What happens when an alien with the ability to shapeshift invades a human-run base?
That's what this tale is all about.
Being a combination of the Newgrounds game "Pico's School" and the 1982 horror movie "The Thing," this story follows the Pico's School characters as their base is infiltrated by something malicious. Something out to get them. Something... that has been waiting a long time for something like this.
(So, I wanted to write this after seeing some cool art on Newgrounds. I asked permission to write a story based on the art, and the artist said I could. [Artist is @P1c0_P1c0 on Wattpad, PuansriChespin on Newgrounds btw.]
Fun fact. The "map" of the school is based on a Roblox game called "Pico's School RP." I used the layout of the school from that game because, in Pico's School, you can only access half the hallway. So, a few locations, mainly the cafeteria, were added for plot convenience. But instead of the rooms being almost empty, there's a bunch of materials and school supplies in them now!
But, be warned, if you didn't know, Pico's School is a violent game. Plus, this is a horror story, therefore it will contain swearing / inappropriate language, mentions of violence, mentions of death, and graphic content. What I'm saying is if you have a weak stomach or don't like violence, I suggest you sit this one out.
PS from the author, when it says "Narrator's POV" I mean that it's nobody's POV and that the author, (me) is talking. I prefer writing in my own POV, so please don't get mad at me. Anyways, with that out of the way, enjoy the story!)
Antique store owner Liz brings home a Victorian taxidermy hound from auction, unwittingly unleashing dark forces on her wife and son.
*****
Nat Loman has finally married the love of her life, Liz, and is getting used to her role as stepmother to Liz's 5-year-old son, Liam. The Loman family runs a bustling antique business so they attend a sale where a striking, black taxidermied hound is up for auction. Liz picks it up for the business, but it ends up being stored in their home, where Nat notices strange things occurring. She quickly discovers the past residents had died violently. Then she hears from a friend about the myth of "the devil's dog", a hound that perches in the shadows, tearing families apart from the inside. Soon, people around the Lomans are dying, and Liz is changing, darkening. It's up to Nat to save the woman she loves from the darkness closing in, and to save Liam from danger no matter what she has to sacrifice.
[[Winner of the 2018 Wattys "Hidden Gems" category]]
[[word count: 60,000-70,000 words]]