Dog Gone (15)
Dog Gone (15) By Roofles
I wanted to ask him more about him but we ended up walking in silence. After it all I didn't really have my heart in it. What could I say? Or do? His home was a hell he had just now found out about. It was gone and he'd never see it again. Any friends or connection he had there were ripped apart leaving him an emotional mess. I would've been if everything I knew was just a lie. After finding some kind of sanctuary after becoming what we are. A place for dogs to be dogs... only for it to be as twisted and corrupt as the rest of this place. Poor Biscuit.
"So about that bj." He stopped and turned around with the largest grin I ever saw on his face. His ears were up and tail was wagging a mile of minute. Apparently he wasn't as emotionally scarred as a normal person would be....
"I said once we got out of here," I noted tapping his nose. He splayed his ears and whined pulling back a little bit.
"But you said!" He whined louder his shoulders slacking. "How about just a lick?"
"No." I kept walking.
"A nose?" He pressed catching up to me and walked by my side, his hand dipped down an took my in his once more as if he were helping me down some stairs. Yet he was just holding my hand now. My grip tightened around his and I nudged his side.
"Biscuit." I growled a bit.
"Oh I know!" He turned in front of me grabbing my other hand and raising it up. He looked so damn giddy. "A teabag! You got me so now I should get you. Only fair." He wagged a finger in my face looking at me as if this was some kind of rule I didn't know about.
"I'm sure we will," I said patting the side of his face with a laugh. "But we're in the middle of only god knows what, in enemy territory. Besides you said there are ferals around here. I don't even know what a feral is."
"Oh I'm sure we'll see some." He looked around as if expecting to just see one so he could point it out. He still held my hand. "They don't really bother dogs too much which is why I was going to unleash them on The Society. It would just shake things up a bit and possible snap them out of the funk they were in. But I guess they'll have to learn to adapt or die..." He mumbled still looking around. I swear he was more interested in showing me a feral than the fate of his home. "Where are those buggers? They're usually crawling everywhere around here."
He was pouting over the fact we weren't seeing any blood thirsty abominations that wanted nothing more than to have us for a snack. He was a very strange dog.
"I'm sure we'll run into some soon." I yawned loudly shaking my head. "Let's hurry and find Brutus, get us out of here and then give you that whatever." I mumbled a bit keeping an eye out for any of those ferals. "Then we'll all be happy la la day or something." I wasn't even putting effort into it anymore.
"But what if..." He stopped and fidgeted a bit. "When you meet Brutus you won't want me anymore?"
I looked at him and shook my head. Where did that come from? He shifted his weight and wasn't able to meet my eyes, whining in a low tone. He was really worried about? How long had he been thinking such things? More concerned about me and us than...well than anything else really.
I took both his paws in my hands. "No matter what happens, you'll always be my best friend Biscuit. That's not ever going to change. I don't know what the deal with Brutus and me is. If we're together, or brothers, or good friends or if we're a long lost father and son. I don't know. But I do know," I looked into those brown and green eyes. "That you will always be my best friend." I hugged him after that and he hugged me. We stood there for a minute or so before we let go and we had an awkward moment between guys when they were caught after an emotional moment.
"But I got an itch that you can suck." He said coming back to the real matter at hand, apparently.
"Biscuit...that doesn't even make sense." I covered my face in my hand shook my head.
The lights kept flicking on an off above us. This part of the facility hadn't seen any care in a long time. My eyes had already adjusted to the twilight like world around us. Several desk had been pushed into these hallways and stacked up with chairs and other things forming make shift barrier that had long since crumbled apart. Several bones and dried carcasses were in front of them and behind. Some of the dogs behind the barrier were wearing similar outfits that we had on. That didn't give me much confidence looking back ahead of us.
It looked like several of these barricades had been made along this long expansion of a hallway. Each had the same thing and only got worst as we continued on past. It looked like these were stands the dogs took against some kind of invading army.
"During the construction, I heard, the sound attracted several different things. Ferals were the most common. This part of the facility was responsible for them after all." Biscuit clarified having been watching me inspect one of the constructions. It was covered in dried blood and there was a smell of gunpowder on the corpses. The bodies had been stripped clean except for the ruined, tattered armor they had on that looked like a lion had ripped it apart. Again...didn't put much confidence in the heavy, stuffy thing weighing me down.
"It's better then nothing." He noted as I picked at the outfit I had on. "You can take it off if you want. I won't let anything happen to you." That sounded like a really bad pick up line.
"I can keep it on for now. It's a bit too big and smells horrible. But it's better then nothing." I repeated his own words back to him looking up with a smile. I was in a hallway of death and decay that smelt as bad as this uniform did...and it was ok because Biscuit was here. I just had a horrible feeling of loneliness in this place. Wandering these halls were bad enough but the thought of doing this alone was unbearable. Words couldn't express how thankful I was for having Biscuit here with me.
"You alright?" He asked nosing my head and letting out a breath in my hair. I wiggled an ear as the air he breathed over it. He nosed at it and I squirmed at that feeling of his cold nose.
"I'm fine you pest," I pushed against him weakly not even trying to move him away. In fact I found myself nosing his neck and nuzzling against it.
"...So want to give me that bj now?"
I groaned pushing him away and rolled my eyes.
"What?" He asked following me. "I'm a dog with a bone, give me a break." He really was a horndog. An I couldn't help but like the attention as the flush drained from my face to gorge in a lower body part that was aching for attention.
"I told you once we were out of this place. Respect the dead." I said right as I happened to step on an snap a bone. A shiver ran up my leg and along my back. "This really isn't the right place."
"Well I'm sure we can find a spare room or something." He perked up looking around as if to spot one with a sign above it like a sleezy hotel room. I rolled my eyes watching my step very carefully as we finally made it past the last barricade and into the next room. That was but only a series of hallways.
"Well now what?" I asked. "Ini mini miny moe," I counted the old childhood rhyme that came to mind. It made my tail wag. Things were coming so natural now...it was nice. I couldn't think them up but they came to me as natural as breathing the air around us.
Biscuit scratched his chin and neck as he set the bag down with our supplies in it. "Well we usually just go one way and then mark as we go so we can find our way back." He said pointing out the blue mark on one of the halls. There was a purple mark and some of the various things had been set up as a small mound, marking a different hallway.
A light went on above one of the halls. "Does that normally do that?" I asked looking at it suspiciously. I looked down the hallway and another light flicked on. Followed by another at the end of it.
"Not usually..." He picked up the bag.
"Wait, where do you think your going?" I asked as he started down the hall.
"I was going to follow the yellow brick road." He said over his shoulder heading onwards. I followed behind. This really felt like a bad, bad idea.
I turned the shotgun over in my hand and counted the cartridges lining the side of it keeping an eye out for anything suspiscious on the way. The ones in the chamber and the spares I had grabbed on our way out meant I had a total of...enough. I liked to think. Numbers didn't matter until I ws running out. For now I had enough. That was good. I kept the gun up just in case as I counted the clips I had in my pockets. Two for the rifle and I had three on my leg for the pistol. I had a grenade but I didn't feel comfortable with using it. But would it all be enough? I didn't want to stress over the thought. Focusing on what laid before us was the only thing I needed to worry about right now. I'd cross the bridge if we run out of ammo when we came to it.
A steady breath escaped me as I forced myself to calm down as we turned the corner. More of those lights lit our way. Guiding us. Biscuit didn't seemed concerned at all with what was going on which only left me worrying more. He was the gun, the brute. I had to do what I could then. Think things out and figure our what was going on. How this all connected.
The alpha said that we should see this Stephany person. That she could see all around the facility. Did that mean she already knew we were coming to see her? Was she the one lighting our way? That would make sense. If she had control of the facility, if only some parts, she could at least do this much. So we would be expected.
"Wait up Biscuit." I said not even keeping my voice down. These people have a serious problem with guests. Variables in their equations as the Alpha had mentioned. In his opinion it was best just to scratch them out. "We're going the right way." I looked past him then behind us. The lights behind us had turned off leaving a dark corner behind like an abyss. "But I doubt we're going to be welcomed with open arms." There wasn't much point trying to keep info from him like before. The result was worst then I thought it would be and that may have been because I hadn't told him even though I knew. Like a parent keeping a secret from a child only for him to find out from another means.
"Stephany I know your listening." I said loudly, probly more so than needed to be. Hell I wasn't even sure if she could hear us even if I shouted. "And we're headed your way to find out info about Brutus. I bet you already know that too though." The only response I got was another light turning on. "An I doubt your just going to give us the info we need without some kind of...compensation for it." Again there was no response so I continued forward.
The light at the end of the hall flicked off and a light turned on directly to my left down that hall. I looked up above us as if expecting to see a camera watching us before turning down the hallway. Biscuit followed.
We headed up the flight of stairs an my breath caught in my throat as anothers sound caught my ears. It was around the corner and heavy whatever it was. It's feet crunched on the floor as it sniffed around.
"Don't worry. It's just a feral." Biscuit said looking around the corner. He said it so casually too as if it wasn't a big deal. "Don't make eye contact or any sudden movements and we'll be fine." He waved for me to followed and I did.
The thing looked more like a bear than a dog. It had a serious case of mange though. Half its body was furless and the skin was a pale that looked almost human but grayer and more...dead like. Its hand were large but they were twisted form between a paw and a hand. Long fingers that had claws on the end of them. They were long and needed a trim...but that was the least of it's worries.
It was just easier not to look at it. Not to acknowledge it. This thing would leave us alone...right?
We hugged the wall slowly creeping our ways by. It turned its head and I kept the corner of my eye on it making sure if it moved I would see. It had large eyes that pupils were far too dilated. They had a milky tint to those black pools. It sniffed at the air not even really looking at us just in our general direction. Its ears turned on its fur patched head towards us but kept moving like a sonar dish. Bowing it's head it went back to rummaging through the garbage on the ground.
Even so I found myself holding my breath and doing my damnest to quiet the beating of my heart that might as well have been a drum solo to my ears. My steps sounded like I was stepping on fire crackers and even the fabric of the armor rubbing against my pants sounded like sandpaper against a chalk board...with nails or something. Gah! I couldn't even think straight as fear weld up inside me my throat seemed to tighten and I wasn't breathing anymore. Images of the dogs with their suits torn open kept popping into my head. I had to close my eyes and hold onto biscuit as I followed quickly behind nearly pulling the bag on his back off as I gripped tighter.
"Hey, hey it's ok. It's ok." I heard Biscuits voice but it seemed far away. I looked up, breathing heavily. My eyes were watery and I was still clinging to his outfit tightly. He brought his paws up and grasped my wrists gentle until I let go. I found myself in a tight hug and nuzzled against that opening in the top of that outfit. Smelling his scent, that musky rich smell of his...that somehow relieved the tension building inside me.
I didn't get it. I had been fine before. Everything was good and calm and peaceful and good because Biscuit was here and that I wasn't alone and now I'm just rambling inside my own head trying to figure out what the hell happened.
He rubbed the back of my neck and nuzzled back. "It's been a long trip for the both of us. Stephany can wait...we should find a place and crash for the night." Biscuit nuzzled my ear and let out a warm breath against it making it twitch. I closed my heads resting against his chest. Feeling the warmth and smelling that scent. I don't know how I had gotten by without him before.
"Yeah. That sounds good. Real good. A nice quiet place." I pulled back enough to look up into his face. He smiled and licked the top of my muzzle. A warm slobbery tongue ran up between my eyes. "I'm just exhausted, is all. No worries, heh."
We both looked up as a light flicked on. It was at the entrance to a room that Biscuit checked out before coming back for me. Even standing there alone for a half minute or so was beyond words. Fear had crept into my heart. The knowledge terrified me. It felt as if I would be better off without it. Ignorant bliss...it seemed like such a good thing now.
"It's clear. No big bad boogie men in here," he teased and it only made me feel worst. I stuck my tongue out and followed him inside feeling like crap.
"Sorry just you know..." I was now the one rubbing my arm an unable to look him in the eye.
"Yeah. I'd be more worried if you weren't feeling anything." Biscuit said shutting the wooden door behind us. "Now that'd be a problem."
We were in an office. The ground was litered with papers and nearly every cabinet drawer had been pulled or thrown open. The room didn't look like it belonged in this place. Rather in an old school detective flick or some kind of principals office in a school. There was an old wooden desk with a chair behind it with the oldest looking computer I had ever seen sitting on top. I could see the light turn off in front of the door through the tinted glass window.
Biscuit tossed his bag into the corner and got behind the desk and gave it a shove. I got around the other side and set my gun down, kneeling down with him and pushed it the rest of the way. We tipped it over on it's side and the computer fell off with a crash; turning it so it blocked the door. The husky added several cabinets and shelves to it. I took a seat next to the bag, pulling the blanket off my shoulders and laid it on the ground for him. The floor wasn't so bad, he deserved it more then I did.
An as I thought he sat down on it. Then he turned around kicking his legs out and laid back on my lap. I didn't even notice that he had stripped off his chest piece of the suit, stashing it next to us, and was now on my lap...shirtless. I looked down at him not sure what to do for the grinning, tail wagging dog.
"Belly rub!" He said happily not even asking for one, almost demanding like a child would for a chocolate bar at the cash register in a store. A puppy dog would do the same, I guess.
"Fine." I rolled my eyes and cracked my knuckles, stretched each digit out carefully before scratching his belly. I closed my eyes and rested back as he cooed and murred and moaned and groaned an every other sound a dog could make while recieving a belly rub.
His fur was softer underneath. The top layer was more coarse and rough. His skin felt warm against my finger tips. It was nice the two of us just sitting and laying here like this. I could hear his steady breath in the silence around us and could smell his musky scent as it rose from the body on my lap. His fur was almsot greasy in nature and it clung to my hand. But I didn't mind. His scent was already all over me and it was something...you got used to, quickly...
The wind blew by carrying with it the fresh smell of nature. Something I had taken for granted here in the city. The summer heat was almost unbearable and we had escaped to saftey underneath a giant willow tree ontop of the hill over looking the lake. The tree drooped around us blocking most of the outside world in its canopy. The heat sapped our strength. Yet it was nice to be able to be out here, under these leaves. I would never have been out here alone. It wasn't even noon yet and it felt tired. Stupid heat, heh. I don't know how Brutus talked me into coming.
"I'm dieing." Brutus whined having taken it on himself not only to strip down to the bare minimum but to lay out across me. He was large and already was a mobile heater, his furry fuzzy body only made things worse as he covered me like a throw rug in this heat.
"Don't kill me then," I pushed against him but he dug his paws, all four, into the ground and it was impossible to move him. He looked up at me and when I had given up again he whined loudly about the heat once more. He flopped out against my chest and lap stretching out until just collapsing his full weight falling onto me. It felt like a sack of potatoes had hit me in the chest. Selfish bastard, heh.
"Too hot," he groaned rolled over and showing off that strong muscular chest and stomach of his. He kept looking down at it after catching my attention. His arm was up and his armpit was exposed; he had one eye closed and was looking at me with the other. His tail wagged when I made eye contact.
"Alright! Alright! I get it. Belly rub." I mumbled a few key words as I felt that fur on his chest. It was thick. No wonder why he was overheating. It was soft though. Once you got underneath the outer layer it felt like velvet silk. Then again I may be biased as he was my dog after all.
The wind continued to blow that day and we stayed under that tree like that until the pain of hunger finally forced us to stop being lazy. Heh, we did absolutely nothing that day. And I wouldn't have changed it for the world.
"Doug..."
I sat up looking around reaching for my gun. The room was dark and it took me a few seconds before I realized where I was. The body on me wasn't as soft or warm or big. An for those seconds I felt sad that it wasn't any of those things. Yet, if you asked me why, I couldn't have told you. Why it was that my body had already made it's choice of who it wanted lazing on top of me. Something my heart understood but not my mind. Brutus...where are you?
A small scrap of paper caught my eye. It had fallen off the desk when we moved it. I reached for it, grunting at the weight still on my lap holding me down like an anchor. My fingers brushed the end of it and with another loud grunt I grabbed it pulling back and panting a bit. Stupid Biscuit.
It was a photograph. An old black and white photo that edges were yellowing and the picture fading. It was in one of the labs. It looked brand new, possible when it opened. And there were six people smiling towards the counter. Two woman and four men. All happy smiling and wearing lab coats.
Somehow I doubt us coming here was just a coincidence.
"Biscuit. Biscuit!" I growled shaking the dog who had likewise fallen asleep. He blinked several times, yawned loudly in my face and rubbed his eyes looking around.
"Are we being invaded?" He mumbled his eyes locking on the door before turning towards me confused.
"No. We just should get going is all. We've been here for a...well I'm not sure how long but it's best if we continue." I didn't want to tell him about the reason why I was rushing. That I wanted to find this Brutus fellow as quickly as possible. That, maybe, when I did I could have more peaceful days like before. That feeling on top of the world again while actual just lazying the day away under a tree. A man and his dog.
"I no wanna." Biscuit grumbled turning onto his side and nuzzling his snout against the bottom of the suit where my belly could barely be seen. He licked it and my fur stood on end.
I scratched the back of his head and he murred in pleasure pushing into my hand. "Just a little longer," I confessed that I didn't want to move either. That this moment was nice. But that was the thing. It was nice not perfect. And I knew if it was Brutus that was here it would've been...