Jake had been a proud owner of his five German Shepherd dogs, which he walked multiple times a day. While walking your dogs isn’t all that strange, there was just something about Jake his neighbors couldn’t quite place.
It didn’t take long for people to notice that he was doing something unusual, but what exactly? One of his neighbors simply couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.
Jake, known in the neighbourhood for his quintet of German Shepherd dogs, presented a curious spectacle that went beyond the ordinary routine of dog-walking. His daily excursions with his loyal companions were a familiar sight, yet an air of mystery enveloped him, piquing the curiosity of onlookers. It wasn’t the act of walking the dogs that caught the community’s attention; it was something subtler, an elusive detail that lingered just beyond the grasp of understanding.
Neighbours whispered amongst themselves, their intrigue deepening with each passing day. Among them, one was particularly captivated by the anomaly of Jake’s behaviour, unable to dismiss the nagging suspicion that there was more to these walks than met the eye. What was it about Jake and his disciplined entourage that seemed so out of place? The question hung in the air, a puzzle that beckoned to be solved, setting the stage for a revelation that could unravel the mystery shrouding Jake and his German Shepherds.
Walking his dogs
It wasn’t unusual for the neighbourhood to see Jake walking his five German Shepherd dogs. He did it three to four times a day and had a strict routine.
In the mornings, he walked for about fifteen minutes, and in the evenings, he walked for about twenty minutes. The thing was, he never walked the same route twice; he always chose another route.
The whole neighbourhood knew who Jake was, or at least, they knew him as the German Shepherd guy. When he first moved into the street, many of the neighbours thought Jake to be a very neat guy who just liked to stick to his routine.
They didn’t think much else of it. But Jake’s direct neighbour, Mrs Goodheart, wasn’t so easy to fool.
A little suspicious
Mrs. Goodheart found his need for routine a little strange, especially with having five German Shephard dogs. His house had to be full of hair, broken furniture, or chewed-up shoes, she had thought.
But she quickly realized that her neighbour had trained the German Shepherds very well. They didn’t even walk on a leash!
They just stuck to their owner’s side like glue.
After Jake had lived in his new neighbourhood for a few months, Mrs. Goodheart had many more neighbours on her side.
They all thought there was something strange about Jake, but they just couldn’t pinpoint what. Mrs. Goodheart was a seventy-year-old lady, so she couldn’t do much about it, but there was one neighbour who could: Steven, the seventeen-year-old grandson of Mrs.
Goodheart.
Steven had enough
Living just a few houses down the street, Steven was privy to the endless gossip swirling around Jake and his enigmatic dogs. It seemed Jake was the neighbourhood’s favourite topic of conversation, and Steven couldn’t escape the whispers if he tried.
Tired of the speculation and intrigued by the mystery surrounding Jake, Steven resolved to uncover the truth once and for all. Was Jake merely a creature of habit, or did his routines hide something more profound?
On a crisp morning, as Jake strolled by, Steven’s decision crystallized. With determination burning in his chest, Steven swiftly donned his shoes and coat, ready to shadow Jake and peel back the layers of secrecy that shrouded his neighbour’s life. In that fleeting moment, Steven embarked on a journey that would challenge his perceptions and unearth truths he never imagined possible.
Following Jake
Outside, Steven adopted an air of nonchalance, as if merely attending to his daily errands. Casually, he strolled toward the mailbox, glancing over his shoulder to ensure the façade of routine remained intact. His eyes, however, were fixed on Jake’s retreating figure, his resolve firm as he prepared to shadow his neighbour.
Engaging in the charade, Steven peeked into the mailbox, feigning interest in its contents while keeping a discreet eye on Jake’s path.
As the distance between them widened, Steven seized the opportunity to discreetly tail Jake, his heart quickening with the realization of his newfound role as a pursuer.
This impromptu decision marked a departure from Steven’s usual approach to confronting problems head-on. Sneaking around wasn’t his style, but the allure of uncovering Jake’s secrets proved too irresistible to ignore. With every step, Steven ventured deeper into the unknown, propelled by a mixture of apprehension and curiosity, eager to discover what truths awaited him at the end of this clandestine pursuit.
Hiding behind a car
He didn’t even tell his mother he was leaving, so he only hoped she wouldn’t call him at an unfortunate time.
Suddenly, Steven’s heart sank. Jake had abruptly stopped walking. He looked around him as if he was looking for someone.
Steven didn’t want to risk being seen, so he jumped behind a car to hide. He held his breath as he peeked in Jake’s direction.
As he peeked over the car, he suddenly froze in fear. One of Jake’s dogs was staring directly at him.
They even had a brief second of direct eye contact. Steven slowly sank backwards, hiding behind the car again. “What have I gotten myself into?” he thought to himself.
When he finally found the courage to look over the car again, Jake had already started walking again.
A dog barked
Steven quickly hurried after Jake again. He had to catch up with him without being noticed. Suddenly, Jake walked into a street to the right.
Steven sprinted the short distance to the corner and peeked his head around it before walking into the same street.
But when Steven peeked into the street, he was stunned to see no one there.
Confused, he walked through the street, looking into every little connected side street. He scratched his head as he paused.
Where could he have gone? He turned into one of the side streets, now fully relying on his gut, and began to walk in a random direction.
Luckily, he heard one of Jake’s dogs bark, so he decided to follow the sound.
A big storage facility
He arrived at a big storage facility. The building looked like no one had been there in ages. The windows were broken, and the doors were rusty.
There was a fence in front of the front door with a big padlock on it. Steven paused and listened again.
It sounded like Jake and his dogs were inside this building, but how? And most importantly, why?
Steven slowly walked around the building and found a gap in the fence. He inspected the gap and found hair on it that belonged to one of Jake’s German Shepherds.
Steven sighed. This was getting a bit out of hand. If he were to enter this building, he would be trespassing, and what if the police showed up?
Suddenly, he heard someone coming his way.
Hiding behind a dumpster
Steven quickly hid behind a dumpster. When he looked at the gap, he saw Jake climbing through it with his dogs following behind.
He was on the phone with someone and sounded a bit disappointed but also frustrated. “I had it. I really thought I had it,” he said, his voice shaking from frustration.
“Don’t worry, you will get it back.”
Steven wondered what Jake was talking about. Was he after someone? Suddenly, one of Jake’s dogs began to growl. Steven looked in Jake’s direction again and saw one of his dogs look right back at him, showing its teeth and growling.
Steven’s eyes widened in shock, and he froze in fear. He held his breath, hoping the dog would go away.
Not letting it go.
Right when the dog was slowly getting closer to Steven, Jake whistled, and the dog ran away. Steven sighed in relief.
That could have ended very differently. He looked at the gap in the fence and then at the dilapidated building.
What was Jake doing in there? Steven wanted to see for himself, but just as he had made up his mind to go in, his mother texted.
Where are you?” she texted. At that moment, he saw she had already called four times. He quickly called her back and returned home, hoping he wouldn’t bump into Jake on the way.
As soon as he got home, he made an excuse she would believe. Even though Steven hadn’t found out what Jake was doing exactly, he knew he couldn’t let it go now.
There he was
The next morning, Steven waited for Jake to go on his morning walk again. He sat by his window, looking in the direction of Jake’s house. He knew he would leave any moment now; he just wasn’t sure which way he would walk. Yesterday, he walked past Steven’s house, but that was the first time he had done that in almost three weeks.
Finally, Jake’s front door opened. He walked out with his five dogs by his side. This time, he walked away from Steven’s house, so Steven jumped up and hurried out of his house. Or at least he tried. “Where are you going!” his mother yelled from the kitchen. “Out!” Steven yelled back as he opened the front door.
“Don’t ignore my text today!” he heard his mother yell as he stepped outside.
Determined Surveillance
Despite the close call with Jake’s vigilant dog, Steven’s resolve remains unshaken. The adrenaline coursing through his veins serves as a potent reminder of the stakes involved in his mission, fueling his determination to unravel Jake’s secrets, no matter the risks.
As dawn breaks, Steven returns to the enigmatic storage facility, his footsteps echoing in the silence of the morning.
