Amber takes a step forward, feeling the wind in his light sky-blue fur, his forearms and lower legs covered by a dark blue pattern. He looks around at the colorful abandoned buildings surrounding the street with his bright green eyes, each door torn apart and burned. Blobs of once molten glass cover the street, the sunset casting a red glow over the landscape. His fox-like ears twitch as he plants his paws into the ground, inhaling.

  “Hey, Maroon! Mark! Shank! Come get me, I’m right here!” he shouts, raising his arms. He clenches his jaw, closing his eyes as his voice echoes through the ruins. He waits, standing there as the echo of his voice dies down, and eventually he exhales, lowering his arms. He turns to a pile of rubble, waving his right arm.

  “It’s safe!” he calls, watching as a pair of eyes peeks over the rebar.

  “Are you sure?” A woman calls back, watching as Amber coughs into his hand, nodding. After a few moments, a woman with deep red fur steps over the rubble, a man with white fur standing behind her, a small child in his arms. The two of them hurry down towards him.

  “We’re almost there, the refuge is at the end of this street,” Amber says, turning to them before looking back down the street. “The buildings here have been on the verge of collapsing for a while, try not to get too close to any of them.” he turns to one of the structures in the distance, the base engulfed in flame. He gestures for them to follow as he begins walking, watching as they stay close behind him. Amber stares at the buildings around them, his breath quick as his hands shake slightly. His gaze shifts to the flames as they pass the burning building, a pane of glass hitting the ground, shattering on impact. The sound causes Amber to flinch, his ears flattening against his head before he turns back to the end of the street, only a few meters away. A park lies at the end of the street, a set of swings, a red plastic slide, and other play equipment atop a plot of land, the grass overgrown, and a forest just behind it. His ears shoot into the air as a small sound comes from inside the building, drawing his attention. He exhales as a sob echoes through the doors.

  “Inside the park at the end of the street is a red slide. Knock on it four times before pausing, then knock three more times. This is the code to get inside. Under the slide is the refuge,” Amber says, approaching the door. “Go!” the woman grabs the hand of the man holding the child before they both sprint towards the park. Amber reaches for the door, pausing as he nearly reaches the metal doorknob. He then raises his paw before kicking the door with all his strength, splintering the rotting wood, causing it to fall to the ground. He sprints inside, sliding to a stop. He looks around the hallway, his gaze shifting up to the tiles on the ceiling, bending from the heat.

  “If anyone’s there, call out!” Amber shouts, raising his hands to his mouth as he does so. For a moment, he is met with silence.

  “I’m here!” a voice calls back, drawing his attention to a heavy door at the end of the hallway. He sprints towards it, tripping as his paw bursts through the floor, his entire leg falling through. He quickly turns, pulling himself out before staring into the opening, a massive pit resting just beneath the building. He quickly pulls himself upright before bolting towards the door once again. He grasps the metal handle, pulling his hand away with a shout as the metal burns his hand.

  “Hang on! I’m gonna get you out of here!” he shouts, reaching down and grasping his shirt, ripping away a large chunk of the fabric and wrapping it around his hand. He reaches for the handle again before freezing. He turns, staring at a fire extinguisher before sprinting over to it, ripping it from the wall. He quickly returns to the door, using the ripped part of his shirt as padding as he pushes down the handle. He shoves the door open, stumbling back as fire bursts from the opening. He sprays the flame with the extinguisher before jumping through, landing on the other side. He lands atop a wet carpet, staring at the glass bottles scattered across the floor, a small pile of ice cubes on the ground in front of a teenage boy with pink and green fur. Large, handle-shaped burns can be seen across their palms. Amber looks around the room, then to the large generator on the far wall, before looking down at the empty can of soup beside the teenager.

  “What happened?” Amber asks, stepping closer.

  ‘I saw… food… in here… so I went in… then… Maroon…” they begin, a loud crash echoing from the door. Amber turns, watching as the tiles on the ceiling outside the opening burst, dropping hundreds of melted pipes in front of the exit, coating the hall in molten metal and fire.

  “Shit,” Amber mutters, looking around. “Stand up, we need to get out of here, this entire place might collapse.” he grabs their arm, pulling them to their paws. He looks around, noticing another door labeled exit engulfed in flames. He raises the extinguisher, spraying the doorway, turning to the kid.

  “What’s your name?” he asks, grabbing their arm once again and pulling them forward through the door as they grab their backpack. Amber turns away from them as they sprint through the thin hall.

  “Adam!” they reply, looking back as fire covers the doorway once again. A green exit sign shines at the end of the hallway, causing Amber to run faster.

  “We’re almost there!” Amber shouts before Adam’s paw tears through the ground, causing both of them to fall. Amber turns, attempting to pull him out as the floor behind them starts to collapse, revealing a seemingly endless pit below. Amber pulls Adam to his paws, quickly beginning to sprint towards the exit once again with Adam’s shoulder in his grip. The ground shakes as massive cracks spread across the floor, causing the ground to shift before Amber braces himself. He rams into the wooden door below the exit sign, a loud crack echoing from his shoulder as he fails to break through. He grabs the handle with the fabric of his shirt, attempting to push it open before he lifts the fire extinguisher. He strikes the metal with the end of it, repeatedly bashing the handle until the door bursts open, allowing both of them to fall onto the grass. Amber gasps as he hits the floor, landing on his shoulder. Adam falls through after him, his backpack catching on the door's hinge, ripping away from him as it falls into the pit. Amber turns to Adam, exhaling before sitting up and gripping his own shoulder.

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  “Are you okay?” he asks, wincing.

  “I’m… okay…” Adam replies, turning as his backpack falls into the darkness. “Thank… you…”

  “You're welcome… There’s a refuge in the park, you’ll be safe there,” Amber adds, watching as Adam sniffles. Adam’s eyes then go wide as he stares over Amber’s shoulder.

  “What is-” Amber begins before turning, inhaling sharply, his ears flattening against his head as he sees a muscular variant with green fur looking away from them, a red mohawk atop their head, and a tan pattern along their snout.

  “Fuck,” Amber whispers, turning back to Adam. “Get to the park, and go to the red slide. Once you get there, knock four times, pause, and knock three more times, okay?” Amber asks. Adam nods, watching as Amber stands.

  “Go,” Amber adds, watching as Adam crawls back before struggling to his paws and quietly sprinting away. Amber inhales, watching as Adam ducks around the corner. Amber exhales as he feels a breath against his neck, causing him to shiver. He spins around, swinging his fist. His fist strikes he green Variant’s cheek, Amber’s hand cracking as he falls back, watching as the man stands there, unphased.

  “Mark!” Amber shouts, crawling back. Mark stomps on his ankle, shattering the bone inside as he stands over him, causing Amber to shout in pain. Mark then grabs him by the collar, lifting him into the air.

  “Mark, just listen!” Amber shouts, his claws extending from his fingertips as he grasps Mark’s arm. Amber watches as Mark turns to the pit, a hint of cyan reflecting in his yellow eyes before he turns back to Amber. He raises his free hand, reaching into his pocket and pulling something from inside. He quickly shoves it into Amber’s empty left pocket before pulling his hand away and grasping onto a heavy metal beam on the side of the building. Amber attempts to kick Mark, only for him to rip his hand away, a loud shriek echoing through the air as he bends the beam, causing the entire structure to tremble. He then drops Amber, only to strike him in the head with his paw, sending him hurtling through the open door into the darkness below. Amber sharply exhales as the light of the sunset grows further away, giving way to the rough dirt wall of the pit. He then bursts through a long wooden beam, Adam’s backpack being thrown into him as he descends, beginning to lose consciousness. His eyes begin to flutter closed, a small crab-like creature emerging from the backpack, a large, cyan, crystal shell mounted on its back. He watches as it scutters across him, making its way to his left pocket, pulling a grape from inside. Amber’s eyes close as the dirt wall turns to metal, slowly curving towards him as he approaches the bottom. He then smacks against the slanted wall, causing the creature’s shell to stab into his hip, causing him to gasp as his eyes glow with a bright cyan light, bright enough to shine through his eyelids. His eyes shoot open as his pupils go from green to blue to gold. He slams against the slanted wall once again before hurtling down the steep decline, being thrown aside before eventually sliding to a stop at the bottom of a large metal pipe. He gasps, turning to the small creature as it dislodges from his hip, its shell now a pale white color. He turns back, looking up the large pit. Massive chunks of debris begin falling, crashing against the walls. Amber crawls back, gasping in pain as he puts pressure on his leg. He pulls himself deeper into the tunnel behind him, his eyes flashing with golden light as the ground starts to shake beneath him. He glances down at his body, watching as blue and gold light pulses through his veins. A loud crack shoots from his leg, causing him to cry out as he grips it with his shaking hands. He shields his face with his arms as the entire building collapses into the empty space before him, creating a shockwave that throws his head into the floor, causing him to freeze in shock. Fire continues to surround the rubble, his nose twitching as the smell of gasoline bombards his senses, causing his eyes to water. He attempts to pull himself back once again before the air is suddenly engulfed in fire, creating a powerful blast that rips past Amber, throwing him into the metal tunnel and knocking him unconscious.

  Amber gasps, his eyes shooting open as he forces himself upright. He glances around at the metal tunnel surrounding him, about as wide as a bus. He pulls himself to his paws, stumbling forward before looking down at himself, his clothes torn and charred. He looks up to see the ground coated in fire, blocking the path in front of him. He takes a step back, stumbling slightly as his eyes flash with golden light. He turns around, his eyes locking on a door built into the side of the wall in the distance. He exhales, the breath turning into a cough as smoke puffs from his mouth, causing him to grasp at his lungs. He starts to walk towards the door, looking down at his hands, then down to his legs.

  “What's… going on?” he mutters to himself, swallowing as he looks back up at the door, reaching for the handle with his trembling hands. He grasps it, pushing it down before shoving the door open, allowing him to stumble into a small cylindrical chamber with a ladder that stretches up into the distance. He grips his heart, taking a shaky breath as he feels his unnaturally fast heartbeat, sending small pulses of gold through his veins with each beat. He releases his grip before grasping onto the first rung, lifting himself. He slowly begins ascending the ladder, his body trembling as he stares up the tall shaft.

  Amber shoves aside the manhole cover on the surface, pulling himself out onto the grass as the gold in his eyes circles his pupils. He shudders before collapsing onto the dirt, turning to the large metal fence beside him. His gaze shifts to an American flag mounted on top of it. He tilts his head, staring at the stars before turning to the sign below it.

  “Land of the free, home of the brave, god bless America,” the moss-covered sign reads.

  “Am… America?” he mutters, mispronouncing the name before struggling to stand as he looks up at the facility, the ground around the base cracked as if the entire building had been dropped into place. “What the fuck is going on?” he mutters, taking a step back. He trips as the flat ground gives way to a slanted hill. His head slams into a heavy stone, causing him to gasp as the impact knocks him unconscious once again.F