I don't own anything other than OCs

CH9

The trio moved down the hall in a brisk pace, January lagged behind in an effort to act as sort of a barrier in case the Lost Ones were to find them before they exited the facility.

They eventually made it back to the air filtration room and filed in, January shut the door behind her. Another loud howl echoed down the hall outside, the sound was much closer.

"Ruff ruff! Grapple hook!" Chase immediately launched his grappling hook up to the open hatch and put his pup pack down. Skye was the first to climb it.

"You two climbed down from there?" January asked in awe as she nodded up to the open shaft.

"Yeah, had to work on the screws a bit but I got it open." Chase explained as he motioned for her to try to climb, or see if she even could.

She hummed as she walked over to her old bed. "I slept here every night, the air coming from the hole helped me sleep, it was the only sound in here… and I say goodbye to this old thing."

A series of hoarse and raspy screams came from just down the hall, sounding like they were in the labs. Some slams and scratches followed.

"Hey um… we have to go." Chase reminded as his heart started to beat frantically.

January let out a quiet sigh before moving to the line. "Right… I'm ready for fresh air."

"Can you climb up there?" Chase asked as he watched her put her paws around the chord, she maneuvered her left front leg and wrapped the chord around it a few times. She then bit down on it and began to shimmy her way up the chord one bite at a time.

"Yes." She called down as she continued.

Chase couldn't help but watch in amazement but creaking sounds coming from outside the door snapped him back to it and he put his pack back on and started following January up the line.

The door started to violently shake and scratching sounds practically filled the whole place now. The wheezing and snarling coming from outside the door was like nothing they've ever heard before and it filled them with absolute terror.

Skye winced at the sound of scratching metal as she helped January out of the shaft and then Chase. Skye darted for the end of the cavern while Chase screwed the grate back on and January held it down, Chase only hoped the things wouldn't follow them out of here.

"Oh… my…" January was filled with wanderlust at the scent of earth and the fresh air, she was ready to leave.

As they got to the entrance of the hole, Skye stopped. "Oh no, Chase I don't think she can fit through here!"

Chase stopped as well. Sh!@!

"I've gone through tighter spaces… though that was back when I was still a little one." January said, noticing his expression. "I'll go through it even if it breaks me."

She nodded with determination at the pups for them to go first. Skye and Chase did so with the later going last. It sounded like the Lost Ones were still struggling with the door, so he decided to slow down and scratch at the tunnel around him and loosen the soil in hopes it would make it easier on January.

January managed to squeeze in behind them but just barely. She couldn't move her front legs much so she started doing a twisting motion. The dirt from the tunnel was beginning to crumble around her with each squeeze and allowed her to move faster, just as Chase had intended.

Chase eventually made it up to the surface after Skye and to his relief the sun has yet to come up. He assumed it was close to four now. The raging sounds that echoed down from the filtration room had slowed to a complete stop, they were safe.

A ripping noise brought his attention to the hole and smiled when January's head came out. She stopped when her body was about halfway and was practically sitting on the slope of the small tunnel. Her eyes were as wide as saucers and she took one long inhale of air, snorting and going into a coughing fit afterwards. She was rapidly sniffing and looking around at her environment, taking it all in. The smell of grass, the cool breeze against her beaten body, and the sounds of crickets. She froze when she looked up, the stars, and couldn't help but mutter, "whoa…".

This was all too surreal to her, and it happened to intrigue the observant police pup. As January pulled herself out of the hole and continue to stargaze, Chase walked up to her.

"How long we're you down there?" He asked.

"For… almost as long as I can think… it was mostly only through screens and audio that I was exposed to the over world… though I remember it faintly, when I laid with mother most of the time." She explained without taking her gaze off the night sky.

Skye frowned. "Your mother, was she down there too?"

January shook her head. "They took her from me before I could even speak… I only remember her warmth and… love." She choked on the last part.

The two pups shared solemn looks.

January looked to the ground, anguish filling her yet again. It was when she looked at her paws in the grass that it completely drew her focus. She moved her paw around in it, then fell completely over in it and started rolling. The pups heard her laugh for the first time and though any other dog would have found it strange, the pups knew that this was probably the first time she had done that.

Chase just watched in amusement until Skye tapped him, he looked over and met her concerned gaze.

"What now, Chase?"

Chase looked up at the stars himself, desperately thinking of a solution to their current predicament. His exhaustion making it even more difficult.

"We need to get her somewhere safe, somewhere Ryder won't know to look." He stated the obvious.

"Chase, I think we need to tell Ryd…"

"No!" Chase quickly cut her off. "He finds out and that's it for the PAW Patrol!" Chase raised his voice at her.

"But Ryder needs to know!" Skye barked back. "There are dead bodies down there and dangerous… I don't know what down there! We need to make sure people know about this place so they can keep away even if our careers end!"

Chase sighed in frustration though he did admire her dedication. "Skye I'm telling you, the way Ryder worded it it sounds like these people could do far worse than just loosing our careers. We could probably end up like her!" Chase nodded to January who was too busy running around with a stick in her mouth.

Fear gripped the cockapoo when she saw her mangy body and deep scars again.

"Please Skye, trust me." Chase pleaded.

"Alright." Skye gave in. "But what place could be safe for her than?"

Chase looked down, back at his mental drawing board. A light bulb suddenly switched on in him as he thought about the other day.

"Hey Skye, I think I got something but we're going to have to go into the desert, I might have to do some convincing but I think it might work." Chase said optimistically.

"The desert?" Skye asked as she raised an eyebrow. It was a little bit of a trek from here but doable.

"Yeah, if we go now we'll be back to the Lookout before sunup."

"And just where are we going in the desert." Skye inquired, not liking Chase withholding information.

"The old diner."

Skye frowned. "You know the Ruff Ruff Pack live there right?"

"Which makes it the perfect place, the place is isolated and the Ruff Ruff Pack are stray vandals that aren't connected to Ryder or the rest of Adventure Bay." Chase stated with enthusiasm.

"And what makes you think they'll just let her stay there for however long? They're not exactly good pups you know?" Skye was starting to grow impatient.

"That's where I'll have to do some convincing like I said earlier, they might be villains but I'm sure I could strike some sort of agreement, and it's not like she'll be there forever." Chase reasoned.

Skye just shook her head, but she saw the logic in what he was saying. "Fine."

"Where are we going?" January asked after she dropped the stick before them.

"It's a place a little ways from here in a desert, you can stay there until we can find a more long term place for you. Chase said.

January looked a bit weary. "Are there people there?"

"There's some more pups like us but no humans per say, they might be a little ruff but I'm sure they'll get used to you." Skye answered this time with a hint of doubt.

January could sense that, but it definitely sounded better than the place she finally came out of. To her, as long as they're weren't any humans it was good with her.

January smirked. "Well, what are we waiting for?"