Random Stories of Storiness

Captivity

"Please stop petting the test subjects." The man's blank voice stopped the sharp tapping of shoes against the white floor. A hand rested on her shoulder, gently turning her away from her distraction. All eyes were on her, and she could've cared less. But one face looked down at her with disdain, and she shyly looked down. She nodded, keeping her gaze pinned to the tops of her Mary Janes.
"As I was saying, our research has brought us to the conclusion..."
The bland tone and fancy words faded into the background as she turned to face what had caught her attention.
A little fawn looked up at her with large dewy eyes. Feathers sprouted out in random patches and purple metallic hairs dotted its fur. It tilted its oversized head as if to say, "Can we continue playing now?" The girl sighed.
"I cannot play. Daddy wishes me to learn." She waved and smiled before the group moved on.
The little deer blinked and jerked its head in a nod before bounding off to join the rest. A whole group of these tiny mismatched creatures milled around aimlessly the large room. They all looked extremely bored. She wished she could help them, maybe take them home. Give them a place to play in and company to play with. But no. Daddy would not appreciate that. He would especially despise any mess they made. No, these poor creatures were kept here with nothing to interest them except for scientists. She sighed.
The group was moving on down the marble pathway, and she followed. They passed through a pair of double doors into an even larger room. This time, the elegant white floors and walls had been replaced with gray concrete and standard bar lights illuminated the room. A neat black carpet created a walkway between aisles and aisles of cages. Inside each cage was an animal with some strange abnormality, and a pained expression. As they walked further and further, the cages got bigger and bigger. They contained bigger and bigger animals that would've looked extremely horrifying if they weren't all still and almost lifeless.
She stopped in front of a cage taller than her dad and roomy enough for a minivan. A sign next to it read, "EXTREMELY DANGEROUS! STAY CLEAR!" Inside was a full grown tiger with an enlarged jaw, a spiky tail, and a shelled back. He was laying down, sleeping.
She took a step closer to the cage. The tiger's eyes popped open, vibrant blue with streaks of gold. In one moment, she thought the tiger looked menacing. But then, it looked sad. The relaxed ears, the still tail, the bored look in its eyes. Its thoughts flew into her mind.
He was sad, and lonely, and bored. All he saw everyday were scientists rushing past. All the interest he ever got a day was in a dish of dog food. Occasionally, he would see a newly caged animal being brought down the aisle. He would have pity for it, since he knew the long and dreary life ahead of it.
She tilted her head slightly. I wish I could help you. I would break you and all the rest of these animals out, and we could play.
The tiger's ears perked up.
You could have fun.
The tiger lifted its head, as if it understood her thoughts. She stepped even closer to the cage, crossing over a line of worn yellow and black striped paint. The tiger slowly got to its feet. A murmur was heard from behind her, but she paid it no attention. The tiger slowly sauntered forward. She was now only a foot away from it. The tiger took a giant paw and placed it in front of him, pressing his nose against the cage wire. She stepped right up to the cage and placed a hand over the pink nose peeking through the spaces.
I'll get you out. I'll save everyone of the animals here. You'll roam free.
The tiger seemed to smile at her. Its eyes drifted to something behind her. Its lips parted in a snarl. She turned around, now aware of the many gasps behind her.
She looked around. The group had backed away from the cage as best as they could without getting too close to the animals on the other side. Animals in the surrounding cages were perking up and peering intently at the scene. She met a pair of plain brown eyes, expressing terror and anger and frustration all at the same time. She looked down, afraid to meet that cold gaze. A puff of warm breath rustled her hair. No. She was not going to be scared into obedience. She wasn't going to stand around as her life was formed for her. She looked up to meet her daddy's gaze with a defiant stare of her own. He looked surprised, before becoming more enraged.
She looked back at the tiger. It was looking at her confidently, and one thought entered her brain.
You can do it.
She glanced at the keypad. It had a fingerprint scanner. She was the boss's daughter. She was given access to anything. No doubt her fingerprint was already registered in the system.
A few saw her gaze and rushed forward, screaming No! But they were too late.
The cage door sunk into the floor and the tiger stepped out, causing the group to panic. The tiger snarled at them before turning to her and bending down as if to pounce. Wait, no, it wasn't going to pounce. It was kneeling, waiting for her to get on. With a gleeful smile she hopped onto its back, grabbing a tuft of fur at the base of its neck before the tiger got up.
The group scattered. Some screamed, some panicked, some started calling for help. All of them ran to the entrance, back the way they came in.
The tiger bounded along, letting her press her finger into keypad after keypad, hearing chaos break out around her. Slowly, the scientists' screaming faded away, and all she could hear were the animals. Dozens of weird animals made anxious noises and shook their cages, and when they were released they let out joyous squawks and howls. Before long, she was sitting triumphantly, surrounded by thousands of animals. Rodents with scales and overgrown teeth scuttled around her. Neon colored monkeys leapt from cage to cage. Birds with iridescent and metallic feathers swirled and swooped over her head. The tiger below her roared and charged towards the doors, leading an army of multicolored monsters out of captivity. No longer would they sit. No longer would they sleep and bore the day away. No longer would they live and die in a world of plain nothingness.
They now had freedom, wonderful, exciting freedom.