"Lukas?"

The world around me opens up, a bright blue sky above me. My eyes open wider and I snap upright, freezing as I hear chuckles come from the side of me.

"Whoa, easy there." My heart staggers in my chest, that's Jesse's voice.... "Hey, are you alright Lukas? Axel did hit you pretty hard."

"Sorry dude," My eyes pop out as I snap to Axel, not one splotch of metal anywhere on him. "I really don't know how I happen to fall on you constantly."

"Y-you're not an iron golem." I glance at the others who are all around me now, all of them completely human again and healthy again. "And you're not wolf or a spider and you all look like you've been eating well."

Olivia bends down to me, checking my forehead with her left arm. Two arms! She has two arms! "Hmm, you're running a bit high Lukas. Do you want to head back home?"

"H-home? We can actually go back home?" I raise my hands to my face, when I can clearly see my hands. Hands with no claws, with my normal fingers and nothing else.

I quickly reach up and feel my head, no ears. And I don't feel my tail at all. Nothing! I'm human again! Everything's alright!

A laugh explodes out of me, excitement and joy bubbling and bursting out of me. The sun sparkling on my skin, the crisp fresh air of nature. My stomach feeling unnaturally swollen, but content with the food inside of it.

"We should probably be worried about that." I leap onto my feet, normal and not hunger weakened muscles surging beneath me, a crazed delirium blasting through my blood. A permanent smile etched onto my face as I grin madly at Petra.

"Are you kidding? We have nothing to worry about anymore!" Olivia opens her mouth to say something, but I sweep her up into a hug. "Just look at you Olivia! You have two arms again! You're eyes aren't red! Haha! This is great! Fantastic!"

Jesse pulls at my shoulder. "Okay Lukas, you must have hit your head a little harder than I thought. Let's get you home."

I release Olivia, only to wrap Jesse up into a hug. I can't even count the days I haven't seen him or have heard his voice. This is how it should be, we shouldn't be separated apart in cages for weeks as we're tortured. We should be free, we should be together.

"I can't tell you have much I've missed you Jesse."

"Lukas, I've been here the entire time. I haven't gone anywhere." I ignore the confusion in his voice, and just hug him harder. I was so scared, so worried something happened to him. But he's fine now. Better than fine, everything's absolutely perfect.

"Lukas." Petra's words are harsh, practically a growl, starling me. I let go of Jesse, still grinning like a complete fool when I turn to her. But she's not there, only a wolf.

I jump back, the smile falling right off my face. I quickly turn to Olivia, but all that's left of her is a spider. A... seven legged hairy spider. Looking up with me with all eight of her shiny red eyes.

"Whoa, what's hap-" My breath hitches in my throat when I spot Axel. An iron golem staring back at me with its hollow eyes. Strengthening the dread squeezing my heart.

It roars, the deep noise rattling me. "Hey! Lukas!"

"Jesse, are you... you..." My eyes jump out of their sockets when I turn around, a wither boss monster right there. And I go as cold as its lifeless dead eyes pierce into me, everything shaking and trembling as I scurry back.

"No, no no no no... this- this is..." My eyes feverishly dart around at all the creatures surrounding me. Complete animals, nothing human about them anymore. They're gone, my friends, gone... I've lost them all.

"No!" I cry, shadows wrapping around the animals. "It wasn't even this bad! No!"

The spider hisses while the wolf growls and bares its fangs. The iron golem bellows out its roar as the wither wails. All of them yapping and screeching at me, completely trapping me in their circle. Animals, I couldn't do a thing to stop my friends from turning into animals.

I gasp and fall to my knees, my legs wobbling and quaking as the world spins and dances on my head. They, the animals, come in closer, and to my horror, get bigger. Even though I was only on my knees, I'm somehow shorter than the spider.

I hiss at it, and then jump two blocks high at the sound. Feeling my short little ocelot legs quickly stiffen up and take the landing, a landing on all fours. A landing where my claws sink into the earth to steady me.

Screeching, the cat cry making my small little heart drum with terror, I bolt out of there. Only to instantly trip and collide onto the ground, my legs thrashing everywhere in terrible coordination.

A mewling whimper breaks free when my eyes spot the sky. Black thunder clouds have taken control of the heavens, a roaring wind ruffling my fur as I try to get my bearings back together. Instincts screaming at me to leave, find shelter.

Again, I try to run. To get my four legs to work together to get me away from everything. But the moment I figure out how to stand again, the wolf pounces on me. I hiss and screech, but can do nothing to get out of its grasp.

It rears its head back, growling furiously down at me. "LUKAS!"

~

I gasp and bolt upright, my heart slamming into my chest as sweat dribbles down my face. I hear a noise, and claws snap out, whipping straight towards it in an instant. Ripping out a chunk of the mattress along with it.

Only to stop dead when I face Olivia, my nostrils flaring and smelling food from her. Almost jerking it out of her hands at the shrieking urge to eat. Instead I violently shake my head, that's not important right now. Panting, panting is important right now. Air, air more important than food. Human logic more important than ocelot instincts.

Mewling, too wound up to even care about the noise, I fall back onto the bed. Trying to take slow deep breaths to get my heartbeat back down. Just starring at the black ceiling and trying not to think about that nightmare. Trying not to think that all my friends completely lost their humanity. Trying not to think about that Jesse, my best friend, transformed into one of the worst monsters there is, a wither.

"Lukas...?" I have to really focus on sheathing my claws, kinda hard to do with the linger shards of primal panic running through my blood, before rubbing my face. Moving my hand back up to the top of my head, where I still have my ocelot ears. A boulder of reality crushing me, sucking out the air I'm so desperately trying to breathe.

"I'm good now guys, just a nightmare." I sigh, that was as far as convincing as I could get. Maybe it's just my own buffed up hearing, but I sounded strained and meek, as if something was tightly holding my throat making it really hard for me to speak. It seems as if I'm million miles away, most of me still longing for that dream. That world.

Petra snorts, probably shaking her head or something too. "Well, eat up. You have less than an hour to prepare yourself for a living nightmare."

I groan, finally sitting up. My heart rate is a bit too fast, but I'm mostly good. Just have to never think about that again, never think about all my friends completely warped into animals and being able to do absolutely nothing. Even when one of them is about to kill me and-

My heart beat skyrockets back up, and I grab my chest in a futile means to control my breathing. I really need to get my focus on something else. Something not so... terrifying.

"Uh dude? You sure you're alright?" My mind flashes back to the nightmare, where everything was perfect and I was being asked that same question. That perfection, that beautiful reality, nothing more than an illusion. An illusion that I long for more than anything.

"I'm not dead am I?" I shake my head, trying to clear my mind. My tail wrapping around my waist to comfort me, which it does actually manage to do, until my thoughts bitterly seethe about having the animal limb in the first place.

Olivia coughs, raising her one arm to her mouth. "Well, you do kinda seem dead."

"I'm fine, but I really hope I won't be able to dream again next time I go to sleep." My thoughts begin to trail down to the nightmare again, and with a gulp I push myself past it. "Anyway, you said we have less than an hour. Does that mean there's food?"

"Yep." Petra pops the 'p', handing me two carrots. My nose and hand informing me that they're a bit dry and not on the fresh side. "That's why we woke you up, wouldn't want you to puke them out."

I chomp down on one, turning to Olivia. "You didn't get up just now right? You were still asleep by the time I was out."

"No, Petra said I woke up not too long after you went out. She told me everything too." Olivia pauses, hopefully to glare at Axel for not telling them. "No offense to you or anything, but I hope we go through what you did. It'd be nice to have a relaxing day like that."

I nod, chomping down on the rest of the carrot, glad that we are now all on the same page. And I'll be sure to tell Axel things in the future of course, but also at least Olivia or Petra so they can inform the other if I cannot.

"You guys have stayed awake that entire time?" I swallow, my stomach feeling quite satisfied. "That's pretty impressive."

Axel chortles, the deep snort echoing. "We mostly talked, but there was one time where-"

"Axel..." Petra growls, threatening to where my fur stands on end. "Shut up."

He chuckles some more, clearly not taking offense. "Paw-lease, it wasn't that bad.."

Petra growls again but says nothing, and a weary grin shakes to life on fear stricken face. At least Axel's feeling good again... that's more than what I can say right now.

"What about your injuries Olivia? I could tell they were somehow worse than the others." Despite my words, I smile and force myself to shamble over to the water. Even though I didn't participate, I'm glad my friends were finally well enough to talk to each other for more than a few minutes.

"Eh, they're not as bad as yours." I pause for a moment, my ears flickering as the catch something in her voice. Something off... something distant.

"But...?" I bend down to the straw of the water tank, but wait to drink. Keeping my head turned at Olivia, who's has her back to my only meager light source. Only her one arm outline visible.

"I just... I'm actually kinda wishing I had a left arm for them to beat. I'm- well, I just feel kinda... incomplete."

I wince at her words, this whole place feeling heavy, colder, darker. So hard to bare all at once, even the water I'm drink is wrong in my mouth. Not too mention that I can't think of one thing to make Olivia feel better.

"Don't worry 'bout it Liv," My shoulders relax a bit when Axel at least says something. "We'll always be here to help you. You can count it."

"If we stay together."

That pure broken statement stabs my heart, causing me to rear back and cough as I lose the ability to swallow. Any nice shards about us improving just withered and died, no hope for that anymore. How can we get better here? How can we get better when we're just the playthings of these demented scientists?

I find my voice, and it immediate starts running before I can think. "Olivia, you'll be fine. We'll find a way out of this. Together. I'm- I'm sure of it. Just have to get through another day and another, things will slowly get better. I mean, we've been fed a bit. That's something."

"Yeah, sure." My stabbed heart flutters in dread at her hallow words, Olivia not believing one word I said. That's bad, so very bad. I know we've all had these thoughts, I know it. But this is the first time it's been voiced so... hopelessly. Not a shred of anger or revenge. No prickly sadness that cries to punish the ones who did this.

Just... nothing.

I don't even do anything, just stare at Olivia, Olivia who's lacking an arm, with my mouth parted. My shocked brain finally kicked into action when Axel scoops her up into a hug. I quickly scramble to my feet, joining the group hug a mere second after Petra.

"Come on Olivia." I silently thank Petra for speaking, my brain still lagging behind. "These people are nothing more than monsters, and we've killed plenty of monsters before."

"I know, it's... it-it's just th-that..." Olivia sobs, and we all squeeze tighter around her. But she just sobs and sobs, taking big shuddering breaths that wracks my heart with that sorrow. My own sobs twist and curl in my stomach, and I would definitely be tearing up by now if I were able.

"We also did those things with Jesse!" Olivia's sobs come and rushed, and I clutch my friends. Trying to hold them together, trying to hold me up, trying to keep us together.

"Every single temple we've raided, every time we went out to slay monsters, he was there! Now he's been ripped away from us... again... but this time feels so much worse. This time we know what hell he's going through... not knowing was so much better..."

Olivia breaks down into sobs, Axel muttering soothing words to her. He keeps whispering things like 'We got him back last time, we'll get him back this time.' Maybe me and Petra have it better, if that's possible, experiencing this void of Jesse's strength for the first time. For Olivia and Axel, this must be opening up old wounds, deep wounds.

Then I hear it, heavy footsteps. Maybe they're nothing, but with all the emotions running through me, I instantly get defensive and angry. Those monsters are the ones who did this to Olivia! To all of us!

My fur bristles, and I hiss as I pull away from the hug. Eyes locked on the door while my claws slide out, slowly dropping down to a crouch as I hiss viciously. All the boulders of dread and grief bursting into a blazing anger, all my thoughts sharp and aimed at whatever demon that tries to hurt my friends even more.

"They're already coming?" The fear in Olivia's voice drives me over the edge, I can't even make any noise expect furious hisses and snarls. My tongue quickly swiping over my fangs, checking to make sure they are sharp and strong. My tail curls excitedly, ready to squeeze the life out of them.

Petra grabs one of my arms, earning a shocked screech from me. "We can't let him attack them!"

I snarl and growl at her, bitter at the mere thought of not ripping into the monsters causing so much pain. Just look at what they did to Olivia! Who knows what they're doing to Jesse! They deserve to get some of that back.

Before I can use my other hand to pry Petra's off, Axel grabs ahold of the other. Both of them locking me into place as I holler at them both. What are they doing? Don't they want the same thing? They can't seriously be thinking of helping the demons!

The door opens, light flooding my eyes as the scent of those horrid twisted souls swarm into my nose. I dig into the ground, trying to launch myself out of Petra's and Axel's grasp and lunch at the demons with my claws fully out. But to my rage, they manage to hold their grip.

"Subjects 813 and 814, you are right to hold Subject 811 back." I snarl and desperately trying to jerk my arms out, but still unable to pull free and attack these monsters! "Any more rebellious act by any of you will have serve punishments inflicted upon you all."

For a moment, nothing changes and I'm still screeching at this demon. Then it hits, it hits like an TNT shockwave. The fight in me freezes, completely dying all at once, leaving me disorientated as the demon's meaning pounds in my brain like a second heartbeat. My guts coiling and twisting as I try to blink back human logic into my head.

I nearly just made everything worse, everything worse for me, everything worse for Olivia and Axel and Petra too. I let that accursed animal blind me with my own feelings of wanting to protect them from further pain. That animal which almost caused so much more pain to fall onto us. How could I be so stupid!

"Don't let all that strength die 811, you'll need it." He and his fellow demons of torture and misery walk out. "Follow, all of you."

Petra and Axel let go, and a jolt of energy blasts through. Urging me to strike out at the demons. I hold it steady, and drag my feet to fall in behind them and out into the hallway. Still panting with my heart pounding and ready for action.

"Good now cat boy?" We all turn in the direction of where we got tortured, not helping the drive to attack and protect the others at all.

I roll my eyes at Petra, stamping out the hiss trying to rise and opening my-

"No talking!"

Silence, at least to the demon. My ears don't miss the low growl coming from Petra. I'm keeping a tight watch on my animal so not even a hiss is coming out of me. I glance back at Olivia and Axel, finally able to see them in sharp detail in this light.

Although now I'm wishing I couldn't. Olivia's not pale, closer to black, highlighting the new spider trait that has been shoved into her. Her fangs that jut out above her bottom lip just so heartbreakingly obvious. The once rich dark brown color her eyes once had, has been reduced to the bright red of a spider's.

And Axel? Axel isn't much better. Now in the light it's so clear how pale he is, and the streaks and splotches of metal. His eyes, a dull red iris with the rest black, chill me to my bones. I never really noticed it until now, but his arms are longer, just another way how he has been warped.

My tail again goes to wrap around my waist as I glance at Petra. For some incredible reason, she doesn't seem to have very many seeable changes. Her eyes are the same hazel color, no real noticeable changes in sizes, and no ears or fangs jutting out for the world to see. Petra, at the very least, looks normal.

The constant growling though and extremely heightened sense of smell she has remind me that she's anything but.

"Before we enter, there's some rules you need to know." We halt in front of the doors, the doors that lead into those torture chambers. Wait, wasn't there one really massive room connecting that room though? Are we going to stay in that one this time? Is that really better?

"Depending on how hard you work in here, this is where you'll earn credit. You can't earn credit during task. Today, and only toady, though we will escort you back to your chamber after we inform you how much credit you have and what you can do with it." I strain my ears, listening to strange noises waft through the door and trying to ignore the pool of dread in my stomach.

"Violating any of the following will terminate credits: purposely harming collectors and scientists, purposely harming other subjects, defying direct orders from your superiors, damaging any of the equipment, forging false test results, back sassing, and your superiors also have the right to terminate credits as they see fit if you are acting suspicious or other reason.

"Like I said, working hard is the only way to earn credits." A faint cry rings out, my heart picking up its pace. "Do what we say and do it well, and you will be rewarded. Slacking and giving up will get you no where. Since you are a group, you will all have one big account that all of you affect."

The demon turns to open the door, numerous grunts of pain whispering through the cracks, but stops and tilts his head back to us. "And if you don't know how to use any of the equipment, ask. Or else all of you will suffer serve consequences."

Then he opens the door, my ears flatting as I gasp in horror. It looks like a gym from hell. Iron banging against each other is like the beat to all the screams of the other subjects either running endlessly on a treadmill, sprinting up and down stairs, throwing everything they've got onto punching bags.

And I don't even want to know what the thing in the back is. The sudden slope down just can't be good.

Not surprising in the least, none of us walk forward into the room. Not until a scientist from the inside grunts and gestures for us to get a move on, shaking his head in disapproval. Monster.

"Hurry along subjects, we're killing time." I gulp and walk forward, wishing we could kill even more time. We all stop in front of the four mad scientists, dread coiling around every fiber in my being.

"Subject 814, you're with me." That same monster scientist walks off, a barely audible growling Petra behind him.

"Come along Subject 812." A she-monster heads off towards the stairs, a wide red eyed Olivia following.

"Subject 813." Axel sighs, muttering curses before he walks behind the mad scientist. Leaving me alone and with this mad scientist.

"Are you ready Subject 811?"

Absolutely not.

 ****

So... I did publish this later than normal. But I'm transferring all my guilt on school, I'm pretty responsible like that.

Anyway, we're getting to a few breaking points here! Not only is Lukas's mental health slowly degrading, but so is Olivia's! And Jesse... well Jesse is past so many levels of 'not okay'.

Whelp, that's about all have to say for today. I'll be back in another five days!