Reminder: rat human

Art of rat mom and baby Six by me

Let's start!

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"Sometimes sacrifices must be made to broaden the horizon of our future,"

Blueberry woke up a while later, Six shortly being greeted with a growl.

"The hell..? Hey, quit playing that before you set this place in flames, that's my job."

She looked up at him a bit puzzled as he snatched the silver fire box from her paws. "Rude!" She shot him glare.

Blueberry didn't seem to care though, stumbling up to his hind paws, still shaking from his blood lose. He looked over his shoulder to look where the leech attacked him, grunting in dissatisfaction. He didn't show her, but she guessed it looked like a normal leech bite; a circular ring of tiny red dots that hurt like crazy.

Blueberry sighed, sitting back down with her. He looked down at the fire box in his paw, glancing back up at her.

"You turned it on by yourself?" He pointed to the fire box, flicking his fingers like a small fire sparking to life.

Six smiled brightly, giving a small chirp. "Yeah, it was easier then I thought it would be too, does everything we do have to do with our paws though? I normally just eat and clean up with mine."

He looked down at the silver rectangular, before passing it to her. "Light it."

She took the fire box, blinking slightly as she ran her paw pad on the smooth silver. Did he want her to turn it on? She once again opened it with her teeth, revealing the hole and wheel. She pressed and spun the small wheel, sparking a flame right above the hole like before.

Blueberry looked at it with an impressed look, a small smile on his muzzle. "Not bad for a stupid animal."

"I'm taking that smile as a sign I did a good job."

Blueberry didn't answer, sighing and laying down against the couch. It was leather and nasty, but it was far more comfortable then the metal platforms.

Six looked to the murky water, sitting on the edge of the cough as she scanned the water for anymore leechs. Speaking of leeches, where did that one even come from?

She lowered a paw, hitting the water to try and attract anything. Rings went out as the water below rippled, reflections of above wavering and becoming distorted.

"Hey, Blue, I'm getting hungry, we haven't ate anything for a while. If you want, I could try to find that leech again. They're slimy, gross, and probably really unhealthy but it's better then empty stomachs, right?"

She looked over to him, seeing the other lean against the armrest again, holding the fire box. He kept mumbling something to himself, glaring at the flame.

"Blueberry?" She asked. He merely glanced at her, his dark eyes glaring slightly. "Let's go, we can't stay here forever."

He got up from his spot, closing the lid of the silver box, the flame going out. He looked to the water, seeming to hesitate before grumbling as he jumped in.

Six followed him in, splashing and kicking the water to keep up with him. The hallway opened up to a larger room; floating planks, crates, oil drums, and even a buoy dotted around the room.

Movement caught their eyes, off towards the back of the room, a dark body slipping off of a recliner and into the water. Six let out a squeak of alarm, swimming faster to get to the floating buoy. Blueberry joined her, the two climbing out of the water.

A hook dangle from a rope overhead, Six watching as Blueberry climbed around to where he could jump onto it. He leapt, turning his body mid air to grab ahold of the silver hook, swinging on it.

Six let out a small surprised yelp as the buoy began to go down, being pulled by the monster underneath the water. She jumped to the other, missing him by just a hair as she fell into the water. With a splash, she suddenly became hyper aware of her situation.

Swim. Just swim, and don't stop.

She did as her body said, hearing Blueberry splashing in right behind her. They followed the short hallway, before opening up to a room with two platforms and more floating objects.

She made a dash to the closest crate, pulling herself up as quickly as she could. Blueberry joined her shortly after, slightly panting as he looked around.

Suddenly, he froze, staring at the water. In a swift manner, he grabbed her by her coat, and threw her in, following after. The crate they were on was hit, shooting up with enough force it could have knocked them off.

Everything happened so fast, Six couldn't registered everything for a moment, but only knew Blueberry was gripping her by her slick yellow fur and pulling her forward to a platform ladder.

Once on the platform, Blueberry helped her, gripping her by her shoulders and pulled her upwards. The wood scraped her paws, making her let out a small cry of pain as they began to bleed.

Blueberry looked at her as she cradled her paws, curling on the floor, wincing as they sent a fiery pain through her arms.

He mumbled something, looking around.

"Damn it, Squeaks," Seven cursed under his breath, seeing the blood on her palms leave marks on the old, rotting wood.

She whimpered, curling up like a kicked puppy on the floor. He looked out to the water below, barely seeing the outline of the monster in the water.

"Stay here," he ordered, looking to the area just to the left of them. A light hung down from the ceiling, another small cat walk on the side of the wall.

He followed the cat walk with his eyes, eventually spotting a switch at the end. He then looked at the ceiling, finding wires all along it.

He got a running head start, jumping and grabbing onto the light overhead, beginning to swing himself back and forth. He finally let himself go, landing on the cat walk with ease.

Squeaks let out small noises, not the normal high pitch chirps or squeaks she'd normally give.

"I'm fine, now shut up," Seven snapped, looking down at the water. The bubbles circled the bottom of the cat walk's support beams, which rose multiple red flags in his head.

He came to the switch, eyes glued to the water below. The bubbles slowly faded away, no longer able to see the figure in the water.

He grew uncomfortable, going to the switch as quickly and quietly as he could. The wood underfoot creaked every few steps, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

Paranoia and anxiety set in, the unwanted feeling making his blood chill as the thoughts of the monster suddenly grabbing the beam and pulling it out made him weary.

Something bumped the bottom of the beam, making the whole cat walk shake. Seven cursed under his breath once more, hurrying to the switch. He leapt at it, wrapping his arms around the handle and was barely able to pull it down.

The cat walk behind him fell into the water as whatever the monster was ripped the wood from it place. It hide back in the water, swimming around and waiting for him to drop back down.

Squeaks let out sounds of alarm, watching as the water rise and lights flicker on overheard. The sound of static from a corner of the room made Seven look over with a hard glare.

An idea formed in his head as he looked down at the water, seeing the lurking mass below. His arms started to grow tired, but his grip never grew lose.

He began to swing himself back and forth on the handle, aiming for the crate from before, that began to drift just a little off to the side from the cat walk disturbing the water.

He silently counted himself off, watching the water, seeing the scrawny and pale colored monster swim around under him like a shark. His blue eyes sent back to the crate, and with one final swing, he let go, dropping into the murky, dark water.

Once he hit the water, he swam to the wooden crate as quickly as he could, Squeaks crying out to him from the platform she was on.

He crawled onto the top of the wooden box, watching the bubbles come to him. Seven took a few quick breaths, before pushing himself to his feet and jumped into the water again, swimming to the platform on the other side of the raincoat wearing girl, a metal wall separating them.

Seven gripped onto it, and climbed the thin wooden boards. He hurried up, rolling as soon as he got to the top to avoid any danger.

The sounds of something ripping the boards out below him made the pre-existing adrenaline in his blood pump quicker.

A TV.

Suddenly, he found himself freezing as he looked at it. It was like time froze for a second the moment he saw it. He gave a snarl as he stared at the white screen, the familiar anger that normally fueled him rekindling once more.

Soon he snapped himself out of it, Seven ran to the TV, pushing against it. The metal legs scrapped against the wooden boards of the platform.

Suddenly, the whole thing shook, some boards being knocked loose from where they were. Seven pushed the TV forward, feeling the wood under him get looser and looser from the monster tugging on a support beam.

Finally, the TV fell over the ledge. But so did he.

The board under him slipped loose, making him fall down with the TV. He reached out, desperately gripping a board overhead, nails digging into it as a blinding light lit up the room.

The water below became electrified, making whatever was in the water scream. Through the harsh light, Seven made out the figure of what had been chasing them in the water.

It looked to be human, having a human like figure. The light was too harsh to make out the nitty gritty details, but Seven saw long, lanky arms and a nearly bald head with a human face.

As soon as it started it was over, the creature falling into the water, sinking to the bottom, fried by the electricity.

The room was plunged into darkness, the power going out from a blown circuit. Seven took a moment to catch his breath, before pulling himself up onto the platform.

"Squeak?"

"I'm alive." Seven panted again, hearing Squeaks drop down into the water and paddle to his broken down platform.

She swam to the floating TV, climbing onto it and shook herself off. She looked up at Seven, letting out a smaller squeak.

The boy groaned, jumping down to join her. She smiled, headbutting his hand with a playful look on her face.

Seven pulled his hand away, growling at her. "Stupid animal..." he mumbled.

He looked to their exit, it was just a jump away and they were out of this place. He took a breath, bracing himself to run and make the leap.

He sprinted forward and jumped, barely making the distance. He gripped the metal desperately, pulling himself up. He got to his feet, brushing his jacket off for an dirt or grim.

Squeaks started to make noise, making him look over to her. She sat on the TV, looking up at him with a look he couldn't quite understand. She tilted her head, before circling and looking to him again.

He gave a small groan, realization hitting him.
There was no way she could make the jump.

He gave a sigh. He turned away, a small smirk tugging on his lips as he stuck his hands in his jacket pocket. "Guess this is where we really do part ways. It's been nice knowing you, Squeaks."

Six watched Blueberry walk off. "Hey, wait for me! Blueberry, hold on just a second!" She circled again, looking at the metal door way.

She couldn't make the jump regularly, but could try it like he did. She put her still bleeding paws on one of the legs of the TV, balancing her as she got on her hind legs.

She was wobbly, but stood long enough to get an idea on how to copy Blueberry. She backed up slowly, front paws out to keep her stable.

She took a breath like he did, looking at the door. She went forward, stumbling and nearly falling over, but jumped. Her paw pads gripped the metal, her claws digging into any cracks there were.

She pulled herself up, slightly panting from the sudden actions. She dropped back down on all fours (it was far more easier on her), following Blueberry's musty blanket and dead leaves smell.

Six turned a corner, seeing a large stair case leading upwards. The exit! She smiled brightly, racing to climb up to join Blueberry who was already halfway up.

"Blueberry! Hey, Blueberry, I'm back!"

"Squeak! squeak squeak!"

"You have to be freaking kidding me-"

Seven was tackled to the ground, a familiar weight on his back as Squeaks smiled, flashing her dangerously sharp teeth at him.

***

"We've never been out this far... is the end of the pipes around here?" Trinket whispered, looking around at the dark room.

Stacks of books filled the room, a faded carpet underneath their paws as they slowly crept through. Walls were covered in large shelves of books, a desk underneath one of them.

"Milkweed always said the pipes end in a room in the Upper Levels. If we go there, we can find them," Patch said back, his voice quiet as he looked upwards.

A piano swayed above, hanging by a swinging rope. The whole room gave an uneasy feeling of dread. The sound of something scurrying didn't help the rats' nerves.

"The Upper Levels?" Trinket muttered, climbing up onto the desk below the book shelves.

Frost joined them, looking at the books overhead. "Milkweed said something before about it. Monsters the size of fifty rats live up there."

"Yeah, so we need to be careful," Patch muttered, glancing to Frost and began to climb up the bookselves.

The climb was long and slightly nerve-wracking. The room shifted to one side to another, making some of the books slightly come loose under their grip. Trinket was able to get to the top first with her lighter bodyweight and size, easily passing by Patch on her way up.

Once at the top, Trinket looked at their next task. The piano. It was an easy jump, she could make it to it with no problem. She backed up to get a running head start, jumping on the hanging instrument with minimal effort.

The keys under her paws made the piano make a sudden harsh noise, cutting through the silence like claws ripping through bedding.

Patch and Frost watched her from the top of the shelf, before Patch leaped over, the same loud and anxiety producing noise being heard. Frost made the jump, his heavy frame hitting the keys hard and making the piano swing under them.

The tan rat looked forward, seeing the other side of the room have a strangely placed hallway. In the shadows, Trinket barely made out the figure of the monster that had been seemingly following them.

He hobbled off wordlessly, minding his own business, much to the three's relief.

"I think he just came to take care of something else. He seems like a pretty busy guy," Patch muttered.

"Yeah, but where do we go next?" asked Trinket, her tail flicking slightly in confusion.

"Not sure. Did we miss something?" Patch muttered, looking back to the book shelf from before. He hopped to the other side, sniffing and checking out boxes.

There, behind a box was a vent shaft. He beckoned the two over, climbing into the vent to continue on.

It was more cramped then usual, Trinket feeling her fur and whiskers being pressed against the silver metals walls slightly.

Eventually, she and the others dropped down into a wide open room. Machinery was all along the room; giant cogs and gears, pipes were bolted to walls, levers in some areas. Frost pointed to the back, letting out a squeak.

"There's an elevator. Maybe we can go up in it," He said in a low tone, walking to the doorway.

Trinket followed him, noting the small hesitantion in Patch before he did finally follow. There was metal cage holding the door open for them. The force of the door trying to close nearly made the cage collapse, barely holding itself up under the pressure.

They hurried inside, hearing the cage creak slightly as they passed. Once safely inside, Patch looked to investigate it. He placed a paw on it, tugging on a metal bar. With barely any pressure, the bar came loose, the door dropping down slightly.

"We gotta get this thing out of here before we can go," he muttered, already trying to pull the other bar off.

Trinket came to assist him, wrapping her paws under his forearms, pulling back. Frost watched them struggle, before coming and grabbing the other metal bar.

With no struggle, the metal bar snapped, Trinket falling backward. The door slammed close, crushing the cage lid in half.

Patch panted slightly, helping Trinket getting back to her paws. The elevator did just is it was supposed to do, beginning to move under them. It lead them upwards to their new task, whatever that was.

'Frost snapped the bar with no problem...' Patch thought, a chill going down his back. However, his dreaded realization didn't seem to be noticed by Trinket.

They were getting a lot closer to finding Six and the other strange rat with every second. She couldn't fight the smile, waiting for the room to come to a pause.

Once it did, they weren't quiet sure where to go. A latch unhinged above them, making them look up at it.

"Only a little more. First one to the other side is a flea ridden mouse!" Trinket challenged.

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Finished - Oct. 15th/16th

Done with another chapter, hope you all enjoyed!

- Removed because De is stupid -

Amyways, it's late.

Take care!

* Updated Jan. 1st, 2021 *

Finally done with this, and although not very exciting, this is what we are bringing in the year with.

I'm curious to hear any theories you guys may have, or if you have any at all.

Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed!

Happy New Year!

Take care!

* Edited May 11th, 2021 *

*loud tired noises*

Didn't get a lot of sleep last night, but here you guys go!

Hope you all enjoyed!

Take care!

* Sept. 30th, 2022 *