Rex snapped forward with a sharp bark.
Ethan froze. “Hey!”
But Rex wasn’t looking at him.
He was staring at the house.
And then—
A sound came from inside.
PART 2
A dull thud echoed inside the house.
Then another.
Ethan went still. “You hear that?”
“Yeah…” the backup officer whispered, hand already on his radio.
Rex growled louder now, circling the door like a barrier.
Protecting it.
“Something’s in there,” Ethan said quietly.
He stepped toward the window.
Peered inside.
Darkness at first.
Then movement.
Slow.
Dragging.
Ethan’s breath caught. “Oh… no.”
Something—or someone—was on the floor.
Barely moving.
Rex slammed his body against the door again, barking, urgent now.
“Stand back,” Ethan ordered.
The backup officer backed up immediately. “We’re breaking it?”
Ethan didn’t answer.
He already knew.
He raised his shoulder.
“One… two…”
CRASH.
The door burst open.
Rex shot inside first.
Fast. Focused. No hesitation.
Ethan followed—and froze.
A man lay on the floor, half-conscious, tied loosely, bruised, trying to lift his head.
Still alive.
Barely.
Rex was already at his side, whining now, not growling—nudging him gently, refusing to leave him.
Ethan’s radio crackled. “We’ve got a victim inside! Send medics!”
The backup officer whispered, stunned, “If we went in blind…”
Ethan didn’t finish the sentence.
He just looked at Rex.
The dog hadn’t been refusing to enter.
He’d been refusing to leave someone behind.
And as sirens got closer—
Rex stayed exactly where he was.
Guarding him.
