Ch. 2 - We'll Be Fine

Despite the fact that she lived a rather simplistic life at home, Gloria worked a decent amount of hours at a large research facility located a fair distance away from where she lived.

After having enrolled in several collage classes relating to the topic of this new and complex ethology, she applied for a job at the nearest establishment that would allow her to apply her newfound knowledge to a career that would have hopefully stuck with her a large portion of her adult life.

The facility specializes in collecting useful data relating to the current ethology, as well as biology, of the world. Whether the data was collected from the organs of those that had been kind enough to dedicate to the facility's research, or currently living, breathing creatures, it all benefited to one cause; discovering the exact DNA strand that had caused these creatures to evolve as they did. In the mind's of the scientists, this information would allow them to create a hormone that could, if need be, bring back the human race if it ever were to devolve, or worse, be wiped out completely.

If was kind of selfish, really, but most people thought of it as a kind gesture towards humanity, so they dismissed it.

Most of the animals, including that of Gloria's own furry friend, disliked the idea of being used as a larger, more diverse form of 'lab rats', and often didn't agree with the scientist's intentions. Gloria was well aware of Foxy's distaste, so she swore to him that if ever offered a position different than her current one, which involved collecting data and providing progress reports for the higher ups, she would automatically decline. She had heard rumors of the disgusting, inhumane things those people would sometimes did to those creatures while examining them, and she certainly hadn't wanted to indulge in it herself.

Unfortunately, the process of discovering the DNA strand proved to be more and more difficult as time went by. A virus, known to some by the nickname of, 'Rabies Redemption', ( as cheesy as it sounded ) had developed, or, evolved, from a bacteria that had been discovered in the mummified bodies of smaller, underdeveloped creatures from the early 2000's. It heavily resembled rabies, and it would cause the occupant's brain to fizz out, figuratively speaking, and have them become dazed and ultimately violent, savagely attacking and sometimes killing anything that crossed it's path. The virus had sometimes dared to be referred to as a possible 'zombie virus', though, there was no known evidence of anything rising from the dead, so it was often dismissed.

It was a well-paying job, and Gloria appreciated the money she was able to rake in for both her and Foxy's sake. The fox didn't require much to live, though it wasn't unoften that he'd get sick with lesser, more well-known illnesses. They usually added up to nothing more than the sniffles or a bad cough, so it was no huge concern. The worst of any occasion was when Foxy had scraped his hand quite gruesomely against the pavement, though foolishly dismissed it, and ended up loosing it later due to infection. Foxy, having been interested in the legend of pirates throughout a large portion of his life, opted for a gleaming, metal hook, rather than a prosthetic hand.

After having fixed both her and Foxy an afternoon meal, Gloria had suggested that perhaps they could venture out to the town after lunch for a stroll through the streets, and possibly stop at a store or two to pick up some groceries. Foxy complied, and quickly finished the last amount of food that he had been given, before scampering off to find a pair of pants to pull over his legs. He normally went without them while he was home, what with there being only one person to worry about and being completely covered in fur, especially at the nether regions, though, being in public was a different story.

Out of spite, Gloria decided to check her phone, possibly for any updates from the daily news or local weather stations. What she saw baffled her, to say the very least.

A breaking news article. Apparently, one of the test subjects being contained at her work location was unaffected by the sedatives it had been given, and quickly overpowered the small hoard of workers that had attempted to keep it at bay. It had escaped it's confinement and ended up releasing several other test subjects with the amount of destruction it had caused during it's blinded rage. Now, they were reported to be roaming about the area, and all patrons within a twenty mile radius were required to stay within the confinements of their household.

"Uh, Foxy?" The girl called, eyes never leaving her phone, "would you mind if we rescheduled?" Her voice sounded hesitant, as though she were truly afraid of what the future might bring if they were to leave the safety of their home.

"What're ya sayin'?" An low, accented voice yelled back, "Ya seemed rather excited about goin', why tha sudden change in demeanor?"

The girl bit her lip, before tearing her eyes away from the handheld device and towards the approaching fox's figure. He looked confused, with his ears pricked curiously and head tilted slightly. She didn't blame him very much at all. Gloria had most certainly expressed her excitement for the small trip earlier that day through the large smile that had almost permanently planted itself on her cheeks.

"..I read an article that was posted quite recently, and apparently one of the guys infected with that virus got loose, and then he let several others loose, so I'm not sure if it'd be safe to go outside for a little while."

Foxy raised a brow, a small scowl becoming apparent on his maw.

"Isn't that place miles n' miles away? There needn't be panic; no way they'd find themselves able to travel that far on foot too terribly quickly. C'mon, lass, I'd hate to see ya mopey fer the rest o' the day 'cause o' this."

Gloria sighed. While she was still a tad paranoid about the issue, the other's words made sense, and it provided some much-needed reassurance.

"Well, alright. Let's go, then." She said, smiling wearily.

Foxy nodded, and maneuvered himself out the door. At the last moment, he caught the door handle with his hook, and shuffled off to the side, effectively holding the door open for the girl. Gloria's smile became a tad more genuine at that, and she stepped out past Foxy, muttering a quiet, "Thank you."

"Yer very welcome, lass." And with that, he shut the door behind the two of them, and treaded off after the girl.