Prologue - Revel
The screams of a siren blaring brake through the crippling fog clouding my head. The vibrations are so deafening my eardrums can’t help but pop and quiver. It’s almost painful enough to mask the incision line down the center of my chest.
Shaking my head, my body revolts at the ear splitting sound. My legs are far too weak to stand but my need to flee has me dragging my half limp body against the cool white floor. It takes me several minutes but I finally get my body to the back of my cell, stopping only when my ass hits the wall behind me.
Leaning my full body weight against the wall I will my limbs to wake, for my head to clear from the anesthesia. Sucking in deep breaths I try to calm my pounding heart.
After several minutes the siren is abruptly cut off but the echo continues bouncing around the sterile room for several minutes before it slowly begins to fade, the sounds of heavy Gunfire becoming the main focus as whatever is happening draws closer to my locked cage.
Curling myself into a tight ball I try to make myself as small as possible without aggravating my fresh stitches. You’d never know by looking at me that I was once a fierce fighter. Now I’m nothing more than a helpless and weak man who cowers at the smallest of sounds. It’s almost shameful how far I’ve fallen, but I guess that’s what 5 years of captivity and endless excruciating experiments does to a person.
The echoes of bullets continue to bounce along the too white hallways, the sound becoming almost cathartic to my battered soul, lulling me into a dreamless sleep.
I’m not sure how long I actually sleep for but the sound of heavy footsteps heading my way jerks my body awake. My body is coiled in on its self so tightly that you can barely see my head hidden under my tail. When the steps stop outside my enclosure door I can’t stop the dread from rushing down my spine.
Why? Why could they possibly be here for me already. They just brought me back from their last experiment. As the locks on the door make their knowing click I can’t help that rush that’s washed over me every single day for the last 5 years. That what if this is it, what if this is my chance to run? It never is, and to be honest I’m just too fucking tired right now to even try.
As the final lock clicks and the door to my cage begins to make that seamless swing open, I can’t help but feel relieved when I take in the human standing before me. Henry.
In the 5 years I’ve been here I’ve met plenty of nice staff, most of them start off that way anyway. Fresh faced and innocent. But Henry. He’s truly a good kid, you can see it in his eyes, because while the others started out kind you could always see the darkness lingering there, but not Henry. No, never Henry.
“Revel, are you awake?” Henry’s voice is a horse whisper as he slowly steps over the threshold of my cell. Never not once in my years here has anyone taken a step in this room without a gun aimed firmly at my head.
“Revel?” His footsteps are so agonizingly slow as he crosses the small space until he’s standing right in front of me, my eyes tracking his every flinch while constantly flicking back to the door noticing he’s left it open.
As Henry begins to bend into a kneel I can’t stop the pained growl from escaping my lips, the sound causes his body to lock up before he takes in a deep agonizing breath.
“Revel, we have to go. There are men here, and they’re killing everyone.” his voice is so panicked but I don’t move, not a single an inch. I know better than to try, and escape.
“Revel, please, we have to go. If you stay here you’re going to die.” again I don’t move but this time Henry, despite my low growl gently lays his hand on my head. His hand is so soft as it runs through my fur.
“I know you have no reason to trust me Revel but you have to come with me, I will get you out. Please.” At the pain in his voice I can’t help but want to believe him. Flicking my eyes back to the open door I know it’s a long shot, but if on the off chance he’s telling me the truth, and this is my way out I would be an idiot not to take it, and if this backfires on me well then at least I lasted this long.
So despite the pain radiating through my body I shakingly get to my feet. My eyes tracking Henry’s movements as he so very slowly backs up. He stays crouched down at my level the whole time watching me inch closer, and closer.
When I finally make it to the precipice of the prison that’s been my home the last 5 years Henry finally stands, his body is on high alert, and so is mine. Is this really it? Surely someone is going to charge In here and I’ll be punched. Whining I can’t stop my paws from stepping back.
“Revel, no please. We have to go. They’re heading this way, please come. We’re out of time.” Henry’s voice is so shaky, and faint I almost don’t hear it amongst the gun shots…. Gun shots that are definitely coming closer.
“Revel, come on please.” Knowing I don’t have much of a choice, I either stay here and suffer, or I trust this human. If he’s lying at least I’ll know to never trust another.
Stepping over the threshold of my cage for the first time since I was thrown in here this feeling I shouldn’t feel starts to take over, hope. “Okay, they’re near the front still so we have to go out the back, once we make it out the door you need to run Revel. I will get to my car as quickly as I can, and then try to find you.”
Henry inhales so harshly it makes me want to whimper. “Revel if I don’t find you, just don’t stop. Get out, and get free.” With that he squares his shaking shoulders and opens the lab door ushering me through it before taking off down the corridor.
On as silent paws as I can manage I follow closely behind him, my stitches pull with every step and my muscles are screaming at me with this being the most they’ve moved in so long they feel almost atrophied, but still I push myself to stay on Henry’s heels.
After several long hallways filled with too many doors to count, and six signs that have pointed towards a back entrance, we finally come to an abrupt stop at a heavy door marked with the word “EXIT” in bold red letters. Henry reaches for the lit up keypad, typing in his code over, and over again.
Sweat is beading down his temple, his hands are shaking so fiercely its making me dizzy as he continues to try to get the door to unlock, but it’s dead. The light indicating that the door is functional keeps flashing on and off with every attempt, almost as if its not getting enough power to do its one job.
After several tries Henrys panicked breath catches, and he fumbles in his pocket for his set of keys. “No, no, no!” he mutters under his breath as he drops the keys to the floor in his haste.
The sound of footsteps echoing down the hallway next to ours makes my fur stand on end, so before Henry can scramble to pick the keys up, I lower my head quickly grabbing them in my mouth, before carefully placing them in his trembling hand.
“Thank you,” he whispers, his voice choaked up as he hurriedly works to unlock the door. Just as the lock clicks open, the echo of shouting voices, and boots pounding the floor makes both our heads snap toward the corridor.
“Run, Revel! Go!” Henry yells, pushing the door open and shoving me through. His voice cracks with urgency, but my pace is slow, my body screaming in protest with each step.
were barely a few feet away before armed men burst through the door behind us, weapons raised. Henry lets out a furious yell, throwing himself between them, and me.
“RUN!” he screams, his voice breaking as he charges them, gripping one of the men's gun before another cold cocks him in the back of his head with their own, horror laces through my chest so viciously as I watch Henrys body collapse.
"Run, Revel." is the last thing I hear Henry say before the man he originally grabbed drops the barrel of his gun to the center of Henrys forehead and pulls the trigger.
With my whole body shaking I break into a pained, staggering run. Each step feels like fire tearing through my body, but I don’t stop. I can’t. Henry’s lifeless eyes tearing apart my soul as the sound of gunfire fades with every foot I put between me and those men.
My heart hurts, my body hurts but still I press on, my paws hitting damp earth as I leave the facility, and the worst five years of my life behind.
The forest is a blur, my vision swimming as pain and exhaustion threaten to drag me under. Finally, after what feels like hours but is likely only minutes, the trees thin, and I stumble onto rough asphalt. My paws barely step onto the road when headlights blind me.
And that’s the last thing I remember. The last thing I saw was freedom chasing me down in a flash of light and the roar of an engine before darkness claimed me.
