# The Warm Chair

Author: Hedry
Tags: Bull, Cat, Dog, Horror, Library, Science, Shrinking, chair

Arvin rubbed his nose and yawned as he went over the day's schedule.&nbsp; Cleaning checklist, security checklist, some paperwork.&nbsp; Nothing particularly special.

&nbsp;

The tabby, grey cat yawned again.&nbsp; It had been raining last night, and the day was cool.&nbsp; He'd left his jacket in his locker as was customary, then went through screening, as was customary.&nbsp; Lunch was always on site, but was a nice perk of the job.&nbsp; He was saving money - maybe he could have a place of his own in a year or two, perhaps a garden... oh, how he wanted a garden.&nbsp; He wanted to tend flowers and have tea, and listen to the sound of bees as they did their work in the sunshine.

&nbsp;

In the meantime, his job was somewhat simple, if dull.&nbsp; It paid well, but it was monstrously micromanaged.&nbsp; Lists and procedures for everything.&nbsp; He rubbed the back of his hand on the white jacket that covered his sweater, then rolled his eyes as fur clung to it.&nbsp; Why white?&nbsp; Rolling his eyes at the start to his day, he opened the door to room 205.&nbsp; Immediately, something seemed... off.&nbsp; He flicked the lights, but it seemed the ballast had gone.&nbsp; Typical piece of shit, he thought.&nbsp; New lab, old equipment.&nbsp; Well.

&nbsp;

It wasn't a lab, technically.

&nbsp;

It looked more like a library, but... old.&nbsp; Carpets from a decade long past, wooden shelves, books from the turn of the last century... encyclopaedias.&nbsp; Encyclopaedias!&nbsp; Who used those anymore?&nbsp; He always considered how amazing it was, how much things had changed in such a short amount of time.&nbsp; The counter in front of him looked entirely out of place in the room, with its relatively modern computers and readouts and alarms, one of which was blinking.&nbsp; His heart leapt into his chest as he looked at it, then down the long, long room, where a single, non-fluorescent light was always on, shining on its lone subject.&nbsp; Except it wasn't alone.

&nbsp;

On a metal plate in the middle of the floor, as if ripped into another time, sat the chair.&nbsp; It was rather unassuming, ordinary, if old.&nbsp; Out of style, old even for the 'library' that it found itself in, and entirely strange to sit on that plate, the chair basked in the light, casting a dark shadow.&nbsp; Beside it, staring, stood the looming figure of Charlie, the custodial tech.&nbsp; The cat glanced quickly at the tare reading for the plate that the chair was on.&nbsp; Zero.&nbsp; Okay, that was good, at least.

&nbsp;

Sweating slightly, he ran out from around the counter and down the room, to the taped line on the carpet.&nbsp; "Charlie?&nbsp; Buddy?&nbsp; You okay?"&nbsp; The brown bull blinked heavily in his blue uniform, one piece zipped over his frame.&nbsp; He didn't answer immediately.&nbsp; "Charlie?"

&nbsp;

He turned to face Arvin, an apologetic look on his face.&nbsp; He wasn't supposed to be that close.&nbsp; "It's... it's warm," he said, by way of explanation, looking at the chair.&nbsp; Oh shit, oh shit oh shit.

&nbsp;

"Charlie, buddy, come on back, okay?"&nbsp; The cat held out a hand to the big bull.&nbsp; He'd never been close, per se, to the bull, but he'd always nodded, or been friendly.&nbsp; Jokes about his horns in the break room, or got a coffee when they were both off at the same time.&nbsp; The cat didn't really interact with anyone much from work in his home life.&nbsp; He'd never really considered why that might have been, but for the moment he resolved, if Charlie would just step back, he'd take him out for a drink or something.&nbsp; Anything.&nbsp; Just get the fuck back.&nbsp; "Charlie, you gotta step back, okay?"

&nbsp;

His mind raced to procedure.&nbsp; He was already out of line right now, he had to call control, but he didn't want to risk losing Charlie.&nbsp; "It's... warm," was all he said, again, his face looking as if he wanted to cry.&nbsp; Oh shit.

&nbsp;

"Breach 205," the cat quickly said into his lapel mic.&nbsp; "Control, we're gonna lose someone."

&nbsp;

There was silence in his earpiece for a minute or two, then the cameras began to retract from the ceiling.&nbsp; "Acknowledged.&nbsp; Collect the sample, then write a detailed report."

&nbsp;

The cat shook his head, as if control were a person in front of him.&nbsp; "You don't understand, it's Charlie, he was cleaning, he must have touched it, you gotta send help," he pleaded, the words coming faster and faster out of his mouth.

&nbsp;

"You're already out of procedure.&nbsp; There is no help.&nbsp; Collect the sample, write the report."

&nbsp;

He wasn't authorized to do any of this, but here he was.&nbsp; The cameras looked passively at the scene, recording.&nbsp; "But-!"

&nbsp;

Charlie, trembling, turned to sit in the chair, and it was like the sound got sucked out of the room.&nbsp; Arvin's heart was pounding, and he couldn't hear it.&nbsp; He was breathing ragged, like he was going to run in terror, but he couldn't hear it.&nbsp; His chest heaved.&nbsp; The light brightened, the shadow deepened.&nbsp; There was nothing but the scene in front of him.&nbsp; Was it a trick of forced perspective, that the bull sat in the worn, wooden chair, and it looked perfectly sized for him?&nbsp; Like an Ames room, was the chair much larger than he thought?&nbsp; The cat blinked rapidly.&nbsp; Charlie sighed, looking... tired.&nbsp; And strangely at peace, like he knew something was going to happen - and happen it did.

&nbsp;

Looking at Arvin, the bull shivered and his mouth opened, as if trying to say something.&nbsp; For just a moment, he looked like himself again, with his wits about him.&nbsp; He tried again to say something, a warning?&nbsp; His mouth moved, and he lurched, as if to get up, but... he couldn't.&nbsp; Puzzled, he tried again, eyes widening.&nbsp; It was as if his body wouldn't cooperate with his mind.&nbsp; And then his cloven feet stopped touching the ground.

&nbsp;

His chest worked like a bellows as he began to draw into himself, centred at a point somewhere on his backside.&nbsp; The back of the chair began to peek out from behind him as he became smaller and smaller.&nbsp; His breathing calmed only somewhat, and his expression turned to horrified curiosity, as his legs drew upwards, feet now pointing straight out like a calf sitting in a chair for adults.&nbsp; He laughed soundlessly, eyes wild, mad for a moment.&nbsp; Smaller and smaller, those wild eyes caught Arvin's.

&nbsp;

The cat's mouth was open in horror at all of this, reaching out as if to help, yet not daring to move even an inch closer.&nbsp; Chest still heaving, unable to say anything, he only raised one hand and waved at Charlie.

&nbsp;

The bull, perhaps realising that this was the end, began to cry out, plead, anything for help.&nbsp; Smaller and smaller, hands reaching out for Arvin, for anyone.&nbsp; Like water swirling down the drain, the last moments were mercifully brief.&nbsp; Feet turned to inches - centimetres, the cat willed himself to remember, then millimetres, falling, falling, then...

&nbsp;

Arvin fell back onto his ass as the power flicked back to life, gasping, the ballast now working.&nbsp; A hum of electronics buzzed in his ear, and he heard the bell tone of tinnitus.&nbsp; Shaking his head, trembling, he looked at the chair.&nbsp; Nothing.

&nbsp;

Standing up, heart thumping with nervous energy, he stepped back from the cursed object to retreat behind the counter again, still staring.&nbsp; The tare reading for the plate blinked.&nbsp; Non-zero, was all it said.&nbsp; He swallowed.&nbsp; Reaching into a drawer, he pulled out a static wand, a plastic sheet.&nbsp; As soon as he moved it near his jacket, it began to pick up fur.&nbsp; Perfect.

&nbsp;

Walking quickly back to the chair, he held the wand as close to the surface as he dared, kneeling down and peering.&nbsp; The seat still presumably smelled of Charlie, he thought to himself, as he waved it back and forth, watching it pick up any tiny detritus from the surface.

&nbsp;

His ears twitched as the door clicked open, and he turned quickly to see who was entering, knocking the chair with the back of his hand lightly.&nbsp; "Fuck," he cursed to himself as he retreated, trembling.&nbsp; He capped the wand in a plastic housing quickly as Rous entered.&nbsp; Tall and thin, the canine raised an eyebrow.&nbsp; "You okay?" he asked, his dark brown fur contrasting with silver framed glasses.&nbsp; "You needed help?&nbsp; You got the sample okay, though," he said, offering a hand out to take it.&nbsp; Arvin complied, dropping the wand into his hand and leaning against the counter.&nbsp; "Hey, do you want to go get a coffee or something?&nbsp; Take a break?&nbsp; I'll review the tapes and start the report, okay?"

&nbsp;

The cat nodded.&nbsp; Stepping quickly out of room 205, he closed the door and leaned against the wall, gripping one hand with the other.

&nbsp;

The chair was... warm.

Source: https://sofurry.com/s/rn6Gka01