PAW Patrol: Incubus

Chapter 20- Between the Souls and the Soulless

What was even left to do anymore, what objective remained for the poor souls cast into the Omnihive? Under the maddened veil of the world's crooked sunset, each party began the long trek back to the Gates of Heaven. The team walked in grieving silence, the fleshy bowels underfoot breathing in rhythmic patterns. The world felt bigger than usual, emptier, bloated with loneliness even with the three of them together.

"Thanks for uh... helping me," Rocky said, speaking up to the mercenary leading the walk home. "I guess you didn't have to, and I... appreciate it."

"Don't mention it," came Ryder's dejected, exhausted response. "We're in this together, remember?"

"I could almost forgive you for leaving us."

"Seriously?" Marshall said, cross as he walked behind his captain.

"Look, I don't blame you for hating me, I kinda hate myself too," Ryder said, fidgeting with his blood-stained gloves. "It was a terrible decision I forever cursed myself for making, and if there's anything I can-"

"No," came Marshall's firm growl, shutting him down.

Rocky flicked his tail in his brother's path, a gentle symbol to back down. "Getting out of here alive is a start, once all this is over with, then we'll talk."

"There's nothing to talk about," hissed the Dalmatian. "If he never left us, we'd probably still have a full family!"

A sear of anguish twisted through Ryder's face, "it... it really took three of you, huh?"

"Two," Rocky said, "Skye didn't uh... she didn't go out like Rubble and Zuma did."

"What happened?"

"Well, in some twisted, fucked-up way, she was sort of the lucky one. Chase shot her in the Lookout, she never got to see the hive or even Feroxmalis itself, she died before anything really went down."

"He shot her?" Ryder exclaimed, facing the mix in exclamation.

"That idiot thought she was the infected one, shot her point-blank. Honestly, it was the perfect distraction, cause now everyone's focused on that and 'Rubble'," he made air-quotes with his paw. "Was able to slip away in a kennel and finish... whatever he was doing. So yeah, pretty much everything went to shit when you left."

"I'm sorry," was all the leader could say, stunned by the horrifying memory painting in his mind. "I'm... so sorry." He wouldn't push the subject, but so feverishly the boy hunted for any possible way to mend the old wounds. The search would likely be treacherous and timely, but there had to be something, some kind of way to make it up to the dear pet he once loved and cherished.

"Can I just ask you one thing?" Rocky sped up, walking beside the boy.

"Sure, I guess."

"What really was going on before you left? What were you doing while everything was falling apart?"

Ryder averted his gaze from the mixed breed, looking off to the blood-red sunset on the horizon. He went silent, either from trying to find his own words or out of sheer guilt not wanting to address the past. He couldn't hide from it here, not with Rocky right next to him, and certainly not with Marshall's glaring eyes burning a hole in his back.

"I knew what was going on," the boy sighed. "I had received a message that 'Experiment 6233' was getting airdropped into Adventure Bay, and that we, for our own sake, should stay away."

"I bet you knew the ACG too, didn't you?" Marshall spoke up accusingly.

"Knew them? Marshall, I had direct contact. They instructed me to disregard any incoming missions, as it could interfere with their containment procedures."