PAW Patrol: Resurgence || Book One

(S2-C10) Holding On To Hope

It had been a few days since everyone had gotten back from Barkingburg. Ever since then, Marshall seemed to be even more depressed than he was before the trip. He didn't leave his puphouse much, he was only out to eat and occasionally he'd simply sit outside. But even when he was out, he kept refusing Everest's help and company, who of course did everything she could to offer it.

Everest on the other hand wasn't doing too good either. She was constantly stressed out and worried about the dally. She hated the idea of him being alone for so long without anyone to comfort him. And despite trying to get through to him, unfortunately, nothing seemed to be working.

Speaking of the husky, she had just opened her eyes inside her own puphouse. She herself hadn't been sleeping very well either, mainly from her stress about Marshall's condition. She also wasn't used to sleeping on her own, but tonight she had managed to get some rest.

However, she still couldn't stop thinking about him. How lonely and scared he must've felt. The dally would get stressed out if she were gone for even a few minutes to the point where he'd hug her just to feel safe and calm again. And now, the two haven't hugged, or even been with each other for days now. It must've been terrifying for him.

Seeing as nothing much could go wrong, Everest decided to get up and go check on Marshall. From what she could tell, he hadn't been getting much sleep without her company, so it was a safe bet that he'd be up.

"Marshy? Are you awake?" She asked as she arrived at his puphouse. This was yet another thing that she had been worried about. Ever since they broke up, the dally tried to avoid her, and that included not sleeping with her. She knew from experience how downright terrifying his nightmares were for him, and she remembered him telling her what he'd do over the months she wasn't there.

No response could be heard from the other side, so Everest quietly opened the door to see if he was sleeping or not. She wasn't sure what to expect, but what she saw was at least a hundred times worse than whatever she would've guessed.

The husky gasped in horror, seeing Marshall laying on the ground bleeding from the neck, with a knife sitting on the ground. "Marshy!" She cried out as she quickly ran to his side. Using what small amounts of medical knowledge she had, she immediately felt his neck and checked for a pulse.

She felt nothing.

As Everest sat there, trying to process everything, she noticed a small note beside Marshall's body. With an extremely shaky paw, she picked it up and silently read it to herself.

Well, if you're seeing this, you already know what happened. I hope all of you know that none of this was your fault. It's my own fault. I just wasn't strong enough to keep fighting this. I'm truly sorry for letting you all down, especially you, Eve.

Thank you, everyone, for all that you've done for me. Ryder, for being the best owner I could've asked for. Rubble, Rocky, Zuma, for being some of my best friends in life. Chase and Skye, you two are like siblings to me. I hope you'll take care of each other.

And lastly, Eve. I'm sorry for all the pain I've had to put you through, and I'm so sorry I've put you in this position. Please don't mourn me the way I mourned you, because the truth is, this is what I deserve. I love you Eve, and I love the rest of you guys too.

Everest dropped the note and started sobbing, just as anyone would in this situation. She slowly lifted the body into her arms and buried her head into his shoulder. "P-please....n-no..." She begged, even though she knew it was too late now.

She hugged the limp dally and cried into his fur. Guilt stung her heart. She had promised that she would always there for him, and now she felt that because she wasn't, he had done this to himself. She said that she would help him get better, and now that chance of getting better had been ripped away.