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PART 3: A NEW HOME

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Home is where the heart is

It's not something one decides

It's anchored fast to memories

In which the heart resides

Home is where the heart is

But for some that won't be true

For if their home's been shattered

Then their heart's been shattered too

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Chapter 36: Alone in the Dark

Late that night, the train finally landed on the beach of the fog-shrouded Adventure Bay. The land was dark and nearly invisible due to the heavy mist, but Zuma's navigation skills and Everest's knowledge of stars had proved invaluable. Ryder deactivated the power to the hover discs, lowering the locomotive onto the sand. The soft squeal of the metal on the beach sounded like the train sighing after a job well done.

"Well, pups… we made it. We're home," Ryder remarked, mostly to himself. Only Zuma and Everest were still awake, and they stood at the door of the train, eagerly peering out the window with tails waving. The rest of the pups were littered along the floor and seats, breathing softly.

"Oh, finally," Zuma half-heartedly cheered, suppressing a yawn.

"It's a shame there isn't any snow left in the bay. I was looking forward to it," Everest sighed in resignation.

Zuma glanced back at his slumbering friends, "Should we wake them up?"

The boy looked over the pups and shook his head, whispering, "No, they're all fast asleep, and they need their rest… They're only puppies after all." Ryder raised his arms above his head and stretched, suppressing a yawn and thinking about all the work they would have in the morning.

Zuma and Everest pushed the door of the Flying Bullet open, and the breeze from the sea invited itself in, followed by tiny droplets of precipitation. Ryder smiled and crouched next to the husky and Labrador, giving them each a scratch behind their ears, "Looks like it's just how you two like it. Cold and wet."

The two pups giggled and gathered what they could carry of Gizmo's smaller inventions. They set out for where they knew the lookout to be. The leader of the Paw Patrol bent down and gently picked up Rubble and Marshall, the two pups nearest to him. He slowly stepped out of the grounded train. His sneakers and cast sank into the damp sand as he began his wet trek up the hill to the lookout, following two sets of paw prints through the mist.

When Gizmo opened his eyes, he found himself enveloped in a sea of darkness as black as his fur. As he blinked the drowsiness from his vision, he noticed he was still in the train, but everyone else was gone. Immediately his nerves sent him on high alert. "Rocky? Everest? Zuma?" the Lab asked into the darkness, almost afraid to speak. But there was no response except for the wind and the lapping of waves on the shore. He called louder, but the moment the words left his mouth, they were swallowed by the infinite void outside of the train like there was a monster waiting to grab them.

Tentatively Gizmo crept to the open door and stuck his head out the frame. He immediately pulled back, shivering from the cold and rain as the full force of the ocean breeze whipped through his fur. Internally he had to admit that Zuma's rain simulation was pretty similar to this. Slowly this time, he peeked his head out, blinking at the newfound feeling of wind and rain. The Labrador's ears were forcefully laid flat against his head, and his nose twitched with the frigid sting of rain. Timidly, Gizmo reached for the ground with one of his front paws, not even sure there was a ground in this black world. Unable to feel any guise of a firm footing beneath him, he took a blind leap into the unknown.

"Augh!"

Unfortunately the drop wasn't as far as he had anticipated, and the pup lost his footing upon collision with the ground, tumbling forward before squelching into soaking sand. Trying not to shout for help, Gizmo floundered onto his paws. He was now covered in cold, wet sand, and drenched from head to toe with salt water and rain. Nothing had ever felt like this before. Internally or externally. The way the ground shifted beneath him and water kept lapping at his feet then disappearing moments later like it was never there made him unable to find his bearings or footing. Internally, his head still ached from being slammed into the back wall of the train hours earlier, and his brain screamed at him to find a solution. With both eyes open, Gizmo was blind in the storm, and the only thing he wanted now was a little bit of light.

Quite unexpectedly, his wish was granted with a resounding BOOM, and jagged knife of bright white that stabbed the blackness before vanishing without a trace like an assassin. For a moment the lone puppy was too terrified to move, mouth wide open and eyes open wider. He had seen lightning before and heard the thunder, but with the island dome, it was muted and distant. Now it was here. And it was loud, unexpected, and unpredictable. And it was petrifying. Gizmo scrambled away from the noise, desperate to get away from this suffocating nightmare. In his haste the pup fell flat on his face into the gritty sand. Again he found himself flailing with no direction. Panic strangled his senses, and he longed for something– No, someone to help him.

After a minute of pure terror, Gizmo placed a paw on something metal. The Bullet Express! He was unable to find the step to climb inside, so Gizmo scrambled in a gap between the gritty sand and the bottom of the express. It was no drier under the train than outside because the waves continued lapping at his tail which was tucked between his legs.

Gizmo closed his eyes, and all he could see was the image of his first memory. Waking up underneath a table. Covered in metal shavings, his paw bleeding, and unable to remember anything but the word Gizmo being screamed over and over. He recalled walking outside and finding nothing but wreckage and bodies. So he had run, leaving a crimson mark every time his front right paw hit the ground. Finally he had arrived at what he called… home. His parents who loved him had lived here. He had lived here.

I want to go home. The world is too big. Please let me go home. Was all Gizmo could think. He felt like he was stuck in a time loop. Every time he opened his eyes, he found the same inky darkness and frigid dampness. Every time he closed his eyes, the horrible scene started playing again. With every moment Gizmo came to the numbing realization that he had no home. Nowhere to turn to. Then lightning pierced the darkness, followed by the terrible rumble of thunder.

Gizmo was about to shout for help when a small light appeared in the distance through the fog. This one had a warmer tint to it without the fluorescent sort of hue lightning had. All the same, Gizmo was afraid of it. He gasped as another bolt raced across the sky, and he covered his maw with his paws to prevent him making any noise. He watched the light grow larger, and soon enough, he could hear footsteps, the sound of raindrops on a raincoat, and an unfamiliar voice that was halfway through a sentence.

"-All the gasoline on the generator. It would'a been nice to take the ATV."

The voice stopped, and so did the footsteps. The light swung from side to side, searching the beach. Gizmo shrank backwards farther into the crevice as the flashlight spotted the train.

"There it is," the voice spoke again. The footsteps resumed their cadence, but this time he heard another pair of feet that he couldn't hear before. There were two things coming toward the train. The pup shivered from a combination of cold and fear. The unpredictable lightning flashed again, revealing two human silhouettes. Gizmo squished himself back into the gap as far as his body would let him, holding his forepaws over his ears. The combination of thunder and strangers drowned out any logic the soaked canine had left. He closed his eyes, praying that the storm, lightning, and strangers would all leave. The feet were standing at the door of the Bullet now, and Gizmo could have reached and touched them if he wanted to. But he did not. Please leave me alone. Take what you want and leave me alone. He thought desperately. The humans' light shone through the train, and one of them crawled inside.

Finally, Gizmo heard something that was familiar.

"He's not in here."

It was Ryder! The voice was a welcome sound to the terrified dog under the train, but still he did not dare to show his face in front of the stranger who was with him. Gizmo decided he would wait until they left and then run away, finding a place to stay. He didn't need help from anybody, and he could survive on his own as he had done for years. Looking around, he noticed a nearby tree he could use for shelter and perhaps dry off under. The thought was enticing, and he decided to make a break for it when their backs were turned.

"Gizmo?" The boy called. "Gizmo!"

The other voice spoke again, "Where did he go?"

Ryder responded by jumping out of the train and landing on the ground in front of Gizmo, sending a spray of wet sand into his muzzle. The canine didn't even dare to flinch.

"I had to carry the other pups up to the lookout, so I left him here, and he was fine! He must have woken up and gone looking for us." Ryder shouted over the storm. The human with him turned the flashlight away from the train and the beam began combing the beach again. The man's voice responded to Ryder's panicked tone, "Calm down, man. I'm sure he's around here somewhere… You said he has black fur, right?"

"Yeah. And his name is Gizmo."

"Terrible color to be looking for on a night like this, man."

"GIZMO! GIIIZMOOO! It's me! Ryder!"

The stranger holding the flashlight directed the beam towards Ryder who had his back to the train. Gizmo saw that this was his chance, and he made a break for it. The Lab dashed out from under the train and sprinted the ten yard distance to the tree. After shaking out his fur and laying down, he looked back at the duo, who he could still see clearly in the beam of the flashlight.

Ryder was in a yellow slicker and rain boots, but half the buttons on the slicker had been done in the wrong places, and the hood had been carelessly thrown off of his head. The boy was soaked, but his hair still managed to stick out at odd angles. Whenever he took a step, water sloshed out of the one boot he wore while his cast remained covered in wet sand. Clearly that boot hadn't done a very good job at keeping his feet dry. The stranger walked a little closer to the boy and called to him, "Ryder! Why don't you go home while I look for him?"

Ryder only began walking away and shouting the missing pup's name all the louder. The man with the flashlight yelled again, "Ryder! Why don't you go home?"

The teenager was obviously blatantly ignoring the stranger by the train now. He continued calling Gizmo's name into the storm. As Gizmo watched the searching boy being pelted by rain in the beam of light, the pup began to wonder if he should reveal himself. At least maybe let them know he was alive before he ran away. Finally, the man shouted one last time.

"RYDER!" The boy stopped walking away and turned slowly to face the man. Ryder held an arm up to shade his eyes from the bright light, and he looked only at the ground. Gizmo could see that Ryder was exhausted. The way his shoulders drooped and how his face seemed a shade paler. Besides that, there was no reason he shouldn't be exhausted.

The stranger stopped yelling, and in a kinder tone continued, "...You need rest, man. Let me do this for you."

Ryder stood in the howling storm for a minute, unresponsive and dripping from the unrelenting downpour. The stranger's footsteps crunched their way over to the boy, and he set the flashlight to stick up in the damp sand so that they could see each other. Gizmo tried to catch a glimpse of the young man with Ryder, but his back was towards the tree, and his slicker hood had been put on properly. The stranger placed a hand on Ryder's shoulder, and the teenager lowered his arm, still not looking at his friend.

"Ryder, I promise that I won't stop looking until I find him."

Ryder sniffed and finally looked upwards to meet eyes with his companion. The rain pelted his face, but he didn't bother shielding it this time.

"I promise that I won't stop looking until I find him either. He may not be a part of the Paw Patrol, but he's our friend. Besides… He can't be greeted by a complete stranger," Ryder responded with all the conviction he could muster. Gizmo blinked. He had expected Ryder to give in. Despite himself, Gizmo began admiring the boy. The stranger shook his head, "You're one tough cookie, dude. I'll say that for you… Alright, I'll let you stay, but I'm gonna stick close by so that we don't get lost. Even with a flashlight the fog makes things real weird," the man replied, picking up the light.

Smiling half-heartedly, Ryder responded, "You say that like I wouldn't have done it anyway."

The two laughed momentarily before continuing their search. Gizmo watched the light begin to fade, heard the footsteps grow more distant, and the voices continue to call his name.

Gizmo hadn't realized it, but the appearance of Ryder with a flashlight had calmed him tremendously. Now that that assurance was gone, Gizmo felt himself beginning to panic. He felt abandoned again. Then the lightning crashed overhead in its erratic path once again, fizzling to nothing within moments. Gizmo couldn't help but scream and cover his eyes with his soaked, sandy paws. He didn't care if Ryder or the stranger heard him. He just wanted somebody to reassure him that the world outside of his island wasn't all wet, cold, dark, and fearful. Soon enough he heard the hurried crunching of sand underfoot and Ryder's voice calling hopefully, "GIZMO! I'm here! It's me!"

The Labrador uncovered his eyes and saw the light bobbing towards him farther off from where Ryder was. As Gizmo ran out from underneath the tree, the boy skidded to a halt a couple yards from the train, "Gizmo! It's okay! Where are you?"

"Ryder!"

The teenager closed the distance and fell to his knees in front of the terrified pup. Gizmo buried his head in the boy's stomach just as the arms closed around him in an embrace. Normally, he would have shied away from contact, but this was the first warm thing he had felt since waking up without a home. It gave him a sense of security that Ryder cared enough about him to keep searching. A minute later the stranger arrived with the flashlight. Ryder released Gizmo, smiling, and set the black pup back on the sand. Gizmo gazed up at the tall man. He couldn't see much of him through the fog, dark, and rain, so the pup crouched close to Ryder. Strangers always made him uneasy… At least the nine that he could remember encountering before this. Ryder gestured to the man with the flashlight, "This is Jake. He's my friend."

"So this is Gizmo? Hey, man! Quite a lotta trouble finding you in this weather," the man commented. Jake bent and extended a hand towards Gizmo, "You wanna lift, little dude? It's a pretty steep walk."

Gizmo instinctively retreated from the hand. He didn't want to be carried by anybody; it made him feel weak. The black Labrador recovered from his impulsive reaction and responded, "No, I'll walk."

Jake shrugged as the dog stood and Ryder stumbled to his feet, "Suit yourself, man. I used all the gasoline on the generator, so the ATV isn't gonna budge."

"I should have switched that to battery power like the pups' vehicles ages ago…" the teenager mused.

Ryder yawned and stretched as Jake adjusted his own hood, "Ryder, do you need me to carry you?"

The boy smiled tiredly at Jake and opened his mouth to respond, but he just ended up yawning a second time. Jake laughed and put his hands on his hips, waiting for an answer.

"No, no, I'm good. It's below my dignity as a… *yawn*"

"As a what?"

Ryder raised an eyebrow at his friend, "I was going to say a tough cookie."

"Good. Because it's below my dignity to carry a tough cookie who can't button his raincoat right."

The boy looked down at his coat and gasped. 'How did he do that without noticing?' Gizmo wondered.

Ryder began walking along beside Jake while trying to unbutton his mistake, "I guess I had a few more things on my mind than being above your dignity."

"Like that hair of yours?"

"Like finding gas for my ATV?"

"You got me."

Through the mist Jake began leading the muddy trek to the lookout, lighting the way with his flashlight.

Gizmo shivered as another gust of sea spray hit him. It was going to be a long walk regardless of distance. He had no protection against the rain whatsoever, and he was chilled to the bone. To add to the complications, water ran across the ground and washed any firm footing away for the small dog. As they neared the bottom of the hill, a bolt of lightning struck directly in front of them, electrifying the tree that Gizmo had been hiding under. Shards of bark zipped through the air, pelting the ground near the trio with debris. Gizmo yelped and dove between Ryder's boots, trying to hide from the unexpected bolt.

"Woah!" Ryder cried as he tripped over the pup.

The group stared at the tree for a moment before Jake broke the awkward silence, "Maybe I should carry a lightning rod with us."

As Ryder laughed at Jake's jest, Gizmo stared in horror at the two. That could have hit me. Was his only thought. The black Labrador pawed at the teenager's leg, "On second thought, would you please carry me? Not that I'm– Uh– It's just that the hill looks a little too steep for me to walk up safely."

"Sure thing, Gizmo. I was just thinking the same thing," Ryder responded kindly. He scooped the soggy pup into his arms and hugged him close so that his head was resting on Ryder's shoulder. With his ears flattened against his head, Gizmo heard the boy quietly whisper, "Are you okay?"

Gizmo was about to answer coldly that he was fine, but something about the way Ryder asked it made him want to tell the truth. Ryder wasn't trying to prove how weak he was; he had asked it softly, almost as if he was admitting that he himself wasn't okay sometimes. He also wasn't trying to embarrass him in front of Jake; he would have said it louder so that Jake would be able to hear.

"...The world is so big," Gizmo responded under his breath. The teenager didn't respond. He only placed a dripping hand on the puppy's back to hold him closer and continued trudging up the hill. The Labrador watched the world fade into the mist as they drew closer to shelter.

After what seemed like an hour, Jake stopped walking and placed his hands on his knees, breathing. He straightened and pointed the beam of light at a large tower in front of them. Gizmo turned around and faced the lookout. 'So this is where "home" is…'

"Well, dudes, we're here."

Ryder sighed and continued walking towards the tower as he explained the current situation to the pup, "The rest are sleeping inside because of the storm. When we get in, you can shake yourself off and find an empty cushion. There should be plenty."

Gizmo wriggled out of Ryder's grasp and padded to the door illuminated by Jake's flashlight. He wanted to get indoors as soon as possible. Thanks to the generator, the doors slid open with a quick whir. Suddenly, Gizmo stopped. He stared at the interior for a minute. Was this home? Did he really want to give up on Franklin Island that easily? He watched as Jake and Ryder passed him. It felt to him that if he entered, then that would be saying goodbye to everything he had known.

"Gizmo?" called the boy.

The black Labrador stood in the excessive downpour, looking at Ryder. CRASH! Gizmo yelped and jumped inside the doors as lightning tore its way through the sky. The doors shut behind him, and the sound of pouring rain muted. He shook himself mostly dry, and he was glad of the absence of water. Gizmo anxiously padded through the room and found a round, green cushion. He dragged it by his teeth away from a pile and hopped onto it. After circling himself, Gizmo lay down and placed his chin on his forepaws.

He fell asleep thinking about the place everyone expected him to call his new home.

Jake unbuttoned his raincoat and hung it, dripping, next to Ryder's. Kicking off his boots, he discovered his socks were soaked. Ryder's boot lay on its side with the socks tossed next to them. The man set the shoe upright and added his stockings to the saturated pile. Quietly, he tiptoed over to the restroom. The door was open, and he could hear somebody inside.

"Ryder? Is that You?" Jake asked into the gloom. The boy poked his head out the door with a toothbrush in his mouth. Jake laughed quietly and slapped his forehead, "You decided to brush your teeth?" he asked incredulously. The teen's head disappeared, and Jake heard the sound of spitting. A second later, the head reappeared without a toothbrush.

"Yeah. What's the matter with it?"

"I just thought you might want to get to bed after crashing on an abandoned island and taking three trips up here and back from the beach in a thunderstorm."

"It wasn't abandoned. And it was four trips," Ryder corrected while rinsing his toothbrush. "I haven't gotten to brush my teeth in weeks. It was way overdue. Also, I need to take a shower and get blankets for the pups."

Jake stared at the fifteen year old. Now he wanted to shower? Jake took Ryder by the shoulders and pushed him in the direction of the linens closet, "Here, dude. You get the blankets while I take a shower for you."

"Jake, that makes no sense."

"I got a 'D' in logic, so you're speaking to the master of fallacies. You took a shower outside just now."

"I didn't even wash behind my ears."

"If they got wet, they got clean."

"You don't really believe that, do you?"

"No. I just believe you need sleep."

"And I don't think you got a 'D' in logic either, did you?"

"I didn't. I just know that you're more tired than you are dirty. Now go get the blankets."

While Ryder pulled blankets out of the closet, Jake pulled a package out of the refrigerator. Ryder walked back towards Jake, who was currently putting three slices of pizza into the microwave. Jake offered to prepare some for Ryder, but he declined as he had just brushed his teeth. After the pizza was done, Jake sat on the couch and enjoyed his meal, mentally congratulating himself for thinking of the generator.

"I hope he isn't too frightened…" Ryder whispered, tucking in Gizmo, who was already asleep.

Jake wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, "He'll be fine, Ryder. When Everest first came to my cabin, she admitted that the company was nice, but an entire city full of people was overwhelming. All the little dude needs is a little time."

Ryder moved to the next pup, who happened to be Everest, "She was very excited to see you."

"I missed her too," Jake admitted while putting his feet on the sofa, "Do you have an extra blanket?"

Ryder finished covering the canines and handed Jake the last sheet before sitting next to Chase's cushion near the couch. He put an arm around the shepherd and leaned on the cushion, stroking his pup, "After this I still need to clean my room before I can sleep in it."

Jake rolled his eyes. He knew Ryder had a very strong sense of duty, but this was ridiculous. Jake lay down on the couch and adjusted the blanket more comfortably, "Man, you really don't need to clean your room. I rarely do. *yawn* You can do it in the morning if you have to, Ryder."

Jake waited for a response, but when only the patter of rain on the doors answered him, Jake turned to find the boy fast asleep. Breathing softly, his head rested on Chase's back, and one of his arms was hugging the pup. Jake smiled down at his friend. The man stood up with his only blanket and draped it over the peaceful form.

"Goodnight, man," Jake whispered as he settled back onto the couch.

I'm back. :)