"Firstly, get the gun out of my face." Liberty tried to bargain, growling increasingly agitated the longer the weapon was pointed at her.

Despite her qualms, Chase was in no mood, "say something I like, and maybe I will." He had no reason to trust her anymore, a betrayal that only added insult to injury as he was forced to deal with Zuma. He was exhausted, distressed, and trying with every fabric in his mind trying to ignore the blistering pain all over his body. Under such circumstances, Liberty was out of second chances. His captive glanced to the side, visible frustration peeling around her. It was obvious she was holding something back, the gears in her head turning for an explanation while the sun slowly rose in the distance.

Looking up at him, her voice went cold, "Feroxmalis never escaped," she confessed, "it was released."

"What?" Chase tilted his head, slightly lowering the gun.

"As you probably expect, Archline has rather... unconventional ways of testing their experiments. Feroxmalis is... some kind of bioweapon, I think." She shrugged, "it started as a dog, just like you and me, but then it was just... test after test, experiment after experiment... until it started wearing skin masks, you couldn't even tell it was meant to be a dog. I think they planned on selling the creature after it was perfected."

"Sell it? To who?"

Liberty chuckled, "who knows? Terrorists, corrupt governments, the army?" She listed off, "anyone willing to pay top dollar for a creature with enough power to win a war." Her face darkened, fearing the potential for such a monstrous animal, "Dutch, the leading scientist in charge, denied any isolated testing. He always said it wasn't 'genuine' enough, that basic tests wouldn't do it." A low growl emitted from her as she spoke, "so instead, he decided to unleash the monster into Adventure Bay and watch its statistics."

"Holy shit," Chase faltered at the revelation. Whoever this twisted dog was, he heartlessly gave the command to drop a lethal monster into an innocent city. All for the sole purpose of science, whoever had to die for it.

The Dachshund continued, "they implanted some kind of... device into its body, something to track it and keep its movements on record. But we underestimated how smart that thing really is, within minutes it located the implant and tore it out." Her voice was filled with spite, "when that happened, Dutch looked at me and asked me if I wanted to go on a scouting mission."

"You did say you worked for them," Chase put it together, "but as what?"

"If you're thinking of a scientist, then no," Liberty waved her paw, "I was a... intern of sorts."

"But wouldn't you have been in danger too by being here?"

"Of course I am! After he threw me out, he instantly turned around and hired the ACG to quarantine the town so Feroxmalis could be contained." She scoffed, "so he obviously knew it was dangerous, he just needed someone disposable to hopefully bring back a few samples."

Keeping the gun steady, although lowering it away from his captive, Chase thought intently as confusion barreled through him. "You mean to tell me... this is all some kind of test?" His voice rose as he spoke, "those fuckers just dropped a vicious killer into Adventure Bay for the whole purpose of a test?!"

Liberty was growing antsy the more unhinged Chase got, fearing his use of a weapon. "It... yes, I guess. Yeah..." she stuttered apologetically, "I'm sorry..."

"And Cyrus and rest of the ACG, they knew about this?!"

"I... don't think so." She looked aside, "they do know Feroxmalis must be contained and not damaged, I think that's the only order they received. None of them know that it was willingly released."

Disgusted and enraged, Chase bristled his fur as his paw fought to pull the trigger. Killing Liberty would be pointless, if not detrimental, yet his anger was surfacing to its boiling point. All he could muster out in his animosity was one simple question: "So... where's Ryder in all this?"

Liberty went silent, an action that nearly shouted its own answer more than her words could communicate. It was obvious Chase was going to hate the answer, but he didn't know what to expect at this point. Nothing made sense to him anymore, and although he itched to save his family, another side of him was festering for answers.

"He said he was going into the mountains," he continued, voice low, "but after everything, I don't know what to believe now." He lowered his torn ears in sorrow, "everything is just..." he shook his head, "different... ruined. So where is he?"

It was a moment before his captive spoke, her eyes showing a faint flicker of sympathy, "he... was paid by Archlin-"

She couldn't even finish her sentence as Chase suddenly tackled her to the ground.

"No!" He snarled, ferally barreling into her and pinning the smaller dog into the grass, "don't say that! Don't you dare say that!" He barked, not noticing he dropped his gun, "don't you even begin to tell me that Ryder abandoned us!"

"Chase-" Liberty staggered under his grip.

"He's been with us for years!" He rambled on, denial in his mind, "he saved me, he saved all of us! He's guided us, loved us, he..." he stopped, growing breathless. His voice cracked faintly, "he... wouldn't do that to us." Shaking his head, he fiercely rejected the idea of someone he looked up to turning his back on the dogs. Years of inspiration and awe were at risk of being shattered all in an instant. Was it not a dog's purpose to express its love and loyalty to its owner, especially that of a German Shepherd, the most hardworking and loyal breed of dog? Animals tended to be very forgiving, especially household pets, and what would result if their loyalty was exploited?

"He..." he choked out, slowly loosening his grip on Liberty, "... no."

Fearful of speaking, Liberty released a terrible truth, "Chase... humans are... very manipulative beings. Archline paid him a massive sum of money to leave."

"Fucking money?" The shepherd said in disbelief, "Ryder's not greedy, no one's that greedy!" He barked in protest.

"You'd be surprised, Chase. Money can do a lot of things to people." She tried to explain, "they gave him enough to make new towers, recruit more dogs, hell, start a whole new legion."

"I... I don't understand!"

"Well... of course you don't," Liberty shrugged, "you're not a human."

Since the beginning, Chase always made the mistake of desiring answers to things he wouldn't- or couldn't- understand. He nearly pulled the trigger on himself by aligning with Cyrus, throwing him down a rabbit hole of terrible truths he wished he never knew. Yet if he had not exposed himself to the terror and destroyed his innocence, Feroxmalis likely would've done even more damage as it slipped under his radar. Even now, the puppy struggled against the one thing he fought every day to grip, yet always slipped from his mind: the complexity of humanity. The very thought of a loving owner dropping everything they loved for a couple of million dollars was bewildering to him. Money was nothing to a dog, therefore they had no understanding of it.

Sighing, he released Liberty and stepped off, "so... that's it then." He sighed, "it's all over."

"Not exactly," the smaller dog stood up, "there's still another way."

Chase looked up at her.

"You need to come with me back to the Archline Foundation," she explained, "I... called them after we got out. They want you, they want all of you."

"What do they want with us?" Chase narrowed his eyes.

"I told them about all the biomass Feroxmalis created in the basement, turns out it's never done that before." She informed him, "since you were all physically exposed to it, Dutch wants you all back for... questions."

"You mean testing."

"So I locked Marshall in his kennel," she said with a wince, "and I had to... knock out Rocky maybe."

"What?!"

"Look, you can kill me later!" Liberty waved off, "but this is your way out of here! Archline is willing to house you all, to save you, to free you from all this hell! They're already pissed off that Zuma is gone, they don't want to lose you too."

Chase was skeptical, "why? Because they care about our safety, or because they don't want to lose any more assets?" He growled, "why should I trust anything these people say if they're the ones who doomed the town to begin with?"

"You have no other option!"

A silence followed as Chase ran out of words. He was dumbfounded, going through any other road in his head only to find that each one led to a dead end. Was Archline truly the only way out now? He just wanted his family to be safe, and if turning themselves over to the scientists was the only way out, then it would be the way to go.

After a long moment of thought, the shepherd spoke with great reluctance, "I don't trust you," He said, "I will never trust you, I wouldn't walk to even a water dish with you." Leering up at her, a growl hissed through his teeth, "I hate you, and I want to hurt you. The sole reason I'm not is because I want to get out of here alive, and when we do, I don't want to see you, or hear from you ever again."

Liberty visibly expressed relief, "good enough, I promise everything will go smoothly from here on out."

"So what happens now?"

Liberty pointed to the few remaining kennels, "I have to uh... contain you," she gave an apologetic smile.

"Contain me." Chase flatly repeated her words with a blank expression.

"Dutch's orders. Since you're compliant, thank God, I can put you in with Marshall."

At least he'd see his family again, Chase merely shrugged and began walking over to the red, dormant fire engine. He wasn't happy about being caged like a feral animal, but up to this point he no longer had anything to say at all. He was done fighting, and ready to turn himself over to anything that could save them. Both dogs approached the closed kennel slowly, silently treading through the grass. The sun was lifting higher in the sky, yet the atmosphere was still painted in beautiful orange and yellow. It was almost like the sky was mocking them, painting a beautiful canvas over such a tragic scene.

"How did you lock the kennel from the outside?" Chase pricked his ear, trying to listen for any sound of Marshall inside. To his interest, he couldn't hear even a sound.

Liberty pointed her paw at a piece of shrapnel she jammed into the side of the door, "jammed the mechanism."

It was an interesting tactic that Chase felt genuine awe at seeing. For a split-second, he wondered what would've happened if he had sealed the kennels during his attempted lockdown. It seemed like months ago the first body fell, Chase was weaker then, naive, and he would forever curse his younger self for making such an action.

"Alright Marshall," Liberty pulled out the jammed metal, "I got you a friend." She wedged her nose under the door and began to lift it up. A smile peeled across Chase's face, eager to see his dalmatian again.

The door was lifted up, revealing a completely empty kennel.

Liberty blinked, faltering in disbelief, "wh- huh?!" Clear confusion spread across her, her eyes flicking at every corner of the den.

"Uh... where is he?" Chase asked her in confusion, "you said he was here."

The kennel was all too unchanged. A slightly messy dog bed, treat crumbs, a built-in desk with scattered fire equipment, the signature fireplace, and a faint aroma of chicken kibble decorated the interior. It was explicitly Marshall's kennel, yet the supposed dalmatian was missing.

"He..." Liberty stuttered, alarm flaring in her as she walked into it, "he was! I locked him in, he couldn't have escaped!"

"Are you... sure?" He sniffed his nose, ignoring the delectable chicken scent for any sign of his brother. He definitely smelled a hint of him, but Marshall wasn't there.

The city dog whipped her head toward him, "what, you think I'm crazy?!" She lashed, "I led him in here, watched him walk in, then I shut the door!"

Walking into the kennel, Chase sniffed the ground trying to hone his old detective skills. How would Marshall escape if the door had been sealed?

"Every kennel is a one-way in, one-way out, right?" Liberty frantically asked him, questioning her own sanity.

Looking forward, Chase's eyes rested on the small structure that resided on the far wall of the den. The one piece of the kennel that Marshall was so proud of having.

The fireplace, the opening in the wall surrounded by paved concrete to protect the rest of the den. Housing two little logs and a blanket of soot, the interior contained a hole in the top that connected to a chimney.

"Not this one," Chase slowly grinned, "that clever dog..." Sniffing the fireplace, and slightly sneezing as soot went up his nose, he noted paw prints left in the black sand.

"A fucking fireplace?" The city dog quipped behind him.

"Thanks to Rocky's help, Marshall built this into his kennel," the shepherd was beaming with pride, a wide smile wordlessly conveying his silent triumph over his brother's ingenuity. "We called him crazy for it..."

-.-.-.-.-

"Hnng- come on!"

Marshall grunted as he struggled to drag Rocky's body across the dirtied floor. Holding the mix by his scruff, he vigorously pulled with all the strength in his teeth and neck he could muster, Rocky was certainly heavier than he looked. The dalmatian ached all over, his white body now blackened with soot and tiny pieces of debris. The wet grass outside cleaned the undersides of his paws as he snuck away, but still he remained filthy.

He watched Liberty attack Rocky from behind, the mix was blinded by his own trust for the city Dachshund, a dog who never fit in since they first met. After his brother was knocked to the ground, Marshall was helpless as Liberty pulled a knife on him, ordering him to get in his kennel. With regard to his own life, he obeyed and was escorted into his home. He heard the door get pulled down behind him, followed by the sound of bending metal as something was jammed in to seal it. After pacing around his kennel a few times, a fit of anger rose within him like a burning fire. For far too long had he been pushed around and led on leashes, it was time to act. Narrowing his eyes as a fierce determination churned in him, he wriggled himself into his unlit fireplace and climbed up the chimney.

Sneaking behind the kennels to deter Liberty's line of sight, he returned to where Rocky's body lay in the grass and grabbed him. Realizing quickly how heavy he was, he knew there was no time to drag him across the clearing and into the forest. For cover's sake, he had to return into the Lookout, or what was left of it. Pulling Rocky through the shattered glass doors, they crouched low in what used to be the interior of the elevator. After the main upper floor crashed down, the area around them was shrouded in complete wreckage, efficiently hiding them.

"Come on!" He pulled Rocky to a dark corner and tried to shake him awake, "wake up, don't tell me this is what does you in after all we've been through!" He slapped his paw across the mix's face, trying whatever he could to open his eyes. The impact jerked the grey dog's face to the left, and Marshall's pads stung from the force.

"Don't make me deal with Liberty by myself, please," he tried to growl, attempting to hide his growing sorrow behind playfulness. "Wake up!" He slapped him again.

To his relief, Rocky began to stir, "mf-" he shifted on the ground, "ow... dude... my head," He groaned in mild pain, reaching a paw up to his face, "what the hell?"

"Hey, you're not allowed to die yet," Marshall laughed his tears away, "now get up."

Reaching out a paw to be helped up, Rocky winced, "what happened?"

"Liberty happened. She backstabbed us, just like Zuma." The firefighter spat, helping his brother back to his paws, "and without Chase, it's just me and you now."

"He's really gone, isn't he?" The mix lowered his ears, "I can kinda still smell him around though."

"Yeah, so do I, I don't think it'll ever leave my nose."

Rocky looked to the ground, trying to make sense of Chase's final order, "I guess... I'm the leader now."

"Leader of what, me?" Marshall tilted his head, "there's no one else left."

"Well I'd rather have you instead of no one at all," smiled the mix, happy that there was even one piece remaining of the Paw Patrol, "if we take Liberty together, we can overpower her and maybe get some answers."

Looking back toward the wreckage around them, both dogs took a moment to take in the ruin that was their home. Rocky knew they had to leave when everything was finished, but where they'd go was unheard of in his mind. Surely they weren't going back to the streets, he had vowed to himself and every dog he loved he'd never seen them in those alleyways. A great sadness befell them both, and they took a moment to sit down on all fours, mourning the end of their organization.

A gentle voice floated up, "guys?"

Both dogs sprang up in alarm, darting their widened eyes toward the source of the voice. It had seemingly come from below, a few feet away where a large pile of wreckage stood. Underneath it, the floor had caved in, exposing the basement.

The voice was recognized immediately by Marshall, "that... that was Zuma," his heartbeat quickened as he looked around, starting to walk over.

Rocky was unsure, but he couldn't find the words to explain why. "Um..."

"Zuma?" Marshall called, barking loudly into the stuffy air, "are you alive?"

After a few seconds, Zuma's voice piped up from below the debris, "I am! Thank goodness, I thought you both were dead!" The voice was muffled and weak, as it struggled to get its words through the solid wreckage between them.

"Where are you?!" The Dalmatian picked up his pace. The Labrador's betrayal was still fresh in his mind, but Marshall's sole weakness was his own heart.

Rocky narrowed his eyes, "Marshall..."

"Under here!" The voice gently nudged the debris plugging the newly formed entrance to the basement, "I just need an opening and I can climb out!"

Quickly scoping out the pile of metal and twisted steel, Marshall spotted a sheet of metal that was plugged into the side. Desperate to save his brother, he gripped the twisted piece of debris and started trying to yank it out.

A shiver went up Rocky's spine, "Marshall, wait-"

"Rocky, help me out here!" The firefighter ignored the protests of the other dog, snarling as he attacked the metal. Slowly, it began to come loose, and dread surged in Rocky, only multiplying with each tug the dalmatian gave.

Managing to bend it outward just a little, a tiny opening was created in the wreckage, and Marshall reached his paw in, "here, grab my paw, I can pull you out!"

Alarm flared in the grey mix, springing him into action, "Marshall no!" He ran forward and tackled the dalmatian away, forcefully pulling his arm out. They both crashed a few feet away to the ground.

"Ow! What're you-" the firefighter bristled as he kicked up dust, "what are you doing?! I felt him! I felt his paw!"

Hyperventilating, fear plugged Rocky's voice, and he looked back with a silent prayer that it wasn't too late. His fur stood up on one end, breathing heavily as he kept Marshall pinned. The dalmatian fought at first, snarling to claw away Rocky's leg, only for the stench of burned flesh and gore to emit from the new opening he created. His anger died out, and fear locked up his throat.

"We're supposed to help each other," the voice said again, still Zuma, "so why," a massive bang of impact shook the wreckage, as something below smacked against it, "are you," another bang shot through the air as flesh collided with metal. Rocky and Marshall stood up, traveling backward as terror climbed up their bones. The voice angered, shifting its pitch and tone until it wasn't Zuma's at all, but Rubble's, "defying the inevitable?!" The creature below screeched n rage, driving its tentacles into the fine cracks and wriggling them between the pieces of metal.

The dogs watched in horror as numerous worm-like appendages birthed from the crevices of the metal and glass, wrapped around them and tearing away each chunk. The monster trapped within was not keen on containment and was slowly forcing its way back into the daylight.

With nowhere to go or hide, both dogs turned and ran.

-.-.-.-.-.-

Liberty and Chase were arguing when they heard the commotion. The shepherd was fed up beyond his limits of her failed games and ploys, and was about ready to shoot her leg out. Sensing the hostility, Liberty was growing more defensive, even believing she'd have to resort to violence after all.

Just before they came to teeth and claws, the sound of panicked yelling made both dogs turn their heads.

"Run!" Rocky called as he sprinted out into the grass, "it's com- ... Chase?" He skidded to a halt upon seeing his former leader.

"Fuck, you're awake?!" Liberty snarled at the realization that she didn't hit him hard enough.

Marshall came to the front, "Chase, you're alive!" Ignoring Liberty's presence, the dalmatian happily ran forward and threw himself into Chase, wrapping his arms tightly around him in an embrace. An audible squeak was heard from the shepherd as he was squeezed tightly, forcing the air out of his body for a nanosecond. Rocky was overjoyed to see his leader alive, but his attention was turned on the traitor, Liberty needed to be dealt with.

"You!" He snarled, baring his teeth as he stalked over to her.

The dachshund sensed it immediately, "hey! Back off, I have a knife!"

"Fuck your knife!" The mix waved off, "I'm gonna tear you apart!"

"Rocky, hold on-" Chase tried to pry Marshall off, "just give her a-"

All four dogs were cut off by a piercing scream slicing through the air, making them stop and face the source of the sound. Chase and Rocky turned with firm expressions, narrowed eyes, and flattened ears. Marshall took a step back, but anxiously swallowed and made his own stand. He was afraid, but this was no time to run away and flee. Overcome in horror, Liberty was already backing away, terror crawling across her face.

To say Feroxmalis emerged from the wreckage was an understatement. It exploded out of the top, smashing through the roof of the tower and sending smashed pieces of metal raining down. Bristling its festering body, dripping and oozing with blood and bodily fluids, snapping and cracking its spindly limbs, it emerged out like an angry god, staring down at its prey with its unmasked teeth-lined head.

"Holy shit-" Rocky stepped back.

Screeching above them, Feroxmalis crouched down and planted its claws onto the roof, tearing up large pieces of metal like paper. Its tail traveled under the roof it stood on, fingering out pieces of debris like candy. Roaring its signature screech, it lifted up pieces of metal and meshed them into one massive ball of scrap.

"Look out!" Chase snapped as he watched the creature lift it above its head.

They scattered as Feroxmalis flung the projectile into them, it smashed into the ground, breaking apart in a blast of shrapnel. Rocky ducked his head at the sound, sprinting for his life for a kennel. It wasn't good protection, but it was something with a roof over its head. Liberty and Marshall dove under pieces of the fallen tower, sprawled out across the clearing. There they hid, fearful as they quivered before the terror of an unstoppable monster. Diving into a roll, Chase dodged the attack with a growl, briefly shaking his head of the dizziness.

Enraged, Feroxmalis crouched and moved its hunches, and Chase realized quickly it was about to spring. Its tail danced in the air along with the rest of its tentacles, itching to be bloodied. Pushing against its powerful legs, the monster lept into the air like a rabbit, its claws outstretched as a screech emitted from its teeth. Chase had nowhere to run as Feroxmalis landed directly in front of him, the shockwave of the landing knocking him over as grass and dirt pelted him. Coughing out blades of grass, the shepherd fearfully tried to stagger up, his voice cracking.

The creature stood tall, rearing to its full height on two legs. It was utterly massive in size when standing up, even possibly towering over a grown adult. Growling as foul liquid secreted from its body, it stared down at the puppy as it flexed its claws.

Chase's eyes fell onto Feroxmalis' left shoulder, and he spotted something he wished he hadn't. Embedded into the creature's shoulder was the bloodied, mangled corpse of Zuma, his fallen brother ripped in half and now worn like a trophy in its body.

"Zuma-" the shepherd breathed in horror.

"Thousands of the living within me," Zuma's voice emitted from Feroxmalis' chest, "devoured and assimilated for my form." Feroxmalis snarled its teeth, almost vibrating, "Zuma is not dead, Chase." The voice laughed, puppeteering the labrador, "he is alive, right here." The creature lifted its arm, pointing a claw at Zuma's strung corpse. "While he is connected with me, his mind is kept alive, as is Rubble's as well. I keep them because I need their voices, their memories, and their strength. Together we are one, our minds intertwined. Does it bring you solace to know that they are not truly dead?" Feroxmalis emitted a noise, almost like a laugh, "and you should be happy, because soon you will see them again, within me."

Aghast with terror, Chase couldn't find the words to speak as he looked up at the terrifying creature. His body flattened as his heartbeat accelerated, his breaths picking up at a speed he couldn't keep track of.

"And I know," the creature suddenly swapped to the voice of Rubble, "that there is nothing you want more than to see your loved ones again." It reached out, outstretching its arm with open claws, "so let me grant you that wish."

This was it, Chase was going to die. For a moment he wanted to run, as his paws shook for explosive movement, but a lingering static filled his head. In what he thought were his final seconds, all Chase saw were the claws of the creature, reaching out to snatch him up. The shepherd shut his eyes.

Gunshot.

A high-caliber gunshot was fired into the air, followed by several more. The crack of the rifle pierced into the ears of the dogs, making them dive with paws over their heads. Chase instantly dove to the ground as he heard it, a strike of panic stabbing him as he for a moment feared he had accidentally killed someone else. An enraged screech sounded from Feroxmalis as bullets tore into its chest, blasting out bits of gore and blood. The creature stumbled back as its organs screamed against its new wounds, hunching its body over as it took to all fours. Its tail whipped Chase across the forehead as it scampered into a retreat, fleeing for the cover of the Lookout wreckage.

Wincing from the sting, Chase was further knocked to the grass. Marshall peeked out from behind the jagged metal, trying to get a look at the smoking gun, "who..." a relieved smile suddenly peeled across him, and he never felt so happy to see the ACG.

"Go, go!" Cyrus barked, running in with his rifle, "don't let it get away!" In seconds, dozens of armored dogs sprinted out of the forest, brandishing rifles as they charged in.

While Marshall was elated at their saviors, Rocky took a step back in fear, "oh no-" the trauma of the agony he had endured days ago from the military squad was still fresh in his mind.

"Rocky, wait," the dalmatian beside him turned, trying to console him, "they're here to help!" But his words fell on deaf grey ears, as Rocky suddenly grabbed him and began pulling him away.

"Come on! We're getting out! Run!" The mix rapid-fired his words as he tried to drag his brother.

While the two dogs tussled to keep one another stable, Liberty spotted the ACG, and a growl of annoyance left her breath. They weren't supposed to be here, as Archline needed more time to pick them up. Agitated at the intervention, the Dachshund backed up into the shadows, seeking to stay out of their sight.

"Chase, you're alive!" Cyrus ran up to the puppy, a dog he had written off for dead so long ago, "holy shit you're actually alive! I... I owe you an apology."

The shepherd fearfully opened his eyes, looking up, "Cyrus..?" His eyes widened, "you... you heard my message."

"Of course we did!" The husky nodded frantically, "and we're here! Jeez you look terrible," he winced audibly, seeing the puppy's burned condition, "go with Bella, we'll take this thing down and wrangle up the survivors."

"Bella?" Chase asked, but the husky leader ran off in pursuit of the creature before he could answer the question. His ears were filled with explosive sounds as dog after dog sprinted into view, surrounding the Lookout ruins with guns loaded. Every single one was armored and brandishing weapons, ready to take down the threat once and for all.

Slowly standing up, Chase heard his name get called. Turning around, he spotted a white labrador retriever walking toward him, "Chase!" She called, "come on, I'm here to get you to safety!"

"Who-" he blinked, his mind tampered from all the sudden confusion.

"It's me, Bella!" She said firmly, "remember? We met at that coffee shop a few days ago, and I told you to stay out of our business?" The white lab chuckled, "I guess you didn't... heh."

"You..." Chase's eyes widened, "I remember you!"

"Glad to hear it," Bella smiled, "now come on!"

As Bella tried to lead the puppy away, Chase couldn't help but look back at the tower wreckage. Rocky and Marshall were still there, the exact location Feroxmalis had just fled in. "My family, they're still in there!"

"We know! We'll do whatever we can to get them out!"

"And-" Chase stuttered when his eyes suddenly fell on someone else: Liberty. Even among the now hundred dogs swarming the clearing, he could easily spot the Dachshund peeking out from behind her cover. Narrowing his eyes, he witnessed the smaller dog suddenly tear away, fleeing the scene. Alarm pricked in him, knowing Liberty was a part of the enemy faction, she simply couldn't get away.

"Wait!" The shepherd jumped away from the soldier, "after her!"

Bella had little time to react, "who-"

She was too late, Chase had already exploded into a run, sprinting away from her and charging toward the forest after Liberty. A call of his name was barked into the air, but it was unclear if Chase didn't hear or ignored it entirely. After all of his mistakes, he had to rectify something, fix even one thing to repay what he had ruined. It started with catching Liberty and bringing her to justice, dragging her before Cyrus to shed light on Archline's crimes. His own rage and drive chugging him along, Chase disappeared into the forest.

"No!" Rocky shouted as he backed up, Marshall firmly pinned behind him, "you won't take me!"

The two ACG soldiers before him held up their paws, although keeping their guns steady, "kid, come on!" One spoke through the fabric mask, his black ears flattening, "you need to cooperate with us!" A full squad charged into the wreckage, fully ready to lay down their lives in pursuit of Feroxmalis. There they found the other remaining members of the Paw Patrol, arguing with one another about who to trust. Marshall attempted to speak words of reason to the mix, as his body was painfully pressed against the debris behind him, but Rocky ignored it.

The floor underneath the mix was unstable, showing clear damage from the explosion. Any more stress and it would crash into the basement, dooming Rocky to a dark fate and rendering him a sitting duck for Feroxmalis.

"I remember what you did to me!" The mix bared his teeth, "you hurt me, you hurt all of us!"

The soldier turned his gun around his back, trying to hold out his gloved paw, "you're not safe! Feroxmalis just ran and hid into here, you need-"

"Get away!"

The ACG soldiers really just wanted to grab Rocky in their paws and carry him out, but the clear damage to the floor canceled out their options. Any more weight would fracture it, Rocky would have to walk to them willingly.

Piercing screeches tore into their ears as Feroxmalis blasted out into view, rupturing the canopy of the tower's roof and sending metal shrapnel in all directions. Three other ACG soldiers immediately turned and opened fire on the creature, the deafening pops of their rifles splitting through the air. The sounds of gunfire, roars of the creature, and bullets striking off metal surfaces only struck Rocky's mind even more. Feroxmalis snarled in rage, spitting its tentacle out of its mouth and impaling one of the soldiers, prompting an agonized scream as blood streaked from the shattered armor. It pulled the soldier into its jaws, clamping its teeth in and flinging it around like dead prey, snapping his bones beyond repair. The dog's corpse was tossed aside Feroxmalis' tail ensnared around another soldier's leg, whipping him into the air and slamming him off the wall. A blood splatter formed on the surface as the soldier collapsed below, unmoving

The splashes of blood and screaming set alarm for the other soldiers. "Look kid, there's no time!" He pleaded to Rocky. The second soldier was forced to turn away, drawing his weapon and firing at the creature. Feroxmalis seemed to shrug off the bullets that hit it, raking its claws through another soldier and rendering him to bloodied shreds. More soldiers flooded in, Marshall managing to wedge out of Rocky's grip and fleeing out into safety. It was only Rocky left now, while Feroxmalis cut, stabbed, and shredded whatever dog dared to attack it. Body gore and broken armor flung in all directions, but still the ACG was relentless.

"Flamethrowers!" Cyrus shouted into his radio, while Marshall ran beside him and cowered under.

A soldier at his side turned to face him, "captain, we were ordered to contain, not destroy. They said-"

"I know what they said!" The husky snapped at his comrade, "but... we can't let this thing continue on, too many have died!" Now rebelling against the starting order, he bristled as he shouted into the radio, "flamethrowers! All of them!"

A military helicopter soared down from the sky, the screeches of Feroxmalis clearly audible as the soldiers fought to keep it at bay. Hovering a couple of feet above the ground, its side doors opened, and several Great Danes in heavy armor all jumped out landing into the bloodstained grass. They carried gas canisters strapped to their backs, fire-resistant armor, and masks shrouding their bodies. They were truly terrifying soldiers, driven home by the flamethrowers they carried at their sides.

"Look kid, you're going to die if you don't move!" The soldier barked, flattening his ears.

Rocky remained defiant, "I'll never trust you! You hurt me, you beat me!"

The second trooper turned around, "that wasn't us! We can-" he was cut off as Feroxmalis' claws snatched him from where he stood, snapping him in its grip and tossing him away. The remaining soldier flinched in terror, and he turned back to Rocky.

"Who- who was it?" He asked frantically.

"The ones who hurt you! Come with me, and I promise you we'll find them out!" The soldier pleaded, seeing the floor under Rocky beginning to crack, "we never wanted to hurt you, we were just afraid! We were all afraid, knowing what that thing was capable of!" He said desperately, once again reaching out his paw, "please, come with me!"

Seeing the soldier reach out to him, Rocky continued quivering as his words churned within him. The pup was terrified, his own PTSD flashing before his face. It was the ACG who scared and beat him, and now here they were trying to snatch him up. As fear clouded him, he thought it over as his paws scratched against an unstable concrete floor. Could he see justice for those who hurt him, was it even possible? He had little to nothing to go off of.

"You... you promise?" He asked shakily.

The soldier hastily turned his head to the side, flinching as he grew more uncomfortable being in close proximity to the creature. "Yes... absolutely," he turned back to the puppy, holding out his paw farther. Even through the military goggles and mask, he looked his brown eyes into the mix, trying with every fiber in his being to be sincere.

An explosion of metal sent debris flying over their heads, complete with a group of ACG soldiers all screaming in terror. There was little time, and Rocky gulped as his heart quickened. Fearfully, he began to extend his grey arm outward, and the soldier held his own paw out farther in response.

Tossing a soldier aside, Feroxmalis roared as it pinned another down and snapped its teeth into the dog's body, tearing it in half. Blood dripping from its maw, it eerily looked up, spotting Rocky and the soldier. Rage dripping at its claws, it hissed a tentacle over its face and flexed its claws.

Taking the final step, Rocky braced himself as he held his paw out, and the soldier finally managed to grab him. In a swift pull, Rocky was yanked off the floor and swept onto the dog's back. The soldier wasted no time turning around and beginning a spring for the outside, only to realize Feroxmalis was charging straight for them. Snarling in seething fury, the creature reached for the dogs with outstretched claws.

A massive cloud of fire blasted into the ruins, the dogs armed with flamethrowers marching in as they pulled the triggers on their horrific weapons. Each nozzle spewed an unforgiving flame into the area that burned and seared anything it touched. Feroxmalis was almost entirely consumed by it, prompting it to spring backward in fear.

Rocky was swiftly carried away to safety.

Its tail and back leg now caught fire, Feroxmalis screeched in rage as pain circulated through it. The flamethrower dogs only took this as a sign of progress and aimed their weapons a second time. Defiant, the creature refused to die and instead fled. It braced its stringy arms over its face and smashed through the wall, rupturing out the side of the Lookout wreckage. Feroxmalis emerged into the outside clearing, prompting a hostile response from the ACG soldiers. Hissing in annoyance as bullets cut through its flesh, it split its jaws open to roar a warning at the helicopter, further agitated as the vehicles searchlight beamed onto the creature.

The Lookout, suffering a final burst of damage, finally collapsed into dust and ruin. It was no longer possible to reenter the wreckage, as now it was nothing more than a pile of broken metal and shattered memories.

Trying to shake off the flames on its backside, Feroxmalis went to all fours and sprinted off toward the forest, its tentacles swiftly twirling in the air as it ran. As it pushed through the shrubbery, its flaming tail slapped against a tree, suddenly sparking a flame on its branches. Cyrus reared in horror as he witnessed the tree begin to light up in flames, the fire already spreading along the forest.

"Dear God..." Cyrus breathed, then shook himself of his fears, "all units, don't let it get away!" He picked up his own weapon and charged after it, dozens of remaining ACG soldiers -including Bella- running at his side.

Few soldiers stayed behind to tend to Rocky and Marshall. With visible proof the creature was no longer in the direct clearing, they were confident enough to land the helicopter and set up a medical station within it. Even as both puppies were carried in, they couldn't help but fearfully glance at the forest, now slowly erupting into a fiery inferno.

Chase was in there, Liberty as well, Feroxmalis shortly after, and now Cyrus with his legion charging into the flames after them. Whatever would soon happen in the burning forest would mean the fate of Adventure Bay.