You feel…lost…no…you feel dumbfounded by what just happened.
‘That cat…oh god what did it do to me?’
The memories…that…unique experience, still lingers in your mind. Who could blame you? You were eaten by that latex cat! The alien sensation when it crawls all over your body…and being controlled like a puppet bent to the cat’s every will. You vaguely remember seeing the cat playing with some cat toys after it hijacked your body…
So much happened…
*Beep?*
A robotic beep pushes you out of your thoughts as you look down to locate the source of the beeping. You find a sweeping robot, gently bumping against your foot. You move out of the way, thinking you are blocking its path.
*Beep!*
The robotic beep emits again but this time it sounds more…demanding? You look down again to see the sweeping robot has eyes. You pause for a moment to consider before you speak.
“Wait…can you understand what I am saying?”
*Beep!*
“Wow…an intelligent robot!”
You are speechless… a robot that is intelligent enough to communicate? Amazing! You didn’t care if this robot is just a sweeper nor that it might not be able to speak English. A robot is a robot!
You kneel down in front of the robot and cup your hands together on the floor asking if you can pick it up. Understanding your gesture, the robot climbs onto your hands as you brought it up to your eye level.
*Beep boop!*
“Cute!”
The robot’s eyes change to heart symbols, affected by the compliment. You then pat the robot on the head, beeping and booping as if to encourage you to keep petting it. You don’t know if the robot is genuinely ‘feeling’ the pets but the reactions from it are good enough. If anything, this robot would seem like a pet! A pet…like the cat from before…
The memories of the cat deceiving you with its cuteness before doing that ‘thing’ is still fresh in your mind, sending shivers down your spine.
*Beep?*
“Oh…sorry just ahh…thinking about some weird cat. And everything that happened.”
*Beep?*
The robot’s eyes are replaced with a single question mark, asking you to explain. Maybe this is good for you, it’s always good to talk to someone whenever you feel lost…even if they are a robot right? You proceed to sit in the corner of the room as you decide to talk with the robot.
“It…it all happened so quickly…a lot has happened and I just feel so lost. I just woke up from the pod with NO memory of anything. It doesn’t help with the fact that I feel alone…and I barely have any clothes. Just while I try to grasp what is happening, this white sludge just came crawling trying to…I don’t know, steal my body? I just got lucky that it fell in the drain.”
You take a deep breath and continue.
“And then I find out that I was all alone in this. And then this…human-like WOLF made of sludge just came out and chase me down…I can never forget that look in its eyes…and then that cat…I really thought it was just a normal cat…but when I found out it was too late. It just…splatted right onto me while I was trying to get away! I try to pull it off but it just keeps spreading and spreading…I thought I was going to die…”
You shudder as you let loose a tear.
“I was so scared…I didn’t know what was going to happen…I thought I might melt or something…but it just stole my body! It took my body and used it to do whatever it wanted! I couldn’t even think straight! I should be dead but…I woke up with my body still attached…I just don’t know what happened…the cat was still around but I managed to slip away when I had the chance.”
You pause and take a moment to think what to say next.
“Do you know what I am saying? Do you know anything about this?”
The robot stares at you…until its eyes changes…
*ERROR*
‘Oh, come on!’
Maybe everything you said was too much for the little bot to handle. Unfortunately, the robot seems to be stuck in an error and starts rebooting…seems like it will take a while. You put the robot down, seeing there is no point in waiting as you enter through the door into the lab. At least you had the chance to get some things off your chest so you can focus on what’s important right now…
Escaping.
You pass through the door, only to find nothing but darkness before you. You search the wall beside to see if you can’t find a light switch. Suddenly, the light flickers on, allowing you to see. Looking around, you find that you must be in a computer room with desktops everywhere. You look to your left to find a…dragon!?
Ducking under the table, you see that the black anthropomorphic dragon is standing on a chair with its head in the ceiling. The dragon has bat-like wings folded on its back and a strange white mask over its face. Upon closer examination, you can tell that this dragon is made up of latex as well.
You then see the dragon holding a screwdriver while there is a toolbox sitting on a table near him. Perhaps it is trying to fix the lights? Your theory is confirmed when the lights stop flickering as the dragon comes down from the chair holding a small piece of wire.
A door squeaks open as a black anthropomorphic wolf with the same white mask enters the room, heading towards the dragon. The wolf simply stops right next to it and makes a grunt sound as the dragon stops its work.
Despite the lack of any grunts or growls, the two seem to have a conversation upon some reactions and gestures between them, mostly towards the wire itself.
The strange behaviour of these two creatures puzzles you, what on earth is going on? Either way, the dread of what would happen to you if you were to get caught by you convinces you to stay put. Maybe it’s better to wait until they left before you try to make your way to the exit… at least you think it is.
Despite the terrifying circumstances, the strange behaviour of the wolf and the dragon continues to amaze you. Suddenly the wolf grunts one last time and heads back to the door where it came from, the exit that you are planning to enter.
The wolf opens the door stepping through as the door closes behind it.
With the wolf gone, you peek from under the table, gazing at the dragon who seems to be packing up its tools into its toolbox. You come up with questions, questions about the dragon and its intelligence, how smart is it really? The dragon pauses for a brief moment, taking out a strange device that looks like…a tablet with a screen. You notice that this device has some shimmering green object embedded in it.
Taking the toolbox, the dragon makes its way through the same exit, the door closing behind it.
Seeing the dragon leaving the room, you take a brief moment to scan the room from your hiding spot, making sure that the coast is clear. Looking left and right, you see nothing else with you in the room, devoid of any latex monsters. Waiting for a few minutes just in case the wolf or dragon makes their way back to the room, you crawl out of under the table, confident that the coast is clear.
----------------------------------------
The black dragon makes sighs with boredom as he makes his way back to the black latex territory, with a specialized sandwich in one paw and the tablet in the other while the toolbox is already packed away.
What a dull day it has been…dull, dull…and dull. There are no other words to describe it. The work they had to do nowadays feels meaningless and aimless, devoid of great purpose and contribution to a cause.
Fixing the lights is the most entertaining thing that has ever happened to the dragon, and he already distastes the thought of heading back to the workplace. At least the wolves seem to agree to this, although their work has more purpose than theirs now.
Although, when he was talking to the wolf, his senses indicated that he was being watched by something…or someone. At first, he brushes it off that it was the wolf, but the feeling persisted even after his absence.
‘Probably a latex pup.’
Reaching out to the device with his mind, the green crystal glows as it opens up what he desires…the security footage. Reviewing the footage, he takes a bite of his sandwich as he watches the scene unfold, right after he left the room. Instead of a pup as he predicts, what came crawling out of a table is…a human??
The dragon blinks in shock at his discovery. This human stands out way too much. Not only he doesn’t recognize this human, but the lack of clothing also sends him into confusion. This does not make any sense.
‘How on earth did he get here?’
Quickly fast-forwarding the footage, he sees the human reaching out towards the door of the exit. Switching footage, he sees him making his way through, becoming alerted when he sees a wolf about to leave the passage. The human ducks underneath the table but the sound of the door shutting has caught the wolf’s attention.
The wolf then starts to make his way down the passage, eyeing the table where the human is hiding in. The dragon raises a brow in anticipation and interest, curious to see what will happen next.
As if by some miracle, another wolf taps the observation window, stealing the wolf’s attention. The two wolves seem to converse before the wolf left the room, as the human remains undetected.
‘Talk about luck.’ The dragon thought with amusement.
The dragon then reaches out to the crystal with his mind and starts forwarding the footage to his co-workers, sharing this unusual sighting. The replies were quick as they all start bickering about the human. Some of the questions share a common theme.
Where did he come from?
Rewinding the footage, the dragon retraced the human’s steps: Being released by a latex cat, getting transferred by a latex cat, running away from a white wolf latex, to waking from a cryo-chamber.
A cryo-chamber? But…that could only mean that this human…
‘This human is part of the institute.’
The Elder needs to hear about this.
If there was anyone who knew how to deal with suddenly appearing humans…it would be the Elder. Now the dragon would be informing the wolves about the sneaking human, but the replies from the dragons making a betting pool, betting how long it would take for the human to get caught by the wolves.
‘Meh, he would get caught eventually.’
The dragon glances up to the corner of the room, looking at a camera.
‘It’s only a matter of time before he finds out anyway.’
----------------------------------------
‘Nice and slow…no need to rush’
You feel the relief washing over you as you hear the footsteps fade away as the wolf exits the hallway. You thought for sure that you were about to be discovered, how you got away with it, you have no idea.
Taking a moment to breathe, you slowly ease your frightened heart before crawling out of the table, curiosity getting the better of you as you peer through the corner of the window while staying low. You see that the wolf walks up to one of the other wolves standing by a crystal, dripping black latex into an empty vial.
‘Least he is not coming out anytime soon.’
Seeing that you are in the clear you make your way toward the end of the hallway.
*THUNK*
Your heart skips a beat as you lay flat on the ground. Did they spot you? Shivering with anxiety, you quickly peek through the window to make sure.
Through the glass window, you see that two of the black anthropomorphic wolves are standing before a large vial, spilt from its contents, with a…wolf pup? The wolf pup is sitting by the split vial, looking downwards while its ears droop backwards in a way that screams guilt.
One of the wolves nearby stops what they are doing to check up on the wolf pup as it whimpers. The wolf barks to a wolf nearby as they make gestures about the pup.
One of the wolves picks up the pup and takes it somewhere out of view. The remaining wolf shakes its head before making its way to the main hallway.
You realise you are also in the main hallway.
You need to get out of here!
Quickly, you rush towards a bend in the hallway and find yourself with a choice between the door with a keycard scanner or a door without one. You quickly rush towards the one with the keycard scanner, confident that your keycard will work. To your dismay, the scanner beeps harshly in response, denying you entry.
‘Damn it! Why did that card have to fail at the worst possible moment!?’
Hearing the approaching footsteps from the wolf, you hurry towards the other door, praying for better luck.
What you find there makes you pale.
‘Oh please no…’
You look into the break room with sleeping wolves…everywhere. All of the wolves both young and old are sleeping on large pillows. You so badly want to turn back…but if you do…you will get caught for sure.
Knowing that it is only a matter of time before the wolf catches up, you look around and spot an exit on the opposite side of the room. With no other choice, you decide to navigate your way past them.
Breathing as quietly as possible, you take your first few steps into the room, pausing when one of the wolves starts to raise its paw in the air, letting out a few quiet ruffs. You pause in fear that the wolf is about to wake up…thankfully the wolf simply turns over in a new position and keeps on sleeping. Sighing in relief, you continue on.
Every step you take feels heavier than the last, the weight on your shoulders with the dread of making the wrong step…that one step that will wake every wolf in the room.
Your heart skips a beat when you see a small tennis ball rolls in front of you.
“Whimper…whimper…”
You quickly locate the sound to see a small black latex pup whimper, its paws dangling as it searches for something. You see that the few wolves nearby start to stir, as the sound of the pup’s whimpering disturbs them.
In a flash, you quickly grab the ball before setting it in front of the pup. Its paw touches the ball as it quickly reels it closer, ceasing its whimpering and leaving the wolves at peace and undisturbed.
Seeing some of the wolves, especially the pups, sleeping together soundly seems if not a bit adorable. The two pups huddling together would have made you adore the sight…
If it weren’t for the fact that you knew you were on a time limit.
You decide to try stepping onto the empty pillows to muffle your footsteps as you make your way to the other side.
Step by step, your heart pounds harder and harder as you get closer and closer to your escape.
Stepping off an empty pillow your one foot slips off the pillow as you fumble.
‘No!’
You freeze, just barely catching yourself from falling on top of a wolf, its arms spread open as it snores. Countless horrible images flash through your mind of what would have happened if you didn’t keep your balance just then.
*Step…step…*
The skin on your back crawls in fear, the wolf is coming!
You hasten your pace towards the end of the break room, the floor squeaking with each step. A wolf nearby grumbles in annoyance, but you can’t slow down.
You reach the exit, carefully pushing the door open as you quickly slip through.
Inside the room, you see that you are in a kitchen. Unfortunately, there are no other exits to be found, leaving you no choice but to hide in here.
‘Where to hide where to hide where to hide’ you keep repeating to yourself.
Without thinking, you open a cabinet to find that it is empty. With no hesitation, you climb in and hastily shut the door. You then hear some clanks and shuffling above you as something creaks open.
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.
You grow pale…is there something in the kitchen with you?
Something drops down to the floor as some quiet tapping grows louder and louder.
*Tap Tap Tap*
Something knocking against the cabinet you are hiding in…
*Creeeeaaakkk* *Sniff* *Sniff*
Light fills in your hiding spot as a white mask pops into the cabinet. It’s a white pup, holding a cookie in its jaw.
The pup’s eyes widen in disbelief, as everything became a complete standstill as you could only stare back in fear of what the pup would do next…
…
*click*
The cookie in the pup’s mouth drops on the floor as it hangs open in awe.
----------------------------------------
The pup snuck into the pantry to grab himself his favourite chocolate chip cookie without disturbing the others. While munching on a cookie, the pup heard a door open and some thumps can be heard in the cabinet below. He peers down from the pantry, trying to find the wolf or pup response for the disturbance.
He drops down to the floor, heading towards the cabinet, maybe it was a pup looking for a snack as well? Stopping by the cabinet, the pup pulls the door open as he sniffs the air. Strange…that smell…he doesn’t recognise it…maybe it's a white latex?
The pup pushes his head in, trying to find the culprit. The pup could not believe his discovery…
‘A HUMAN??’
What are the odds of that happening?!
When, where, how and why? Thousands of questions flood the pup’s mind as he stares at the human.
Staring into the human’s eyes, the pup can sense his emotions…he seems…scared? The pup takes a few steps back. The human is scared…of you? But why? There is nothing scary about you! The pup then hears the sound of footsteps approaching the room, startling the human. He then grabs the cabinet door and closes it in a hurry.
The pup then realises that someone from your pack is coming into the kitchen, if they see the human…they will take him away! No! He had just met the human! He can’t have him taken away!
Understanding the human's intentions, the pup rushes towards his cookie, casually eating it to cover up his true intentions to hide the human. The door pushes open as a wolf enters the kitchen. The wolf looks at the pup with an uncertain look as he feels words enter his mind, starting the conversation.
‘Young pup…did you get permission to get a cookie?’
‘Yes…’
‘Are you sure?’
The wolf gives him a look of askance as if he suspects that the pup is lying. Truthfully, the pup didn’t get permission, he is just hungry for a snack.
‘No…’
‘And what is your excuse?’
‘I was hungry and didn’t get much to eat last night and I couldn’t wait for breakfast.’
The wolf makes a quiet sigh and continues.
‘You know what? I came here for a snack as well so I will let this one slide.’
The wolf then makes its way to the pantry and opens it up and grabs a granola bar and a cookie before closing it.
‘Here, have another.’
With a bark of joy, the pup eagerly takes the cookie into his jaw.
‘Thank you!’
‘No worries little pup! Just keep this between us, ok?’
He nods in response as the wolf takes a bite at his granola bar. He then turns around and heads back into the break room, presumably to get back to work. Waiting until the coast is clear, the pup opens the cabinet where the human is hiding and gently barks, trying not to scare the human.
----------------------------------------
You are at a loss for words…
This little pup just spared your life by keeping quiet about you! But why? It can easily overwhelm you by alerting all other wolves to come to its aid. It's an easy prey for them…so easy…and yet…
“But why?”
You ask the pup, uncertain whether or not it can understand you. To your disappointment, it just tilts its head in confusion as it just…stares…into your eyes…as if expecting something from you. This continues as he becomes frustrated.
“Umm…what are you trying to do?”
The pup melts into a puddle on the floor.
‘Is…is that normal?’
Maybe you are supposed to do something? The pup is not making it clear what his intentions are. Suddenly, the black latex rises up from its puddle, taking shape into a pup again.
The pup decides to back away and lie down, giving you some space. You simply stare into the pup, trying to figure out what it is doing. The pup simply gives a gentle whimper, as it keeps waiting for your first move.
You don’t want to be stuck in this cabinet forever…you lean forward to see what the pup does…
Nothing.
You shift closer to the pup.
Nothing.
You slowly reach out to the pup with your hand. The pup closes its eyes and leans its head towards you as if granting you permission to pet him. Your fingers gently brush the pup’s head, as it murrs in response.
You aren’t sure what to expect when you pet the tiny pup, expecting to feel a slimy weird texture…instead…somehow you feel something else entirely…almost like…what was it again? You can’t quite put your finger on it…oh well.
You slowly made your way out of the cupboard and sit in front of the pup, feeling safer and safer.
The pup gently stretches and gets up makes one step closer to you. It takes all of your willpower not to shift away. The pup looks up to you in the eyes as it tilts its head, as if in askance.
“Suuurrree…?”
The pup places a paw on your leg as you shudder in fear, remembering your experience with the cat. The pup waits a moment and watches you, trying not to startle you. Slowly but surely, the pup climbs its way onto your lap and sits up and looks at you.
You look into the pup’s eyes…a sense of care and concern radiating from them. You raise your hand as you reach out to the pup to see if you can’t pet him. The pup closes its eyes and leans towards your hand, as you gently scratch it by the back of its head.
A sense of relief fills you as you pet the black pup, this pup truly is concerned for your wellbeing. After some petting, the pup’s eyes open as it looks up in thought, its ears flickering all the while.
The pup then gives a gentle bark as it climbs off your legs and makes its way to the exit of the kitchen where the sleeping wolves are. The pup turns around and sits by the door and looks at you, tilting its head.
‘Does it want me to follow?’
You consider your options, or rather…your LACK of options. You couldn’t escape since you don’t have the correct keycard for the scanner and there is nowhere else to go. You aren’t sure where the pup is taking you, but it seems to prove that he values your well-being considering how he spared you from the wolf and its approach to you.
With no other choice, you accept the pup’s invitation to follow him. Entering the break room again, you find that the pup looks up at you from time to time as if to make sure that you are still close to him as it reaches for the other door leading to somewhere else. The pup gestures towards the door as he pushes it open with its head, as you follow close behind.
You enter the room with the pup to find yourself in another room with papers…drawings…a couple of pillows…and of course…
A litter of black latex wolf pups.
As soon as you enter the room, all the pups stop their activities and all turn to gaze at you, sharing the same awe expression the first pup had. All of the attention made you uncomfortable. This gets worse as all the pups start to advance towards you one by one, curiosity and awe sparkling in their eyes.
Thankfully, the pup that brought you here barks at the pups, halting their advance. Then came yet another strange silence as the pups share looks one by one, showing different reactions from time to time. This is puzzling…it is like they KNOW what the other pup is saying…Maybe there is something about these strange creatures that you don’t know about but then again…you don’t know anything about them apart from their persistent desire to catch you.
The pups proceed to stare at you into your eyes…again…with no luck with whatever it is that they are trying to accomplish. One of the pups then barks to grab everyone’s attention with a look in each pup and a head gesturing in a direction in the room to some papers laying in the corner of the room.
All of the pups yap as if they are all in agreement as two of them rush towards the papers and came back to you dropping a page and a pack of crayons from their jaws. To your amazement, one picks up a crayon and begins to draw! Just…how intelligent are they?!
The pup draws a human stick figure with a few question marks surrounding it underneath the figure with the word:
Where?
It seems that the pups are using the drawings to establish some communication with you! From what you can guess, the pups seem to ask where you came from. You are about to reply, but then the pups push the paper towards you, motioning you to draw instead. Taking the crayon, you did your best to draw up the stasis pod you woke out of with some details to help specify what you are drawing such as water inside the pod with a symbol of a low thermostat.
‘Do they know what the stasis pod is?’
The pups look at the drawing you made as their ears all perk one by one, looking up at you in amazement. The pups then ponder for a moment as one of them draw again. This time it is a stick figure of you trembling in fear in front of a latex pup with a sad expression. Are they asking you why you are afraid of them?
You respond by drawing a picture of being chased by a white humanoid wolf and a cat with an evil look. The pups yip in response by drawing an ‘X’ on that picture and then draw a picture of you hugging the latex pups with a few hearts. You found this heartwarming finding the pups say they have no malicious intent.
Tears threaten to leak out of your eyes in joy and relief, after stepping out of that stasis pod and stepping into the unknown, you finally found some true company you can trust. On instinct, you reach out and grab the pups in a hug just like what they drew on the picture. They yip in surprise but quickly return the favour by giving you loving licks and comforting you.
After making sure you calmed down enough, the pups gently break away from your hug and yip in joy. You then ponder what to do next, you know you can’t stay around forever and it is only a matter of time before one of the adult wolves discovers about you, and you are not confident that the wolves would share the same kindness as these pups do.
‘Maybe…’
Maybe these pups could help? They know this lab better than you do, and you need every help you can get to escape from this institute. You grab the page one more time and draw a symbol of a doorframe with the word ‘Exit’, asking the pups if they know where the exit is.
The pups respond by drawing a familiar door with the keycard scanner on the side. You sigh in response, it’s the door that you couldn’t open. You will need a correct keycard to open this door so you can leave, but where can you get one?
You take the page one more time and doodle a keycard with a question mark with an arrow pointing towards the keycard scanner. The pups then draw a lab with black vials and a keycard on a counter. Seems like you need to backtrack to get to the keycard. You nod in understanding until all of the pups bark and rush in front of you, stopping you from leaving.
You look at them in askance as the pups draw again. When they finish, you pick up a page to see a camera above a door with an arrow leading to a wolf with a crown watching some monitors. It didn’t take long to realize that one of the wolves is using the security cameras to monitor the labs, but as for the crown…
‘Maybe it’s the alpha?’
Regardless, getting spotted by one of the cameras is a surefire way to get swarmed by a pack of wolves. You are stuck…there is no way to sneak by and get a keycard…let alone while remaining under the radar that is! Your only hope is the pups…
You take the page one last time and point the keycard and then to yourself, asking if they can help you get the keycard.
The pups all share the look and all bark in response. They seem to be willing to help you! The pup that brought you here barks to grab the attention of all the other pups and proceeds to share looks as if it is formulating a plan. The pups all then look up to the ceiling as you follow their gaze.
You notice that the ceiling is made out of those panels you can remove by pushing them upwards. You then notice that all of the pups give you a look as you realise what their intentions are, they need you to get them up there. Nodding in understanding, you went to grab a nearby chair to stand on and push the ceiling panel aside. The last two pups stand at the exit, keeping an ear out in case someone comes by.
Not long after, one of the pups chirps as they make eye contact, then to you and then back to each other. One of the pups then leaves the room while the others stay behind.
‘Wonder what their plan is…’
----------------------------------------
This is so exciting! Not only do the pups get to meet a human for the first time ever, but they are going to help him! The pups are always in the mood to play games, do pranks or mess with the adult wolves in general. It’s not THEIR fault that it gets so boring here! At least the young dragons are always up to play a game!
Getting a keycard will be a group effort for sure. Usually, the labs are supposed to be off limits for the young pup but despite this, there is an occasional pup that would sneak in the lab to cause mischief or to…oh wait! They’re here already!
The leader of the pups pushes open the ceiling panel to get a good look at the lab below them. Scanning the area, they eventually find the keycard the human needs right on the counter! However…there is also a security camera watching it and a few adults working the lab, observing the crystals.
Thankfully though…if the others follow the plan…
*Tap* *Tap*
And here they are!
These two pups are here to provide a distraction to the adults so that they can grab the keycard without getting caught by the adults. As for the camera, the leader brought in a pup to take care of that one…but for now…he needs to get into position first.
While the adults are distracted, he makes his way to the keycard by climbing down the wall in a deformed sludge until he makes it all the way down. Upon reaching the floor, he then forms up and sneaks towards the keycard, making sure to stay out of the camera’s sight. Hiding behind the counter, the pup then signals to the pup to disable the camera.
The pup in the ceiling then disappears out of sight as some time passes…umm…what is he-
*Bzzzt* *Zap*
The room went dark as the leader sigh in disbelief.
‘He bit the electric cords again…’
He was expecting him to block the camera maybe but that works too…While the adults groan in annoyance and went for the mechanic, the picks up the keycard and climbs up the wall and into the ceiling, sealing up the exit.
‘All went according to plan…mostly’
The crazy electric pup came back with a piece of the electric cord in his mouth, smiling all the while. Why it is he enjoys chewing wires, the pup would never understand.
‘HELP! SOMEONE HELP!’
You giggle as you struggle to fend off the needy pups climbing all over you. When the four pups left, the pups standing guard made a nasty plan of a betrayal most foul…
…
‘TOO CUTE! TOO CUTE!’
They brought in more wolf pups.
When the pup came back, some tired pups came in soon after into the room. The fatigue burns away as soon as the sleepy pups see you. One by one they came to your side, sniffing, licking and nudging.
You decide to humour the pups by petting them with a head scratch or two. However, the next pup then barks, demanding pets. You nodded in understanding and reached out to one of the pups, but once they see that you are willing to give pets, they all jumped at you at once, knocking you to the ground and fighting for their turn.
You couldn’t help but giggle at the adorable shenanigans the pups are doing. You happily obliged to their ongoing demands as you pet them to the best of your abilities. Giving pats, ear scratches and even some belly rubs to the one pup snuggling up to your chest. You noticed how despite being made out of latex, the pups’ fur felt so real… or maybe it's because you couldn’t recall what actual fur felt like.
‘What about their masks?’
Curious, you decided to reach out and give one of the pups’ masks a feel. It almost felt like sturdy glass. The pup squeals in delight as it collapsed onto your chest along with the pup, shielding its mask if its paw. Maybe it was ticklish? Best to leave that alone just in case it is fragile.
After some pets, you noticed that they left a few drips of black latex on you, but it doesn’t seem to spread on you like the cat did so you didn't worry too much.
One by one, the pups eventually tucked out as they slouched on you, tired from all the fun they were having. Gathering them all up, you take the pups to a nearby pillow and set up a little nest for them as they all snuggle up together.
“Bark!”
You immediately look upwards to see two pups peering down from the ceiling, one of them holding a keycard in their jaw! The pups jump down from the ceiling as they make their way towards you.
You then notice one pup has some chewed-off wire in its mouth. You look at the leader of the pups and gesture towards the one with the wire. The pup just put up its paw in a halting gesture while shaking its head.
Don’t ask
As soon as the other two pups came back, they notice the bundle of sleeping pups sleeping on the pillow. All four of the pups look at you in askance. You point at the two sleeping guarding pups while shaking your head.
The leader of the pup slouches in disbelief and lowers its head, apologetic. You assure the pup that you didn’t mind by petting it on the head. The pup then barks, happy that he is forgiven and lifts its head, giving you the keycard.
“Thank you all so much!”
The pups all then bark in joy, as you gather them all in one big hug, grateful for all their help. The pups all snuggle in the hug, perfectly content. You all then break away from the hug, and you look at the keycard in deep thought, recollecting everything that has happened.
Your thoughts are interrupted as a pup nudges your leg, as they all make their way to the exit to the sleeping room, waiting for you. Not wanting to keep them waiting, you follow close behind.
Walking through the sleeping room, you watch the pups in wonder while taking care not to accidentally bump into a sleeping wolf. Exiting the room with the pups, you spot a wolf entering the room locked with the scanner but thankfully it didn’t notice you. Taking the keycard, you went to the keycard reader and swipe the card in, praying that it works.
*Click*
Success!
Before you push the door open, you look at the pups one more time…
“Thank you all so much…this means a lot to me…I won’t forget this.”
You could have sworn that the pups smile back at you as they return to the sleeping room, presumably to rejoin the pups there.
Taking a deep breath, you push the door open, taking caution in case there is a wolf nearby. The room is covered in black latex everywhere with no spot left untouched. You are unsure whether or not you can step on this black latex…what if it is alive? You carefully observe it for any kind of indication that the black latex is alive. You cautiously poke it…nothing happens.
Deciding it is safe, you step on the black latex flinching as you take the first step. Going further on, you find a large black chair with screens right in front of it, matching the picture the pups had drawn! There is also a wolf standing beside the chair making some gestures while holding a clipboard. Seeing this, you take cover beside the wall as you lean in to take a closer look at the chair…yeah…there is a wolf on it…it must be the Alpha of the pack!
‘He must be the one watching the cameras.’
You take notice that the monitors show some footage in the labs with the wolves observing the crystals and collecting black latex. Odd…no matter, you need to keep moving.
*BEEEP*
“Chief? Are you there? Come in Chief.”
The Alpha wolf turns to face the intercom and then grabs some strange crystal device while it glows in response. The Alpha wolf coughs, as it leans closer to the strange device.
“Yes Doctor? I’m reading you.”
You could not believe what you are hearing! That wolf can talk! How? And who is this doctor guy?
“I am getting some odd log data from the storage area not too long ago, claiming that it had opened up in an emergency protocol. I need you to check the footage there and see if it’s not some latex messing with the equipment again.”
“Ah uh, can do.” The Alpha wolf, known as the ‘Chief’ replies, seemingly bored.
Complying with the request, the Chief interacts with the monitors, taping on a keyboard.
The monitors on the screen switch to a familiar storage area that contains some stasis pods. The one on the very left opens to reveal you exiting in caution.
“WHAT IN THE-”
The two wolves immediately gawk at the discovery sharing looks of disbelief with each other, staring at the screen that shows you looking around in confusion.
“Since when is that human in the stasis pod?? I thought they had never been used!”
The Chief quickly grabs the crystal as it glows again.
“Umm…question…was there ever a human in a stasis pod?” Chief asks.
“...What…”
“The footage reveals a young human leaving the stasis pod.”
“THERE’S WHAT???”
“That’s what we see! I don’t know what else to tell you!”
“Then go get him quickly! Who knows how long he was out of that stasis pod! How did I not think to check there!?”
Chief, then searches through the video feed, discovering that you left the storage room already. Chief then reaches for the strange device.
“About that…we…don’t know where he is now…”
…
“Then go find him! QUICKLY!”
The wolves flinched when the voice on the intercom screeches out. Quickly recovering, the Chief looks to his lackey and points toward the door where you came from. Seeing this, you quickly duck underneath the desk before the wolf catches you in the act. After seeing the wolf exit, you quietly make your way across the security room, seeing the wolf king frantically searching through the camera footage to find you.
‘Whoever was in that intercom, he REALLY doesn’t want me around.’
You don’t know what to make of this but you really don’t want to see this person...whoever that may be. Maybe he controls these wolves? It would explain the labs…were these latex monsters the result of the experiment maybe?
‘What does all of this mean?’
You don’t know…but one is for certain, you must get out of here, perhaps try to find answers to your past and why you were in that stasis pod to begin with. Maybe it had something to do with whoever wrote that letter? Did they know something about all of this? If only you can see them now…maybe they could explain everything.
You climb out from under the tables and make your way to the exit, making sure not to get caught by the wolf king while he continues to search through the cameras. Slipping through the exit, you find yourself in a server room with cables, fans on the ceiling and latex everywhere. You notice that some of the servers have some…holes in them…bullet holes? Was there a gunfight here?
It doesn’t matter, you don’t plan to stay here anyways. You then make your way to the exit of the server room to continue your journey to escape the institute in one piece.