It has approximately been 48 hours since the city of Zootopia fell into a disorder of chaos and destruction. Nearly the entire population was mutated into an arachnid-like monster. A creature with the enhanced capability of a spider and the mindset to destroy and kill anything that stands in its way; because of this incident, thousands or more innocent mammals were killed and several hundred were hospitalized due to severe injuries or recovering from being turned after being exposed to a purple-ish blue mist that reversed the effects of this lethal bioweapon. Unfortunately, due to the inability to trace the origins of this deadly virus, the news and media outlets are blaming Spider-Yena for this catastrophe.
Nonetheless, it was gonna take months to probably a year for the city to "get back to normal" and fully recover from this tragic massacre. Although some mammals were able to physically recover from their injuries, others weren't so lucky as they continue to have violent nightmares, panic attacks, and battles with their mind as they're struggling with coming to terms with the heinous acts they committed as one of those monsters. One hyena pup in particular was going through it and from the looks of it, she was losing the battle.
BEEP!
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BEEP!
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BEEP!
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BEEP!
"MOMMY!? MOMMY! MOMMY! UNCLE BANZAI! WHERE ARE YOU!?"
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BEEP!
BEEP!
BEEP!
*Sobbing* "MOMMY! UNCLE BANZAI! WHERE ARE YOU!? DON'T LEAVE ME!"
ROOOOOAAAAAARRRGHHHHHHH!
*Gasp* "No…No…NOOOOOO!"
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! NO! NO! GET AWAY!" screamed the hyena cub as she violently woke up from her nightmare and started savagely shaking the covers off of her hospital bed. "LEAVE ME ALONE! LEAVE ME ALONE! AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" she continues as she grabs her pillow and starts mindlessly swinging it around.
The cub's continuous outbursts got the attention of her doctor and the nurses as they rushed into the room. The two nurses, a female black bear, and a male leopard, were trying to pry the pillow from the scared girl to no avail. The doctor, a cape buffalo, tried his best to keep her both still and from scratching him or the nurses. "Hey! Hey! Jasiri! Jasiri! This is Dr. Bluff! I need you to focus and take-"
"NOO!" Jasiri yelled as she squirmed around and tried to break free of the doctor's grip. "LET ME GO! LET ME GO! AHHHHHHHH!"
"You two, go get her mother and uncle!" the doctor ordered. "I'll keep trying to calm her down. Go!"
"But, Doctor-"
"NOW DAMNIT!"
The black bear nurse grabbed her colleague and quickly made their way out of the hospital room and went to fetch the girl's guardians. Once the nurses are gone, Dr. Bluff tries once more to get the young cub to calm down as he continues to keep her pinned on the bed. "Jasiri…listen to me carefully…I'm Dr. Tutoula Bluff. I'm here to help. No one's gonna hurt you. I promise."
"YOU'RE LYING!" she struggles once more. "I WANT MY MOMMY! I WANT MY UNCLE! WHAT DID YOU DO WITH THEM YOU SPIDER MONSTER!? GRRRRRR!"
"Jasiri?" A deep but gentle female voice called out from the door. "Jasiri, baby, it's mommy!"
"And Uncle Banzai kiddo!" a slightly high-pitched male voice called out. "It's okay! We're here!"
"M-Mom…Mommy? Uncle…Banzai?" Jasiri tears up as she begins to calm down.
Dr. Bluff sighed in relief as he carefully let go of the female cub and allowed her mother and uncle to enter the hospital room; the matriarch approached her first as she sat on the foot of the bed and grabbed onto her daughter's paw.
"Come here, baby," the matriarch holds her arm out for a hug. "Mommy's here now."
Jasiri doesn't hesitate for a moment as she roughly tackles her mom into a hug and immediately bursts into tears. "I was so scared Mama!" she wailed. "I thought I lost you…U-Uncle Banzai…I…I..*sobs*"
"Hush, child, hush," the matriarch says softly as she begins to cry herself. "I'm not going anywhere…I'm not going anywhere…not me. Not your uncle. We'll be right here with you…"
"*Sniffles* …You promise mama?" Jasiri asked as she wiped her tears.
"Yes, my child, I promise," the matriarch nods as she rubs her daughter's back and pecks her on the forehead. "Why don't you go to your uncle for a bit? I need to speak with the doctor. Is that okay?"
Jasiri solemnly nods as she and her mom release each other from their hug. After this, the matriarch gets up from the bed and whispers to Banzai before walking out of the hospital room with a stern but concerned look on her face.
"Shenzi, wai-" Banzai begins to speak, but stops mid-sentence as he feels the scared little cub clinging onto his leg. "Sup pipsqueak?" He smirks as he picks up his niece and takes her back to the bed. "How are you feeling? Hm?"
"Sad…Scared…" Jasiri replied as she wiped away the continuous tears staining her fur. "I keep having nightmares about that night…"
Banzai, who is trying his hardest to be strong, hugs his niece tight and says, "It'll be okay pipsqueak. I won't let anything happen to you or your mom. You hear me?"
"Mhmm…" Jasiri nods as she hugs him back and nuzzles his neck. "I love you, Uncle Banzai."
"I love you too squirt," Banzai tearfully smiled.
"I wish Uncle Eddie was here…"
"Me too squirt…me too…"
Down in the Hospital lab…
Dr. Bluff and a few scientists from the MCB are currently doing a deep DNA screening for all of the mammals that were affected by Burnell's bioweapon; this is to make sure that there are no more traces of the deadly virus in any of the victim's systems and bloodstream. As they're checking over the results, they immediately notice that all of the affected mammal's internal systems are back to normal levels once more. All except for one: Subject Name: Jasiri Outlander. DNA Status: Unrecognized.
Dr. Bluff looked quizzically at the results and was left feeling more confused than relieved. The scientists, on the other hand, were thinking of possible theories and jotting down notes as they looked over the results carefully.
"I don't understand…" Sighed Dr. Bluff. "I thought she was cured. Just like the others were! We all saw everyone change back when that purple mist spread throughout the city. My god…what am I gonna tell that poor girl's mother!?" The doctor stressfully exclaims as he pinches the bridge of his nose.
"She technically is cured," replied a river otter scientist. "However, for some odd reason or another, the spider DNA from the virus seems to have bonded with her. Why is that? We're not completely sure."
"With your permission, Doctor, we would like to take a sample of the girl's blood back with us to HQ," an ocelot scientist requested. "We just need to run some extra tests to make sure nothing's wrong. In the meantime, you can let the mother know that she's free to take her daughter home."
The cape buffalo was taken aback by the newfound information and was very hesitant to accept the scientist's request to give them the blood sample of a freshly traumatized hyena cub. He mainly found the suggestion suspicious, albeit unethical at most. However, his desire to help mammals slightly overpowered his judgment as a medical practitioner.
"Alright, alright, fine," Dr. Bluff answered. "But this is completely off the record. Are we clear on that?"
"Crystal." The ocelot scientist replied.
"Our lips are sealed Doctor," the otter scientist confirmed. "This exchange never happened."
With that being said, Dr. Bluff complied as he went to get the vial from the lab's deep freezer. This went on for a few minutes until he found the bottle with the label: Jasiri-Outlander-Blood type-XXXX-Date-20XX. He quickly grabs it, makes his way out of the freezer, and hands the two scientists the vile. Once that was done, all three mammals went their separate ways. Hopefully to never discuss this ever again.
Later in Dr. Bluff's office…
After his secret meeting with the MCB, Dr. Tutuola Bluff immediately met with the frustrated and yet concerned mother of Jasiri; Shenzi Outlander. The gray-furred spotted hyena was wearing a jean jacket and a green t-shirt combo with the word "F.E.A.S.T." stamped in the middle, and a pair of black jeans. The two of them were sitting in his office as he was going over all of the paperwork regarding the young cub.
"I'm gonna be straight with you, Doctor," Shenzi glares as she lightly bares her fangs. "My daughter has been through literal hell for the past two days! My little brother is making himself sick worrying about his niece and how we're gonna make rent! Not to mention, none of these so-called 'professionals' aren't telling me anything about Jasiri, and it's starting to PISS. ME. OFF. So, you either give me some good news or I will give you a fucking reason to be scared of a furious sleep-deprived mother!" she threatened as she began to choke up with rage.
"Ms. Outlander, I-" Dr. Bluff started, but was immediately interrupted by Shenzi's finger in his face.
"Did you see my daughter's face!? Huh!?" Shenzi tearfully exclaimed. "She didn't ask for any of this! She didn't ask to be turned into one of those freaks! She was a happy child before all of this bullshit-"
"MS. OUTLANDER!" Dr. Bluff shouted as he slammed his hooves on the desk. "While I understand your frustrations and concern for your daughter, threatening a doctor would not exactly be ideal for your situation," he says as he passes a box of tissues to the hyena matriarch. "And as far as my team and I know, Jasiri should be okay and probably needs some rest."
Shenzi grabbed a few tissues and proceeded to wipe her tears and blow her nose. Once she was done, she began to calm down and take deep breaths. "I'm sorry…I'm sorry…I'm just tired and at my wit's end with everything. And now my baby girl is suffering? I don't know what to do…"
"I think I have a solution for your daughter," Dr. Bluff says as he takes out a business card from his desk drawer and slides it toward Shenzi. "I have an old colleague who's a therapist; he specializes in those who suffer from anger issues, depression, and PTSD. His number is on the card, his office is located in the rainforest district, and the first six sessions for new patients are free."
Shenzi was a bit skeptical about her daughter seeing a therapist as she felt that the cub might not be ready to talk about what happened to her yet. Unfortunately for her, this may be the only solution until a better opportunity comes for her and her small family. But before Shenzi can go any further with her thinking, the doctor knocks on his desk to snap her back into reality.
"Just think about it Ms. Outlander," he says straightforwardly. "And your daughter is clear to go home. If anything changes or something else is wrong, please don't hesitate to call and bring her back in. Okay?"
"Okay. Thank you, Doctor," Shenzi replies as she gets out of her seat. "And I'm sorry about what I said earlier." She says as she awkwardly scratches her mane.
"Water under the bridge," smiled Dr. Bluff. "Have a good day Ms. Outlander."
"You too, Doctor. Thank you." Shenzi grins back as she leaves his office.
As the sounds of his office door click shut, Dr. Bluff finally takes off the facade he was wearing and reveals his true colors; they were intense feelings of guilt, frustration, and anger. This was mainly because he was sworn to secrecy about what was truly going on with the young hyena cub and the fact that he had to go out of both his comfort zone and the illegal side of the medical field to assist the MCB. With all of these thoughts scrambling through his mind in a matter of seconds, he nearly broke down in tears, almost succumbed to stress-inducing vomiting, and repeated the following phrase over and over again.
"... Heaven please help that poor girl…heaven please…"
One week later…
After having a rough week at school, and continuing to have nightmares about the dreaded night that almost permanently destroyed Zootopia, Shenzi, who was out of options at this point, decided to give the therapist that Dr. Bluff recommended a shot. However, Jasiri was anything but cooperative. Before they could even get out the door, the hyena cub locked herself in her room and went on a nearly ten-minute screaming match with her mom before Banzai intervened and managed to calm his sister and niece down.
The car ride through the Rainforest District was filled with tension and awkward silence. Shenzi, who was sitting in the passenger seat, was currently scrolling through her phone and looking at old photos of her and her little brothers when they were kids, Jasiri when she was a baby, and a photo of her and Banzai sitting with their youngest brother, Ed at the hospital; this photo was taken right before he passed away from Alzheimer's and a severe brain aneurysm. Jasiri, currently pouting in the backseat, was alone in her thoughts as she looked out of the window and noticed the various waterfalls echoing through the area, and the tropical plant life blooming through the trees.
Banzai continued to drive for a few minutes before they finally arrived at their destination. It was a medium-sized building with the sign: Zootopia's Holistic & Psychiatry Facility sitting out front. Along with this, the building had three different doors; the tallest one was for giraffes, the average-sized one was for prey and predators, and the smallest one was for mice and other little critters. Fortunately for Shenzi and Banzai, Jasiri didn't put up a fight this time as she grabbed both of their paws and quietly walked into the building.
Once they got inside, Banzai and Jasiri took a seat inside the lobby as Shenzi went to go speak with the receptionist at the front desk. The waiting time wasn't that long as they were told that the doctor would see Jasiri right away. The cub was nervous, albeit scared, as she didn't want to be away from her mom and uncle again. Luckily for Jasiri, she was given plenty of hugs and kisses from her mom, some playful noogies from her uncle, and the reassurance that they'd be right outside if she needed them. Taking their word for it, Jasiri makes her way down the hallway until she reaches the third door on the left: Dr. Thaddeus E. Thrash, PsyD.
"H-Hello?" Jasiri softly spoke as she shyly walked into the office.
"Come on in dear," a new voice called. "I promise I won't bite."
Sitting across from her was a torch key raccoon in a black vest with a red dress shirt under it and a pair of jeans. He was sitting in his armchair with a cup of tea in his paw, and a massive sofa that sat on the opposite side of him. "Go ahead and have a seat." He says as he motions her towards the sofa.
Jasiri did as she was told as she made her way to the couch and tried to make herself comfortable. With that out of the way, Jasiri was now sitting face-to-face with the well-dressed raccoon.
"I believe introductions are in order," the raccoon says as he puts down his cup and adjusts his vest. "Hi, my name is Dr. Thrash! I will be your therapist going forward. Feel free to be yourself and go at your own pace. Now it's your turn, young lady."
Jasiri nods as she composes herself and takes a deep breath before saying, "Hi, my name is Jasiri Outlander. I'm twelve years old and this is my story."
To be continued…