautiful red pit bull with a white patch on its chest and face. It wasn't wearing a collar and showing no signs of aggression, although fear still caused unpredictability in animals.

Hey, there, boy! What a good boy! Chase greeted, keeping his voice high and soft. His hand trembled from excitement and nerves as he pulled a treat from the bag and tossed it onto the ground near the dog.

When the dog immediately gobbled up the food without hesitation, Chase's heart ached. The poor thing must've been starving.

That's a good boy! Here, have some more, he encouraged as he dropped more pieces, encouraging the dog to come closer to him. Bringing a strange animal toward him was a huge risk, but Chase didn't care. He didn't want the dog bolting into the trees and getting even more lost, or getting killed in the street.

The dog became a bit more skittish the closer it was drawn toward him, but still readily lapped up the treats off the cold ground. It was wagging its tail, but even so, Chase had to be careful because a wagging tail didn't always mean a dog was happy—they did it when very scared as well. One had to be mindful of the height and speed of the wagging tail.

What a handsome boy you are! Chase cooed as he kept the treat in his hand now, seeing if the dog would take it. The dog tried to keep its distance, but stretched its muscular neck forward as far as it could, using its tongue to nab the treat off the edge of Chase's fingers.

Now was Chase's chance. He made a loop with the leash that would be used to catch the dog. He grabbed another treat and put it in his hand, then put his hand through the loop. Here we go... he encouraged, nearly holding his breath as the dog stretched forward again. Chase was going to hold onto the treat more firmly with his fingers this time to give him enough time to drape the loop around the dog's head and tighten it.

The dog's tongue was warm and wet as it licked insistently at his fingers, trying to get the treat. Chase slowly started to guide the loop over the dog's head...

Hoooooooonk!

Out of seemingly nowhere, a truck tore down the backstretch past them. In an instant, the dog took off into the surrounding woods.

It took everything Chase had not to scream after the idiot driver. He couldn't believe how cruel some people were. They had to have known he was trying to get the dog and were just being complete assholes. What did that driver have to prove?

Chase groaned in frustration as his eyes scanned the dark. It's okay, boy! Come back! He rattled the treats hard and heard movement, but couldn't see the dog. It