"Mama?" I said, gazing at the adult rummaging through the fridge below. I was holding the bars like a prisoner, embarrassed that I had to to this again.

"Mike?" She glanced back with some surprise, a plastic container with leftovers from dinner in her hands, "Why aren't you in bed?"

"I... I had a nightmare... There's a monster under my bed," I looked away in shame.

I didn't want to wake any of them up, but I just couldn't fall back to sleep. I kept hearing things coming from under the bed, some scratching and snickering, but I didn't have the courage to look if it was just my imagination. I've seen enough movies to know that's how the kid gets dragged into the abyss by a hideous thing.

She sighed, closing the fridge with a gentle swing. She then put the leftovers on the table, walking from the kitchen to the bottom of the stairs. As she began to ascend, I retuned to the top and waited for her with my hands behind my back, biting my inner cheek.

Once she reached me, she crouched down to my level with both hands on my shoulder, "Mike, there are no monsters, they don't exist, remember?"

"I know, I know, but... Can you check? Please?"

She huffed, "I will, then right back to bed, okay?"

"Okay," I replied, feeling more confident now that I had a guardian to shield me from the great evil.

She got up and went to my room, I stayed close behind her. As we approached the source of my fear, my eyes darted around the darkness within, expecting something to jump out at any moment and eat me.

However, she entered the room like it was nothing, flicking on the light switch. I covered my eyes with my hands, the sudden change unpleasant and irritating.

"See? There's nothing here," she went over to my bed, raising the blanket to reveal exactly what dwelled under the bed; nothing.

"I... I'm sorry," I drooped my head, sauntering back to the bed and getting in. I laid back on the pillow, staring at her with shy eyes.

She shook her head, a thin grin on her lips. She sat down on the edge of the bed, playing with the fat of my cheek, "It's okay, I'm not angry, just... tired... Hey, how about I put up a night light? Would you like that?" I nodded my head rapidly, she chuckled and leaned over me, kissing my forehead.

Then, she got off and kneeled beside the nightstand, opening the second drawer and taking out a small lamp that kept the monsters away, even if they were just in my head. It was old, back from when I was a tiny little baby, but I wasn't ready to let it go just yet.

She connected the small lamp into the outlet, the gentle lightbulb illuminating the room enough to see, but not enough to hinder me in any way.

"Thanks..." I whispered, but she probably heard that.

"Good night, sweetie~"

"Good night, Mama," she turned off the lights, shutting the door behind her.

I wrapped myself in the blanket, smiling as I lost myself to the comfort of the space themed sheets. I loved Mom, she was the best. If I ever get married, which will totally never happen because ew girls, Mom will always be number one.

I breathed a lungful, the soft, furry blanket hugging me-

Wait, furry?


I opened my eyes to the familiar darkness, a ticklish darkness. I tried to move, but something kept me in place, even my legs were restrained. I'm pretty sure I was awake. What happened though? Where Am I?

I felt around the dark with my face, coming in contact with something soft and round shaped.. two of them.

I craned my head upwards, my eyes accustomed to the nonexistent light in the...

Bunker! They fucking drugged me!

And Rachel had me in a bear hug, her arms around my torso and her own legs locked around mine. I don't... What the fuck? Just, what the fuck? Twice, this happened. TWICE! I don't think I want to understand what's happening anymore.

As the wolfess snored away in her peaceful state, I tried to wiggle out of the fuzzy prison. Although, when I made a move too quickly, she'd groan and nuzzle my head, brining me back to square one.

I have very mixed feelings about this, and I don't like that.

Why? Fucking why? I thought they actually wanted to help, but noooo. The moment I let my guard down, I get stabbed in the back, or in this case treated like a body-pillow. Either way, what matters is the principle, it's all about the message!

I have to get out of here. If they were willing to poison me... what else could they do? What if they had a "moment"? A switch flipped and they suddenly decide that I'm not worth their time, and kill me?

Yeah- no. I don't have any feelings besides one; get-the-fuck-out=before-it's-too-late-ness.

I couldn't even turn to see where the other two were, but with how quiet it was, they were most likely asleep too. With all my previous frantic struggles and Rachel's unresponsiveness, I concluded that she was a heavy sleeper, dead as a log. So, I renewed my great escape albeit with more caution, ceasing all struggle at the tiniest reaction. I wiggled my body downwards and out of her arms after what felt like hours, but in reality was around ten minutes.

Once I was below her waist line, I turned around and around like a screw, slowly but surely slipping out of her crossed legs, her thick muscles hugging me like a python's prey. On one of my turns, I spotted the other two laying in their own beds, their relaxed expressions contradicted their true nature.

After some more turning, I finally escaped her hold, crawling away from her and consequently falling off the bed in the process. I made a nasty face, but no sound left my mouth.

Alright, get a weapon and get out-

There was something around my foot.

I glanced down, reaching a hand to it-

Shackles. One around my right foot and the other connected to the frame of the bed. They were thicker than a thumb and both ends had a keyhole.

Clever girls.

How do I get out of this bullshit? Where would I find the key? Did I even have enough room to get to the key?

Fuck, they're actually crazy. This is some serial killer type of shit I really don't want to deal with. A lubricant could help, but even if they had something like butter or vaseline, I was half a room away from the fridge.

I bit on my lip, one thing was sure; I couldn't stay here. They were out of their minds, I was luckily as is if they didn't hear me. A protruding part of my ankle was keeping the shackle above it, if only it wasn't there...

Oh no.

It's the only way. I-It's the only way!

I brought the foot near me in a partial cross-legged sit, grabbing at the bone with both hands.

No, that won't be enough.

I brought the other foreleg over the foot, a strong force downwards would definitely break it. I retracted my left hand into the sleeve, tucking the end of it into my mouth in a ball.

Calm. Breathe. Be like the water. Be like the wiIIIND!

I pressed down, but nothing happened besides a surge of pain. I gave another push, using my weight to press down on the bone. In the third attempt, I gave it my all and-

Snap!

"MMMMM!" I cried into the improvised gag, straining my jaw as I bit into it. My foot was twisted into a horrible position, but no blood came out. Internal bleeding could pose a serious problem- later! FUCKING LATER!

Keeping the end of the sleeve in my mouth, I grabbed the shackle with both hands again, pulling it away with my half-assed drugged strength.

After it came off, I lowered it the the ground without making a sound, my sleeve stained with streaming tears and saliva.

I laid on the ground, crying into the shirt as the pain dissipated into a numbness. It fucking hurt, but it wasn't the worse I'd ever experienced. If I had to put it on a scale, I'd give a solid seven out of ten.

Once I got my bearings, I crawled towards the pile of weapons across the room, feeling around with my hands so to not bump into anything and seal my doom. I wish I could-

"MM-H-H-HHH!" The sleeve did an excellent job at suppressing my suffering. I wish I could sneak out a full loadout with me, but a pistol would do.

When I was at the pile, I felt around for something small, any sidearm would do. How do I find a magazine that fits- FUCK! I... I need to get out, I don't know how much longer I can do this.

My hand touched a small handle, so I pulled the random pistol out of the pile, further inspection revealed it was already loaded, good enough. I shoved it into my pant pocket, the handle sticking out like a sore thumb.

The door.

I began creeping towards the armored door with the bazillion locks. Now, I had another problem; how the fuck do I get this to open without making any noise? Shit, shit, SHIT! Don't tell me I broke my foot for nothing!

I squinted my eyes in the dark, there was something written on the handle in bold, red letters...

An emergency mechanism. A single pull and the door would open, but it'd undoubtedly wake them up.

Life is full of risks, and this was one I wasn't willing to take. But I had gone too far, so there was no going back.

I forced myself onto my knees, and with my one good foot, I stood up. I then pulled at the lever, and every single security measure deactivated at once, generating a ghastly grating of metal against metal. I began pushing the door open, my broken foot hanging in the air.

"H-Huh? What's going on?" Lily asked, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes while I squeezed through the gap I'd created. Once on the other side, I began pushing it closed, anything to buy me a little more time.

"What the hell...?" Came from Emeline.

"WHERE'S ME HUBBY?!" Rachel screamed, but by the time I got the door to shut, it was faint.

Then, I jumped on the good foot towards the ladder like a clown, climbing up with one foot while knowing time was against me was fucking stressful. I dared not imagine what the gray cunt would do to me with how outraged she sounded.

When I got to the top of the ladder, I pushed the hatch, finding it was either left unlocked or didn't have one in the first place. No matter, the door was right there! But they were right under me, what do I do?! Steal the car, of course! GTA TIME!

Once I got out of the bunker, I swung the hatch down, landing with a bang. I limped to the car, pulling at the handle to find it was closed- OF COURSE IT WAS! What was I thinking?! Shitshitshit!

Through the driver's window, I caught a glimpse of the gear stick; it was left on neutral, meaning the wheels could move without the engine.

BINGO!

I went around to the back of the car, I didn't notice all this time I still had the sleeve in my mouth. I spit it out, voicing in pain as I pleased. I then began pushing the vehicle, it moved at a snail's pace, but it fucking moved!

"I'm going to kill him! I'll chop his fucking legs off!"

FASTERFASTERFASTER! Come on, you stupid piece of scrap metal, move your fat ass!

I forced the car forward like my life depended on it, correction, IT DID! Rapid clanging came from below the hatch, becoming more audible by the second. With one last push, the bumper hit the wall of the garage.

And a bang came from under the car, repeating again and again.

"What the?" It was Rachel. I crouched down and looked under the vehicle, grinning like a maniac.

"HAHA! TAKE THAT!"

"YOU-" she shoved the hatch up again and again, the car's weight a life saver, "YOU FUCKER! HOW?!"

I laughed at her, hissing at the pain that came and left, "You're fucking nuts, I'm out of here."

She reached out for me, grabbing at air with her sharp claws, "NO! NO! COME BACK HERE! GET THIS FUCKING CAR OFF RIGHT NOW!"

I trudged to the side exit, twisting the handle to open it. As I expected, it was locked. However, it was made out of wood, so a couple good kicks should do the trick.

"Please... don't go..." she whimpered, I kneeled down again to see what that was about. In response she gave me puppy eyes, but I simply burst out in laughter again.

"You... are the craziest motherfuckers I have ever met," I wiped away a tear, "Fucking hell, God is truly dead," I stood back up, getting a run up from the door.

"NO! PLEASE! PLEASE!" I ignored her wails, gaining some speed while still jumping on one leg like a moron, but I stopped before I collided.

"Shit..."

"WHAT?! WHAT?!"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP, BITCH! DAMN!" I went back to my starting position. If I were to get this open, I was going to need to do a little trick shot.

"Rachel?! What's going on?!" Emeline said.

"WHO FORGOT TO PUT THE CAR IN PARKING?!"

"...You?" Lily replied.

"I... FUCK! HE GOT IT OVER THE HATCH!"

"WHAT?!" The other two responded as one.

As their exchange went back and forth, I jumped over to the door again, and right before colliding head first, I jumped into the air, using my good leg to kick it.

I landed on the ground, my ass will feel this for the next few days, but it cracked! One more kick should do it, then it's for the hills.

"Mike? Mike? Miiiike~ Mikeeey~ What are you doing~?" In the time I was busy with my flying lessons, Rachel had gone down and was replaced by Emeline.

"Breaking out~" I returned with the same annoying tone, getting ready for another airborne mission.

"N-Now, why would you want to do that?"

"Pfff- You girls are either the dumbest or craziest bunch I've had the displeasure of meeting. Where do I even start? You drugged me, lied to me, chained me. I had to," I grunted, "I had to break my foot just to get out."

She gasped, "W-What? Get the car off! We need to help you!"

"Fuck you, what gives you won't kill me? Hmm?"

"K-Kill you?! Never!"

"Aha, suuuuure, I totally belie-"

"I LOVE YOU!"

"..."

" WE LOVE YOU! PLEASE! YOU'LL DIE OUT THERE!"

"Fucking psycho..."

"PLEA- RAAAH!" She punched the bottom of the car repeatedly as I jumped at the door, giving it the final kick in needed to burst open.

"Ha, hahaha. I did it," I wooed with my hands in the air, slowly getting back up.

"...Fine, run. Run, my little humie~ Because the moment we get you back? When we get out of Tarkov?" She made a dramatic pause, "We're going to have a very, very long talk~"

I turned to her with a disgust, "I don't know if there's some meaning behind it-"

"Sex. We'll have lots, and lots of bed-breaking sex. I always wanted a human son..." I didn't hear whatever else she had to say, limping out of the garage as she went on her insane tangent.

The full moon shined in all its glory, I never thought it'd be so... majestic.

I breathed the fresh air of the natural serenity around me, though a jolt of pain reminded me of just how much danger I was. They'd figure how to move the car out of the way, and by then I had to make myself scarce.

I began limping away as fast as I could, which amounted to almost a jog. I was free! I was free, and that's all that mattered.

I kept on with it, passing bushes, trees and more unknown territory. Without a map, I was as lost as a child in IDEA without their parents, or anyone really, that place was a labyrinth.

As I soldiered through the pain, losing track of how much time had passed since I'd escaped. At some point, I checked what kind of gun I had. It was a... I genuinely had no clue what it was, but after pulling out the magazine, I discovered that it was fully loaded. I turned the safety off and reloaded it, the chances of meeting someone were low, including the operators, but they were never zero.

I regained my freedom, but at what cost?

I was partially immobilized, stripped of my gear and had around twelve bullets to my name. Fuck, what do I do? No, don't think about it. Don't think about what Emeline said, crazy talk! Loose screws! Hit the head when she was a child... Were they even children? Or were they lab-grown?

A stick broke behind me.

I aimed at the source with my weapon raised. All of a sudden, the outside didn't seem so nice anymore.

Probably nothing. Yeah, nothing. A wild animal at worst.

I turned back to continue my journey to nowhere, but another rustle came from a different bush.

"W-Who's there? Show yourself!" Something was there, it was someone. I'm not paranoid! Shut up!

Another stick broke behind me. I turned on my heel, my shaking hand made the iron sights even more inaccurate, and the adrenaline was long gone.

"I'll shoot you! Cyka!" Another rustle, this one much closer to me. I turned to the foliage, my finger a centimeter away from pulling the trigger-

My wrist was grabbed and aimed upwards, a crushing pressure on it made me drop the pistol. I dashed down to grab it, but was instead pulled away by the hand.

I snapped towards the... cultist.

It was a hooded figure, black robes covering every part of its body expect its... scaly hands? It was two head taller than me, and a plague doctor's mask over its face.

I jerked against the clawed hand, but it didn't seem affected in the slightest. The cultist continued staring at me, frozen like a statue.

Until it rushed me, knocking me down on my back. It held both of my wrists above my head with one hand while the other was around my neck. I jostled against it with my knees, but it straddled my waist, craning its masked face over mine.

Then, it began applying pressure to my neck, but I could still breath.

"HE- ACK!" My airways were shut tight, a moment later being released.

"Shh, go to sleep~" It was a she, sh-she was another one of those things!

"What... are... you?" My vision darkened around the corners of my eyes, slowly spreading towards the center.

"Shh~ Shh~ I'll take good care of you, just go to sleep~" No matter how much air I inhaled, I continued to lose consciousness.

"No... No..." This can't be! This! This... can't... be...

"Shhhh~ Go to sleep, go to sleeeeeeep~"