《爱上！得到！占有！裸体的竞争对手！》安倍间吾

5、Away We Go

　　Away We Go

　　The puppy grew fast, as if eager to catch up with something—or someone. Officer Chen named him Xiao Hei, after the dark fur that reminded him of the boy's black hair, always messy, always falling over those empty eyes.

　　Xiao Hei was no ordinary dog. From the moment Chen brought him home, the puppy would sit by the door every evening at exactly the time Chen used to return from work—the same time the boy used to wait for him, chained to the radiator, pretending he wasn't glad to see him.

　　"You're a silly dog," Chen would say, scratching behind Xiao Hei's ears. The dog would lean into his palm, close his eyes, and Chen's chest would tighten.

　　The first time Chen took Xiao Hei to a drug bust, the dog went rigid at the scent. His hackles raised, a low growl rumbling from his chest—not fear, but recognition. Chen remembered how the boy's body had trembled that first night, detoxing alone in the dark, teeth chattering, sweat-soaked hair plastered to his forehead.

　　"He knew this smell too," Chen whispered. Xiao Hei looked up at him with dark eyes—too knowing, too human.

　　They worked together seamlessly. Xiao Hei could track a gram of weed through three blocks of city noise, could pinpoint a stash house from a block away, could sense when a dealer was lying just by the shift in their scent. The other officers joked that Chen had found the world's most unlikely narcotics dog.

　　"You should've seen the mutt when he was a puppy," Chen would say. "Born on the same day a case ended."

　　He never said which case.

　　One night, they raided a warehouse. Inside, they found boys—young, hollow-eyed, beautiful in the way things are beautiful just before they break. Some were high, some were coming down, some were just waiting to die. Xiao Hei walked among them slowly, tail low, and then stopped in front of one—a slight thing with black hair falling over empty eyes.

　　The boy reached out, and Xiao Hei pressed his head into the palm.

　　Chen turned away, pretended to check a corner. When he turned back, Xiao Hei was still there, still letting the boy pet him, still patient, still understanding something Chen couldn't name.

　　"Let's go," Chen said, voice rough.

　　Xiao Hei hesitated—just for a second—then padded back to Chen's side.

　　In the car, neither of them spoke. Chen drove with one hand on the wheel, the other resting on Xiao Hei's back, feeling the steady rhythm of his breathing. The dog's warmth seeped through his uniform, settled into a place that had been cold for a long time.

　　"Sometimes," Chen said quietly, "I think he sent you."

　　Xiao Hei's ears twitched. His tail thumped once against the seat.

　　The city lights blurred past. Somewhere out there, more warehouses, more boys, more dealers, more drugs. More reasons to keep going. More reasons to come home.

　　Away they went—down dark streets, through rain and silence, through the spaces between what was lost and what remained. Chen drove, and Xiao Hei watched the road, and somewhere, in the ache between one heartbeat and the next, they carried each other forward.

　　Away we go.

　　风雨同舟，长路漫漫

　　小狗长得很快，仿佛急着要追赶什么——或是某个人。陈警官给他取名叫小黑，因为他那一身深色的毛发，让他想起了那个男孩乌黑的头发——总是乱糟糟的，总是垂落在那双空洞的眼睛前。

　　小黑不是普通的狗。从他来到陈家的第一天起，每到傍晚陈下班回家的时刻，小黑就会准时坐在门口——正是那个男孩过去被铁链拴在暖气片上等他回来的时候，假装自己并不因为见到他而开心的时刻。

　　"你真是个傻狗，"陈会挠着小黑的耳朵后面说。狗会把头靠进他的掌心，闭上眼睛，而陈的胸口就会一阵发紧。

　　陈第一次带小黑去缉毒现场时，狗一闻到那气味就僵住了。他竖起毛发，胸腔里滚出一声低吼——不是恐惧，而是辨认。陈想起那个男孩第一晚的样子，独自在黑暗中戒毒，浑身颤抖，牙齿打战，汗水浸透的头发贴在前额上。

　　"他也认识这味道，"陈轻声说。小黑抬起头看着他，那双黑眼睛太过知情，太过像人。

　　他们配合得天衣无缝。小黑能在三个街区的城市噪音中追踪到一克大麻，能从一个街区外就精准定位□□点，能通过毒贩气味的变化感知对方是否在撒谎。其他警官开玩笑说，陈找到了全世界最不像缉毒犬的缉毒犬。

　　"你们该看看这家伙小时候的样子，"陈会说，"一个案子结束的那天，他正好出生。"

　　他从不说是什么案子。

　　一天夜里，他们突袭了一个仓库。里面，他们发现了许多男孩——年轻，眼神空洞，美得像将碎未碎的东西。有的正嗨着，有的药效刚过，有的只是在等死。小黑在他们中间慢慢走着，尾巴低垂，然后在一个瘦小的孩子面前停下——那孩子一头黑发垂落在空洞的眼睛前。

　　男孩伸出手，小黑把头抵进他的掌心。

　　陈转过身去，假装查看一个角落。等他再转回来时，小黑还在那儿，还让那男孩抚摸着他，依然耐心，依然明白着什么陈叫不出名字的东西。

　　"走吧，"陈说，声音沙哑。

　　小黑迟疑了一下——只有一秒钟——然后小跑回陈的身边。

　　车里，谁也没说话。陈一手握着方向盘，另一只手搭在小黑的背上，感受着他平稳的呼吸节奏。狗的体温透过警服，渗进一个已经冷了许久的地方。

　　"有时候，"陈轻声说，"我觉得是他把你送来的。"

　　小黑的耳朵动了动。尾巴在座位上轻轻拍了一下。

　　城市的灯光模糊地掠过。某处远方，还有更多的仓库，更多的男孩，更多的毒贩，更多的毒品。更多要继续下去的理由。更多要回家的理由。

　　他们一路向前——穿过漆黑的街道，穿过雨水和寂静，穿过失落与留存之间的缝隙。陈开着车，小黑望着路，在每一次心跳与下一次心跳之间的隐痛里，他们背负着彼此，继续前行。

　　风雨同舟，长路漫漫。