PAW Patrol: Incubus

Chapter 6- Archline Magnum Opus

Ryder merely stared forward, not meeting anyone's gaze as he surveyed the three prisoners. No one knew what happened to the ACG pilot, an uncertainty that filled Rocky with dread. He was just a driver, barely trained in holding a sidearm, with what slim chance there was, the captain prayed for the pilot's safety. Chase wouldn't stop glaring at Ryder, a look he hadn't yet dropped, and Marshall had shut his muzzle, falling silent.

What would the others say? Rocky knew his friends would be looking for him, their own captain suddenly vanishing off the face of the Earth. He already had Bella's blessing mere hours ago, only suddenly to hit failure in the worst way possible. They'd be waiting, occasionally sending out a few messages, only for radio silence to reply back. A pit formed in his stomach; would he ever see the ACG again?

A sound of impact filled the air, a cloud of dust kicking up as a body hit the floor. Rocky turned at the noise, locking eyes with Chase's unconscious frame. "What-" He started to say, glancing at Marshall just as the soldier came up behind him. The stock of his rifle slammed against the Dalmatian's skull, buckling his legs and sending him to the floor.

Bristling with alarm, Rocky bared his teeth to lunge. "Hey! What're you-" He was silenced quickly, as Ryder pulled his handgun and whipped the mixed breed sharply on the head. A quick groan spilled out of him into the dirt, his vision blurring over until it faded away.

"Tie their paws and load them up." Ryder commanded. "They're elites, we can't take any chances."

As Ryder led the soldiers, now carrying their knocked-out cargo, back the aircraft for home, the smallest frown appeared on the boy. He was quick to turn his head away, not letting the Archline soldiers witness his brief hesitation. There was no time for this, he knew, what had to be done, was going to get done. Thoroughly paralyzed, the three ACG soldiers were dragged along, hoisted up on the backs of the Archline troopers. Not even one could move, yet their minds ran wild within the subconscious, especially the German shepherd. While his body struggled to fix the damage, Chase's mind placed him in a sleep-like state.

His mind wandering from reality, he found himself in a quiet town.

Chase arose from the concrete road, his body feeling lighter than usual. His memories fogged, leaving him completely unable to place how he arrived there. The street was completely empty, stretching far on the horizon with nothing but idle leaves and papers blowing in the wind. Thick fog drifted through the town, surrounding all that existed with gentle, yet all-consuming mist. Cautiously walking to the sidewalk, Chase dreaded even opening his mouth. "Hello?" He called out, looking around the greyed, lifeless buildings and shops that lined the streets. "Anyone there?" His ears flattened in his confusion, an odd feeling poking up in the back of his mind. Had he been here before? He already felt as if hours had passed, quickly turning to days, months, years, a lifetime of endless wandering in the infinite nothing. Even the smallest blink of his eyes seemed to whisk the time away. His breath caught in his throat, paws beginning to shake as his field of vision shrank. Legs shortening as he walked, as if his body was slowly pushing itself into the ground. By the time he had crossed the street, he stepped onto the sidewalk as an infant puppy.

"Hello?" His voice was higher, the canine's age winding backward.

Booming words echoed across the town, as if the city itself had spoken. "I warned you. But you didn't listen." Chase shuddered as he heard of them, a sharp vibration traveling through the ground.

The puppy backed up against one of the abandoned shops. "Who is that?" He called, looking around fearfully. "Who's there?"

A grisly tone met his ears. "I gave you so many chances." Black shadow began to leech up through the street, wriggling free like worms in the dirt. Chase watched with frozen terror as the creatures straightened up, squirming tendrils growing from their heads. They kept going, getting longer and longer, until they fell upon one another and tangled into a gruesome spiderweb of nightmares. Folding and wrapping itself in many directions, the combined shadow twisted into a shape, standing on four legs and opening its fierce, lifeless eyes. "So many chances to leave while you still could, but you didn't listen."