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Chapter Twenty: Nowhere to Run

Cliffside Asylum is considered the most infamous psychiatric hospital in all of Zootopia's grand history. First established some time at the turn of the century, it was built to contain the city's most unstable and non-functioning mammals under the guise of a rehabilitation center. In truth the place was more of a prison, nestled on the border between The Meadowlands and the Rainforest District's most unpopulated area in an effort to hide it away from the more civilized society. At the time, the doctors of old had a poor grasp of the nature of mental health, and often times their 'treatments' were more tantamount to torture.

Some time around the late seventies the true depth of what went on there was revealed to the public in a shocking news exposé . Many of those involved with the institution saw the abrupt end of their careers, a few even receiving jail time. But the mammal who suffered the worst from the whistle blowing was Dawn's own Grandfather, Ash Bellwether, who had been acting mayor of the city when the story broke. Amongst the myriad of horrors contained inside the asylum, 'tame collars' were in prominent use when it came to the patients. Mayor Ash Bellwether had long been a proponent of the collars to be made mandatory for all predator citizens, and had gained a great deal of steam behind his agenda. But now, with the true horror of what the collars were capable of in full view of the public, the Mayor's platform had collapsed completely out from under him. Not only was he blamed from hiding the truth about facility from the public, despite the terrible acts going on under several previous Mayors, but support of his initiative vanished over night. While Ash Bellwether didn't see impeachment over the whole affair, it had ruined his reputation and any possibility of his re-election.

In the wake of the scandal, Cliffside Asylum was shut down within a week. Its remaining patients were sent to more modern facilities, where the methods of care-taking had been long since greatly improved. Since that time the structure had remained abandoned, left to rot away along with the shameful memories of the city it conjured.

Dawn shuddered as she stared at the large structure; it's looming and cold exterior made even more menacing by the stormy clouds brewing above it. It had looked exactly that way in the photographs when Dawn had stumbled across its file during the start of her and Doug's night howler scheme. With two mammals under the effects of night howler, and with Lionheart growing increasingly desperate to hide it, it had been easy to plant the idea of using the old structure as his base of operations in his mind. Dawn had casually slipped it into the report he demanded on buildings around Zootopia that were overdue for demolition. Dawn knew why the lion really wanted the information, but in order to keep up the appearance of innocence Dawn had to carefully guide the mayor without him being aware of it.

Luckily for her, she had learned a long time ago just how dumb Lionheart was. She knew the lion would never share such dangerous information with a mammal he saw to be as lowly as Dawn, and so she wasn't worried about the public thinking she had helped him cover up the cases. Lionheart played into her hooves at every conceivable step, and when he was finally busted the ewe had felt practically giddy at how well her plan had worked. Even now despite how badly the ewe felt about everything, she couldn't help but feel a twinge of satisfaction after ruining the lion's career and reputation. She knew it was awful, and terribly petty, but after all the things Lionfart had done it still felt good to picture him working at a fast food joint like she was. The once proud 'king of the urban jungle' that is Zootopia reduced to a lowly serf.

She had chosen Cliffside to lean Lionheart toward due to both its remoteness and reputation, figuring that the place's painful history would only paint a worse picture of her ex-boss when he was discovered. To the public it would appear as if the lion was continuing the horrific un-mammalian legacy that Cliffside Asylum had come to represent, thus adding to the overall outrage and expediting the Mayor's impeachment. But it seemed that its recent re-occupation had spurred the public to more than just outrage at Lionheart. Dawn could see the grounds were now strewn about with various construction vehicles, some of which had stopped in mid clearing of the surrounding grounds. Near the front path to the decaying structure a large white sign was posted, blocking entry to the building.

"Future site of 'The CliffsideRecreationalPark?'" Dawn uttered softly.

She felt a paw on her shoulder, and looked up to find Vernon eyeing the sign as well.

"I can't believe they're turning this place into a park. It's really creepy up here, and I don't think just tearing down the Asylum is necessarily going to fix that." Vernon muttered.

Dawn simply nodded, another shudder traveling down her spine as she glanced at the building once more.

"W-We..." She gulped loudly. "We aren't going in there are we?"

Vernon glanced down at her. There was uneasiness in his eyes as he spoke.

"Um...W-we can probably go around."

Dawn nodded briskly at the wolf. "Good idea."

Dawn watched as Vernon went up to the nearby fence blocking off the entrance. The wolf made his best attempt to peek around the building from where he stood. After a few moments of looking he walked back over to Dawn.

"Looks like there's a path on the other side of the building, it'll probably cross us over into the Meadowlands. So we'll need to hop the fence, but we don't have to go inside the Asylum." Vernon said.

"Oh good, let's get going b-"

A spotlight suddenly fell on the two mammals, causing Dawn to freeze in terror. She couldn't see the source of the blinding light, but her mind was in full panic mode.

"They're here already, oh gods, were dead!" She finally yelped, clutching to Vernon's side. Vernon wrapped his arms around the ewe, growling at whatever was behind the glare.

"Relax Dawn!" A familiar voice rang out. After a moment, a sleek canine silhouette blocked the source of the beam. It stood there for a moment before the light died away, revealing Detective Nick Wilde standing in front of a squad car. Behind him Judy Hopps sat in the Driver's seat, holding the now powered down spotlight.

"No one's going to hurt either of you!" Nick Wilde added.

"Lamb sakes!" Dawn nearly started laughing. "I-I've never been happier to see the police in my life!" She chirped, releasing the wolf from her grasp.

"You still set on arresting Dawn?" Vernon asked, an irritated tone in his voice. "Because we have evidence that she-"

"Relax Hunter, were taking her in to protect her." Judy interjected, leaving the vehicle and taking a stance next to Nick. "At the very least we know someone is after you two. That's enough to cast reasonable doubt on Dawn's involvement."

Dawn went to step forward, only to have Vernon place an arm in front of her. She looked to the wolf, who was still eyeing the cops suspiciously.

"This isn't a trick?" The wolf barked.

"Pupp-"

"No tricks." Nick added. "Look." The fox gently removed his tranquilizer gun from his holster. Flicking the barrel open, he revealed the empty chamber to the pair. Judy did the same in turn. "See, they aren't loaded."

The wolf still seemed to hesitate, looking back at Dawn nervously.

"Puppy, they can help us." Dawn pleaded.

"We won't even use cuffs!" Nick shouted, removing his cuffs from his holster and throwing them on the ground. "C'mon big fella, trust me here." Nick flashed his trademark grin.

Dawn watched as the wolf's ears drooped and his arm reluctantly lowered. Instead of simply moving forward, the sheep grabbed Vernon's paw in her hoof, gripping tightly. Glancing up at the sad looking wolf, the ewe smiled.

"We'll be okay now Vernon." She squeezed his paw. "Let's get out of this dump."

Vernon smiled weakly in response before the two began to trudge toward the awaiting officers.

"We'll tell you everything we know so far on the way back." Judy added. "We think we've nearly got this pieced together."

As the two drew closer, Judy climbed back into the driver's seat of the squad car. Meanwhile Detective Wilde had moved toward the back of the vehicle, opening the back door for the oncoming mammals. As they arrived, Vernon helped Dawn into the back seat, giving her a slight boost off the ground to scramble onto the cushions. Once the ewe was inside, Vernon did his best to squeeze in. The wolf hunched down in order to pass through the door frame, his legs twisting over each other as he awkwardly positioned himself in the seat next to Dawn. Once Vernon had managed to comfortably seat himself he let out a sigh.

"I guess we should have taken the SUV." Nick chuckled before slamming the door shut. As the fox made his way around the vehicle, Dawn's attention turned to the sudden noise coming from the front of the car. The screeching noise was the sound of Judy sliding open the metal divider that separated the front and back of the car. Leaning her head through, the rabbit gave the pair a curious glance.

"You two still have my pen?" Judy asked.

"Oh!" Dawn reached into her breast pocket, retrieving the orange and green recorder from its resting place. She gingerly handed it over to the rabbit, taking great care to avoid hitting any of the buttons by accident.

"Warden Mouflon's confession is on there, more or less." Dawn said, clicking her hooves together nervously.

"Alpine Crag's warden? Nick asked, slumping into the passenger seat. "Isn't he like one of those pillar of the community types? Awards and accolades and all that?" Nick slammed the passenger door shut.

"Wouldn't be the first time some mammal we didn't expect would be the mastermind of an evil scheme." A sudden look of uneasiness flashed across the rabbits face, a cringing frown appearing on her muzzle. Judy gave Dawn an awkward glance.

"S-sorry Dawn." The rabbit mumbled.

Dawn chose to ignore the comment, desperate to prattle off everything she had learned about the plan.

"Mouflon's not in charge." Dawn stated. "He's working for Doug I think...or maybe they're working for someone else....I..." Dawn tapped her hooves again. "I don't know who."

"Regardless, Mouflon admitted to last nights Bug Burga attacks, and Don Polaraski's death." Vernon chimed in.

Dawn could see Nick take a swig of coffee.

"Welp that helps make sense of some things." Nick sighed. "Like how Dawn's home was targeted when no one outside of the prison system should have known where she lived. It would be easy for a Warden to have access to that information." The fox nodded.

"Did he mention anything about Evard Stoat?" Judy asked, still leaning through the window.

Dawn traded glances with Vernon, the wolf giving her an equally confused shrug.

"No. Why?" Dawn asked.

"We believe that Evard Stoat may have been shipping in night howler in massive quantities for Mouflon's boss." Nick turned to peek over Judy's shoulder at the two mammals. "Were talking massive amounts of howler, scads of it. Definitely way more than what was used at the Bug Burga locations." Nick's face was solemn and serious.

"Mouflon did say something about 'grand plans' for the city, as soon as tomorrow." Dawn replied meekly.

Judy turned to face the fox cop.

"We have to find where these guys are hiding fast. Nick, call i-"

A sudden roar made Dawn jump so high she nearly hit the ceiling of the squad car. In a flash the car was filled with a bright and glaring light. As Dawn squinted to see she heard Vernon's voice yell out.

"THAT BULLDOZER IS O-!"

The next thing Dawn felt was sudden and violent tussle of the car. The backseat was spinning and twirling like a carnival ride. She felt herself slam against the side of the car, then into Vernon. Dawn could hear metal scraping and grinding as the world continued spinning, among scattered voices.

"THE RA-ADIO!" It sounded like Judy.

"D-DAMN!" She was sure it was from Nick.

Suddenly she found herself wrapped in Vernon's arms, the wolf squeezing her tightly into is chest.

"I-I got y-ya Floofs." She could barely hear him whisper over the din of the spiraling cab.

With a powerful sharp crash, the car finally seemed to come to a stop. The lights were now aiming away from the interior of the police car, allowing Dawn to finally see what had happened.

The first thing she noticed was that the car was upside down. Glass and tangled metal was strewn about inside the cabs interior, and what used to be the ceiling was now sunken beneath about an inch of jungle mud. Miraculously her glasses had managed to stay on during the sudden accident, and as she struggled to get her bearings she pawed at the lump of fur still embracing her.

"Puppy? PUPPY!?" She yelped. "ARE YOU OKAY!?"

"Urg..." She heard a weak reply. "I-I think so." The wolf's grip tightened around her slightly.

"What the h-hell happened?" Dawn muttered, holding her head.

"I think we were run o-"

"Nick!"

The wolf was interrupted by Judy's voice.

"Judy?" Dawn shouted.

"Dawn!?" Judy replied, letting out a ragged cough. "Are you two okay?"

"Yes, we're alright." Vernon replied.

"Ouff..." Dawn recognized the fox's croaking. "Somebody get the number of that truck?" Nick chuckled weakly.

"NICK!" Dawn heard Judy shout. Through what remained of the open partition between the seats, Dawn could see the rabbit jump onto the fox.

"OH NICK! THANK THE GODS!" The rabbit shouted.

"Ahh...Ahh!" The fox yelped. "Easy Carrots, I'm still sore."

Suddenly the car lurched forward, causing Dawn and Vernon smash up against the separator window. As the momentum subsided, the two sloshed back to where they were. Dawn could feel the car dragging further across the earth below, metal squealing as it scraped along.

"DAMNIT!" She heard from somewhere in the front.

Dawn twisted her head around to try to see what was still attacking the car, but as she brought her gaze back to the where the rear window had been the ewe found that all she could see was a blurry mess. Reaching a hoof up to her face, she felt around wildly for any hint of her glasses.

"PUPPY! MY GLASSES!" She yelped, now trying to feel around on the floor for them.

"OH NO!" She heard another voice from the front, it sounded like Judy's.

Dawn suddenly felt the car begin to tilt. Metal groaned and moaned as the incline in the back seat became steeper. At that point the ewe gave up on finding her specs, instead wrapping herself tightly around the wolf's arm.

"VERNON! WHAT'S HAPPENING?" She felt the wolf attempting to shift the pair further back in the vehicle.

"I DON'T KNOW!" She heard him reply.

The incline grew steeper, and Dawn began to feel gravity shift toward the front of the battered vehicle. As the tilt increased, a loud roaring sound began to manifest itself, like a howling maelstrom.

"WHAT IS THAT!?" Dawn shouted.

"THE FALLS! RUT ME, THE FALLS!" Nicks voice rang out from the front seat.

Dawn's stomach dropped as the words registered in her mind. They were about to go over the falls. It was clear whatever hit them was on purpose, most likely Mouflon had caught up to them. Now they were going to be dashed to pieces at the bottom of Cliffside's massive waterfall system. Dawn was sure she was going to die. Flickers of her life were flashing before her as her brain went into overdrive. But of all the memories and thoughts hitting her at once, the ones that lingered were the ones of Vernon and her feelings for him. She only had seconds left to live, and with that in mind it spurred her to speak up. To say the words she longed to say before it was too late.

"VERNON!" She yelled.

She heard the wolf grunting, still trying to hold them as far away from the bottom of the car as possible.

"Y-YEAH!?" Vernon sputtered.

"IF W-WE DON'T MAKE IT THROUGH THIS-" She struggled to speak as the squad car shook again.

"WE'LL MAKE IT!" The wolf snapped.

"IF WE D-DON'T" She continued, squeezing the wolf tighter.

"I NEED TO TELL YOU T-THAT-"

"NOT AGAIN!" She heard Nick yelp.

Suddenly Dawn felt herself become weightless. The world around her had fallen silent and as far as she could tell time had slowed to a crawl. She couldn't see anything, but could just make out flickers of fading light as the vehicle tumbled end over end. They were in freefall now, plummeting into the darkness below the cliff. Dawn tried to speak, but the words wouldn't come, and even her breath remained hitched in her throat. Her last thoughts were of regret for being able to finish confessing to Vernon before she felt herself enveloped by the icy cold waters of the river below.