Pets are a luxury of the rich these days. That’s partially because most people have trouble keeping themselves fed, nevermind the rest of the family, and they don’t want extra mouths to feed. But the biggest reason is because over time domestic pets died off, lost in the numerous antithesis raids. Now we have to clone them. Fear not, they’re still as healthy as the real thing, and now we can customize them however you want. So, what can I get you?

-Sophia, Animaux Exotiques sales person

—

“This is the second time you injured yourself kicking something, you’re going to buy some decent boots the next chance you get,” Skyler nagged as we left the APC to head back to the shop.

“I will! It’s the first thing on my list!” I promised. “How about we call the kitten Tawny”

“We’re not calling her that,” Skyler immediately denied.

“Why not?”

“I’m not calling a brown kitten Tawny. That’s her color, not a name.” Skyler sighed. “This is just like when you tried to call Cleo Grey.”

“She’s a grey tabby, it fits her perfectly,” I replied defensively.

Skyler ignored me. “She needs a fierce name, like a lioness…” Skyler mumbled. “Lala!” she finally declared.

“Is this another reference to one of your old films?” I asked as I stumbled over a bit of debris.

“Maybe, but you have to admit the name fits perfectly,” Skyler declared as we finally made our way back into the display room of the pet shop.

“Took you two long enough,” Emily growled. “We’re on a time limit, you know.”

“I fixed that actually,” Skyler chirped. “Turns out I can purchase extra ammunition for your cannon, and Ratchet helped me install it. We have an extra thirty minutes now.”

“And that took you ten minutes?” Bulldog grunted.

“Nooo… It took me that long to feed an anti-seven pill to the kitten. She just wouldn’t take it until Skyler bought a piece of cheese to wrap around it. Plus she really didn’t want to get in the carrier at first,” I said, gesturing to the cat carrier backpack that Skyler was now wearing. I had considered combing through the junk at the front of the shop until I remembered the backpack I’d purchased a couple hours earlier. It turns out we could buy a next-gen cat carrier for only three points. I did try it on first, but the kitten really didn’t like me right now, so Skyler took it instead.

Emily just shook her head. “Can we please check the shelter? I’d like to get out of here before the cannon runs out of AA rounds, or the antithesis decide to come back.”

“Right, which way to the shelter?” I asked, glancing around the store. “I didn’t see an access point.”

“It’s on the other side of the pod,” Bulldog said. “Just be careful. If you disturb the pod, it may throw up spores.”

I slowly made my way around the side of the pod, followed by Skyler, to find a small staircase recessed into the wall. Thankfully the access panel was at the top of the stairs, so we didn’t need to try and squeeze Howie past the oversized pile of plant debris. We worked together to extend the power connectors down the side of the wall and powered up the console.

As soon as the system came up, I clicked on Cams. Instead of displaying an image, like I expected, a message popped up: ‘No Signal’. I frowned, then flicked to the other cameras. The next two were also dead, but the third was still alive, and the image sent shivers down my spine.

The pod, which I had written off as a pile of junk, had penetrated much deeper than I’d ever expected. Its tip had penetrated the reinforced roof of the shelter before embedding itself in the ground beneath the building. What’s even worse is that most of the Sevens seemed to have been in that section, and they’d poured out into the shelter. The floor of the shelter was absolutely covered in dozens of the small feathered worms, and because I didn’t have access to the other cams, I could only see a single person who was twitching on the floor. Skyler gasped at the image.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

{Rei: How long does it take for someone to be taken over by a Seven?}

{Arty: It depends on the person, but it can take anywhere between ten minutes and half an hour for the worm to dig into a host. After that, the worm will spend several hours adapting to the host’s nervous system until they’re even able to perform fine muscle movement.}

{Sky: So there’s a chance someone could still be alive down there?}

{Athy: Unlikely, but possible. I would not recommend opening the door to check. Even though the Sevens have very little combat ability, they’re very apt at stealth. If even a single one gets away it could cause issues later.}

{Rei: I know the chances of anyone surviving are slim, but I’d still like to check. Plus, we should try exterminating those things instead of just containing them.}

{Sky: How?}

I turned away from the console and looked at the top of the pod. {Same way they got in. Artymis do I have anything that would efficiently clear that pile of mulch out of the way but not damage people?}

{Arty: You want to melt your way down? Possible, but it’ll take a lot of enzyme catalyst. Several hundred liters to dissolve all the way down, then coat the floor of the shelter with an inch or two of liquid to deal with the Sevens. I’d say it’d take a hundred and fifty points worth, and I’m not sure if you’d be able to recover those points.}

{Sky: What if I gave up my share of the points?}

{Athy: Then Reina may break even.}

{Rei: I still want to do it. It’s safer than popping open the shelter, and according to Emily, we need to destroy the pod anyways.} Skyler nodded in agreement.

We carefully made our way back around the edge of the pod to a point where we could see the team again. “The shelter’s compromised,” I reported. “The pod punched right through the roof.”

“So we light the place up and leave, right?” Bulldog asked, raising his flamethrower and firing a few short bursts.

“No, there’s a small chance that someone inside could be alive, plus it’s full of Sevens. I don’t want to risk letting those things out,” I replied. “I have a plan though, sort of.”

“It better be a good one,” Steve grunted. I ignored the asshole and stepped closer to the pod.

[Alright, give me the catalyst.]

What appeared beside me wasn’t a box, but a plastic drum full of liquid. It had a small hose with a spray attachment sticking out of the bottom.

Just spray the top of the pod until you create a recess, then pour the rest of the drum directly inside. Artymis explained.

I crouched down, grabbed the hose, then slowly hosed down the pile. As we watched, it smoked, bubbled, and slowly melted into a disgusting green and brown sludge. The process was a lot faster than I expected. Within a minute the pile had turned into a shallow pit, which I dumped the rest of the drum into.

“Effective,” Emily said as she crept closer.

“Let’s hope. This isn’t the important part,” I mumbled. After a few seconds, the liquid had dissolved its way to the top of the shelter and poured into the space below. I could just barely see through the gaps between the dissolving pod and the gap in the shelter’s roof, but though it I could l see a handful of worms thrashing as the tiny wave of liquid washed over them. I don’t know if it was because they were so delicate or if something about their physiology made them extra weak against the catalyst, but it didn’t take long for them to dissolve into sludge.

“If anyone’s alive down there, we’ll have to take them with us,” Skyler muttered. “There’s no way we’re sealing this up again.”

I just caught a glimpse of Emily nodding as I crouched down and stuck my head into the ever expanding hole. The pod must have landed directly on the cots because I could see some twisted frames and heavily crushed body parts. I forced myself to look away from that carnage and scan the rest of the room. I couldn’t see anyone, so I flipped my glasses to night vision mode.

I caught sight of two people lay in one corner, approximately where the camera was pointed earlier. They weren’t twitching anymore, and they were too far away for me to tell if they were breathing. I shifted position, scooting over to the other side of the hole, and poked my head down again to look at the door. I was surprised to find half a dozen glassy eyed people standing there, staring at me.

“Are you ok?” I asked hesitantly.

No one answered. Instead, they shambled towards me, their actions slow and jerky, and when they got closer, they slowly reached out to grab me. I was far too high for them to grab, but I still pulled my head back.

“I’m not even going to ask if they’re infected,” I muttered. “And there’s no way for us to save them now?” I asked quietly.

{Athy: None. As the Seven digs in, it doesn’t just take over the nervous system, it destroys the existing pathways. By this stage of infestation, the neurological damage is irreversible.}

As I slipped away from the edge I looked over at Emily, who was staring at the zombified people impassionately. “There were a couple more people down there that might not be totally lost, but we’ll have to open the shelter to check. Can I leave these ones to you?” I asked quietly.

Emily just nodded and raised her rifle. I turned away and led Skyler back towards the stairs, not wanting to watch the aftermath. Behind us, the store filled with the sound of gunfire.