It was a rather gloomy morning as the Spirit looked upwards, noticing the clouds overhead. The Spirit was trying to find momentary peace as it hovered over the loch it had awakened from what felt like long ago.
The Spirit breathed calmly as its thoughts felt like they were swimming within its head. The Spirit's emotions were all over the place, especially after what had happened the day before.
"What's wrong with me?" wondered the Spirit, conflict present within its very soul as it couldn't help but feel guilt threatening to burst from within her. "Did I do the right thing?" wondered the Spirit, recalling the memories that seemed so long ago.
"I...I remember possessing Charlotte, something about chickens and then...it all goes fuzzy" pondered the Spirit as it failed to fully recall what had happened. "Next thing I remember is...seeing a hand" continued the Spirit, closing its eyes as it remembered.
It could recall the drowsiness it had felt, the feeling of the ooze as it reached out to the hand, desperately wanting to be free...not to return to the dark!.
Only moments after, it remembered how the cocoon had begun to crack. Eventually, it broke free, allowing the Spirit to escape as it saw Elizabeth. She recalled her friend's brave expression but felt a fear hidden underneath.
"I hope I didn't frighten her" mused the Spirit, feeling energy beginning to shift towards it as it breathed in, allowing the energy to nourish its being as it felt itself becoming fuller and fuller.
The Spirit felt itself brighten up as it finished feeding. Its voluminous turquoise hair puffed out once more as its light blue t-shirt with a picture of the Zoo's entrance gained a unique sparkle to it. Its turquoise jacket shone brighter as its green shorts did the same.
The Spirit's eyes glowed for a moment as if occupied with additional energy as they seemed more lively. Its sandals remained the same, a nice shade of brown as a reminder of the Spirit's friendship with Elizabeth.
"Speaking of which...Elizabeth said she'd be here today" thought the Spirit, feeling a mixture of excitement and dread. However, the Spirit resigned itself to its predicament, knowing that Elizabeth had justifiable reasons to be angry at it.
"I just hope she'll forgive me" worried the Spirit as it felt a sudden sense coarse across its being.
"That's strange, why are they all together?" wondered the Spirit as it considered what could have happened to justify this. It decided to hold back, observing the group as its curiosity peaked.
Receding into a familiar green glow, it shifted out of sight, keeping to the shadows as it approached the Main Hallway, knowing that Elizabeth was there and chances are, the others were also with her.
At the Entrance:
Rebecca, Elizabeth and Charlotte quickly walked under the stone archways of the New Zoo, a frantic pace in their steps as they looked around.
"I...I shouldn't be here" mumbled Charlotte, looking over every corner, her eyes in a perpetual state of fear as she felt withdrawn, feeling small as she stumbled momentarily. She looked as she noticed she was being supported by Elizabeth who gave a small smile, trying to cheer up her best friend.
"Come on, you can do it," said Elizabeth softly, trying to reassure her best friend as Rebecca moved further ahead of them.
"Girls, we need to investigate the enclosures!" shouted Rebecca, a tone of worry and impatience as she scrambled around, trying to appear as if she was in control.
"I still wonder why our Landlord called a surprise inspection. Seems drastic, even after everything" thought Elizabeth before reasoning "I guess our luck has finally run out."
"Girls, we need to split up. Make sure there's nothing obvious" said Rebecca frantically, panic was evident in her mannerisms and expressions as Elizabeth nodded her head as she looked at Charlotte.
"Do you want some company?" asked Elizabeth. Charlotte nodded as the pair went further into the Zoo, looking around as Charlotte's eyes were still darting around as if she was prey trying to find a predator.
Elizabeth noticed her friend's expression as she felt her anger grow exponentially. "We are going to have choice words Spirit," thought Elizabeth as she barely suppressed her anger, knowing it would only scare her friend more.
Unknown to Elizabeth for the moment, the new bond she shared with the Spirit had allowed it to hear her thoughts. The Spirit could also sense her emotions as it considered whether to reveal itself now.
"After all, Charlotte should already know about me and Elizabeth would..." began the Spirit as a new thought occurred to it. A sudden recollection occurred to it as it could feel fear. Unknown to it, this wasn't the Spirit's fear but Charlotte's fear.
"On second thoughts...it can wait" decided the Spirit, remaining hidden as it observed the pair, feeling it would be best to talk to Elizabeth alone.
The pair continued to look around, Elizabeth looking into one enclosure as Charlotte looked into the other. While Charlotte had started rather fearfully, she seemed to be calming down as they looked over more enclosures.
"I guess this is it, we won't be able to cover all of these in time," said Elizabeth, turning to Charlotte who looked back to her friend.
"I just hope our Landlord is lenient...for once" mumbled Charlotte. "I think we've both become more attached to this zoo than we probably expected" continued Charlotte as she turned to face Elizabeth.
Despite Elizabeth's expression which gave the impression she was debating internally, she eventually conceded. "I agree, especially regarding the seals. However, I fear more for Rebecca. She really put her heart and soul into this place" said Elizabeth as Charlotte nodded in agreement.
"As did I, just as the Petting Zoo was beginning to expand" murmured Charlotte, a feeling of disappointment passing through her as Elizabeth wrapped her arms around her friend in an attempt to comfort her.
As the pair enjoyed a moment to themselves, they heard Charlotte's phone ringing as she checked the caller id. After confirming it was Rebecca she picked it up, having already anticipated what was going to be said.
"Hello?" enquired Charlotte.
"They're here, I need you two at the entrance now," said Rebecca firmly, hanging up as the pair took one look at each other.
"Guess it's time to face the music" stated Elizabeth as she held out her hand.
"Agreed, let's just hope it's not our last dance," said Charlotte, a small smirk coming across her face as she grabbed her friend's hand.
"That was one time...still nice though" replied Elizabeth, her tone warm as the pair began to walk towards the familiar stone archways, ready to face their destiny...together.
Shortly After:
The Managers had arrived at the stone archways as they noticed what appeared to be several white transport vans beginning to arrive at the Zoo's car park. They entered as if it was a never-ending convoy as it felt rather imposing as they parked up.
To finish off, a large white truck parked up. Its size easily eclipsed the convoy of vans that had already made their presence known. The truck finally parked as the Managers had a mixture of expressions.
"Well...they know how to make an entrance at least" deadpanned Elizabeth, her mind wandering about what could have happened to warrant such overkill. "Makes me wonder if they're compensating for something," she thought as she looked at Charlotte, who while she seemed rather nervous, was surprisingly holding herself together.
"It seems the rabbit hole goes deeper than expected," thought Charlotte as she felt a small sense of unease but was pleasantly surprised that her newfound confidence was holding itself together. She looked at Rebecca, noticing she seemed to be sweating bullets as she wondered "Just how much else are you hiding from us, Rebecca?."
Before she could question Rebecca, they heard a loud noise as they noticed the door beginning to open. It whirred and clicked as it began to rise, steps forming beneath as it looked as if the gates of hell were opening up. Rebecca could only feel a further sense of panic come over her as she already knew what to expect.
It appeared as if their Landlord had finally lost patience with them. It was exactly as Rebecca feared!
"Damn it, Damn it, DAMN it!" panicked Rebecca internally, further worry coming over her as she knew what was coming. "We must have fucked up considerably if our landlord brought their backup!" feared Rebecca as she noticed someone beginning to exit the truck.
The group could only watch as they noticed what appeared to be a towering behemoth of a man who began to walk down the steps. He was wearing a simple casual outfit consisting of a dark red top alongside black combat trousers. His large brown boots did little to muffle the noise of his steps as a large brown trench coat covered his body from his shoulders to his knees. A black ushanka atop his head as he glared at the group who were thankful that at that moment, looks couldn't kill.
"Yep, we're screwed," thought Rebecca as she could only look on as she could feel her dream slowly crumbling apart in front of her.
The man exited the truck, turning to see someone else exiting behind him. It was a medium-sized woman, as tall as Rebecca who was wearing a formal business suit which stood out against the casual wear of the much larger man. She had purple hair, tied back in a ponytail as she looked at the group. She shifted her small black glasses as she was also carrying a glare like the man by her side.
The pair turned to each other, their expression carrying annoyance as they began to walk towards the entrance of the New Zoo.
"A Zoo?, a fucking Zoo?!, you cannot be serious, woman," said the man, clear annoyance in his voice as the woman turned to him.
"Calm yourself, Ivan," said the woman, looking up to the man as she continued "I'm as annoyed as you but let's get this over with"
"As long as I and my boys get paid...there'll be no further opposition" replied Ivan, his demeanour stone cold as they turned back. They walked under the stone archways as they looked at the group.
"Will Rebecca stand forward?" said Ivan, his tone intimidating as the Managers got a better view of the man up close. Elizabeth and Charlotte couldn't help but feel rather small against the man's gargantuan frame.
"NOW!" shouted Ivan, his voice indicating a lack of patience as Rebecca was able to feel her legs as she walked forward. She felt rather fearful as she looked at the pair.
"It's not me you should be fearing...darling" stated Ivan, motioning to the woman who gave the Managers a collective glare as they all shrunk back slightly.
"Good afternoon ladies," said the woman, getting out a small PDA as she turned back to face them. She sighed as she noted she might as well try to put them at ease.
"Why was I put in charge of these idiots?" thought the woman frustratingly as she looked across them, awaiting a response.
"Hello Victoria, you seem tired," said Elizabeth, a hint of sarcasm in her voice. Despite her sarcasm, she felt slightly intimidated by the glare that Ivan was now giving her.
"Settle down Ivan, go and direct your men. We have work to do" said Victoria, a minor frustration in her voice as Ivan nodded, beginning to walk outside the Zoo to direct the men who had since been leaving the white vans which were scattered across the car park.
This left Victoria with the Managers within the Main Hallway as Victoria glared at the group.
"I guess I should start with the good news" began Victoria, looking at her PDA before turning to the group. "Your remodelling request for the Main Hallway has been approved Rebecca," said Victoria, visible confusion on her face as she shrugged, reasoning her superior must have other plans.
"Ok, now onto the bad news" continued Victoria as she looked at the group. "When I was recruited to oversee your girls, I wasn't expecting much but you still managed to disappoint me more than I could have imagined."
Victoria turned to Elizabeth. Elizabeth to her credit didn't falter under Victoria's glare as Victoria took a deep breath, trying to calm herself before starting.
"Elizabeth, I know you don't care about anything I say. However, it doesn't change how you transform people I explicitly organise to attend in an attempt to present a plausible cover for the Zoo" said Victoria, taking a moment to eye Elizabeth's reaction.
"I have no idea what you mean," said Elizabeth, her tone sarcastic and sweet as if she was as old as she looked.
"You're still as immature as I remember" responded Victoria. "You know exactly what I mean. Let's start with Jason, having an upcoming investor would have worked well...he's now a giraffe. Mavis, a personal favourite ice skater of my superior, is now a seal. And don't get me started on the school children..."
"I was framed for that one!" defended Elizabeth as Victoria looked at her oddly, annoyance still ever-present.
"One, I know, her turn is next. Two, Did I say you could speak?" said Victoria as Elizabeth glared at her.
"No, but I'm not five years old. I'm not a child so don't treat me like one! You have your own child for that" said Elizabeth frustratingly.
Victoria took a moment to glare at Elizabeth before huffing for a moment. She turned to look at Charlotte as if she was preparing herself.
"Guess I struck a nerve," thought Elizabeth, feeling a little smug. She turned to support her friend. Charlotte motioned for her to turn away as Elizabeth complied, trusting her friend to stand up for herself.
"Charlotte" began Victoria, noticing Charlotte was looking at her. "When Rebecca suggested you to me, she mentioned how smart and analytical you are." Charlotte afforded a rare smile for a brief moment.
"However, you haven't lived up to your supposed reputation. Transforming the rhinos, the whole school children incident, transforming potential clients into chickens after being explicitly told not to...we really could have used that contract!" said Victoria, annoyed as she glared at Charlotte.
"I don't know what happened then, I felt like something had control of me" defended Charlotte.
"Seriously, that's the best you could come up with?" argued Victoria, her expression sceptical as she turned away to Rebecca. Rebecca felt her nervousness peak as she noticed Victoria giving her a purely hateful glare.
"Guess I've saved the worst for last," said Victoria as Rebecca had seemingly lost her voice.
"You're the reason I'm here today Rebecca" started Victoria, noticing Rebecca's eyes widening as she said that. Feeling a small sense of satisfaction, she continued "I'm used to these two being idiots." She pointed to Elizabeth and Charlotte to accentuate her point. "However, I've always seen you as competent...until yesterday" stated Victoria.
"What...what do you mean?" asked Rebecca, uncertainty in her voice.
"I'm talking about you and Elizabeth being seen wandering around with, according to your files, Caitlyn and Travis. It was on the news last night. Do you realise how many people saw you? I'm anticipating that we'll be covering this up for a while. What the hell were you thinking?!" said Victoria, fury in her voice as she glared daggers into Rebecca, beginning to feel fed up with the situation.
"I...I" started Rebecca.
"I don't want to listen to your excuses, especially when it's obvious you weren't thinking" interrupted Victoria. "In addition, you have proven that you are utterly incapable of coordinating your assistants given just how many times they've screwed up."
"Why are you blaming me for them?" said Rebecca defensively.
"You're the leader of this project...it's your job to lead" stated Victoria coldly as she glared at Rebecca, a sense of apathy coming over her as she decided there was little point continuing this tirade.
"Might as well move on" stated Victoria, sounding emotionally drained as she pointed to the group. "Can one of you take me to the Security Room? I need to continue the inspection and Ivan needs to finish coordinating his men" finished Victoria as the group managed to nod, noticing Victoria's tiredness as they were curious as to the cause of it.
The Managers nodded, the group escorting Victoria towards the Security Room as they walked down the Main Hallway. It was devoid of the usual noises and excitement as if the Zoo itself could feel that the worst was yet to come.
Towards the Security Room:
Following a long awkward silence, the group finally arrived at the Security Room.
Fortunately, there had been no incidents on the way there, Victoria making small notes in her PDA as Rebecca began to calm slightly, still hurting internally from the lecture that Victoria had given her earlier.
In contrast, Elizabeth and Charlotte seemed to be rather well-composed. Elizabeth even smiled as they went past her preferred enclosures. Charlotte was feeling a little reassured as they headed into the Reptile House.
"Maybe things will be ok after all," thought Charlotte, opening the door to the Security Room.
Unfortunately, things were about to get much worse.
Victoria walked forward, immediately examining the room in detail. Her eyes stopped on a distant keypad on the wall as she raised an eyebrow sceptically.
"Open it," said Victoria firmly, noticing Rebecca move forward. Victoria narrowed her eyes as Rebecca entered the code to the keypad as the walls began to whir to life.
They split apart, separating as if opening the gates of hell. They pulled back, revealing the shrine underneath as Victoria eyed it intently. Elizabeth and Charlotte stared at it confusingly, trying to find the meaning in it as they just decided to revisit this bizarre trait of Rebecca's later.
If there was a later.
"Is this yours?" enquired Victoria as Rebecca nodded. Victoria just sighed, shrugging her shoulders in response as she turned to the centrepiece of the room, knowing it was the main reason she was there.
She looked at the monitors littered around the room as she began to examine through the CCTV system that had been installed within the Zoo.
"Ok, I'll need to examine your collection of tapes as per our agreement," said Victoria, looking at Rebecca as she indicated where the rack was. Victoria looked across the rack, examining the tapes as she nodded, ticking off a list on her PDA.
However, when she looked over her list, she noticed that one tape was missing.
"Diane's tape, where is it?" stated Victoria firmly, leaving no room for argument. The Managers looked at each other, Elizabeth eventually rolling her eyes as she came forward.
"It's missing, someone infiltrated the Zoo, stole it and escaped. I know who it is but haven't been able to track them down yet" replied Elizabeth as Victoria seemingly took a moment, as if her brain had to reboot.
"You're telling me this now?" asked Victoria pointedly, Elizabeth was unfazed by Victoria's accusatory tone. "So who is it?" continued Victoria, still maintaining her tone.
"It's a girl called Amanda, who was an applicant from a while ago, alongside some other college kids," said Elizabeth.
"Do you realise the possibility of us being exposed?!" asked Victoria.
"It would have happened already if she'd seen anything" defended Elizabeth dismissively. Victoria took another moment to look at Elizabeth before sighing, realising the pointlessness of trying to argue with Elizabeth.
"Ok...moving on," said Victoria, moving back to the monitors. "I need some time to examine the footage on the cameras, give me some space" continued Victoria as the Managers nodded, exiting the Security Room.
"Finally," thought Victoria, looking towards the monitors as she pressed a button on her PDA, intending to contact Ivan.
"Hello?" asked Ivan.
"Just looking through the footage now, how's progress on your end?" asked Victoria.
"It's good, Alexei and I have coordinated the men throughout the Zoo. When you are finished, we can begin to organise the collection" replied Ivan.
"Perfect, I'd rather get out of here sooner rather than later," said Victoria as she hung up, returning her attention to the footage, paying great attention to the detail of the playback.
"That's strange" mumbled Victoria, currently scanning through footage as she noticed a small detail that didn't add up.
"The footage has been tampered with...what else could they be up to?" thought Victoria as she became more diligent, paying further attention as she continued to look through the footage as she looked through the previous days.
"Wait...that's from when the storm hit the Zoo" mumbled Victoria as she noticed that one camera had remained active despite what had happened. Her curiosity peaked, forcing her to check that day.
The camera was currently focused on the Petting Zoo as she fast-forwarded the footage by a few hours. Soon enough, she saw two people move into the frame as she suddenly hit the pause button.
"Wait...is that?" wondered Victoria, feeling sick to her stomach as she recognised the girl in the footage.
It was Charlee, her daughter!
Despite her dread of what was about to happen, Victoria found herself unable to turn away as she witnessed her daughter's transformation. She watched as her daughter's form shifted to something far more animal. She watched the formation of hooves, fur, and horns as she noticed the same happening to the boy she was with.
She found herself unable to look away as she continued to watch, even down to the...
Victoria finally managed to find movement as she turned off the monitor. She put her head in her hands as she wept quietly, feeling dirty from what she had just witnessed. She recalled Charlotte pointing to the camera tauntingly. At this current moment, it felt as if she was mocking Victoria.
"I...I can't believe it. They...they're fucking animals!" snarled Victoria, her sadness being replaced by anger and fury as she reached her PDA.
"You better be ready Ivan, this won't take much longer," said Victoria, fury evident in her voice. On the other line, Ivan stepped back for a moment, noticing Victoria's fury as he decided not to comment.
"Alexei, you better be in position" mumbled Ivan as he looked at his men. Satisfied with his men being in position, he opted to wait for further instructions.
Currently:
Currently, the Managers were standing outside, each feeling anticipation for the moment when Victoria would be summoning them back in.
"I'm onto you Elizabeth. First, it was your sales pitch and now...you know who broke in" thought Rebecca, staring at Elizabeth who seemed currently indifferent to the whole ordeal. She looked to Charlotte reassuringly who smiled back at Elizabeth, clearly feeling at ease for the moment.
The door opened as the Managers saw Victoria move herself to the doorway. Something seemed off about her, although the Managers couldn't put their finger on it.
"Elizabeth, go and assist Ivan with preparing the animals for their medical checkup" ordered Victoria, her tone leaving no room for argument as Elizabeth took one last look at Charlotte before heading away to comply with the instruction.
"Looks like I'm not seeing the Spirit today," thought Elizabeth internally as she left the Reptile House, leaving Rebecca and Charlotte alone with Victoria.
"You two in here now" ordered Victoria firmly as the pair looked at each other, confused for a moment but feeling a sense of dread as they walked into the Security Room
The pair looked at Victoria, currently sitting in a chair as she was seething. She motioned her hand to the monitor as the pair looked at it.
"Care to explain something?" asked Victoria, barely restraining her fury as the pair looked confused, not knowing what they had done.
"What do you mean?" wondered Rebecca, looking over the footage. Upon closer inspection, something occurred to her as she was horrified before turning to Charlotte.
She was a second too late.
"You've got some nerve transforming my daughter Charlotte," said Victoria, her tone full of bile as Charlotte was still rather confused.
"Wait...daughter?" thought Charlotte, trying to think of something to say. Anything to defend herself. She found her mind drawing blanks but the footage showed her doing so in all its glory.
"I don't recall," said Charlotte weakly, as if she had already anticipated Victoria's response.
"What do you mean you don't remember!?" shouted Victoria, startling Charlotte as she faltered slightly.
"I genuinely don't recall doing that," said Charlotte, pointing to the screen as Victoria turned her gaze towards Rebecca.
"I cannot believe you girls," said Victoria, fury present in her voice as the pair were stunned into silence. "My superior gave you this opportunity and not only do you mess up within the first few weeks, you clearly lack the common sense to think about who you change before you do it. It's like a comedy of errors but it's not funny."
"I...I can try and reverse the transformation" suggested Rebecca.
"According to your profile, you cannot reverse animals which have been mated with. I highly doubt that Charlee would appreciate the therapy bills anyway" stated Victoria as she turned away for a brief moment. She walked over to her PDA as Rebecca and Charlotte were at a loss. They didn't know anything to say to try and ease the situation as Victoria made a small note.
"Because of what I've seen today I have no choice but to suggest immediate closure of the New Zoo, pending an investigation period" informed Victoria, hatred in her voice as she glared at the pair.
"Wait...you can't do this!" shouted Rebecca, her tone frantic as Victoria placed her hand up.
"I'm your superior. I'm fully capable of doing this. This is what you get for breeding my daughter" said Victoria hatefully as she messaged Ivan to begin.
Within the Outside Section:
Ivan was currently looking around the Outside Section, overseeing his men beginning the procedure they had been brought for as he smiled.
"Now this is how we do it," thought Ivan, making a mental note to praise his men's efficiency.,
"Your men seem rather organised" mused Elizabeth as Ivan turned around, noticing Elizabeth down below.
"It's what we're paid to do" stated Ivan as he pulled out his tranquillizer gun. He walked towards the Seal Enclosure as he prepared to aim.
"Wait!" said Elizabeth.
"What is it now?" asked Ivan.
"Please be gentle, they're rather important to me" replied Elizabeth as Ivan nodded.
"Will do Red Dwarf, will do," said Ivan, preparing himself once more.
Elizabeth looked around, noticing the other enclosures being cleared out. Hence, she decided to leave Ivan's men to do their job.
After all, following their experiences 'behind the curtain', Elizabeth had found herself able to trust Ivan.
"I hope the others are doing ok. I should find out what they're up to" thought Elizabeth as she decided to head back towards the Reptile House.
Within the Main Hallway:
Igor looked around, noticing the smoothness of the operation as he walked further down the Main Hallway, noticing the animals had either been redirected into cages or were in the process of being directed.
"It's good when a job is easy for once" mused Igor as he heard a sudden 'ROAR' coming from what he assumed was the 'Big Cats' section.
"Looks like I spoke too soon" figured Igor, letting out an annoyed groan as he headed further towards the origin of the noise.
The noise specifically, was coming from the Puma Enclosure as Eva was bearing her relatively new sharp teeth as Igor noticed some of the men seemed to be struggling.
"Be gentle!" roared Eva firmly, she was trying to protect her stomach, clearly trying to take care to avoid any harm to her potential offspring. However, due to no longer having the ability to communicate, all it looked like to the men was a puma trying to be defiant.
Eva didn't have much time to react as she felt something 'prick' against her pelt. She immediately looked down and noticed a dart was sticking into her chest. She had even less time before she felt overwhelming woozy as tiredness quickly came over her.
She fell to the ground as she passed out, the tranquillizer overwhelming her system.
"Now that's how you do it" mumbled Igor, taking some pride in the shot he had made.
"Mother!" roared Travis, noticing Igor turning around to face him as Igor aimed his gun at him.
"You wish to join her?" questioned Igor as Travis backed away. The other big cats seemed to get the message as Igor put his gun away, turning to the other men nearby.
"I didn't think so" mused Igor, chuckling slightly as he supervised the men continuing the extraction.
"I don't believe this" mumbled Travis, Caitlyn having come up and trying to comfort him. "Rebecca warned us of this...is this our fault?" asked Travis.
"We cannot regret anything now," said Caitlyn as she looked over to her parents and little brother who appeared to be walking into cages. Alex was with Katrina as she had to turn away from the look her father was giving her. "The only thing we can do is cooperate," reasoned Caitlyn as Travis nodded at her.
"So this is how it ends?" thought Diana, confusion filling her head as she couldn't help but feel bittersweet that the moment had finally come. She felt minor concern for what would happen to her but curiosity filled her more as she wondered where they were being taken.
"I just hope it isn't worse than this" mumbled Diana, realising the only way forward was, like many times before for her, to be compliant.
Inside the Aquarium:
Zoe and Chloe were currently within their enclosure, having heard the noise emanating from outside as they noticed men entering the Aquarium.
Zoe took a glance at the men as she immediately felt uneasy. She began to take breaths, trying to calm herself as Chloe looked at her concerningly.
"Zoe, it's going to be ok Zoe," said Chloe firmly, 'hugging' her friend as she knew what was going on. Zoe was rather frightened, visibly shaking as Sally managed to notice from the other side of the Aquarium.
"They're not here anymore, you don't need to worry about them" reassured Chloe as she noticed the fish around her being moved into smaller tanks and then extracted somewhere as she continued to comfort her friend who she noticed seemed lightheaded, her breath short as she 'hugged' her friend deeper.
Chloe noticed the men moving to them, clearly planning to extract them as well. She noticed them placing a small tank into the water as Chloe continued to comfort her friend, not even trying to escape as the pair were boxed in.
She continued to cradle Zoe as the pair were lifted out of their enclosure, being taken elsewhere as Chloe managed to sneak a glance at Sally who attempted to express her concern.
Eventually, Zoe nodded off, having tired herself out in her panic as Chloe continued to comfort and cradle her best friend and girlfriend despite the uncertainty of what was going on.
Near the Aviary:
Megan looked around as she noticed animals were being escorted out of the enclosures. She turned to face Chris, noticing he was looking at the same thing as he sat down on their eggs to keep them warm.
"They seem to be here to take us somewhere, I wonder where?" said Megan out loud as she heard the door to the Aviary opening.
She watched as someone began to walk through, attracting the eagles of their perch as the family of birds was strangely cooperative. She motioned for Chris to get off the nest as they picked it up, moving the delicate eggs within.
Megan got the impression that they were expected to follow as she nodded to Chris who indicated he understood. The pair began to leave the Aviary noticing the family of birds not too far behind.
As the pair walked down the Main Hallway, Megan looked around, noticing the other animals being prepared. She paid particular focus to the kangaroo, realising the men were struggling with it.
"She won't let us examine her pouch" she overheard one of the men shout.
"Just get her ready for transporting, I'm sure it's unimportant" replied one of the men as Megan shook her head, deciding to focus on her predicament.
She continued to walk alongside Chris until the pair came to a set of cages. One had their nest in it whereas the other was empty. They looked at each other for a moment as Megan shook her head irritably.
"I guess it's my turn," thought Megan annoyingly as she settled into the cage, noticing the door closing behind her as she sat down on her nest, continuing to keep them warm as she wondered what else was going on.
"Maybe someone is here to free us," thought Megan hopefully, her optimism slowly fading as she felt determined to keep it for as long as she could.
She needed to, after all, it's not like she had anything else.
Within the Petting Zoo:
Alexei looked up, noticing the Petting Zoo sign overhead as he shook his head, chuckling softly to himself.
"The sign is rather tacky," thought Alexei as he could hear the other men at work before deciding to join them. "Is certainly a contrast to the rest of the Petting Zoo." continued Alexei as he surveyed the scene before him.
He noticed the methodical approach the men were using as he smiled, knowing Ivan and himself had taught them well. The animals were rather compliant as he noticed the sheep and goats being escorted to nearby crates for transportation. Clara stayed close to Klaire, somewhat frightened by what was going on but cooperative due to the reassurance her 'mother' was giving her.
The chickens and geese were led out of the coop, their minds and instincts attracted to the trail of feed that had been placed for them as they entered the nearby cages. The cages already had nests within as the group settled between each other once more as they were carried away by the men. They took great care not to cause unnecessary disturbance to the animals within.
Anna watched everything occurring around her as she wondered what could have happened to warrant such a reaction.
"What's going on?" wondered Anna, feeling a small sense of ease since the animals didn't seem to be struggling as she continued to wonder what was going on.
Her floppy ears perked as she managed to overhear something from some nearby men. She continued to listen, even as the volume was getting louder due to the men moving towards her.
"A medical check-up?" pondered Anna, reasoning a moment later that it made sense at least as she heard the noise of her hutch opening up.
"Guess it's my turn" figured Anna as she curled up, allowing one of the men to pick her up as she was placed into a carrier and then taken to what she could guess would be some kind of vet.
"I just hope Caitlyn's ok," thought Anna as she began to drift off, finding little else to do.
Before she could fully drift off, her nose picked up the scent of something familiar yet delicious to her. She took a small glance as she eyed a nearby carrot. She pulled it towards her as she began to slowly chew on it, finally drifting off to sleep still chewing on the treat.
Meanwhile, within the Red Barn, Marie and Stuart were rather confused as they heard a noise coming from outside. Marie could feel cramping in her udder as she needed to be milked once more. However, upon the barn door's opening, she made the wise decision not to low out her frustrations at the men.
"What's going on?" wondered Marie as she turned to look at Stuart who reassured her as best he could.
"Marie, it's going to be ok," said the Spirit, Marie hearing the familiar voice within her mind.
"Are you sure?" stated Marie, still feeling rather intimidated by what was happening.
"It's just a medical checkup, that's all" replied the Spirit, its guilt beginning to bubble within it as it could sense Victoria's pain, her anger. It had already anticipated that this was about to get a lot worse by the end of the day.
And the Spirit blamed itself, knowing it had contributed to creating this situation. This did nothing to ease its guilt as it suppressed the emotion, determined to reassure its other 'best friend.'
"Ok, I'll see you soon," said Marie, trying to stay positive as she allowed one of the men to wrap a rope around her cowbell, pulling on it as she began to walk out the barn, Stuart alongside her as the Spirit watched, still invisible to everyone else.
"There's nothing I can do...I'd only make things worse" reasoned the Spirit as it faded away, unable to reconcile the emotional state it was in.
At the Reptile House:
The doors slammed open as men moved through the narrow path of the Reptile House. They looked over the various enclosures as they were momentarily confused by how empty it was.
Maximilian walked forward, wondering what his men were waiting for as he eyed the nearby crocodile. Recalling an earlier file he had been provided indicated that she required special care when needing to extract her.
"We're not paid to stand around, get to work," said Maximillian as he looked around, noticing that the Sea Turtle was already being extracted as he looked around.
"What...what is this?" panicked Jeannette, feeling fear force her still as she noticed a group of the men aiming what appeared to be a gun at the crocodile. She could hear the crocodile roaring in defiance before it eventually fell, unconscious for the moment as Maximillian looked it over, ensuring it stayed down.
"Ok, men. Focus on this one" said Maximillian, motioning towards the crocodile. "This one's a problem case according to her file."
"File?" wondered Jeannette, confused at the statement. "Does this mean...we all have files?" guessed Jeannette as she saw one of the men coming towards her.
"Stay away from me!" hissed Jeannette furiously as she lunged towards the man. He moved out of the way, giving a small glare at Jeannette. It was almost as if he was aware that Jeannette could
"I'd appreciate your cooperation," said Maximillian as Jeannette stopped in her tracks. "Yes, I know you're in there. Rebecca's file was rather detailed after all. I'd guess Charlotte was the one who wrote it up though. Can recognise her handwriting from a mile away" finished Maximillian.
"Just relax, it's only a checkup darling," said Maximillian, feeling Jeannette calming as he managed to grip her softly. He allowed her to slither her long tail around his neck as he walked, slowly lowering her into a small transport crate before closing the door behind her.
Jeannette realised she was trapped, although there was little she could do about it. She looked around, noticing the group were still dealing with Anastasia as she managed a small look at Zara.
"I just hope this all works out. I enjoy shining my scales in the sunlight" huffed Jeannette as she curled up her tail, settling in for the long haul.
Soon Enough:
"Wait...what's that noise?" enquired Rebecca, hearing people talking as she turned back to Victoria.
"That's the animals being collected for their medical checkup" explained Victoria condescendingly, Rebecca still feeling a sense of unease as she was at a loss for words following the reveal with Charlee.
"Speaking of which..." started Victoria as she picked up her PDA before standing up from the chair. "You can take me back to the entrance now." finished Victoria as Rebecca and Charlotte nodded, Charlotte earning a small glare from Rebecca as they left.
Once the group had arrived back at the stone archways, Victoria noticed Ivan and Elizabeth approaching as she turned to face Ivan.
"Is everything accounted for?" asked Victoria, Ivan was a bit put off by her tone but noticed her expression shift slightly, indicating he would be informed later on.
"Yes, Igor is just loading the last of the big cats as we speak" replied Ivan as Victoria nodded, motioning Ivan to go start up the transport. As he left, she turned to face the Managers, her expression indicating a mixture of anger, annoyance and surprisingly, disappointment.
"I think it's not a surprise to say that today was an absolute disaster," said Victoria, the Managers stunned into silence by the dripping venom in her words.
"Wha...what did I miss?" thought Elizabeth, feeling rather concerned for Victoria. The feeling was rather unexpected as she could only wait for Victoria to continue.
"You guys seriously need to clean up your act" warned Victoria, taking a small breath as she continued "From causing controversies, being witnessed with missing people, even transforming my daughter." She began to regain her composure as she took one last glance at the group.
"I expect you, girls, to tie up the loose ends regarding Diana's tape. Otherwise, I have no choice but to suggest to my superior to write off this project" said Victoria coldly, noticing the change in expressions of the Managers. It was as if they were going through the five stages of grief in quick succession.
Victoria decided to let them think about what she had said as she exited the Zoo. She planned to inform Ivan about what had happened. Despite his rough personality, he always knew how to make her feel better.
The Managers watched as Victoria left and the convoy pulled away, Rebecca was losing the strength in her legs as she crumbled to the floor, Elizabeth looking at her with concern.
"Rebecca?" asked Elizabeth, trying to gauge a response from Rebecca who just kept staring at the floor.
The only response she got was quiet weeping as she noticed tears falling to the ground.
"Rebecca, it...it's going to be ok" reassured Elizabeth as this only resulted in Rebecca weeping further.
"I'm sorry...I'm sorry" mumbled Rebecca. Charlotte and Elizabeth stared at each other, wondering how to respond to this. Elizabeth decided to take the lead as she moved back towards Rebecca.
"What are you sorry for?" asked Elizabeth, her tone attempting to be reassuring as she moved closer to Rebecca.
"Ma...master, I, I didn't mean to...master?" mumbled Rebecca, barely being picked up by Elizabeth.
"Master?" wondered Elizabeth, trying to gauge some meaning from Rebecca's words.
However, she didn't have much time to think as she noticed that Rebecca's hands were glowing. They appeared to be glowing black and white as Elizabeth realised what was going to happen. She turned to face Charlotte, who was still confused about the whole ordeal.
"Oh shit!" shouted Elizabeth, instinctively raising her hands to defend herself as she dashed between her and Charlotte, closing her eyes as she did so.
Surprisingly, Elizabeth didn't feel any immediate pain as she opened her eyes, noticing that a turquoise barrier was blocking the magical backlash from striking her and her friend.
While Rebecca was in too much of an emotional breakdown to notice the significance of what Elizabeth was doing, Charlotte was not. As she looked at the barrier more, noticing the colour, it began to feel increasingly...familiar.
Charlotte could feel the floodgates within her mind release as she felt a pouring of memories returning to her. She recalled her encounters with a Spirit of some description, a Spirit that seemed eerily similar to what her best friend was doing now.
"Wait...Elizabeth knows this Spirit, she helped it...against us" thought Charlotte, feeling as if she had been stabbed in the back for a brief moment, sensing betrayal inside as she watched her best friend continue to defend her.
"But...she's defending me now. Is it possible she's as much a victim as the rest of us?" pondered Charlotte, the question playing repeatedly in her head as she failed to come to a satisfactory answer.
Eventually, the magical backlash died down as Elizabeth lowered the barrier. She noticed that Rebecca was tired out on the ground as she noticed something beginning to fall outside.
"Rain...how appropriate" figured Elizabeth as she looked at the others, noticing Charlotte seemed to be inching away from her.
"I need some time to think" stated Charlotte as she moved past the others, leaving the Zoo before either could react.
"Wait...did she?" wondered Elizabeth as she turned to Rebecca. Noticing the depressive slump she was in, she opted to take her home.
"C'mon Rebecca, we can't stay here. How about we go home and I cook you something?" offered Elizabeth, giving a small smile as Rebecca seemed to respond, getting up from the ground. She was rather slow as the backlash had tired her out as Elizabeth patiently escorted her to the car.
"I'll drive," said Elizabeth as Rebecca nodded, getting into the passenger seat as Elizabeth strapped herself in.
The pair drove away, the rain appearing to symbolise their mood as Elizabeth drove off into the oncoming darkness.
Elsewhere, a figure was looking out of her window, looking down to the streets below.
Suddenly, she heard something beeping as she quickly moved towards her desk within the apartment and looked over her phone. She noticed the pseudo-tracker she had given Marlene was beginning to move.
'They're on the move, ' mumbled Amanda, smiling as she realised it would only be a matter of time before she'd be able to save her friends.
Later that Night:
After everyone had left, the Zoo was quiet, too quiet. It was as if someone had carved out the life within its walls and left the empty husk to rot. The only sign of life within was a small green glow that scattered around as if looking for something before settling above the loch within the Zoo.
The green glow flashed, the Spirit taking on its familiar form as it found itself at a loss of what to do. It tried to sense Elizabeth but felt as if something was blocking the link.
"Wait...is it possible she's blocking me?" wondered the Spirit as it felt lost. It felt its stomach rumble as the lack of energy began to get to it.
"I need to feed if I want to stay awake," thought the Spirit, never considering the possibility of having nothing to eat. "But maybe...it's what I deserve" mused the Spirit, recalling its responsibility for the mess it was now in as it could feel emotions beginning to overwhelm it as it wondered what to do now.
It was then the Spirit sensed something. It pulled itself out of its rut for the moment as it got a clearer understanding of what it was sensing.
It took off, eager to occupy its mind as it sensed the origin coming from the Main Hallway. The rain from earlier was beginning to worsen, picking up into a dark storm as the Spirit headed for the Hallway.
Elsewhere:
It was moving late into the evening as three children forced their way through the gate under the stone archways, trying to get shelter from the storm. Eventually, they managed to force their way in as they shook themselves off, trying to get dry as they turned to each other.
"Ok, here's our pit stop. Should be able to hide here until morning" said Benjamin as he looked at his friends.
"Odd place to hide...a Zoo of all things," thought Sayo as she looked around, feeling slightly intimidated by the darkness as she could sense the unease from her friends, guessing they were feeling the same.
"Probably not the best day to run away" deadpanned Kai, shaking himself a little to encourage the rain off his coat as he noticed the glares coming from his friends. "What?" asked Kai, noticing his friend Sayo, in particular, giving him a nasty glare.
"The sooner we left, the better" snapped Sayo as she let down her hood for a brief moment, running her hand through her short black hair as she turned to face Benjamin who had been standing quietly beside her. "I wonder what happened to Clara, I hope they didn't get her. She was a good friend and didn't deserve what they had planned for her" continued Sayo as she found herself lost in thought for a moment.
"Anyway..." interrupted Benjamin, catching the attention of the pair as they looked towards him. "We should prioritise finding shelter. I dunno about you guys but it's beginning to feel cold here" said Benjamin as a quick nod from his friends confirmed his suspicions.
The sudden chill the group was feeling was beginning to get to them as they huddled together for warmth, grateful that they had managed to escape from the orphanage that had the unfortunate pleasure of being their home.
They shuddered at the memories, each child wearing a pained expression as they looked around the enclosures around the Main Hallway, trying to get their worries out of their minds.
"The Zoo...appears empty," said Benjamin out loud as he noticed his friends nodding in agreement. They stayed close together as the Zoo seemed rather scary to the children as they continued to look around.
The Spirit noticed the group as it continued to observe from a distance. It could feel the fear within the children as it couldn't help but feel a small sense of sympathy.
"They're so scared...should I reassure them?" wondered the Spirit as it continued to eye the children as it felt a small connection to them. The Spirit could feel their memories swirling within her as its expression shifted between anger, despair and everything in between as it ceased the connection.
"Who, in their right mind, would do that to such small children?" wondered the Spirit internally, returning its attention to the children as it decided to take action. "I could do with another meal anyway" reasoned the Spirit as a sudden rumble was heard nearby.
'CRASH!' followed the rumble, lightning striking near the Zoo as the orphans screamed and huddled closer together for comfort, clearly scared out of their wits as the Spirit glanced at them.
"This seems familiar," thought the Spirit, recalling a memory from a couple of weeks ago with Elizabeth. A similar storm had struck only days before it became lost within the memory.
A Few Weeks Ago:
It was a rather lukewarm afternoon as Elizabeth was tending to her seals. She smiled as she watched the pod perform for her amusement as the Spirit settled down nearby. The Spirit smiled before looking towards the seals.
"She definitely knows what she's doing," thought the Spirit as she admired her friend, enjoying the moment as Elizabeth started laughing, clearly amused by the private show she was putting on for herself.
Elizabeth stopped as she turned to face the Spirit. "Extraordinary, isn't it?" she asked, turning to notice her pod had since ceased performing tricks as they began to relax back into the water.
"It certainly is...it's your whistle isn't it?" said the Spirit. Elizabeth's eyes widened for a brief moment as she suddenly remembered who she was talking to.
"Of course...magic. It's not unreasonable that the Spirit could sense other magic" thought Elizabeth. She looked at the Spirit before replying "Yes...I got it when I and Charlotte used to travel."
The Spirit felt a small sense of doubt upon hearing that. Knowing that its revenge would certainly involve putting Charlotte in her place, even in addition to everything it had already done.
Desperate to change the subject the Spirit asked "are there any other animals that you plan to add to the Zoo?"
Elizabeth placed her hand on her chin, noticing that the Spirit was trying to change the subject. She decided to not question the Spirit, not wishing to anger it.
"I've already seen its anger once...I don't wish to see it again" thought Elizabeth as she looked around, recalling the question the Spirit had been asked.
"What animal would I still be interested to add?" pondered Elizabeth as a sudden image came to mind as she set her eyes on a nearby enclosure.
"Penguins," said Elizabeth, noticing the Spirit's confused expression.
"Penguins?" replied the Spirit, still rather confused by the response of her friend.
"Yes, I just find them rather cute, not to mention we already have the animals that I'm particularly interested in" explained Elizabeth, enthusiasm present in her voice.
"She seems rather happy about it," thought the Spirit as it made its mind up. "I'll add some penguins sometime...would be a nice present for her" finished the Spirit as the pair returned their attention to the seal pod, Elizabeth starting up their practice as the Spirit smiled, pure joy in its expression.
Present Day:
The Spirit returned to the present as a final thought came over it. "Things seemed so simple then...even before our bond," thought the Spirit as it took a look at the Orphans, remembering what it was intending to do as it regained focus on the present situation.
"They seem like a good fit for the penguin enclosure" decided the Spirit as she noticed the group seemed to be calming down for the moment as it wondered how it should approach the situation.
"I hope that Elizabeth still wants to stay friends" mused the Spirit as it felt bittersweet feeling inside as it decided what to do. It snapped out of its thoughts as it stared at the group once more. They began to increasingly resemble huddled penguins as the Spirit felt reinforced in its decision.
A sudden 'CRASH!' was heard as another bolt of lightning struck near the Zoo. The Orphans were startled once more as they became distraught. They were scared out of their wits as they scattered, running in various directions around the Zoo.
"Darn it" mumbled the Spirit, as it felt a small sense of frustration as it realised its job had just become harder as it threw out its hand, a look of regret on its face as it realised this was going to take more energy than it would have wanted. Its eyes glowed turquoise as it prepared the spell it was about to cast.
The Orphans slowed as they noticed their surroundings were getting much brighter. Benjamin looked at Kai as their fear was quickly replaced by confusion.
"Guys?" said Sayo, looking upwards as her friends did the same. The brightness appeared to be taking on a green tone as they found themselves unable to turn away.
The glow seemed to be taking on a more defined shape as the Orphans continued to stare. It almost resembles a star surrounded by a circle. Strange letters began to form around the circle as it lowered, surrounding the orphans in the aura.
The glow intensified as the orphans moved closer together, hugging each other for comfort as fear robbed them of their voices as the only thing they could try was to comfort each other.
"At least we're together," thought Benjamin as he was surrounded by his friends as he felt powerless to do anything to help the situation.
The glow increased much wider as the orphans became surrounded by it. It felt surprisingly warm as the orphans felt momentarily comfortable before feeling weightless.
The glow dissipated as the orphans disappeared. The Spirit's eyes returned to normal as it fell back slightly. It caught itself in mid-air as it yawned, feeling drained from the magic it just used.
"I'm not finished yet," thought the Spirit as it felt tiredness coming over it. It forced itself to stay awake, knowing it might hibernate if it failed. It headed towards the Penguin enclosure, hoping the orphans had been teleported there as intended.
Within the Penguin Enclosure:
The Orphans opened their eyes as they looked around, visible confusion on their faces. The storm had continued to rage on, battering the group in the rain as they quickly reacted to the newfound dampness.
"Where are we?" said Kai out loud, looking at his friends.
"We're not in the Hallway anymore" replied Benjamin as he looked at Sayo who was examining the ground. "What are you doing Sayo?" asked Benjamin, bending down to check on his friend.
"It's snow...probably artificial," said Sayo, looking up to her friends as something within the enclosure caught her eye. It was a large igloo that appeared to be there to allow shelter from the elements.
"In here," said Sayo, moving into the igloo as quickly as she could, motioning her friends to follow. Benjamin gave a small expression of confusion before complying.
Soon, the orphans were inside the igloo as they could hear the outside storm. The igloo stood strong, clearly sturdy as it provided shelter for the orphans.
It didn't stop them from shivering though, the igloo was still extremely cold as the group huddled up once more for warmth.
"Better in here than out there I guess?" said Benjamin.
"Agreed," said Sayo and Kai quickly as the group continued to huddle together, beginning to feel a warmth forming between the group.
Unknown to the group, their transformation was beginning as the warmth began to increase, becoming visibly uncomfortable as they separated from each other.
"Is it just me or is anyone else warm?" asked Benjamin, looking around at his friends who appeared to agree with him. He looked at Sayo, noticing her particular discomfort as he saw her attention was drawn to her hand.
"Sayo...are you alright?" said Benjamin as Sayo didn't seem to hear him, more focused on her hand which seemed to be changing.
Sayo could feel her fingers beginning to force themselves together despite her resistance. Her thumbs began to sink into her hands as her fingers flattened out, forming a single limb that seemed to be darkening at the tip. It felt slightly scaly as Sayo could feel feathers beginning to prickle out.
"Flipper, why is my hand a flipper?" said Sayo, panic entering her voice as the feathers continued to spread upwards as the flipper began to take over her arm. She was in shock as she looked at her friends, noticing they seemed to be going through their own changes.
"Guys...you seem to SQUARK!..." started Sayo, suddenly stopping as she realized the animalistic sound that had come from her mouth. This surprised the boys as they were suddenly drawn to their own bodies as they felt an uncomfortable sensation coming over them.
Benjamin began to feel something pushing against his trousers. It was extremely uncomfortable as the pressure continued to build up until it finally broke loose. Benjamin looked over his shoulder, noticing he now had a small tail sticking out of his rear. It puffed up little, black feathers growing from it as he found himself at a loss.
"You have a...tail?" mumbled Kai, confused at what was happening to his friends as he could feel a shifting in his legs. He could feel his muscles shifting and changing, forcing him into a squatting position as he felt a cramp in his feet. He struggled for a moment, especially in his shifted position as he finally managed to force off his shoes, revealing his new feet to his friends as they were still trying to work out what was happening to them.
"What's going on?" said the group out loud as they could feel more changes coming over them as they could only stare at each other, trying to offer support.
Sayo could feel her other hand beginning to change as it was well on its way to becoming a flipper-like her other hand. It shifted up, quickly destroying any grip as her fingers lost mobility, leaving the feathers free to spread up the flipper as she noticed her new appendages together.
"Guys, what's SQUARK going on!?" panicked Sayo as she could feel something building in her rear, guessing she would soon have a tail like her friend Benjamin.
"I don't know" replied Benjamin, his mind in too much of a state of shock as he could feel other changes spreading across his body. His legs began to shift, forcing him into a squatting position as he could feel his feet changing, toes forcing themselves together as his feet darkened. He managed to pull his new feet out of his shoes as he looked down at them,
Kai was not exempt from these changes as he could feel the same occurring to him, a tail burst its way out of his trousers, causing them to fall to the floor as he could feel feathers beginning to form, prickling from his new feet as they spread upwards at a fast rate. He was so focused on his new plumage that he barely noticed his hands stiffening up, well on their way to becoming flippers.
"Wait a minute..." thought Sayo, her mind clearing for a brief moment as she noticed the growing plumage Kai was growing. She recognised it from somewhere as realisation struck her.
"Penguins," said Sayo, earning confused stares from her friends.
"We're becoming penguins," repeated Sayo. She couldn't help but laugh for a moment as if the absurdity of the statement needed to be repeated to be fully understood. She could feel a prickling coming over her as she knew she would soon be growing feathers like Kai.
"We can't let this happen...we need to escape!" said Benjamin, clearly fearful as he tried to move, finding his new position rather restrictive as he could also feel feathers forming from his lower body.
The feathers spread up the group as their bodies began to shift and change shape. They thickened up, becoming appropriate for the size of a penguin as their clothes began to split, no longer able to support their changing bodies. They looked to each other for support, as the feathers continued to spread, They were black on their backs as their stomachs were white, giving them a distinctive penguin appearance.
As they felt the feathers growing around their necks, yellow in colour, they looked at each other. From the neck down, they were complete penguins.
"Why is this happening to us?" thought Benjamin, feeling fearful as he tried to work out what to do, finding himself at a loss as he felt powerless in the situation. He couldn't help but start crying as his friends looked on sympathetically.
His cries were interrupted as he felt something warm beside him. He was unable to react as he felt another warmth on the other side as he noticed his friends had huddled up to him.
"G..guys?" said Benjamin, noticing his friends staying close as they looked at him.
"It's ok, we're staying with you. We'll all do this together" said Sayo, continuing to comfort her friend.
"Yep, we're staying with you, our leader," said Kai as the group huddled up together, bringing each other comfort as they felt the changes beginning to come over their face.
They could feel the feather spreading up around their face as they felt their ears beginning to shrink. They were momentarily deaf before their hearing returned, stronger than ever. Their mouths began to widen, growing longer and longer as they turned black with orange at the bottom as they lengthened to a true penguin length.
They could feel the final changes coming over their eyes as they began to shift, darkening as they could feel them shifting, a new membrane forming which would be useful for diving in their life ahead. Their eyes fully darkened as their change was sealed, rendering the group a new waddle of penguins as well as a new addition to the Zoo.
The group let out a triumphant 'SQWARK' as if to announce their arrival, yielding no responses due to the extraction earlier in the day. It made the atmosphere feel rather eerie, even if the newfound penguins were unable to comprehend it.
The Spirit watched the newfound waddle as it felt a sense of rejuvenation as it felt itself filling up with energy. However, the sensation was short-lived as the Spirit realised the meal wasn't as filling as it hoped it would be.
"I'm still hungry" moaned the Spirit as it heard a sudden 'Squark' coming from below as it looked down, noticing the penguins as the Spirit felt an almost maternal sense come over it.
"It's good that they didn't keep their memories...they've been through enough," thought the Spirit as it looked at the waddle, feeling rather protective towards it.
"I guess I should keep them company...nothing better to do," thought the Spirit as a green mist began to seep out from it, covering the Penguin enclosure as the new waddle felt a sense of calm come over them as they huddled up together, the Spirit sensing them falling asleep, it's cheeks becoming rosy as the feeling felt good.
The Spirit looked up to the sky, noticing the storm seemed to be clearing out as it took a long look at the moon. It began to reflect on its predicament, the moon being its only company as the Spirit felt its stomach rumble once more.
"So hungry" mumbled the Spirit internally as it knew what was to come if it didn't get a good meal soon.
"Then again, do I really deserve to stay awake?" said the Spirit bitterly as it looked into the sky, noticing all the stars that were beginning to twinkle following the passing storm.
"I hope Elizabeth is fine, she doesn't deserve to suffer for my actions," thought the Spirit as it lowered itself back towards the Penguin enclosure, feeling resigned to its fate as it only hoped it would stay awake to see tomorrow.
Unknown to the Spirit, tomorrow would be a very significant day indeed.
YOU ARE READING
New Zoo (Original Series by Wallace111)
General FictionRebecca is a woman who has ambitions to have what she stands in her way, to this end, she recieves funding to create the 'New Zoo' and transforms people into the animals to fill her collection. Furthering this end, she has recruited two other people...
