--Point of View: The Beast--

A week had come and gone since the last human expedition into the ruins. Everything had gone awfully quiet and I was starting to worry. Did Katie remain silent about me or are they readying an army to hunt me down? These and more questions tormented me day and night, making my now already boring days just that much more miserable. Without anybody here to watch and entertain myself with, my days had once again, become uneventful and repetitive. It was just me out here, and things grew increasingly more mundane as more time passed. I sighed. Hopefully, they returned soon. I have grown quite attached to them.

As luck would have it, soon was the following morning. Before the sun had even breached the sky, I was awoken by a distant rumbling. What could that be? I bolted to my feet and dashed outside to look around, my head swiveling in all directions for the source of the noise. A quick scan of the cityscape was all I needed. You could not miss it. A swarm of lights bloomed in the distance as if the stars themselves had fallen onto the city, stretching all the way back to the black tower on the horizon. Katie and the others had returned, and they brought more than just their usual tools. Judging by the lights alone, they easily numbered in the hundreds. Things just got a lot more complicated. I sat in deep thought for a minute before drawing in a deep breath. Okay, here we go I thought to myself as I bounded in their direction, determined to uncover whatever they were planning. I was also very, very bored.

My legs carried me there swiftly, only slowing when I feared they would hear the crunch of stone beneath my feet. When I drew close, I crouched low from behind cover and only when completely safe, continued closer. While I did not need my eyes to see, a picture could tell a lot more than simple sounds and smells, so I took the risk. Crawling my way into a partially collapsed building, I peered out a window overlooking the main road. It was a chilling sight. There was not just one Humvee of scouts, but dozens of them. They rolled single file down the main road, and I had a hunch I knew where they were going. The underground. It was literally the only thing they could be interested in after the recent events that had transpired. There must have been something of value down there, but what? I never did figure it out even after returning several times to snoop around. Perhaps it had something to do with the sudden lights and iron beasts that sprung up that day.

Tiptoeing along from a safe distance, I followed them well into the morning. Although they did have to pause from time to time to clear rubble from the road, they started from the edge of the city and made their way steadily forward. The convoy would come to a halt at midday, right in front of the hole where Katie and myself made our escape just the week prior. My suspicion was correct.

The area was soon encircled, forming an impromptu wall of iron. Doors would swing open and everyone started to pile out, unloading supplies. More and more equipment started to emerge out of the transports as they started to setup camp. I kept an eye out for Katie, but she did not seem to be with this group. The ones that were here though gave off a different feeling compared to my usual visitors. They wore much bulkier gear, almost like armor, to construct the camp. They were not here to explore, and their goal was still unknown to me at the time, but a feeling in my gut told me it was not going to fair well for me.

The humans continued to work well into the afternoon, their base camp slowly growing out from the center hole. For a moment I was worried that their expanse would encroach onto my hiding spot, but I worried for nothing. They had no intention of coming this far out, at least not at this time. Lights, tables, and various other gadgets I did not recognize were setup all around the area. Tents were raised for shelter and the coming and going of vehicles remained constant.

Eventually, scouts began to comb the area, clearing buildings and turning over rubble. This made me nervous. Now everyone seemed to be breaking the rules. I had to resort to hopping around from place to place to remain unnoticed which is a feat for me. Large and red is not very inconspicuous. It was a stressful dance.

As the sun started to descend, another group of humans would start to arrive. This group, thankfully, was more familiar to me. They were wearing the usual yellow outfits I had grown accustomed to all these years. Among these new arrivals was the one I was looking for. Katie had returned. She was obviously here to lead the others down into the underground. Along with her came Tom, Chris, and Robert. The whole gang was here. What they were searching for must be down in the room where we met.

I watched as they talked amongst themselves, only able to catch a few words over the constant roar of the base. It would not take them long to approach the entrance to the underground once more and prepare to descend. Ropes were tossed down and secured from above. They gave each other the final okay before rappelling down into darkness.

I followed them, of course, slipping away from the encampment in silence. Just like before, I entered through one of the thousands of entrances that blanketed this ruined place. Even more so than before, I had to be careful. I was not dealing with just one scared human. I was dealing with one scared human who knew I existed and many more who were none the wiser.

They scampered about much like last time, shining their lights all around and stumbling over all the rubble. It was a short hike back to where everything had happened last week. Thankfully, I had thought ahead and did my best to cover my tracks, busting up any claw marks and trying to make it all look natural. While not perfect, it was better than nothing. I did not want to take any risks and be discovered. Well, discovered more than I already was.

The group vanished from my sight for a while when they entered into the corridors. I hunkered down and waited, just like before. I really hoped it did not rain rubble again, stealing a glance upward from time to time. While they were busy looking into whatever it was they were so excited about, another group descended down into the station. They did not seem to be down here to help the first group, but instead, were here to scout out the area.

Flashlights scanned back and forth as they looked around, occasionally brushing aside debris to make an easier path to walk. I grew increasingly annoyed at their efforts, having to sneak around to avoid their lights, which was far more difficult as their numbers grew. This group was thorough. As the hours passed, more and more people would funnel down into this space. It got to the point where I decided it would be best for me to make a retreat. The risk was growing by the minute. I did not want to be caught down here.

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It was far more tedious this time, but I did make my way back to the surface with only a couple close calls. I decided it would be both easier and far safer to get a picture of the situation from above. I took to one of the taller buildings, slinking up through its interior until I came to the roof. There I simply laid and watched. As I observed them all work, I could not help but think they were all so different yet also the same as the people of my time. Technology has advanced so much, but people have changed very little. I could see them talking amongst each other and gossiping to one another. They reminded me of my comrades during the war. We all fought for one ideal and worked together to achieve it. Their faces still haunt me.

I sat and continued to watch them for hours, trying to note anything of interest in my head but it was a bit overwhelming. One surprise after another. They had started to setup some sort of small tower, clamping various tools and instruments to the top of it. It must have been of great importance judging by how many people were assigned to it. Once the first tower was up, they moved to the opposite side of the encampment and installed another. In total, four of these towers went up. They would all emit this faint hum that I would soon discover could be heard for miles, although that was probably due to these big ears of mine. It would quickly become bothersome. How was I supposed to sleep with all this racket? Relatively easy as it would turn out.

I awoke several hours later, lurching to my feet with a jolt of surprise. When had I fallen asleep? A moment later I remembered where I was and hunched back down, looking out at the now nearly completed settlement. The sun was just now setting in the distance and would soon be replaced by the glorious full moon. This was when everybody would normally pack up their stuff and take their leave, but they had no intention of returning home tonight. Their camp had expanded to cover an entire city block during the few hours I had slept.

It was not until the moon had risen directly overhead that Katie’s group finally surfaced from the underground. They returned empty handed but seemed to be in high spirits. Their voyage must have been a success. The whole group entered a tent pitched in the center of the complex. It was tackily decorated and had a pair of armed guards at the entrance. No doubt this was where the person in charge was staying. Nice to see that aspect of humanity had not changed much. I suspected they were reporting their findings and giving their boss a quick overview of what the situation was at hand. Unfortunately, I could not hear any of it. This was the point where I figured it would be best for me to retire for the night. While I had no need to eat, sleep was still something I cherished.

I made the trek back home and settled down for the night, my once cozy home feeling somehow exposed regardless of how much distance I put between myself and the human camp. My mind was still racing about everything that had happened. What were they after? What could be so important to draw this many people here? Was the simple life I lived up until now going to disappear that quickly? Sure, if I delved deeper into the city, the chance of being found would be next to none. Was that what I wanted though? No, I thought. I wanted more for myself. I would take the risk and face the consequences.

Sleep found me slowly, intrusive thoughts battling to keep me awake, but soon would admit defeat. While the rest was very much needed, it was not without its problems. Dreams always plagued me. The past always crept into my head, grabbing hold, and refusing to leave me be. It was a relentless reminder of where I came from and my failures in the past. I swore I would do more with this second life, but as of now I have done not.

I awoke the next day much like I would any other day. No commotion, no loud noises, and honestly, if I had not have seen the humans setting up camp yesterday with my own eyes, I would not have guessed anything was going on that day. Rising to my feet, I strolled outside to see what today would bring, rain pelting against my fur as I emerged. I hated the rain. My fur would be wet for several days, and the added weight was tedious. It probably helped with the smell though.

Drudging slowly through the showers, I approached the human camp once more, discovering that it had grown even more throughout the night. They had brought in more machines to start clearing the area. I had seen them a couple of times before when they needed to clear the main stretch of road. It was bigger than their transports with a large bucket on the front for pushing and lifting rubble free. The area surrounding the underground entrance was now clear and easy to access. They had even dug up the stairs and created a second entrance for themselves. It made sense. I am sure they would prefer to not have to rappel down every day. Regrettably, all this change brought a lot of hustle and bustle which made it impossible for me to sneak in for a closer look, at least during the day.

Time would come and go, my routine becoming just that, a routine. I watched them all work every day, from sunrise to sunset. Most of their work seemed to be just clearing and excavating a path to that back room. They were making good progress and on the fourth day, had cleared out the majority of the debris around whatever is was they were searching for. I managed to catch a glimpse of it for a few hours while it was exposed. It was a large machine with a mess of pipes and other unknown components growing out from the center of it. Every now and then it would sputter to life, revving up wildly before just as quickly coming to an abrupt halt. They tinkered away on it carefully for days until they managed to get it working. It was shortly after this that a familiar humming started up once again followed by the streets lighting up. Any building that was not completely fallen apart sprung back to life as if finally awakening after a long slumber. I had never seen such a thing. So many lights. It was truly a wonder to behold. Everyone else seemed less impressed.

Along with the new lights came another surprise. The four towers that were built around the base quickly became a dozen as they worked into the next several days. They too, gave off their own particular buzz and washed the area in a very odd smell. It was shortly after this that the humans began walking around their camp without a suit. This was a first for me. Were these odd constructs to blame? Nonetheless, it was just another thing to take note of.

Katie, the one who started all of this, could be seen working every day. They spent most of their time inside a building they had built around whatever this odd machine was. I wanted to know what they were doing in there and as luck would have it, I would find my chance. As the weeks passed, I noticed a recurring pattern. Only a very few select people were permitted inside this central building. It could not be more than half a dozen, including the one I needed. The other interesting thing was how everybody would leave for the afternoon once per week, traveling back the way they originally came. This would be the time to strike. The only obstacle left for me was getting inside. I imagined the best way for someone of my size to sneak in unnoticed would be to go through the tunnels. They may have dug up a good portion of it around where I needed to go, but it was still better than going in from above. It was the best chance I had at the moment.

When the fateful day finally arrived, I made my move. As troves of workers piled into transports to make their weekly trip back to the tower, I dove into the tunnels far from the encampment. The underground had changed quite a bit since the humans arrived. They had cleaned up a good portion of it to make it more accessible as well as built supports to hold up the crumbling ceiling. Lights were plastered all throughout the area. It certainly felt a bit more safe and easier on the paws. The unfortunate side effect of all this work though made it near impossible to sneak around when people were working. I just prayed my plan would work.