Embrace (Rocky x Chase)

Chapter 17- Cage of Atonement

It was a while before Chase finally awakened. A powerful sting lingered on his forehead like a stain, making the shepherd groan as pain oozed from his face. Eyes shut, his face twisted while his mind struggled to clear. He realized quickly he couldn't move: His right paw was stuck, seemingly locked in its position and resisting any attempt to pull away.

"Hmph-" he grunted, breathing steadily while his head continued to ring. An overwhelming soreness dragged down his muscles, making even the smallest movement a world of pain. The medications had done him no favors; they provided a temporary boost of focus, only to curse him with a violent mental crash soon after. His energy was gone.

Clenching his teeth, Chase slowly opened his eyes.

The few scraps of light that crept through the boarded-up window illuminated that of an old public bathroom. Rusted tiles were peeling all over the floor, the walls and ceiling slathered in rot and mildew. The sinks were stained orange, becoming festering dishes for bacteria and disease. Chase's handcuffs had been used against him, keeping his paw firmly chained against an exposed pipe within the wall. Eyes widening in alarm, Chase jumped up and ferociously tried to tug his arm free.

A tired voice floated up from behind a stall. "There's no point in doing that."

Flinching at the voice, Chase whipped around baring his teeth, expecting to see someone behind him. The sight of the ruined bathroom met him yet again, and the shepherd took a fearful step back to the wall. "Who's there? I can't see you!"

"I'm behind the stall, I can't see you either." The voice said again, making Chase tune his ears in its direction. It was coming from one of the toilet stalls, the corroded privacy barriers obscuring the speaker from view.

"Who- who are you?" Chase looked around, still trying to tug his arm out of the cuffs. "Uh... what's your name?"

"You know my name, Chase," the speaker said dryly. "And you've heard my voice thousands of times."

It finally clicked like a light in the shepherd's head. "Zuma!" He exclaimed, "we've been looking for you!"

"Well, you found me. Good fuckin' job." Said the Lab, grumbling as he slouched against the toilet seat.

"Are you handcuffed too?"

"Worse. They tied my tail around a pipe."

Chase winced, imagining the image of his tail forcefully bent and tied around an object. He had to focus, but his mind had been long fogged by his medication intake. Lowering his ears a little, he sat back down on the tile. "Did you take any of my caffeine pills?"

Zuma picked his head up, staring into the wood of the stall "I- what?"

"If you did, do you still have them on you?"

"Chase, I don't touch those things, and of all times to ask that, why now?"

"I had to," the police dog said in disappointment. "I just need one... or two, maybe it'll give me the ability to actually think of a way out of this."

"I really don't think those are good for you." Zuma said with great concern in his voice. It was remarkably the first time Chase had ever heard the Lab speak with such a tone. "How many of those have you been taking anyway?"

"Not enough, I guess." Chase grumbled. "I couldn't afford to lose any more time, I needed the kick."

"Kick in the kidneys maybe. That stuff will slowly kill you."

The police dog sneered at the comment. "If I've consumed something that's going to kill me, it's probably already in my body."

"Chase you can't-" Zuma tried to get up, briefly forgetting that his tail was tied. His body sharply pulled backward, a sting of pain twisting in his lower back. "Chase you can't do that, that stuff is bad news."