Chapter 28: Reality…? (In Marshall's Head… )

It felt like time had come to a complete stop. Marshall found himself in a dark void. He stood in shock as voices could be heard from the outside.

"No.. No…!" He kept repeating to himself as he heard a feminine voice crying.

"I… I'll get you out of here… Don't worry."

...

"Get them to an emergency vehicle, ASAP!"

"They need oxygen! Hurry!"

"We've gotta go, Skye!"

"I know! I know!"

"I… I was supposed to save them!" Marshall cried.

…

"Do you think he's going to make it?"

"I'm not sure, but he has a higher chance than the other two."

"Mmm… I really feel bad for the family."

"Yeah, someone has to tell them, but still, I can't believe that woman risked her life saving this little guy."

"Hmm… I think he's one of us."

"Really? He's from the fire department!?"

"I'm not sure, but we'll figure it out sooner or later.

"No… This is not real! This is not real!"

…

"We are coming to you live on television, where this just in: A devastating fire has burned through the city! Police and officials are investigating as we speak."

"It was like it just came out of nowhere! There were no emergency calls, no fire alarms, nothing! I'm just glad that we were able to make it out on time!"

"... It was terrifying. I've never seen a huge fire up so close before. I really hope those guys are okay."

...

"This is just a dream… This is just a dream!"

"How long are you going to keep telling yourself that?" A familiar voice whispered as Marshall lifted his head.

"Wha… M-Ms. Tullis? H-How did you…?"

"You see, Brian? This is why I didn't want you to give him false hope!" She yelled as another figure appeared in front of him.

"I… I know, ma'am. I'm truly sorry about that."

"Wha-" Marshall tried to speak.

"Shhhh! Don't strain yourself! You've already wasted enough energy."

"B-But, I tried to save them!"

"And look how it turned out," Ms. Tullis sighed before slowly fading away. "You just weren't ready, Marshall. I should have known before I let you graduate…"

"But... !"

"She's right, Marshall. This was all your fault..." Brian agreed before also fading away.

"I… I…!" Marshall whimpered before bursting into tears.

"Marshall!" Another voice called out.

…

"Please! You have to let me through! I have to know if he's okay!"

"S-Sir, we're not allowed to have visitors at this time! Please, you need to leave!"

"B-But-!"

"Pull yourself together, Bruce! We've gotta go!"

"But Marshall is…!"

"Trust me! That pup is a lot stronger than he looks. He'll make it through this!"

"I… You don't know that…"

"Bruce…?"

…

"There doesn't seem to be anything fractured, but there may be something up with his lungs. Can we run another diagnostics?"

"I don't understand. If he was just in the building, then why is he all bruised up like this?"

"There's definitely more to it, but for now, let's just make sure he stays alive."

"Bruce…? Where are you…? Please don't leave! I-I wanna go home..." Marshall reached out before the voices went away.

At the fire station… (With Nico…)

It was half an hour after the fire was contained. The building was silent as Bret waited for the others in the station. Although they've had terrible experiences in the past, nothing was worse than this. A few moments later, Bret slowly walked in.

"I'm here…" He said as Nico turned around.

"How's Lorenzo?"

"... He's gonna need some time to take this in."

"Figures… We should have just come back here instead of roaming around the city."

"But we couldn't just leave Marshall out there by himself! He's still one of us!"

"Yeah, but we're firefighters! We should have known something like this was going to happen! We should have-! Arrrgh!" Nico shouted as Bret placed his hand on his shoulder.

"Take it easy. Deep breaths…"

"This is all just too much. I mean, you heard what they said! People don't survive those kinds of injuries!"

"I…" Bret paused before taking a deep breath. "I know things are bad, but we've gotta stay strong for the next few weeks. Maybe even months," He sighed as the sound of tires screeching came from outside. A few seconds later, the chief's voice could be heard yelling at someone. "Speaking of which, you might wanna brace yourself…"

Outside… (With the others including the chief…)

"What happened!? Where were you guys!? Why were you so late!?" The chief shouted.

"The stupid tower didn't give us a signal!" Zen shouted as Bruce lowered his head.

"What do you mean it didn't give you a signal!? Weren't you supposed to check on it!?"

"I-I did! Unless… Unless I..." Lorenzo paused.

"What happened? What did you do!?" The chief asked.

"I-It was Marshall! He must have accidentally deactivated it when he was there!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! When did this happen!?" Bruce interrupted as Lorenzo took a step back.

"I…! The lamp… I-I mean…! I-It just happened so fast, and I-! I-!"

"Hey, calm it! Now is not the time to start panicking!" Zen gasped as she helped him sit down.

"So let me get this straight, you were there when all of this happened, and you didn't do anything to stop it!?" The chief asked as Lorenzo remained silent.

"No…! I'm not buying this! Not for a second! Marshall has been training for a year now! He would never let something like that happen!" Bruce interrupted before heading towards the office.

"Where are you going!?"

"To check something!" He responded. Lorenzo put his hands on his head. He knew that if he checked the cameras, he would have seen that Marshall was innocent. He wanted to reach out and tell him the truth, but his mind was overwhelmed. With that, he just remained silent.

"Bruce!" The chief called out before going after him.

"Ugh. This guy.." Zen sighed before leaving Lorenzo behind. At that point, he was slowly preparing himself for when they returned.

Inside…

Bruce had a bad feeling about this. He knew Marshall was clumsy, but he knew Marshall would always correct himself if it were true. As he made his way to the office, Bret accidentally stood in his way. He pushed him aside before entering.

"What are you-?"

"Not now!" Bruce said before opening the surveillance browser. His body was shaking as he replayed the footage. The first thing he noticed was Marshall smiling off to the side. The audio was silent as the camera stayed still. As soon as the fan was approaching what appeared to be the control panel, the feed was cut off.

"What? No! Th-That can't be it!" He thought out loud as Zen and the chief caught up with them.

"What's going on?" Nico asked as the chief shook his head.

"Bruce…"

"N-No, sir! I-I can fix this…!" Bruce responded as he tried to enter the settings.

"Bruce…!"

"P-Please! J-Just give me some more time-!"

"BRUCE!" The chief raised his voice as everyone stopped moving, then sighed. "It's over…"

"But h-he was supposed to…!" Bruce tried to find the words to say as the chief turned around and shook his head. "Wha-! C-Can't we give him another chance!? He's just a pup!"

"You already know it's not our rule. If you wanna take it out with someone, you can always talk to the district, but I highly doubt they'd listen," The chief said as Bruce stood in shock. "As for the rest of you guys, we've been an oddly functioning station for years now. Don't let this be the end of it."

"Yes, sir," The rest replied as the chief left the room. There was an awkward silence in the room before they noticed Bruce tearing up. Before they could react, he quickly rushed through the door.

"Bruce, wait!" Zen cried before Bret put a hand on her shoulder.

"Let him go..." He said. "He's going to need some time as well."

"Geez… I can't remember the last time I've seen him like this," Nico remarked as Lorenzo entered the building. Before he could say a word, Bruce pushed him to the side, then took off in his car. By the looks of it, he was heading home. Lorenzo tried to speak but was interrupted by a short yawn as the rest made their way towards the hallway.

"...It's getting pretty late. Maybe we should go as well?" Zen mumbled.

"You guys can go ahead. I'll stick around in case anything else pops up," Bret said.

"Stay safe out there, okay?" Nico croaked.

"I will… Good night, guys.

"Night..." And with that being said, they all went their separate ways.

A few hours later… (At the vet, with Bruce)

It was late afternoon. The waiting room was silent as Bruce sat alone on a chair. His eyes were bloodshot due to the lack of sleep. Deep down, he was a little afraid of seeing how Marshall was, but he knew he couldn't keep himself away for too long. Eventually, a veterinarian makes her way down the room with a visitor's pass.

"The room number is on the bottom left," She says as Bruce stood up.

"Thanks…" He whispers before walking towards the rooms. He stopped to regain his composure as soon as he reached the door. A few seconds later, he knocked on the door and slowly let himself in. The first thing he noticed was Marshall's injuries covered in bandages as he was out on the bed. He stood in shock before closing the door. He knew he was in bad shape, but he didn't expect it to be this bad. Slowly, he made his way over to the bed and kneeled. The nurse had mentioned that he was in a comatic state, but that didn't stop Bruce from trying to speak.

"I... " He croaked as tears filled up his eyes. "I don't know if you can hear me, but… I'm sorry you had to get involved in all of this. The north station told me everything they knew, and I just... I don't know what to say…" He whispered before silently crying. "They… They announced their time of death this morning, and… I'm not sure if we'll be seeing Lorenzo at work any time soon. All I know is that the next few months are going to be tough, but once it all settles down, I promise I'll come back for you. No matter what it takes."

No response…

"... I guess I should be heading back by now. I really hope I'll get to see you again some time. Just hang in there, Marshall. I'll... I'll see you soon..." Bruce promised before slowly walking away. A few seconds later, tears slowly started flowing through Marshall's eyes.

In Marshall's head...

An eerie noise was heard through the void as Marshall didn't dare to move. It felt as if an invisible wall was slowly closing in on him, but as soon as the noise stopped, someone could be heard in the background.

"Emit emos niaga uoy ees ot-"

"B-Bruce...?"

"Just hang in there, Marshall. I'll... I'll see you soon..." Bruce's voice faded away as Marshall looked up.

"Huh...? Where are you going?" He yawned as he started noticing his surroundings.

"Where... Where am I? And why is this place so cold?" He pondered before standing up. Slowly, his vision started to become clearer. It was as if he was stuck in a dark forest, and his body was left in the center of it. He could remember the place feeling warm at some point, but also unpleasant. It was almost as if he was slowly disappearing. With no other choice, he decided to scout around. He traveled for moments until he noticed cracks on the ground shining with white light. Out of curiosity, he slowly stuck his paw inside one, and his body instantly froze. He couldn't tell how long he was there for, but as soon as he felt a sudden shock, he instantly jumped back.

"Ahh! O-Okay! Avoid those! Got it!" He yelped before noticing what appeared to be ambulances floating in the sky. "Man... This place is getting even weirder and weirder the longer I stay! Isn't there a way out of here?" He asked himself before a bright light started shining from a far distance. He couldn't tell if it was an exit, but he had a feeling that he should be there. It seemed like he had been walking for hours until suddenly, his body froze again. Moments later, Bruce's voice returned.

"Hey, Marsh! I-It's been a while...! At least 4 weeks to be exact. I-I've got some news for you!" He said as Marshall slowly blinked.

"That voice… It seems familiar, but I can't remember it anymore… Why does it sound so broken?" He thought to himself.

"The other day, I took your raccoon friend for a check up, and by the looks of it, I think she's going to make it! I guess the outdoors aren't really doing her family and great, so after she's done, I'll try to see if I can build a safe spot for her and her family in my backyard. Speaking of which... I should have mentioned this earlier, but it seems that both you and I won't be returning to the station any time soon. The medias been going crazy about rumors and what-not, so I figured I'd just step down before things escalated quicker. Now I know this is not really solving anything, but honestly, it was only a matter of time until they figured out I left the scene to come and check on you on that night. Who knows...? This all sounds bad, but maybe this could be a new beginning! I-I was thinking of calling my families' business some time… I know it's a little sudden, but maybe there's still a chance. As for you, well... You'll be staying at my place until things settle down. I know you're not usually the kind of pup to call in quits, but if you want to try a new career, then I can... No... I shouldn't be saying this. It's your choice, not mine. I... It's just that it feels like I have so much to get off my chest, but it appears that I'm running out of time. The others and I are going to visit Lorenzo's house to check up on him. They said he's been acting differently ever since the accident and honestly, I don't blame him. Our lives are changing so fast, and we only do so much to keep up with it. I'm sure things will start calming down as soon as you get back to your normal self. Before I head out, I brought you little something! It's the stuffed animal you got from the fair earlier! I figured it must be pretty lonely when you're here by yourself. Hopefully he'll keep you company while you're here! Or... When you wake up... If... A-Anyways, I-I should leave before I stay any longer. I'll be back some other time..." With that being said, Marshall unfroze. He couldn't remember the conversation, but something else caught his attention. There was a small cry coming from within the forest. As the cracks continued to spread, he realized that they may be coming from that direction. After following the sound he spotted an unusual deep crater with another pup inside.

"Wait… Is that me!?" Marshall gasped as he saw another version of himself crying inside the crater. This one was slightly brighter than he was. His spots were almost the same, but it seemed to be missing an eye and its tail. As Marshall tried to reach out to it, he could feel the same unpleasant feeling as before he awoke.

"N-No…B-Bruce... Please don't go!" The figure whispered as Marshall grew worried. He wanted to try and rescue him, but he was too far down. That's when he noticed that his cries were the ones causing the gaps to spread. At this rate, he knew it was going to destroy the area.

"Hey! Can you hear me!?" Marshall cried out but received no response. He turned to his left paw and noticed his own body was starting to fade away. "Oh… O-Okay! Well I guess you leave me no choice…!" He gulped before jumping inside. He could feel his heart beating faster as the ground began to shake. It was as if he was entering a disruptive force that was desperately trying to push him back. Suddenly, his eyes could see a glimpse of reality before returning to the forest. As he pulled his other self from the crater, he slowly recalled the events which led him to be hospitalized. Once they reached the normal surface, he could feel his heartbeat slowly going back to normal as he was on his back.

"Phew… That was intensed!" He panted as the other Marshall curled back into a ball. "Hey, it's okay! You don't have to be-"

"Why!? Why did you let me out!? I was safe there!" He shouted as Marshall jumped back.

"Whoa! S-Sorry! I-I just thought that you…!" Marshall stammered before noticing his replica's fading eye. "Wait, no! That thing was eating you alive! How could you be safe?

"No it wasn't! It was the only thing protecting me from…!"

"From what?"

"Those…!" The other Marshall whimpered as he covered his ears. Marshall tried searching the area to see what he was talking about but was only left more confused. "No… Please… I-I'm sorry! I-I know I should have done better! J-Just please…!"

"Hey, relax! There's nothing here trying to hurt you. Are you sure it's not just in your head?"

"I… I don't know! I just want them to stop!"

"W-Well… I don't know what's going on, but I think if we reach that light, we can-"

"No! I'm not going anywhere near that thing!"

"Huh? But it could be the only way out of here. Isn't that what you wanted?"

"N-No…! I didn't mean it! I wasn't supposed to want to leave at all! Especially not after what happened!"

"The fire…"

"It was all my fault! If I had just stayed put, then maybe none of this would have happened! Maybe… Maybe you wouldn't have to be dealing with this right now, Bruce wouldn't have to worry, and most importantly, that family would have still been here!" He shouted as Marshall's eyebrows turned sad. It all started making sense to him. Slowly, he walked over to his other self and carefully helped it off the ground.

"Hey…It's gonna be alright. I promise," He said as the other wiped his eyes.

"... I don't know what else to do."

"Hmm… Then here, how about I go look for some help! I'm not sure why, but it feels like we're supposed to be there for some reason."

"I… I don't want to be left alone!"

"Don't worry! I promise I won't be long! Just stay out of those craters!" Marshall smiled before running towards the bright light.