Alright, a bit late, I don't plan on letting the other ones come out this late, but who knows

Again, these are a bit short, but I'd like to keep them that way because I feel it'd ruin the story if I shoved content in there just so I could up the word count.

Thank you so much for your continued support, I love you guys!

Furthermore, I present to you in all of her glory and light

Chapter II

Nick stomped down the fourth floor hallway. Mammals mingled around in them, fear evident in each and every one of them as air raid sirens blared in the background, their eyes glazed with tears as they darted nervously from person to person. Nick stormed his way down the obnoxiously lit corridor, many eyes followed him as he ran down the steps. He had a bit of a reputation centering around his occupation. He was the only government worker in the apartment complex, not to mention an officer, not to mention the first officer of his kind. As Nick bounded down the hall, one mammal, an otter Nick knew was named Desmond, stopped him before he could reach the end of the hall.

"What do we do, Nick?" He asked, voice quiet and fragile, eyes red with tears that no longer sat in his eyes, but the streaks running down his fur beneath his glowing hazel orbs let Nick know that he wasn't faring all too well.

"I-I'm not sure" Nick sputtered, his voice stuttering both due to fear and the insurmountable rush he found himself in, "But I really have no time to talk" He frantically stated, trying to push his way past the otter.

"W-w-wait" Desmond whispered, looking at Nick's outfit and demeanor, before meeting his gaze once again "You aren't leaving, are you?" He said with a raised voice, a gasp could be heard a door down from where the conversation took place.

"I'm afraid I am, I can't stay here" Nick said, attempting to shove his way past once again, only to have the small paw of the otter stop him. Nick huffed in frustration, clearly fidgeting in place as he tried to worm his way past Desmond.

"And I am afraid that I can't let you do that, Nicholas." Desmond said, concern and friendliness in his voice, "We need you here Nick, who knows what'll happen if you go outside!" He demanded, standing his ground and straightening his back.

"Des, please, I need to go, don't make me force you to move" Nick pleaded, trying in vain once more to get past the imposing otter. Nick's breath began to get faster, he was scared beyond belief for Judy, and he'd do anything to get to her and get her safe.

"It would seem that's just what you're going to have to do, officer" Desmond said as he attempted to stare down the fox standing in front of him.

Nick sighed. "I'm sorry, friend." He apologized, giving the otter a somber look. He then snatched the otter's paw, sweeping his leg in front of Desmond's and pushing it out from under him, he then used the momentum created by Desmond falling forward to pull his arm harder, launching the frail otter behind him and down the hall a few feet. Desmond's wife let out a surprised yip from where she stood in the house, and ran out to see to her husband. A few mammals gasped, surprise taking over their fear for a few moments. As well as his reputation as an officer, Nick also held a reputation of being extremely non-confrontational. He did his best to de-escalate situations with friendliness and a calm mentality, so to see beloved police Sergeant Nick Wilde toss another mammal three feet down the hall and on to his face, was a very unsettling sight. Nick began again for the stairwell entrance, stopping and speaking over his shoulder before leaving, "I'm truly sorry, Des, but I have to make sure she's safe.". He threw the door open and began sprinting again down the stairs, not stopping until he burst through the main entrance. Outside, he stood, stopped dead in his tracks. The streets were empty. Nick had expected to see some mammals scurrying around or driving in cars, but he saw none. No one was sauntering down the sidewalks, no mammals laughed in nearby pubs, no buses left the stench of diesel as the drove by. Nothing. There was nothing but the constant buzz of air raid sirens and a rare gust of wind.

As far as cars went, he had never needed one before the ZPD. He had simply lived out of Finnick's van. But after his promotion in both rank and pay, Nick bought himself a car. It was no luxury cruiser, nor was it rusted or old. It was a simple, plastic black 15Z Pawnda Civic. Shaking off the newfound fear and stillness, he began sprinting again for the communal single-story parking lot, he hopped over the short concrete barrier and quickly identified his car. He threw the door open, jamming the keys in the ignition. He didn't bother to place his foot on the brake before shifting into drive, he didn't bother to check for pedestrians as he drove down the ramp and he surely did not care for any speed limit. He peeled out of the garage, leaving nothing but black tire marks in his wake. The radio was switched on automatically, and it played the same pained alarm as his TV set back in his apartment. The same eerie robotic monotone voice voiced instructions to keep off telephone lines and stay indoors.

Nick felt zero remorse for his willful violation of instructions. The only thing on his mind as he sped down each empty street was Judy. Her house was a ten minute drive when you factored in traffic and speed limit. Nick made the trip in nearly three. He came to a very loud, screeching halt in front of the Grand Pangolin Arms. He lept out of his car, not bothering to lock it, not bothering to close the door on his way out. He slid across the hood and ran into the building Judy called home.

"I'm coming to get you" Came Nick's determined and somehow still terrified voice. The call ended there, and all Judy could do was stare blankly at her phone. Though her crying had subsided, tears still came to her eyes, some even threatening to spill over her eyelids once again. She turned her phone off, but still couldn't get over what was happening. She turned to her laptop. It still played the EAS message, over and over again, a reminder of the incoming storm that she still couldn't quite get a hold of. She winced whenever it went over the part about staying inside under every circumstance. She knew what was happening and she knew she was scared, but she had no idea the real ramifications of what was coming, she couldn't wrap her mind around the impossible threat or the massive change her life just took. She stared blankly at her wall, thinking of everything and nothing and her family and the people she loved and Nick. There was a knock at her door, making her jump a foot in the air and gasp very audibly.

She stood, eying the door. "N-Nick?" She hesitated, taking a tentative step towards it. She knew that Nick was in a rush, but she doubted beyond belief that he had come in a mere thirty seconds.

"No, sorry" Came the meek voice of Pronk, her next door neighbor.

"Oh, uhh, come in." Judy mumbled, still numbed from the whole experience. She sat down on her bed once again, head buzzing, eyes focused on nothing but blank space. Pronk opened the door and was greeted by a very odd sight. slowly approaching, he sat next to Judy. The aforementioned rabbit had never been very close with the Oryx-Antlersons, but she had never shown any malice or anger at them. Sure they could be noisy in more ways than one, but they were always decently pleasant to her.

"I err…" He started, clearing his throat awkwardly, "I heard your conversation with your fox partner." He said, trying to look anywhere but the grey ball of sorrow and blankness he was sitting next to. He had begun to say something else, but was interrupted when Judy -despite herself and current situation- chuckled lightly.

"Of course you did," She shook her head fondly, and her silent chuckles grew slightly in volume, and she kept laughing. She kept laughing until she realized she wasn't anymore, and instead of laughing she was crying, and instead of just her head shaking it was her whole body, the dams in her tear ducts bursting for the second time in only minutes. She shook violently, sobbing. The whole gravity of the situation finally came down on her like a rock, crushing her spirit and her optimism. Pronk but his hoof on her shoulder. He had no idea what to do, the entire situation came off as odd to him. He'd seen her sad, sure. Depressed? All the time, glum, angry, solemn, all of the above. But he'd never seen her so broken.

I guess this catastrophe brings out the worst in all of us he mused.

Pronk noticed the faint noise of a car coming to a halt outside the building, a frantic opening of the main door and a very annoyed sounding Mrs. Dharma Armadillo. there was a pounding coming up the stairs, the sound of panting and boots slamming into the the ground as a lone mammal came rushing up them. Judy heard as an unknown character raced up seven flights of stairs, shoving past a hyena couple on his way up. Nick appeared at her doorway seconds later, pausing slightly at the scene before him. Judy looked up, and in one motion, flew off the bed and wrapped her arms around Nick, just as he knelt down and embraced her with the same fervor as she.

They said nothing. Nothing needed to be said. All she did was cry into his shoulder, holding him as tight as she could. After a little while, Judy spoke through her tears. "You could've gotten yourself hurt! What would I do without you?" She sobbed, digging her head into his neck as he smoothed down her ears and held her even closer than he though he could ever hold someone. Had the circumstances been any different, Pronk would've made his displeasure in watching the intimate embrace very audibly known. He had often joked with his husband about the two quirky officers, and how it was painfully obvious that both longed to be more than just friends, so when either of the Oryx-Antlersons got a chance to tease their neighbor about the fox that she loved, they took it. The circumstances that currently presented themselves however, were very different, and Pronk only wished he was with his Husband in the small town of Podunk visiting Bucky's parents with him.

They held that way for a long time, long after Judy had stopped crying and long after Nick was calm. Eventually, reluctantly, they parted. Nick looked her in the eyes, his expression telling her that she wasn't going to like what he had to say.

"Judy, listen," He began, hesitance in his voice. "I uhh," He began and stopped again. He reached out and grabbed her paw, holding it tightly in his own. "We can't stay here."

"Well we can't leave either." She said, believing that she was simply pointing out the obvious. Nick gave her a look that told her she was wrong. "Nick…" She said, a questioning fear in her voice.

"Fluff, we have to go somewhere, anywhere, just not here, it isn't safe."

"Nick, this is my home, it's as safe as we're going to be!"

"There's safer."

"Where Nick? Where could possibly be safer?"

"Precinct One"

"Nick, so help me gods we are not going to the station, please, we can't leave!" Her nose began to twitch, and let go of Nick's paw, taking a step back.

"Judy, our precinct has other officers, an armory and plenty of room to hide, no one will know we're there!" He argued.

"Nick! Outside is dangerous, if we go who knows what'll happen to us?" She gestured wildly in the air, and Nick was reminded of his 'conversation' with Desmond not seven minutes earlier.

"Judy," He began, reaching out and putting his paw under her chin, lifting it up so her eyes would meet his. "Right now, no one's outside, but if we wait, whoever's coming from Canapia will be outside, and then it won't be safe, at all. We have to move now before we can't."

"Nick…" She sighed, defeat in her voice.

"I know" He reassured, hugging her quickly before getting off of his knee. He offered his paw to her once more, and she took it. "My car's outside, let's go quickly." She just nodded in agreement as they began the journey outside once more.

At some point during their argument, Pronk had let himself out of Judy's room. He had originally planned on inviting her over, so they could ride out whatever impending disaster crept towards them together, but as he watched Officer Wilde escort Officer Hopps out of the building, he assumed that she had better plans. Gods how he wished he was in Podunk with his husband right now...