Chapter 8

It was time. Ryder wasn't sure how he could do this, but it was time to take charge. He has been putting it off for long enough, so there is no excuse why he shouldn't do it now. After some tough debating and arguing with his pups, the boy was convinced that he should go apologize to his friends – Katie and Zoe, that is. The pups, unfortunately, didn't succeed in convincing their leader that Conner was doing it for his own good. But that didn't eliminate the burning betrayal he felt inside of him.

So, there he stood, a distance away where he saw the girls sitting on a bench near the school's cafeteria. He took a deep breath, remembering the encouraging words his pups gave him earlier that morning, and walked forward.

The two girls turned to him when he approached, smiling softly. They knew how times have been hard, especially for him, so they just waited until he was ready to talk.

"Hey…," Ryder trailed off awkwardly. They nodded in hello, looking at him expectantly. He rubbed the back of his neck, unsure of how to pursue the conversation. Maybe he should have planned this out better. Taking a deep breath, he continued. "I wanted to apologize to you two for having to put up with me for the past couple of days. I know I haven't been the best friend and have been treating you two differently when I shouldn't have. What happened between Conner and me has nothing to do with the both of you, so I'm sorry for dragging you into it.

"But I also wanted to thank you – both of you have been trying your best to lift my spirits and I appreciate it. You convinced me to talk to my pups after a while. You two have been good to me, recently and years ago… Yeah, I know that wasn't the best apology but-" He was cut off by Katie placing a finger against his lips. He looked at her, both of them, and realized that they were suppressing laughs. "What's so funny?"

"You don't need to apologize for that, silly!" Zoe giggled. "That's what friends are for after all."

"And don't think that this is over," Katie gave him a look, still keeping a finger on his lips. "You still have one more person to talk to."

He sent a confused look.

"Conner," both girls helped him out. Ryder sighed and gently pushed away Katie's hand.

"I… don't think that's a good idea," he dejectedly said. The two friends glanced at each other. Before they could say something, the bell rang, excusing them for their 3rd-period class.

"Just think about it," Katie insisted before pecking him on the lips before leaving with Zoe. Ryder sighed once more, about to leave for his class, but then felt someone staring at him. He turned his head to see Conner eyeing him from the distance. The boy couldn't exactly place the expression the other had, but whatever it was made him uncomfortable. Breaking the staring contest, Ryder went off to his third class.

Unfortunately, it happened to be the class where he and the other were together in. He couldn't help but feel tense, feeling mild hatred and betrayal toward Conner. But was it all anger? Was it guilt being converted as rage? His mind and gut doubted his decision, but he pushed it aside. Now wasn't the time anyway. And how can he be so sure that Conner would forgive him (even if he was the one to be blamed for)? Ryder didn't know and it was killing him.

Everyone turned their attention to the teacher, who began the lesson.

Rocky pulled up in front of the high school. Hopping off, he entered the building to find the main office. He had been called earlier by Ryder explaining that the school needed assistance repairing several hallway lights since the janitor was sick for the day. And since he was the perfect eco pup for the job, he gladly agreed.

He walked into a room after reading a sign that read 'office'. He smiled at the receptionist, who looked at him with confused eyes.

"Do you need something?" She asked, moving away from the computer she was previously typing at.

"I'm Rocky, being here on behalf of the Paw Patrol," the mix breed introduced. "I was told that there are several lights that need fixing and I'm ready to help!"

Her eyes lit up in recognition. "Ah, yes! There are several lights down the hall to the left that won't light up, including some outside. We supposed at first that the light bulbs burnt out but it could have been something else. We marked the ruined lights with yellow tape, so you know where to check. It would be great to lend a paw."

"Don't worry, mam, I'll have those lights fixed before lunchtime!" With a curt nod, Rocky fixed his hat and walked out of the office to find the broken lights. He walked by a few classrooms, peering in for a quick second before resuming. The students, as he expected, were working on classwork and listening to their teachers. He smiled, seeing the development of small minds grow and soon to be amazing leaders. Just like his leader.

"Ah, here they are," he mumbled to himself, seeing five ceiling lights marked with yellow masking tape up above him. Rocky walked over to the light switch. He stood on his hind legs and pressed the button with his paw, but nothing happened. He hummed in thought, going back on all fours. Quickly running outside, he returned to his spot with a ladder and few light bulbs. He slowly climbed up and barked out his claw arm, removing the plastic cover over it. He examined the bulbs and, like expected, they were black, a sign that they were old and burned out. He placed the plastic cover on the floor, grabbed a bulb, replaced it, then placed the covering back on. He repeated the same process with the other lights. When finished, he walked back to the light switch and pressed it. At once, bright white light lit up the hallways and dispelled the dark. Rocky grinned in success. Now, time to fix the outside lights.

Suddenly, the power went out, making him gasp a bit. He frantically flipped the switch multiple times, but nothing worked. He hopped down and looked around, trying to see anything in the dark. He cursed the hallway for having no windows. Rocky heard the frantic voices of students from the classrooms he's passed.

Then the intercoms went off.

"Attention all students, teachers, and staff. We are under emergency lockdown. This is not a drill. This is not a drill. Please follow lockdown procedures at this time." Rocky felt his heart skip a beat. Just as the person over the intercoms mentioned that it wasn't a drill, all classroom doors shut and sounds of objects being moved in front of them soon followed.

It was deathly silent. Rocky was shaking at his spot, glued to the floor. He tried to even his breathing, as it became loud and harsh. There was no way out. He was alone and trapped in a school with someone dangerous roaming the hallways and he has nothing to protect himself with. After another few seconds, the pup decided that it was time to at least get somewhere safe. Taking a deep breath, he slowly placed a paw forward…

Then the hallway door opened. Rocky froze like a statue, his breath stilled and shallow. Luckily, the door that opened just connected into another hallway, so no light could have exposed him. He heard footsteps slowly continue down the hall, occasionally stopping, shaking the classroom door handles, then repeating to the others. The pup shook in his spot. He was impressed by not passing out in total fear. He heard the footsteps come closer to him, making his heart thump a thousand miles per second. He slowly backed up, to be anywhere away from being exposed, but then he bumped into the forgotten ladder he left standing.

The footsteps stopped.

Suddenly, he felt a hand grab his neck and pull him up into the air, making him yelp quite loudly. Rocky's blood ran cold when something cold and metal was placed right beside his head. He gulped rather loudly.

"Hm… wasn't expecting a dog in a school," a feminine voice spoke closely in his ear. He felt the gun move slightly. "Now, I'm going to tell you a few rules, and I expect you to follow, got it?"

Rocky didn't respond, paralyzed with fear. The woman growled before knocking the gun into his head, making him whimper.

"Got it?" She snarled.

"Y-Yes." She smirked wickedly.

"As I was saying, there a few rules. One; don't you scream or call for help, or I'll kill you. Two; don't try to escape, or I'll shoot you. Three; if you break any rule, I'll end you." Rocky nodded fearfully. She grinned and continued with a happier tone. "Now! How about we find some people. I was getting a little rusty, so why not have some target practice in a place full of fearful sheep."

The woman dropped the pup on the floor but kept her gun trained on him. How can she see? Rocky had no idea and he didn't want to find out. They silently continued down the hallway, the woman occasionally jiggling the doorknobs and lightly laugh when she heard several gasps and frantic movements on the other side.

After a few debating minutes, Rocky built up the courage to talk. "Why are you doing this?"

"I told you. Simple target practice," she responded nonchalantly, much different compared to his small frightened voice.

"So you're targeting children and adults just for… fun?" The pup incredulously questioned.

"Yup," she said, popping the 'p'. Rocky was on a whole new level of shock and disgust. He couldn't ever believe that people were this evil. Even Mayor Humdinger never went as far as murder when it came to his unrelenting schemes. The pup bit his lip, desperately trying to think of a plan to get out of his predicament. Unfortunately, all his options involved him getting killed.

All but one. Secretly, Rocky pressed his pup tag, sending a silent emergency alert. He was relieved for Ryder putting the option in their devices. For what they're built for, it allows whoever to call the alert to signal their location and analyze the type of emergency around them. Rocky felt two light buzzes from his tag, signaling him that his entire team had gotten the message.

Unfortunately, the woman heard the vibrating sounds. She suddenly pinned him to the ground and snatched his collar off of him.

"What is this? Did you call for help?!" She hissed, trying her best to examine the device in her hand.

"M-My pup tag," he stuttered, shaking up against the cold floor. Though she didn't believe him. Backing up, the woman raised her weapon and shot a fire directly at the pup's leg. His howl could have been heard throughout the entire school. Unimaginable searing pain shot up his back left leg, getting worse every time he moved it. He felt warm liquid form under him and soak his grey fur - he knew exactly what it was. The woman grabbed his neck again.

"Who. Did. You. Call?" She dangerously asked him.

"My team…," he weakly answered. He looked her straight in the eye, not fearing her anymore. "You're going to pay. They'll find you and put you in jail. I won't doubt it."

She growled. "Then I'll have to take them all out… One. By. One," she declared sinisterly before dropping the tag on the floor and stepping on it. Rocky almost felt his heart crush when he saw his broken tag on the floor. His captor grabbed his grey fur and pulled him across the floor, no doubt leaving a blood trail behind them. Rocky whimpered at the excruciating pain that traveled up his leg. He made a silent diagnostic of what was happening and concluded that if he doesn't get any medical help soon, he'll die from blood loss.

"What… are you… going to do… with me?" Rocky spoke up, his voice just above a whisper.

"You're going to be my bait" was all she said, but the pup knew enough to understand what she meant. But he couldn't let that happen, no way. Building as much strength he had in him, he lifted his head close to her hand and sunk his teeth into her knuckles. She cried out in pain and let go of him, allowing Rocky to get up and sprint out of sight, ignoring the pain from his wound. He could hear the woman call out for him but he just kept on moving.

He burst through the door and landed in a heap, gasping for air like he was trapped in a suffocating room.

"I made it… I made it!" He exclaimed. But then his breath hitched, turning back around to look at the school. He forgot the one person he's cared about most in life… was still in that school, probably hiding from the shooter like every other person. He took a deep breath before grabbing a cloth from his rig, to stop his bleeding, then carefully limping back into the building in search of his owner.

He could only hope that he is okay as well as praying the police and the rest of the Paw Patrol were on their way.

TBC...