PAW Patrol: Incubus

Chapter 16- What Sleeps Beneath

The research team made haste outside of the dogtree forest. They were washed over in red light as they stepped into the open, emerging before a large field of what looked like blackened plants. It spanned for miles, like a dark sea of curly weeds and vines tangled up in one another.

"Interesting biome," Rocky noted, approaching the edge of the field. "What is this, plants, hair?" A small sniff of the weaving material brought the stench of sweat and musk to his nose. He could already see thousands of tiny insects swarming up and down the hairs like fleas, making him instantly back away with a mortified expression. "Ugh, I'm not walking through this."

"Didn't say we were," Averus said, looking out over the field. "No telling what's hiding in all that mess. The trapping site is right here along the edge."

Ryder crossed his arms, "you're sure this is going to work?"

"I'm not sure of anything, I'm just following orders."

Marshall walked off from the group slightly, looking around the outer glory of the Omnihive. At least they were out that depraved forest, even if the rest of the realm wasn't all that better. The fond memories of dry land were some of the happiest thoughts in his mind; the bright green grass warm under the paws, even the cool metal that composed the ACG warships. Anything was better than a ground made of soaked flesh and meat.

"Where is this light even coming from?" Marshall looked up to the foggy sky. "There's literally no sun here."

Rocky walked over to him, sharing his initial confusion. "I stopped questioning things after we saw the tree made of dog pieces. We probably shouldn't read too much on this."

"But aren't you curious how any of this is even possible? What's behind all this, what is powering the Omnihive?"

"I don't think we're meant to find out, at least not now."

Rocky wandered his vision back over to the working scientists, spotting a nearby eye that opened to spy on them.

"You're being watched," called the captain, pointing his paw at the peeping eye and pulling his gun.

Averus paid no attention to it, "careful with your ammo, you keep shooting out eyeballs, you won't have anything to fight the real threats."

"Those eyes could be the real threats."

"Give it a rest, captain," Parker spoke up, walking over to the group. "We understand the way you think, trust us. But we're quite safe out here."

Annoyed by their banter, Marshall broke away from the group and approached the field of vine-like hairs. No way in hell was he stepping paw in that, but a brief smell probably wouldn't hurt, anything to distract him from the dissonance in the group. Boredly casting his gaze across the field, he spotted something that gripped his fascination. Curiosity overtaking him, he wandered a little farther, stepping up careful to what appeared to be a large hole in the ground.

The pit was roughly twice his size in length, almost perfectly camouflaged in the gory surface of the land. Marshall peered over the edge, and quickly jumped backward in surprise at what he saw. Throughout the entire drop into the hole's darkness, jagged teeth scattered like a festering disease. Despite being only a simple pit in the ground, it lied in wait like a predatory hunter, keeping still for unsuspecting prey to suddenly fall into its unforgiving throat. It was like the mouth of jawless lamprey eel, only massive in size, and Marshall swore he felt a faint puff of breath emitting from the death pit.

"God, the hive itself is trying to kill us," the Dalmatian muttered. "Hope no one's fallen into that recently."

"Marshall!" Rocky called over. "Don't wander off, I need you to help me win these arguments." He shot a death glare at Averus and Parker.