--Point of View: Crim--

She was running later than normal, and I was starting to worry. It was not uncommon for her to be a little late, but it was different today. Our usual meetup time had come and gone. Several hours had passed at this point, and I questioned if I should wait around any longer. I thought that perhaps she did not make it in time last week and was unable to visit today. Or perhaps something else just came up. I should not assume the worst.

Eventually, I decided it would probably be best to call it quits and just head back home. Perhaps she would show up next week. That is what I should have done, but I was impatient. I wanted to explore this place just as bad as Katie did. Sure, I had no idea what anything was, but it was an adventure. It was exciting. With one look down the tunnels, I was off to explore this strange facility once more.

Returning to where we had left off the week prior, the desks were still riddled with various books and papers. I slowly trekked over to where I found the photos originally and began empty more desks, pulling out drawers by gripping the handles with my teeth. Katie made this look easy I thought. After accidently tearing one too many handles and toppling another desk completely with my lack of finesse, I called it quits and decided to look around elsewhere. This stuff could wait until Katie returned. She probably would not be too happy if she found out I damaged anything valuable.

Stepping out into the hallway again, I began my stroll through the lab. I did not have a destination in mind like Katie would have, picturing her pointing to the map she scribbled together last time. A more relaxed approach was more my style. Windows made up most of the hall which made it easy to just peer inside for anything that looked interesting. Not surprisingly, I recognized nothing in any of them and a few of the rooms were so crowded with tables and desks that I feared I would not not be able to walk through them.

Starting to get a little bored, I stopped and sighed. Exploring this pace was a lot more fun when you had somebody to explain what everything did or why it was so amazing. I knew absolutely nothing about anything here. It was just a bunch of fancy lights and weird shaped glass to me. Perhaps I would find something if I went deeper? Katie did mention this place had multiple levels. How would I get there? Stairs would be the most common way, but I had not seen any since I arrived.

So I continued to walk, keeping an eye out for a way to get to the lower floors. Thankfully, it would not take me long to find what I was looking for. The hallway came to a tee after a few minutes. Fastened to the wall was a small sign that showed what looked like a set of stairs with an arrow pointing down.

“Well, that’s actually pretty convenient” I said aloud, my voice echoing slightly down the empty halls.

A few more turns would put me at the top of a long ramp that led down into darkness. They probably used a ramp instead of stairs to make it easy to haul stuff back and forth between floors. Regardless though, I was thankful. Stairs were a little hard for somebody of my size to use very well. My feet were too big and I barely fit in most stairwells.

“Here I go. Alone, again.” I muttered, a wave of sadness hitting me for a moment as I thought about Katie missing this moment. She would have been excited.

I shook my head vigorously in hopes of tossing those negative thoughts away. She would be here next week, and we could explore the rest of this place together. There was nothing to worry about. It had been a few hundred years since I interacted with anybody so another week should be easy to handle. It was still hard on me.

Descending the ramp took far longer than I expected it to, but I did eventually reach the bottom. Upon stamping off the ramp, I noticed the ceilings down here we much higher than before, which I was very grateful for. I had grown tired of having to constantly lean down everywhere I walked.

The room itself was not all that remarkable though. In fact, it was kind of sparse compared to the packed rooms we searched through earlier. It had a white marble floor, windows stretching the full length of opposing walls, and a small podium sat atop a stage. I suspected this room was for briefings or when somebody needed to make an announcement. Whatever it was used for, it was nothing I had any interest in, so I move to the windows, pressing my nose to the glass to look inside.

Unlike before, the room opposite the glass was pitch black. I pondered for a moment before I remembered something Katie had done. As we entered all the rooms, she had pressed a small button near the door that turned on these fancy lights dangling overhead. I reckoned I could manage that much. I could push buttons. Glancing around, I spotted a few that looked similar to what I wanted on either side of the window. With the utmost care, I pressed in the switch with a claw and to my satisfaction, a light turned on inside the room.

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“Thank goodness that worked.” I said to myself quietly, a little afraid I was going to cause something else to happen. What happened to candles and enchanted lanterns?

The newly lit room was easily seen now as I took in everything. What I saw though was a little concerning. Cages lined the walls. There were large cages, big enough for me and smaller ones too. The more I looked, the less I liked about what I was witnessing. Scratches and dents were easilyl visible on most of the cages. Items that resembled long spears hung on the wall. I wanted to get a closer looker so pushed my way in through the doorway, which I noted was made to accommodate someone or something of my stature.

Immediately upon entering, I reeled back in disgust. While unnoticeable on the other side of the doorway, the smell of death permeated my nose and made my eyes water as soon as I took my first step through. Retreat was necessary and I practically threw myself out the door to escape the odor. I coughed and hacked in my futile attempt to relieve myself of the smell. It was so unbearably strong. A few minutes were required to regain my composure.

“Okay, that was bad. Very bad. I’m just going to have to grit my teeth and get this over with I guess” I declared, exhaling sharply through my nose before confidently stepping through the doorway once again.

The smell nearly punched my nose again, causing me to go lightheaded for a moment before I pulled myself together. If I did not think about it too much, it was bearable. Awful, but bearable. Slowly but surely, I stepped my way through the area, each step harder than the last as the smell grew increasingly worse as I drew near the cages. By the time I was face to face with one, I could hardly look inside and almost wish I had not. Even though it was expected, it was still hard for me to stomach. This cage, along with the others, held what used to be a creature just like myself. All that remained now was a shriveled-up corpse that may as well just been a pile of bones. So little flesh remained and only a few patches of fur that lost most of their red tint. Unmistakably though, they were just like me.

I felt angry. Furious at what I was experiencing. The photos told a much different story than the reality of the situation. They were caged and when everyone else fled, assuming they had time, these poor animals were left here to die. All this technology and we still do such horrible acts. People really have not changed at all, have they? I shook my head and looked away, unable to bear it any longer.

“I pray your souls found safety in the heavens. You did not deserve such a fate.” I prayed, lowering my head in respect before taking my leave.

It took a few minutes to compose myself again, death always being something I struggled with. Friend, foe, or stranger, I cared for everyone to some degree. Nobody deserved to live their life here, locked in a cage. I wonder if I lived here at one time. Surely, I must have. Now was not the time to think about that though. Let’s just check the otherside and be done with this place for today. My mood was ruined.

Head hanging low, I drudged over to the opposite wall, flicking the light switch with my nose because I could not be bothered to use my paws. Raising my head to gander through yet another window, I half expected to see another cruel den of iron bars and rancid odor but instead saw something that made me drop to the floor in an instant. Was what I saw real? Perhaps my brain was playing tricks on me. Rising slowly, I peered over the edge into the room and discovered I was almost correct.

Standing single file, shoulder to shoulder, was more people than I could count at a quick glance. Fearing that I may be spotted, I ducked down once more but after a grueling couple of minutes, nothing happened. It was also dead quiet. I thought about it a little more, wondering why people would be standing around in the dark and the fact that nobody else was around. If that was the case, then what I think I’m seeing is not right.

“I’ll be fine.” I whispered under my breath, standing up to fully see what was on the other side of the glass.

They were people but also not people. Looking closer, it almost looked like they were skeletons made of iron. I could not think of any other way to describe them. Cautiously, I pushed my way inside, bracing myself for another room like the first but this time it smelled fine. In fact, there was no smell here. At least, nothing alive was here. Stepping fully into the room, I confirmed that these were in fact not actual men but something else entirely. Having said that though, they gave me the creeps. There were enough of these things to form a small army. What was happening down here?

I decided against going any further into the room, my instincts were screaming at me to retreat. It was a feeling I could not shake so I decided to listen to it and leave for the day. I witnessed more than I had bargained for and honestly wish I could unsee some of it. The cages flashed into my head once more and I could not help but picture those poor creatures locked up inside, starving while everyone deserted them. Compared to those people, we were not the monsters.

I thought about that all the way back up the ramp and down the hall. The horrors and unforgivable acts that must have taken place here. How many lives were lost because of these people? Did they even care I wonder?

“I shouldn’t be thinking about this.” I muttered, hoping what I saw today would not spawn any nightmares tonight.

Before long I was back at the entrance to the research lab, the underground just as bare and empty as it was when I entered. One last sigh escaped as I looked down the tunnel, wishing to see Katie there so I could turn back around and explore some more, this time with good company. I blinked. There actually was somebody there and they were coming this way, flashlight swaying back and forth as they walked.

“Better late than never.” I called out, walking over to greet her. I was a little annoyed by how late she was but that quickly faded.

“Are you Crim?” called a voice that was very much not Katie’s.

I froze and snarled automatically, my mind starting to race. I need to quickly handle this situation. Crouching low before exploding out, I bounded across towards this unknown person, fangs bared.