The decision weighs heavily on your mind. No matter which locale you pick, it could have unforeseen consequences. What if you don't find your brother? You'd have wasted hours or days scouring the wrong place. What if you find another gang? Surely there are other changed people out there, feral or otherwise, that might conglomerate in such places. So, with the mall seeming too big to make an effective hideout and the sewers seeming too damn cliché for a group of monsters, you make your decision. "We should try the school." You say to your wolf companion. Anders nods before giving you some context on the place.
"Very well, the school is situated two blocks down from our current location. We'll have to cross the area where you were ambushed, so we'll need to be very cautious while crossing in the open. Otherwise, we should be able to keep to the alleys and minimize our chances of being spotted by any members of this pack of dogs and whatever else claims to own these streets now." There's an edge in Anders' voice with his last statement, making you think that he isn't going let some gangs remain claimant for long. "The school itself stands away from any other structures on the block, leaving about sixty meters on every side of the property line. This space includes roads and sidewalks and, unless there was a lot of traffic there last night, should be relatively empty making sneaking up on this place -very- difficult..." The wolf ponders this for a moment. You can't help but wonder how you might be able sneak across over half a football field's worth of open ground without being seen from the school. You try and come up with something.
"Do you think that there is a way to get inside the school from below the streets? Like a sewer or something?" A scene plays out in your mind of Anders and yourself hunkered down in filth trying to find your way into the school like cartoon villains trying to rob a bank. Also, trying to break -into- school after years of trying to break -out- is a bit of a bitter pill for you to swallow. Your compatriot looks at you while thinking.
"I don't think we can use the sewers, there wouldn't be a manhole from the building straight to where we flush our waste. I'm equally doubtful that we'll find an access to a storm drain from the school either." He pauses again, an idea lighting up on his face. "But! There might be a subterranean access through a maintenance hatch on the east side of the property. It stands apart from the structure and faces away from it. Not only will we not have to travel as far across open ground to get to it, we'll also be sheltered from anyone's sight-line from the school." It certainly sounds like your best option, especially if you want to remain unnoticed for as long as possible. Other ideas like swinging from adjacent rooftops or blitzing the front doors like madmen may be quicker, but the odds that you'll end up injured, dead or captured increase and become a certainty. You can't risk giving yourself away, for your sake or your brother's. You tells Anders that you agree with his plan and get ready to move.
---
The morning sun is bright, not a cloud in the sky. You raise your scaled arm up to shield your eyes a little, glad to be breathing some fresh air. You're wearing some clothing that you scrounged up from the room you shared with Anders seeing as everything you owned previously was either burnt, shredded or covered in blood. Donning a hoodie with the right-arm cut off - to accommodate the spikes and size of your draconic limb and with a hole cut all the way down the back to make room for your wing - and wearing a pair of ragged jeans - a size too big - with a belt, you make your way to your objective. You kick a piece of rusted scrap out of your way, thankful that your old shoes still fit. You wonder how long before the changes force you to abandon your footwear like Anders has done? You notice the clever, old wolf has bound his paws in some kind of tape or cloth to prevent him from truly being 'bare-foot,' however. Good idea for trekking through a city like this.
You make your way silently through the twisting alleys and side streets and it isn't long before you're back at a familiar stretch of road. Many cars still line the street, virtually all of them undisturbed. From your vantage point you can see up and down the road, no one is insight; human, beast or otherwise. You think you see a flicker of movement in a third-story window, but you can't say for certain. Anders leads the way into the open, firearm drawn and ready. You make your way to the center of the street, you see where the cars funnel into the place where those dogs were waiting to ambush you and your brother. You take a step towards it as if being drawn by some intangible force, maybe the curiosity of finding anything that could give you a clue as to your brother's fate, blood or lack-there-of could be really telling. Anders makes a sound to snap you out of your thoughts, you realize you've separated a little too much and turn to rejoin the wolf-cop when your shoe makes something skitter across the asphalt. You lean down to pick up whatever it was you kicked and find an empty shotshell, the same as what your brother was using in his gun. You roll it around in your hand as you make your way back to Anders. We're coming for you, Cam, just hold on a little longer, you think to yourself.
You both make it across the street without issue, a sense of relief washing over you as you enter another alley on the tail your wolfish ally... so to speak. Anders does seem to know these back streets really well, you muse at the wolf's familiarity of the city's underbelly, you know you'll be at the school in no time. Soon enough, you're within sight of the old school, it's three-stories of red brick and deteriorating mortar with a fenced-off, cement playground. A single basketball net stands at its center, looking for all the world like a lone sentry watching over barren wastelands... You -really- didn't like school all that much.
You and Anders spend the next half-hour scouring the exterior of the school from your hidden vantages in the side passages between the buildings surrounding your target. You catch glimpses of movement behind the windows of the structure, but there are no sentries on the outside, as far as you can tell. Still, they could easily see you coming if they just happen to glance out of the window at the right moment. Anders points out your objective on the far-side of the school property, a small shack-like structure that you assume has a door, it's just that it faces away from you. In order to make it to the opposite side of the property without being spotted, you and Anders need to backtrack through some more alleys and go the long way around, using the surrounding buildings to shield you from onlookers. You're just about to start making your way when something catches your eye.
A familiar figure has stepped out of the school and is in the process of lighting a cigarette. It's the bulldog-like creature that had been there at the ambush, you can tell because of his stupid jersey. A spark of anger kindles in your chest, remembering how they attacked your brother, three-on-one. A low growl emanates from deep within you as you stare at him, Anders puts a comforting hand on your shoulder which quiets you down. No sense giving away your position just yet...
"Hey, watch y'all lookin' at?" An unfamiliar voice whispers into your ear and makes you jump out of your skin. As you recoil into the trash bin you're hiding behind, Anders whips around and levels his gun at the new threat, taking on a defensive stance. The creature who appeared behind you had made a quick leap back on to a dumpster, covering its mouth behind a paw as if to stop itself from laughing. Anders still has his gun aimed at the creature and the two of you are staring, a little dumbfounded, at it as giggles start to erupt from around its paw. Soon the creature can't stop itself and is in the full throws of its merriment, laughing and pointing at you, "*snicker*You should've seen the look on both your faces...pbbt-haha!" A distinctly feminine voice comes from the white-furred monster, "You all are a riot! I've never seen someone look so scared! hehe!" Okay, now that you've calmed down a little, you can see that your unexpected acquaintance is some kind of fox, only she's all white with just a bit of gray around her large ears and has electric-blue eyes. Her muzzle is sharply pointed and ends in a small, black nose which gives her a dainty appearance. Right now, tears from her laughter has matted the fur around her eyes and cheeks.
"Who are you and why did you sneak up on us?" Anders asks, lowering his gun, but keeping it at the ready. You take the opportunity to look behind you back at the school to make sure nobody has noticed you. You see that the bulldog has been joined by the others you saw at the ambush, minus the hyena-man, you wonder where he could be...
The fox girl cocks her head to one side as if thinking about her answer then shrugs, "I was just curious," she says, "Lotsa things been skulking 'round in the streets lately and I've been bored being on my own since my home exploded..." You look at her, not sure what she said, did she just say her house was blown up? She's acting really nonchalant about it... "And I've seen lotsa different stuff out here since I had to leave, but everyone has been either too busy running away or too busy being crazy to talk to me..." She keeps on going, but you have to clarify something first. "...And that's when I found you two--"
"Waitwaitwait," You cut the fox off, when you have her attention you ask, "Did you just say your home blew up? You don't seem too upset about the whole thing..." You let the question hang in the air for a moment before the girl gets the hint and answers.
"Oh, yeah!" She says brightly, as if remembering where she had placed a lost item instead of how she lost her home, "It was crazy! I don't remember how it started, but I was bein' put through my usual gauntlet of tests and whatnot when all of a sudden there was a loud explosion and all the lights went out!" She's talking as if she had just finished watching a particularly riveting action movie rather than having actually faced these mortal perils, "So there were these strange people running around and lotsa loud noises and stuff and the doors to our test chambers unlocked! Me an' a couple a friends decided we should probably get outta there before the lab came down on top of us. We couldn't find our handlers, so we decided to go out a hole we found blasted in the side of the test area..." She keeps going as if she were talking about her last trip to an amusement park, but you have to cut her off again.
"Hey, hold on a second," you start, getting the fox's attention once more, "You said the lab was your home? You mean to say you were never... Human?" The girl gives you a perplexed look, struggling to come up with an answer, looks like you might have touched on something sensitive. After a minute, she lowers her head and speaks again.
"I-I'm not sure... what you mean? I guess I've always been who I am, I don't remember anythin' before the lab... but I have some weird dreams I think...?" She looks at you, her face turning slightly indignant, "An' who are you to question what I am? What the heck are you supposed to be?" You're a little taken aback by the sudden change in demeanor, put on the spot you have to confess,
"I'm not sure, either. All I know is that I wasn't born this way and that I'm still human on the inside, if not wholly on the outside..." You find you're trying to convince -yourself- of that more than the fox girl. How long will it be before nothing of you is human, what then? What will life be like. Anders cuts into your reverie.
"Look, miss, we meant nothing by it, we were changed somehow by whatever may have exploded in your home and it has affected the people of this city. Whatever you might know about who caused these explosions could be of value to the police officers still active within the area. If you know anything, you should tell us so we can help." The wolf attempts to appease the fox. She looks between the two of you before cracking a smile.
"Ah, heck, no worries!" She beams, "I'm just bustin' your chops a little, I know a couple of my lab-mates are holed-up in there doin' who knows what, never liked'em much." You have to wonder what her 'lab-mates' might be doing in a school, "I seen them dragging others in there, kickin' an' screamin', they kinda look like you..." She points in your direction, "Only without the scales an' such." This gets your attention.
"So, they've got other humans locked up in there?" You ask, the fox nods in the affirmative. You can feel your excitement building, knowing you're on the right track to finding your brother. "Okay, I guess we have to get ourselves in there, who knows what those lab creatures could be up to."
You check to see if the coast is clear, it looks as though the dogs have gone back inside. You motion to Anders and he nods, beginning to lead the way around to the maintenance hatch. "Hey, wait!" The fox comes bouncing up behind you, you both pause, "Can I come with? I been real bored on my own and this sounds too fun to take a pass on." Her floofy tail is lashing out behind her, a look of giddy excitement on her face. "Besides! If you run into anybody I know, I can handle'em for ya! I may not look like much, but I can come out on top in just about any situation!" She's panting now, getting really worked up. Your mind wonders what kind of situations you'd like to see her on top of... What? You shake your head, clearing your thoughts before looking at Anders.
He's frowning a bit, "Adding to our party could complicate matters," He begins, "But the information she has on what was going on in that lab could be invaluable, not to mention her experience dealing with the other creatures we may encounter in there. Fewer surprises means less could go wrong..." He looks back at you. Despite being a complete unknown, the potential insight you could gain from this creature might be worth the risk. You nod at each other.
"Okay, welcome aboard, my name is Darien..." You say, extending your hand, she takes it with gusto.
"...And I'm officer Anders, at your service." Anders concludes, proffering his hand. It doesn't remain empty for long. After your introductions, she carefully steps around the both of your with unnatural grace before turning back to face you with a little flourish.
"You can call me Amelia... Arctic Fox Extraordinaire!" She adds at the end with a fist pump, but very quickly devolves into a fit of giggles. It seems she's really into her own jokes. You haven't decided yet whether that trait is more endearing than it is annoying, guess you'll find out. The three of you begin to make your way to the school...