I don't own anything other than OCs.

CH8

Chase slowed to a stop just outside the door and listened for that scraping sound he heard earlier. He couldn't hear anything except for a faint wheezing sound, it barely registered to his ears at all.

He gulped and wondered if he should call out to it again so he wouldn't startle it when he opened the door. After all, it was a cornered animal and they do lash out when they feel threatened. Another part of him wanted to just leave with Skye and for everything to go back to normal before he discovered this place, but he knew for himself that was out of the question.

"Hey!" He called out.

The wheezing came to a slow stop.

"Like I said we don't mean any harm, we're going to open the door now if that's okay with you." Chase finished.

He didn't get a reply which was uncanny to him, every dog he met in Adventure Bay talked, just not wild animals. Regardless, he decided to make the decision to put the knife away to not seem like a threat, and moved to the other side of the door.

Skye now kept her distance, but was ready to jump in if the need arose.

Chase looked up and saw the door was labeled 'Kennel Room A'. He grabbed the edge of the door and slowly pulled it towards him. Once it was fully open, he waited a few seconds in case the thing wanted to charge. Skye took a few steps back on the other side.

After awhile, nothing came out and Chase began to move in slowly aiming his light. It immediately revealed open kennels all on the sides of the room starting from the floor to ceiling stacked on metal shelves. The room was linear but long and went down about forty meters, and at the end of the hall was where his light had finally caught it fully; a rather large and sickly looking canine with it's head down.

Chase froze and studied it over. It's head was down with it's body against the back wall and was dotted with patches of black fur. It was mangy like Skye said but he also noticed scars and bruises all along the exposed skin. He assumed it was either a German Shepard like he was or a wolf dog judging by it's build and slumped tail. For now it didn't seem to acknowledge him and just slouched there panting slowly, audible wheezing coming out after each pant and was shaking violently.

Chase eventually managed to speak. "H-hey," he stuttered. "Are you okay?" He cringed, poor choice of words since it clearly wasn't.

The dog stopped panting and moved it's head in his direction but it's eyes were closed and it leaned slightly to the floor.

Skye walked in the room behind him and peaked from his left side, the sight of shocked her before saddening her like Chase. She felt bad for calling it mean earlier.

"I'm gonna come a little closer if that's alright with you." Chase said as reassuring as he could.

The dog resumed it's panting position.

Chase took one step forward but Skye lightly pulled on his tail. "Chase…" She eyed him with caution.

Chase just nodded to her and continued slowly. A sight along the kennels pulled him from the dog and gave him chills. A familiar dark crimson liquid was splattered over most of the center cages and their barred doors were either twisted up or pulled off completely and on the floor.

He got about halfway through the room before stopping at a sound from the dog.

"…are you here… kill…"

The voice was raspy and stopped The two in their tracks, it was barely audible to them but it was clear this dog was trying to speak.

"You can talk?" Chase asked surprised. "What did you say?"

The dog made a sound like it was clearing it's throat before turning to them with it's head lowered.

"Are you here… to kill me?" She asked in raspy, yet slightly deep feminine tone.

Chase and Skye both gasped.

"What!? N-no no no, we're part of the PAW Patrol and we're here to help." Chase reassured. What the hell happened to her? Is someone after her? He thought.

The dog squinted over at them and scrutinized them for awhile, she wasn't shaking anymore.

She finally spoke. "Put the light away… please… it burns."

Chase and Skye looked at each other before Chase aimed the beam of the light to floor. He assumed she had been down here for longer than he thought and her eyes had grown accustomed to the dark. "I'll dim the light but I need it on to see, okay?" Chase did as he said.

Her eyes opened wider now that the light had died to a glow on the floor, it reflected off of them giving her eyes a rather creepy glow.

She sat up on all fours, which caused the two pups to flinch, and began to walk over to them. Chase resisted the urge to back up just before the dog was now standing over him. "We don't mean any harm." Chase reminded in a slightly weak tone.

She ignored him and ran her muzzle along his head and back, giving him a good sniff. She did the same with Skye who closed her eyes and shrunk, looking as if she was going to cry.

The dog took a step back and stared at them with her jaws opened in apparent shock.

"He… he made more of you," She spoke in fear. "The experiments, they still go on!" Her voice began to raise and she started shaking again.

"Experiments? Huh? Look we can help you get out of here." Chase offered, trying not to panic himself.

"I don't want help! Not if you're working with him!" She barked loudly.

"Who!?" Chase asked in desperation. "Humdinger?"

She cocked her head at him, that name throwing her off.

"DR. LEVY." She spat.

The two pups shared confused glances. "I'm sorry, but we've never seen or heard of a Doctor Levy." Chase said.

The dog just stared at them, still shaking.

"What… what happened to you?" Chase asked as he looked at her pitifully.

"I… no they, they tried to kill me because I wasn't good enough…" tears began to fling from her face as she shook her head in anguish. "Wasn't good enough for their games and… and had my own… things." She finished while starting to sniffle, she turned from them.

Chase and Skye were both heart broken at the sight of her in this state. Chase decided to calm her down to the best of his abilities. "Hey, whatever happened we will…"

"So that's why I let them out!" She interrupted. "I had to save myself… and… and stop him, they tore at them… I can still hear their screams… in the dark and in my dreams… and their last dying breaths… but I'm safe." The dog's upset ramble came to a low whisper.

"Let them out?" Chase asked as he was now slightly intrigued.

"The Gone Ones, ravenous and mad, they showed less mercy than I would have to these people." She explained more calmly.

Chase looked around at the bloody kennels before asking a follow up question. "And what are these Gone Ones?"

"They were like me… and maybe you I guess… but they were cut up in a different way… but they failed even before their experiments… so they were discarded here, waiting to be taken away… it's hard for me to explain without me introducing you, but I don't think they'll like you like they like me." She cryptically explained.

"Yeah don't worry, you don't have to." Chase was now creeped out. A thousand questions were now going through his head.

"I… thought they would send people after me… for what I did to this place… but they must think I'm dead than." The dog thought out loud.

"So it wasn't you that killed that person in there?" Skye finally spoke up.

She shook her head. "My kill no, my only food, yes."

She was disheartened by the response, all she had to eat down here were old corpses. A bell rung in her head as she reached her pup pack. "Hey I have some biscuits and juice leftover from the last mission." She presented a few dog biscuits and a few bottles of kiwi juice.

The dog stared the bagged dog biscuits down as Skye began to unwrap them, and without warning she lunged for it.

"Hey!" Skye yelled as she was flung to the ground by the dog's mass, Chase rushed over and helped her up. The dog practically inhaled the biscuit before snatching the others in her jaws and violently chewing them. Before the pups can even blink she had swallowed them and spit the wrappers out. She now grabbed one of the juice bottles.

Skye put her paw up. "You're supposed to…" The bottle busted under her bite and she washed the fluids down. She did that with each of the bottles. When the last bottle hit the floor, she let out a yawn of satisfaction. Her tail wagged weakly now. "Thanks little one." She muttered.

Skye and Chase couldn't help but smile now, the tension between them had seemingly melted away.

Chase's smile faded as now many problems plagued him. They had to get her out of here, that was for sure. But how exactly? And the rising sun would no doubt kill what was left of her vision, and where could they take her that will be safe? Probably not the Lookout since Ryder would know they were down here. Maybe Jake's Mountain or Katie's Parlor but they'll no doubt tell Ryder. The two also would later have to make up a good lie as to how they saved this dog. Chase turned to the dog as now something pinged him.

"Do you have a name?" Chase asked.

The dog turned to him with a perplexed look. She sat down and looked up as if she was in deep thought. "Designation… 01…" she listed.

She's 01?, Chase thought back to the document.

"Subjects name is to be… January." She finished speaking in a tranced like state.

The two pups tilted their heads.

"I wish to be called January… my given name if I passed the tests." She spoke.

Chase blinked. "Okay January, my name is Chase and this is Skye." Chase introduced them as Skye smiled.

January eyed Chase strangely. "Chase… subject 02?"

"Urr what?" Chase asked in a nervous tone.

The two froze as stiff as poles when a loud and deep howl echoed from deeper in the halls and ended with a piercing shriek. It was like nothing they ever heard, not a wolf howl or a shriek from a bird of prey. The two looked around frantically and shaking as they tried to figure out what was their next move.

Chase looked up to January who just looked mildly concerned. "Is that…?" He asked but was cut off.

"Yes, and if you wish to free me from here… it's best to do it now." She answered gravely.

It was a race against time now.