Susan was starting to think that she would never see her precious dog again. It had been several hours since she had last seen Kingston, yet he was nowhere to be found. However, she decided to continue searching for another hour or two before giving up and going to bed. Susan had to find her dog, no matter what. There simply wasn't another option.

First, Susan called a few of her neighbors. She picked up her phone and dialed the Vasquezs' number. "Hello?" Gabi Vasquez said.

"Hi Gabi," Susan said. "Have you seen my dog by any chance?"

"What does your dog look like?" Gabi asked.

"He's a Rottweiler," Susan said.

"I haven't seen any Rottweilers around here," Gabi said.

"Okay," Susan said. "Let me know if you do see one. Kingston has a red collar, so you should be able to identify him easily. Thanks for your help, Gabi."

"You're welcome," Gabi said. "I'll talk to you later, and I hope you find your dog."

Susan then said goodbye to Gabi and called the Rosemonts, but nobody picked up. She tried one more time with the Clarks, but nobody picked up there either.

Susan was rapidly losing hope. What if I never find Kingston again? she wondered. Susan's dogs were all that she had left. She couldn't imagine life without them.

All of a sudden, a tiny white dog licked Susan's leg. At least Susan still had one of her dogs. Coco was adorable, but Susan still couldn't imagine having one less puppy in her life.

Susan clipped Coco's leash on and walked outside with her. "Let me know if you see Kingston, okay?" she said. Coco yipped cheerfully in response.

As Susan walked, she waved her flashlight around, hoping to spot a Rottweiler-shaped shadow somewhere. However, Kingston was still nowhere to be found.

"Kingston!" Susan called. "KINGSTON!" There was no reply. The only people on the street at this time were a handful of teenagers returning home from a concert. Some of the teenagers were giving her strange looks as she continued to search for her dog.

Eventually, Susan gave up. It had been far too long since Kingston had first disappeared, and if she hadn't found him by now, she would never find him. Susan led Coco home, and when she arrived in her apartment, she cradled the dog in her arms.

Susan glanced out the window and saw that her hometown was in the dark. There was no light to illuminate the path that Kingston had traveled. Susan looked away from the window, still stroking Coco's fur. It would be impossible to find Kingston at this time of night. She was sure that she would halfheartedly resume her search in the morning, but it would be useless. Kingston really was gone forever, and Susan would just have to accept that.