Odd Billy Todd Read Online Free

sighing with relief as he lowered the rifle. He looked at Rommel, who was still watching where the dogs had gone, but had not offered to follow.
    “Let’s go home, boy”, Billy said. Rommel recognized home, and followed.
    That night, Rommel slept in the bed, curled up at Billy’s feet, making himself at home. Billy went to sleep smiling.
    He had a dog.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

CHAPTER TWO
     
    Billy awoke the next morning with Rommel whining in his face.
    “Okay buddy,” Billy mumbled. “I guess you gotta go, too.” Rising from his small bed, Billy stumbled to the door and let Rommel out into the small fenced yard behind the garage. He went to the bathroom himself, then washed his face and hands. He would have liked a shower, but he had to conserve his water. Once he was at the farm, water wouldn’t be a problem, though.
    “First thing I’m gonna do is take me a long shower”, he thought. “No”, he decided, a hot soaking tub bath. “Yeah, that’s the ticket.” He went to the back door where Rommel was waiting patiently to be let back in. Billy smiled, ruffing the big dog’s head. Rommel wroffed lightly, and licked Billy’s hand in return.
    “We going home today, boy,” Billy told him. Rommel looked at him quizzically, almost as if asking ‘isn’t this home’?
    “No, it ain’t,” Billy answered the dog’s supposed question with a smile. “We get to the farm, you’ll have all the room you want to run in. And a big ole bed to sleep on, too,” he added. Wagging his stub of a tail, Rommel seemed to say, ‘suits me’.
    Billy began looking through his garage and packing the tools he knew he might need at home. He would lock up when he left, of course, but if there was anyone else still alive, the lock probably wouldn’t stop them.
    “Don’t matter, I guess,” he spoke aloud. “I just don’t wanna have to come back.” He loaded his tools and other equipment quickly, wanting to get on his way. For some reason he couldn’t quite grasp, he wanted to be away from the town, as quick as he could get. He didn’t know why. He just knew that he did.
    Soon, he was ready to go. He pulled his truck out of the shop, then hooked it to the trailer. Once it was outside, he called to Rommel. He made one more look through his shop and apartment and he decided that he had everything that he wanted or needed.
    “Let’s go boy!” he whistled. Rommel jumped into the open truck door without hesitation. Billy grinned and got behind the wheel.
    “We gotta get ya some more food, boy.” He grinned, once more rubbing the dog’s large head. “We git that, and me some tater chips and pickles, and we’re outta here.” They pulled to the front of Alberts, and Billy soon had three more carts filled to overflowing with dog food. After a second, he went back and got all the cat food, too. A dog could eat it, he knew. He also decided to get all the little treats and such, since no one else would likely be needing them anymore.
    He finally had everything loaded and he looked around him once more.
    “Hardware store,” he murmured. He’d forgotten that yesterday in his excitement over finding Rommel. He took four more carts and headed across the street to the hardware store. Once there, he went carefully up and down the aisles, getting the things he knew he’d need. His daddy had always been careful to keep plenty, and Billy knew just what things daddy had said were on the “need” list.
    That was list of things that daddy and momma had told him it would be hard to make or find, and just plain hard to do without. He took nails, screws, silicone sealant, glue, a complete set of hand tools, saw blades…the list went on. He finished just as his last cart was full. He tugged the carts over and managed, barely, to get all of them into the trailer.
    At the last minute, he went back. He gathered up as much pipe as he could find, with connectors, fittings, glue, everything he’d need to