No. 301

When his phone rang, Lee looked down from the TV to check the caller display. It was his friend, Zach. Lee pressed the button to ignore the call. “Always during the middle of ‘World’s Most Venomous Animals’,” he said as he threw the phone to the other side of the couch.

Moments later, the phone began to buzz again. Lee grabbed it and answered abruptly.

“What?” he snapped at Zach.

The voice on the other end was shrill and panicked. “It’s chewing on my leg!” was the desperate cry for help.

Lee didn’t know how to react. “What’s that?”

Zach’s reply was louder. “It’s eating me!”

The plea was accompanied by a smashing noise. There was definitely a struggle going on.

“Call the police!” said Lee excitedly. “Why are you calling me? 911!”

Before Zach could respond, the line went dead. Lee followed his own advice and dialed for help.

“911. What’s your emergency?” said the operator.

“My friend is being attacked by something. Maybe an animal? I don’t know,” Lee told her all in one breath.

“Can you see the animal now?” asked the operator.

Lee felt helpless, and he was worried about Zach. “No. My friend is at his house. He called me and hung up.” Lee relayed the address and what few details he knew about Zach’s situation while he threw on his shoes and started his car. The operator stayed on the phone with him until he was within sight of Zach’s home.

Arriving at the scene just after the firefighters, Lee watched as they gathered their gear and ran into the house. He could hear faint screams from inside.

One of the firefighters came back out almost immediately. He was shouting at someone behind the truck that Lee couldn’t see. “All the rope! We’re going to need all of it!”

“And the axes,” he added, ominously.