Pseudopod 055: Dead Dog

[Bdoomed]

Pseudopod 055: Dead Dog


By Nicholas Ozment
Read by Ben Phillips*

Joel Coker was doing 72 in a 55, his mind re-playing the shouting match he’d had with his mistress earlier that evening, when the dog ran out in front of his car.

“God Christ Almighty!” His knuckles turned white squeezing the steering wheel; his foot pumped the brake. He’d conditioned himself not to swerve for animals in the road — he knew better than to risk crashing into a ditch to save a raccoon or somebody’s cat.

He was still going 40 when the jarring thump came. The dog stood as tall as they come, and the low front-end of the Civic caught it in the upward arc of its loping run, flipping it up onto the hood. The dog’s body came rolling at him, slamming into the windshield directly in front of his face.


Listen to this week's Pseudopod.


*note: Pseudopod.org does not link to Ben's website, but I thought I would link there anyways.

[eytanz]

Didn't like this story much. The pacing was off, the characters unlikable, and the supernatural element seemed totally random. Any of these factors alone would not have been a huge problem, but it basically felt like a 20 minute of a guy annoyed at his bad life choices, occasionally punctuated with an appearance by a scary undead dog. There was no time for suspense to build up before being drowned by relationship drama, and the two threads were never brought together in a satisfactory manner except in that they combine to make this guy have a really bad night.

Also, let me be the latest to add my voice to the complaints about the audio quality in Alistair's intros/outtros. The distortion was so bad it sounded like he was speaking through a sock.

[Jim]

The story reminded me of some of Stephen King's work in the late 70s and 80s, a lone unsympathetic character beset by supernatural horror. I'm thinking The Finger and Battleground.

The metaphors seem obvious. The speeding car represents the affair itself, which is moving too quickly and too recklessly. The dog represents the marriage, smashed-up, dead, but still a threat.

[Leon Kensington]

Note to self:  Never cheat on your wife.  Or Cujo will decide it's feeding time.

Kinda obvious.  Good Read.

Story:  6 out of 10                                  Read:  9 out of 10

[Listener]

Meh.

This story seemed very forced.  Is PP maybe getting close to the bottom of the slushpile?

I just feel like I've heard this before, except with a better ending.

[Chodon]

As a huge dog-lover, this was a weird story.  I always said I would never be able to kill a dog, but what if its entrails were hanging out and it was going to eat me?  Could I kill it then?

Regarding the story, I agree with the "meh" sentiment.  I wasn't especially scared, because I wanted to see the adulterous husband get eaten.  I think it's much more disturbing when bad things happen to good poeople and I come to PP to be disturbed.

[e[room].Tam();]

This story was very dissappointing.  I felt whiplash going into the back story -- not even an attempt to describe some segue, just HEY, WE'RE IN BACK STORY NOW!!!

Plus, I expected the dog to be metaphor, like Tell Tale Heart -- some expression of guilt the MC felt subconsciously.  But nope -- it's real and it's...well...can't be killed, but...it left him alone after it got shot because...well...

I could buy that the dog would leave him alone if there had been some change in the MC, but he didn't change.  He just got caught.  So, why did the dog leave?

I think theme, plot, pacing and metaphor got splattered in this one.  A good tale on its face -- cheating husband gets stalked by sinister black dog -- but there was no attempt to wrap it all together either thematically or plot-wise.

[Bright Lies]

Spacetoast (from comments):  But I have a request. Referencing the “mini generation gap” comment I made on “The Apple Tree Man,” could we hear a bit more from the under 40 crowd on future Pseudopods? I’m sure doing abhorrant things with a wife and kids at home is viscerally arresting once you have them, but trust me: down here, clawing our way into a dead and cynical global economy, there is horror aplenty.

I didn't appreciate your request for generationally appropriate stories until I read that last sentence of yours.  Then I started to speculate just how much quality horror could be conjured from the depts of a "cynical global economy", and realized... not much.  What's so scary about losing all your money?  Maybe that's a scary thought to you, but... I won't continue this line.

Maybe some story about the global economy taking on a life of its own and enslaving the human race and forcing human death by labor...?  But even then it still sounds to me like Escapepod.org material (unless the death by labor part is finely focused).

Yeah, maybe it takes one to know one, but nothing... NOTHING is more disturbing than fucking with someone's family/kids.  Maybe focusing more on parents/siblings would drive this point home, eh? 

[goatkeeper]

Whoa, am I the only person who liked this story?  I can agree with many of the points brought up in critisism, but the bottom line for me was that I felt engaged the entire time.  I love a good esoteric piece as much as the next guy, but sometimes, for me, all it takes is a pissed of zombie dog on a midnight highway.

[Myrealana]

The story reminded me of some of Stephen King's work in the late 70s and 80s, a lone unsympathetic character beset by supernatural horror. I'm thinking The Finger and Battleground.

That was exactly my first thought hearing this story.

Slimy guy gets what he deserves. Not very intriguing, really.

[Unblinking]

Since the guy was so unlikeable, I didn't much care if he got eaten.  Also, the flashback sections and the present sections were not cohesive at all, and it left me feeling that I was listening to two stories with the pages mixed up together in the pile.

Unlike some others, I did like the ending in that the situation takes a turn for the worse.  Not only is his car wrecked, and he is locked out of his house with nowhere else in particular to go, but the dog is on the loose again. 

[Millenium_King]

Big thumbs down.  This story was totally predictable.  The first half or so is just dull backstory anyway.  The main character was totally unlikable (and not in a fun way) - we all knew the dog would come after him eventually.  Likewise, there were only 2 ways for this to end: (1) he is devoured messily, (2) dog is killed... or is it?

Dull as dishwater.  Suffered from overwriting in some places too (could have just said "quarter moon and headlight" rather than describing just where the moon was and the trees around it etc.).

Good reading.