Chapter Forty-One - Doggies

"We need to retreat," one of the mercs, the younger of the two, said.

"No," the older replied. "Get the women back. Raivis, don't miss. We have a funnel, let's use it."

The road was next to a small patch of greenery. Far from a forest. It was perhaps two dozen trees in a strip next to a three story apartment building. The howls, the grunts and growls, were all coming from a small parking lot between that apartment and the next one down.

"Aww, I can't do this," Crystal said.

"It'll be fine," Raivis replied even as he brought and arm out and tried to push Crystal back and towards the relative safety offered by being behind the others. Vasilisa was already there, fumbling with the handgun she had with trembling fingers.

"What? No, the doggies can't hurt me," Crystal said. "But... I can't hurt a dog."

"They're probably mutated in some way," Alice observed. She was calm, but then so was Crystal. Neither of them were truly bothered by the mercs and Raivis' panic. "I'll take care of them. Just close your eyes."

"Okay," Crystal said.

The brush alongside the road shivered for just a moment before a creature burst through it, Alice took just a moment to observe. It was a dog, certainly, but more than that, it was a monster. Skin was stretched taut over thick muscles. Its fur had peeled and fallen, and it looked like some of its flesh had gone with it, leaving large, open wounds.

The dog-thing charged, and one of the mercs opened up on it.

A trio of tightly controlled rounds cracked into the monster's side and it collapsed.

"Mortal, then," Alice observed.

More came rushing out of the forest, salivating mouths peeled back to reveal crooked teeth.

Alice raised a hand. They'd made enough noise already to let everyone within several kilometres know they were here. There were a dozen dogs in this pack, and while the mercenaries seemed capable, she didn't trust them not to miss a shot and let one pass. Then it would chew on someone, or explode and get its blood all over Crystal, and her entire evening would be ruined.

So she stretched the shadows and swallowed them.

It wasn't as simple a process as she made it seem. Shadows were ephemeral and by necessity, they weren't exactly physically strong, but shadows were capable of hiding things. From the dawn of life, the cowardly and conniving had hidden in the darkness cast by greater things.

The darkness of the little forest swelled, like a rising tide that lingered and clung. It created long strands of light-less mass that tugged at the rushing dogs.

Between one step and the next, they fell into the dark. Their howls swallowed like their bodies.

Alice waited for a moment, just to make sure nothing else was popping up, and when nothing appeared, she touched Crystal on the shoulder. "You can open your eyes now, there's nothing here."

Crystal blinked her eyes open, then looked towards the forest. The shadows were receding, returning to how they were naturally.

"What was that?" Raivis asked shakily.

"Magic," Alice replied.

"No, really, what was that? Did you use an anomaly?" he asked. "I'd be interested in seeing it. For study, of course, I'd never take it away from you."

Alice chuckled, but she kept her expression serious. "You wouldn't be able to take it from me if you tried," she said.

Raivis' eyes widened, and he smiled before adjusting his spectacles. "I see, well that's certainly a new one for me. The expression of your anomalous device, I mean. I'll have to take notes." His guards were a little less quick to ditch their nervousness, but they slowly rose out of their crouches and the one who'd shot reloaded his rifle, then casually started to pull bullets from his pocket to refill his magazine.

"Do most anomalous objects have abilities that are linked back to time manipulation?" Alice asked.

"Hmm? No, not that I'm aware of. A majority, maybe. There have been some suggestions in that direction since so many do something with time or our perception of time, but there are all sorts of anomalous objects that do other things."

Crystal perked up at that. "Oh. We met someone with an iron that let him teleport."

"Exactly. Teleportation isn't related to time," Raivis said.

Alice wasn't so sure about that. She had the impression that Raivis was taking his observations too literally, but that wasn't her problem.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

Crystal took a moment to look around, making sure that the area was secured. She gave Vasilisa a big grin, then turned back to Raivis. "Alright, now that the doggie problem is... dealt with, where to next? What made those doggies so angry anyway?"

The older mercenary let his rifle fall so that it hung by his side by a strap. "We should keep moving. The noise will attract more attention."

"He's right," Raivis said. "As for the dogs. We've had the help of some biologists who are... otherwise not as useful as other scientists in the Zone. The dogs are wild animals that have spent too much time in the Zone. They adapt to the anomalies," Raivis continued as they resumed their cautious march. "Some of them develop mutations, usually detrimental, but occasionally they gain traits that make them more dangerous. Increased aggression, resistance to pain, enhanced senses—those kinds of changes."

Crystal nodded thoughtfully. "So, the Zone messes with their biology?"

"Exactly," Raivis confirmed.

"It makes them more like magical girls."

"... Pardon?"

"Well, maybe not the aggression bit," Crystal said.

"I feel like I'm missing some important context here. Is Magical Girl a shorthand for something?" he asked.

"Sir," one of the mercenaries said. "Factory's up ahead."

"Oh? Oh, yes, good," Raivis replied.

"The factory?" Crystal repeated. "What's that?"

"Nothing important, but it's a good sign." He gestured ahead towards a massive building just a kilometre or so away. It was quite tall and long, red bricks and chimneys with smokey windows along the upper floors. "The factory is always next to the Lab."

"And the lab is?" Alice asked.

"A meeting point for scientists. I'm very curious to accompany you deeper into the Zone, but we lack some vital supplies to do anything of the sort. The Lab is a safe haven for researchers," Raivis explained as they continued towards the factory. "It's a place where we can regroup, resupply, and share our findings. There's also equipment there that we might need for our journey deeper into the Zone."

Crystal glanced at the imposing building in the distance. "So, we're heading to the Lab to get what we need before moving on?"

"Exactly," Raivis confirmed. "It's too dangerous to proceed without the proper preparations. The deeper we go, the more unpredictable the anomalies become."

The factory loomed closer, its size and dilapidated state more evident with each step. As they approached, Alice noticed large loading doors that were left slightly ajar, just enough to let a person slip through.

"Stay alert," the older mercenary warned. "We don't know what's inside."

She pushed her senses forwards, into the dark within. The windows did provide some light across the factory floor, but only enough to prevent it from being completely darkened.

Alice strained her senses, trying to discern any movement or sound beyond the half-open doors. The factory was eerily silent, the kind of silence that made her instinctively wary. The group slipped through the loading doors one by one, their footsteps echoing softly in the cavernous space. Vasilisa rubbed against the door when she squeezed through, and the screech as they moved slightly echoed through the factory.

Inside, the factory was a graveyard of rusting machinery and scattered debris. The air was thick with the scent of rust and decay, and dust motes danced in the beams of light filtering through broken windows.

"Keep close," the older mercenary instructed, his eyes scanning the dim interior.

Raivis fiddled with one of the devices fixed to his coat, and soon the small yellowish light of a flashlight illuminated the room ahead. "No need to be afraid." He kept his flashlight beam steady, guiding them through the labyrinth of rusting equipment. "We're almost there," he said softly. "The Lab entrance is on the other side."

As they ventured deeper into the factory, Alice couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. Her senses were on high alert, and every creak and groan of the old building made her tense. She scanned the area, her eyes adjusting to the darkness, but saw nothing out of the ordinary.

They reached a large open space, the remnants of assembly lines stretching out before them. At the far end of the room, a heavy metal door stood slightly ajar, marked with a faded sign that read "Research Facility."

***