The facility didn't seem nearly this nightmarish and expansive from the outside. Choking through the thick Solimane air, the consuming darkness was only interrupted by the occasional flicker of malfunctioning lights. Humdinger's breaths were ragged, each inhale searing his lungs with the poison that now permeated every corner of the building. Panic-stricken and drenched in sweat, he stumbled through the twisted corridors, the echoes of his footsteps swallowed by the churning of broken pipes. The relentless hiss of gas leaking around him accompanied his every move, a sinister whisper that seemed to mock his desperate escape. But escape to where, what turn could he possibly take to flee this perverse hell?
Stumbling like a madman, his foot caught a sudden jutting of metal on the floor. "Aaack!" He tumbled forward and crashed to the hard floor, shocking his body with a painful impact.
The distant, echoing screams of his beloved cats only jabbed his terrified heart. Eerie barks and howls of the monstrous dogs bounced through the halls, a chilling reminder from the PAW Patrol monstrosities that the hunt was still very much active. Cats were being found across the facility like lost parakeets in an open field. They could only hide for so long; some tried outrunning the abominations, and their agonized screams served as a message to the cowering rest. Humdinger ran around a rust-caked corner and flattened himself against the wall, struggling to keep up with his beating, aged heart. His old muscles and bones groaned at the explosive movement, exhausting him quickly with little time to recover. It didn't last long, however, the constant breathing of Solimane gas masked away his fatigue, energizing him swiftly, yet artificially.
"This isn't happening, this can't be happening," came his shaking whimper. The image of the feral four would forever brand itself in his mind, yet nothing scared him more knowing these horrific creatures were all his own creation. To think if he had never been so stupid, so careless, so annoyingly mischievous; the threat would have never emerged, and the PAW Patrol would still be happily alive. Free as birds, free to run through the grass laughing and singing with Ryder, free from the terrible fate awaiting them within the gas chamber.
Continuing his frenzied dash through the maze of corridors, he weaved through winding twists and turns, skidding to a halt as he found himself suddenly back at the gas chamber. Squinting through the nauseating air, he initially assumed it was just another one elsewhere in the facility, but the shattered glass and dirty red paw prints told a different story.
"I must've gone in a circle somehow," he said under muttered breath, staring in festering shame at his greatest mistake.
The shattered glass and the acidic stench of Solimane hit him with a wave of nausea. He froze, eyes wide with disbelief, as he realized the chamber was now empty. The grotesque forms of the dogs were nowhere to be seen, leaving behind only smeared blood and the lingering odor of their decay. The room, once a prison for the twisted creatures, now stood as a chilling reminder of the horrors unleashed.
"Oh... Spotsy," he said, leaning down before the shredded remains of his cat. Grief struck him at all angles, his heart breaking to dust at the traumatic sight. A lively kitten he cherished and adored, ripped to nothing in seconds as if her life had never mattered.
His eyes watched mournfully at the prison, the silence broken only by the distant, faint barks and howls echoing through the building. The dogs gave no moment of vigil, no chance for rest, continuing to screech their haunting reminders. What foul horrors could've possibly taken place within the steel bolted walls? What had the Solimane awakening truly done to their broken minds? Morbid curiosity plagued the mayor, his careful steps crunching the glass in his approach. Against all better judgement, and after a fit of hesitation, Humdinger peered fearfully into the chamber.
A grotesque scene splayed before him, petrifying the man with sheer horror spreading across his face. The floor was unrecognizable, the entire surface coated with slick blood, smeared with feces and chunks of gore. Flayed layers of fur and flesh were scattered about like discarded clothes, the only remnants of their fall into insanity. Every detail of the room spoke of the horrific violence that had unfolded, especially through the mangled corpses of Rocky and Marshall. They laid in filthy graves, their bodies disemboweled and skinned beyond recognition, large portions of their muscle layer eaten away by their rabid friends. Their trashed organs were thrown and strewn about like martyred confetti, a celebration of blissful awakening in the darkest sense.
"Oh God," he choked, slapping his hands over his mouth. "No..."
Humdinger barely had a moment to process the carnage before a low, guttural growl echoed from the shadows behind him. He never got the chance to even see what feral horror had cornered him, Rubble screamed out a broken cry and lunged for the back of his neck. Busted claws were latched into his man's nape, prompting a howl of pained surprise.
"Aaah!" the mayor stumbled forward as the bulldog collided with him, slipping all over the inner gas chamber in frenzied panic. The monstrous animal tried to dig his ravenous teeth through the tender skin, but his broken jaw hung limply and unresponsive. Even without his bite, Rubble refused to back down from the disability, gnawing with what functional teeth and claws he had until fresh blood prickled from the man's neck. Flinging his body in helpless direction, Humdinger reached his hands back, struggling to get a grip on the bulldog's slippery, skinless body. His fingers got hold, gripping into the torn muscle crevices and squelching against the meaty surface.
Taking the bulldog in hand, Humdinger tore him off his neck and flung him across the chamber, slamming him against the wall. Seizing the moment, he bolted for the chamber's exit, heart pounding as he sprinted out. Rubble twisted his body into formation and scampered back into the attack, closing the distance between them in seconds. As he tried to flee, Humdinger's foot slipped on a slick patch of blood and feces, sending him crashing to the floor on his stomach. In an instant, Rubble pounced, landing heavily on Humdinger's back.
Flailing in helplessly like an overturned turtle, Humdinger cried in terror as his neck was attacked again. Through his panic, he spotted the metal pipe he had used earlier, tossed away on the ground. He knew there was no other option, through the heart-piercing terror he could only realize one thing; if he could not resist them, his death would be slow and gruesome. Yelling through the needle-like pains on his neck, Humdinger reached out and grabbed the pipe, clamping his bloodied fingers over the cold metal. He swung the pipe over his head, feeling it collide with the rabid animal and knocking him off.
He picked himself up quickly, face hardening with adrenaline and facing the animal with his new weapon. "Don't make me have to do this, Rubble!" He yelled to the abomination, watching it drag itself up. "I- I don't want to do this! Back down, now!"
Overcome with fractured memories and misaligned perception, Rubble seized his own drive with nothing else to cross his mind. He lunged for Humdinger again, sparking them both into brutish conflict. The bloodied man gripped the pipe like a bat, hammering the vicious dog over and over again until its skull spit brain matter, yet still Rubble stood his ground.
Rubble jumped mindlessly, only to get batted away in midair by the fierce impact of the pipe, knocking his teeth away and further breaking his jaw. Humdinger gave him no graces, sprinting to the downed creature immediately and letting mindless drive fuel his attacks. He beat him in enraged aggression, hammering down Rubble with increasing velocity, not wanting to give the deranged thing even a second to get up again.
"Nyyaahhhh!" Humdinger shouted, driving all his shame and rage into a downward thrust of his weapon. The pipe penetrated through the animal's skull with a sickening crack, blasting red splashes and brain matter through Humdinger's clothes. The blow bifurcated through Rubble's brain and severed its stem to his heart, erasing all connection from his insanity-driven mind. The bulldog went still as death took him, pinned under the killing blow of a terrified old man.
Gasping for breath amidst the lingering haze of Solimane, Humdinger's ears caught the distant cry of a cat, faint but unmistakable in the chaos. There was no time to grieve, Rubble's corpse would have to remain here for the time being. Pushing himself up, he stumbled towards the sound, his heart racing with urgency to rescue even one of the poor felines running scared.
"Sorry... Rubble," he said his final words, regretting every last hurtful word and action he ever sent at the PAW Patrol. Where had his childish obsession with undermining them even come from? He didn't know himself too well, and looking back on his past actions was a confusing endeavor.
His heart raced as he dashed through the labyrinthine corridors of the facility, the memory of putting down Rubble would haunt him forever. Throwing himself through a doorway, he stumbled upon a large, dimly lit open area. Whatever was once in here, it was likely moved out when the building was abandoned, leaving a vast open space to gather dust. Large windows lined the far wall, shining light through the Solimane clouds.
There, a lost kitten huddled against a wall, its fur bristling with fear. Humdinger recognized the poor bundle of brown fluff, "Animi!" he yelled, sprinting across the room to her. Animi gave a terrified meow, hesitant to step even a single paw out of her spot. The overdose of Solimane had driven the kitten into terrified panic; she feared a threat she couldn't see anywhere, yet her mind screamed that danger was at every angle.
"It's okay," Humdinger murmured soothingly, trying to calm his voice against the rampant chaos. With gentle hands, he lifted the trembling feline into his arms, feeling its rapid heartbeat against his chest.
From the shroud of darkness, the PAW Patrol emerged, their silhouettes flickering ominously through the Solimane clouds. Their muzzles dripped with fresh carnage, grim remnants of Humdinger's cats. Each step echoed with a primal intensity; their ragged forms barely discernible as they surrounded Humdinger with feral hunger. Their growls gurgled through the air, sending chills down Humdinger's spine as he stood frozen in fear, realizing there was no escape from their relentless pursuit.
"No! Get away!" Humdinger gripped his kitten in one hand at the pipe in the other, backing up against the windows. There was nowhere to run, no escape route to take. Chase, Zuma, and Skye had cornered him like a rat. Even in their broken, maddened minds, an animalistic instinct maintained their hunting tactics, the only bits of intelligence remaining with seemingly nothing else left.
Despite being unnaturally fast, the dogs noticeably slowed down in hesitation, all spotting the blunt weapon in Humdinger's hand. This prey was armed, foiling their ambush tactic and forcing the swap to something else. Strength in numbers was the next in line, the feral four creating a semi-circle around the man.
As they closed in, their bleeding snarls reverberated off the cold metal walls, closing the semi-circle around Humdinger with each menacing step. Panic gripped his chest like as he backed away, fear engulfing his mind racing with hopelessness. Was this truly the end? Was there truly no escape from the ravenous beasts he created? With every heartbeat pounding in his ears, he felt the suffocating weight of impending doom. The solution to the madness he had wrought was on its way, and in that desperate moment, he believed himself doomed to be torn apart by the very creatures he had unleashed.
"We never liked you," Chase said, grinning bloody murder.
"I'm sorry!" Humdinger was backing up, trying to maintain the farthest possible distance from his creations. There was nowhere left to go, his back pressing up against the... window.
Window. Like a light in his head, a sudden revelation sparked the man into thinking. Looking behind him at the thin layer of glass, the only barrier between them and the day outside, his fingers tightened around the metal pipe. The smallest flickers of hope rose from his inner defeat, a final last-ditch attempt making itself known in realization.
The feral four bared their teeth, closing in the circle and snarling with hostility; Animi let out a terrified cry as the dogs came mere inches from their kill. Writing himself off as redeemed in death, Humdinger gripped the pipe and thrusted its blunt end into the glass window, shattering its surface into thousands of tiny shards. Fresh air poured into the room like an angel's light, equalizing the pressure and invading the Solimane-rich fumes.
Pure oxygen swept through the area, Solimane was venting outside at an uncontrollable rate. The feral animals staggered backward; their attack completely hindered from the blinding assault of fresh air. As the oxygen flooded the room, diluting the suffocating Solimane, their feral eyes widened in terror. The creatures, once relentless hunters, were now recoiling at the sudden change.
"No!" Chase said in sharpened defiance, hobbling backward in fear, trying to keep within the toxic fumes. It was hopeless; Humdinger watched in awe as the yellowed Solimane drained from the building, its discoloration fading out.
Skye was the first to breathe the air, not having all four legs to flee her demise. The pure oxygen swept into her nose and mouth, charging into her lungs and purifying the Solimane's disease. Everything the gas had made her, every single gift it presented to elevate her organic might, was all cleaned away in an instant. Without Solimane, there was nothing to empower her mangled body, nothing to resist bodily limitations, nothing to keep her alive. Like an overturned roach she tried to resist, snarling and biting at herself, but gradually her movements slowed. She died on the floor, snatched by the death the very millisecond sleep encompassed her.
Chase and Zuma tried to flee, but the air had already made its way within them. Zuma went blind immediately, his heightened nervous system slowly losing its vital energy. Then his legs failed on him, the decayed Labrador collapsing to the ground in panicked screeches. He reached for the sky one final time, before falling limp with brain death.
"Hraaahhh!" Chase roared out in defiance, fiercely battling his own body. "Nghh- nraaahh! Aaahh!" Digging his claws into the floor and clenching his teeth together, the dog struggled to even stand, shaking in his place. He defied the oxygen poisoning him with all his might, willing his nervous system with all mental power he had to keep going. "Nooo!"
Holding his cat tightly, Humdinger watched the sad display with a mournful gaze.
The once-shepherd lost feeling in his back legs, half-falling with only his front arms standing him. "Not... like this!" came his raging snarl. "So... close!" His defiance bought him little time, but every rasped growl he made only inhaled more air. With the Solimane cleaned from his lungs, Chase fell onto his stomach, all strength bled from his body.
"So... nearly... free..." were the final words from the shepherd, blissful sleep finally gracing his body after weeks without it. In that very moment, Chase's heart stopped, bringing peace to his shattered mind.
With death freeing the last puppy from the clawing maws of madness, it was finally over.
The PAW Patrol, read the missing poster, pup-napped weeks ago by an unknown third party. Humdinger felt sick just reading the paper, knowing Ryder was still ever searching, endlessly seeking out his missing pets. After the massacre in the abandoned facility, Humdinger held Animi close, quietly leaving the building in trembling shame. The weight of his actions bore down on him, threatening to crush what little resolve he had left. Each passing day felt like an eternity as he grappled with the consequences of his arrogance and desperation.
He wanted to disappear, to vanish from Adventure Bay or even leave his body hanging from a rope. But he couldn't, he simply couldn't, not without another mayor to take his place. Not without leaving Animi completely alone, the sole survivor of the Kitten Catastrophe Crew. There was too much to do, and without anyone else to fill his shoes, Humdinger was forced to return to city hall as if nothing had ever happened. Hopelessly staring at his sunken face in the mirror of his bathroom, the man knew he was out of directions to turn; he had to keep going, no matter how much it tore him down.
There would never be another cat, not while Animi was alive, anyway. For years he'd been careless with them, only for their massacred corpses to now line the floors of the facility. For as long as she lived, Animi would be held close, Humdinger pulling every stop possible to give the cat a happy and healing life. Death would only take her upon its own discretion, never by the kill of another.
The day after the PAW Patrol died, Humdinger woke up in his bed, greeted by Animi's purring on his chest. Slowly peeling himself out from under the covers, the man silently made a cup of coffee and gloomily dressed himself. He prepared Animi a bowl of diced white chicken and rice, vowing to never feed her hard pellets again. She rode on his shoulders as he took the mayor's seat, blankly looking upon the papers laid out on his desk.
Adventure Bay saw some changes in the coming year. Parks were cleaned and beautified, a community center was built, and great welfare ordinances were put into place to help strays. Funding was pulled from pointless material things and given to education and youth organizations, striving to prosper the future here and now. He personally oversaw infrastructural improvements and founded a brand-new department of law enforcement. Many noticed his pained, grieving look whenever he announced the new rescue-services for Adventure Bay, and the citizens wondered why he'd feel such things.
Humdinger even got on camera for his soon-to-be many speeches to the town, declaring the break away from his old antics as a mischievous trickster. He said right to the hundreds of faces watching him that he now loved and cherished not just cats, but all animals great and small.
THE END