The worst feeling in the world is knowing you've been used and lied to by someone your trusted.

-Unknown

The atmosphere was tense. It was humid. It certainly was a struggle. The human had a lot of fight in her, CatNap gave her that. Though he could tell she wouldn't be able to keep it up much longer. She was starting to tire out. All of a sudden, she collapsed to the ground. Now was his chance.

CatNap stalked from the side. The human heard him coming, and he knew she could tell he was real and not a hallucination. She made a move for her weapon, but he pounced on her with a loud roar. He pinned her down with his right paw, and the force of being slammed into the ground caused her to drop her knife. She started to claw at his paw in a futile attempt to get him off her. Instead of removing his paw, he put more weight on her, forcing her breath out of her. She tried to reach for her knife, but it was just put of reach. CatNap then dug his claws into her left shoulder, and pulled down, tearing into her flesh and muscle, earning a painful, blood-curdling scream.

CatNap felt nothing but satisfaction and his bloodlust intensified. He raised his left paw to deliver a fatal strike, but paused.

The human looked up at him, her left eye was open just a bit, but he could see her green eyes looking right at him with nothing but a pleading look. CatNap didn't need words to understand that she was begging for her life.

"I had you at my mercy, and I let you live."

He lowered his left paw slightly.

"If I really had malicious intent, I would have killed you when I had the opportunity. I would not have healed you."

CatNap was at a loss. He remembered when she had him pinned down under her back in the school. She had her knife to his throat. He could still feel the cold metal kissing his throat. He could still feel the pain of his own flesh and muscle tearing apart when she attacked him. But, after all of that, she didn't kill him. She had the perfect opportunity. And she didn't take it.

"She is… no different… than the others. She is a liar. A thief. A murderer. She did this… to turn you against me," the voices of The Prototype took over his thoughts. "She's messing with your head."

He growled again and raised his hand back up to deliver his killing blow, only to be surprised by a weight on his back and excruciating pain in his still healing right shoulder. He squealed in pain as he released his hold on the human. He tried to dislodge his attacker from his back, but his assault struck a wound on his side that he received when the human had tricked him into his own trap. The pain was so intense that he partially collapsed on himself. Finally, he was able to get a grip on his assailant and threw him against the wall.

DogDay landed hard against the wall, but he recovered almost immediately. He rolled over onto all fours and looked up at CatNap, and the look he gave surprised him. DogDay was growling. His wide, smiling mouth revealed razor sharp teeth. The look in his eyes were pure anger. Not even a hint of fear. Though CatNap was not fazed. He growled in return, and the two Smiling Critters waited for the other to make the first move, like two gunslingers waiting for their opponent to flinch.

Out of the corner of CatNap's eye, he saw the human stand up, albeit shaky, and her knife was back in her hands. She made a move to aim her knife at his ribs, but CatNap swung his left paw, striking her hard in the face. He felt a bone in her face fracture under his paw, and the human was knocked down, actually landing on the Grab-Pack's left canon. CatNap could hear her bones cracking upon impact, and the human released a painful scream.

At the same time, DogDay roared in fury, and before CatNap could respond to it, he felt pain on the side of his face as DogDay punched the side of his face hard, knocking him down to his knees. Before he could do anything else, he felt DogDay pounce on his back again and clasp his jaws on his throat. CatNap flailed about and tried to dislodge DogDay again. But DogDay had a tight grip on him. He felt his chest being sliced open by DogDay's claws, earning another scream from CatNap. The next second, the pressure on his throat eased, but he felt new pain as he felt his right ear being torn off.

CatNap never felt his level of pain. It was even more surprising that DogDay was causing this pain. DogDay never attacked anyone. He never even went this far to protect the others during the Hour of Joy. All this effort, all this fighting, for a trespassing human. DogDay was now off of CatNap and running laps around him, and CatNap tripped over his own tail. While he was down, he heard DogDay growl next him, and pounced for his throat again. CatNap's reaction time was perfect, as he swung his left paw up and caught DogDay under his jaw, and DogDay landed hard on his back with a pained yelp. Before DogDay could collect himself, CatNap was on top of him, his paw tightly squeezing his throat.

"You filthy mongrel! Did you really think you could take me on? Did you think you could stop The Prototype?" CatNap hissed.

DogDay struggled under CatNap's hold. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't speak. He tried his best to get CatNap off him, but he couldn't.

CatNap's voice shifted from rage to pure malice, "you are nothing, DogDay. Nothing but a spineless waste of space! You couldn't save the others. What made you think you could save that human? I will feed both your hides to the Ruined Critters!"

"Hey!"

CatNap turned in the direction of the voice. The human woman was on her knees not ten feet from him and DogDay. The anger in her face was intense, the blood and swollen bruises on her face seemed to emphasize and enhance it. CatNap saw that her Grab-Pack's green hand had been overcharged. Electric sparks danced all over the hand. This brought back painful memories for CatNap, who flinched in fear.

"I warned you!" Koa snarled through her teeth.

Immediately, she fired the Grab-Pack's overcharged green hand at CatNap, the canon releasing a loud bang while landing a direct hit on CatNap's left shoulder. CatNap squealed in pain, clasping his left shoulder, and he collapsed right next to DogDay. DogDay crawled away from CatNap to the human's side to avoid being electrocuted himself. He turned over just in time to see CatNap reach for him, exhaling his Red Smoke.

All of a sudden, CatNap's body ignited into flames. CatNap rolled onto his back and screeched in pure agony. He stood up and slammed himself against the wall in a desperate attempt to put out the flames. When that failed, he turned around and once again rolled over into his back and started swatting himself in a final desperate attempt to douse the flames.

Finally, the flames does down, leaving CatNap's body smoldering. Just then, the hand of The Prototype came down from the hatch in the ceiling. The second CatNap saw him, he backed away slightly in fear. DogDay and the human didn't dare make a sound, holding each other in fear, with DogDay holding his arm out protectively over the human. The Prototype extended his hand to CatNap, as if offering to help him. CatNap flinched slightly, but then he shifted to his knees in front of The Prototype and raised his paws in submission. CatNap closed his eyes, waiting for the killing blow.

But it never came.

Instead, CatNap found himself slammed face first onto the ground. The Prototype's large hand was wrapped around his throat. CatNap struggled under his god's hold, but his grip did not loosen. Instead, it tightened. CatNap whimpered in pain and fear. He tried to glance up to The Prototype, but he could barley move at all.

The Prototype brought his other hand down and pointed to the human, "Thank you, for giving me… what I need."

The tone of the Prototype unsettled everyone. It was so sadistic. So filled with bloodlust-filled pleasure. Under his hold, CatNap tried again to struggle, but the Prototype tightened his hold further.

"I did everything for you! I obeyed your every command! I killed my friends for you! I mutilated my closest friend for you!" CatNap shouted as loud as he could.

The last statement shocked DogDay to no end. Did CatNap really say…

"And it was… appreciated. You made… my work so… much easier. But you… were just an asset. An expendable asset. I used you. I never cared. But I truly needed you. And you worshipping me… made it so much easier. You were of… no use to me… for a long time now. But I needed a reason… to dispose of you. I had none," he paused before he added sadistically, "until now. All I need from you… is one part. What's left of you… will rot in this factory."

CatNap was shocked. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

The Prototype lifted CatNap slightly off the ground, and The Prototype brought his other hand in front of CatNap's face. CatNap was unable to struggle. The Prototype's grip was too tight, and he was exhausted and in pain from being burned alive. He started to cry. The Prototype brought all his fingers together, and angled them to aim down his throat.

Just as the Prototype moved stab CatNap, the noise of metal crashing with metal echoed in the safe room, and the Prototype's garbled scream followed after. Not even a second later, a new sound echoed in the room of metal piercing metal and bones snapping. Before he knew it, CatNap was on the floor. Weakly, he looked up and saw the human, standing weakly on her shaky legs, and her knife was impaling the Prototype's arm. The Prototype brought his other hand and smacked the human away, the knife retracting from his arm as her grip on the knife held strong. As DogDay was knocked down as he caught the human in his arms, the Prototype retreated, his mangled arm hanging limp, and he disappeared not even two seconds later.

It was suddenly very quiet, save for the panting of everyone left in the room. All eyes were on the hatch. The smells of burnt flesh, singed artificial fur, and cooked blood still lingered in the air, adding unwanted tention to the atmosphere. For about a minute, they all stared. When it was clear the Prototype was gone, they all released a sigh of relief, and to clear their nostrils from the repulsive oders.

CatNap looked to DogDay and the human. They looked back at him, both of them tense. Before anyone made a move or said a word, CatNap collapsed, and his world went black.

Some of the most poisonous people come disguised as friends and family.

- Gerald Sinclair