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The elevator doors opened with a ding and Mococo stepped out of it, sighing heavily. Her footsteps echoed through the cold corridor as she walked past the dozens of containment chambers that filled this floor of the laboratory. Several of the infected noticed her presence and pressed themselves up against their glass walls, eyes trained on the food tray she was carrying, but Mococo barely spared them a glance. She was in good spirits today - she had managed to be sneaky and grab an extra rib while the cafeteria worker wasn’t looking. She hoped her efforts would be appreciated.
After a while, she reached her destination and came to a stop in front of the chamber 0201. The inside was almost completely dark, and not even the faintest sound could be heard, but Mococo knew it wasn’t empty.
Kneeling down, she placed the tray on the floor, unlocked a latch and opened a small gap on the door. “Here’s your lunch, Fuwawa,” she called out, slowly sliding the tray into the chamber. “Don’t chew on the tray this time, okay? Plastic is bad for your tummy,” she added with a note of concern in her voice.
A few seconds passed in silence... And then, something stirred inside the chamber. The rustle of fur. The slow tap tap of claws clacking against the tiled floor. The stench of rotten flesh getting stronger each passing second - until a white, canine snout appeared in front of the gap. After sniffing the food for a moment, the creature captured the edge of the tray between sharp, decaying teeth and pulled it further in before noisily wolfing down its contents.
Mococo stood back up and dusted her knees off before leaning closer to the observation glass. “You were really hungry, huh?” She said with a small smile. The corridor lights only lit up a small part of the chamber, but she could still see matted fur, a wagging tail and hind legs ending in what almost looked like paws. Her form was getting less and less recognizable each day.
Mococo sighed.
“I’m so sick of this,” she muttered. “It’s been, what, three months? And they’ve barely made any progress on the cure. They don’t even let me go into the chamber with you anymore.”
Fuwawa seemed too busy finishing her meal and licking her lips clean to react to Mococo’s words. However, a metallic clank made her head turn and her ears perk up in alert. Was Mococo... unlocking the door?
“I... This is probably gonna sound silly, but I want to see you again properly, at least. Without a dumb glass panel between us.” With a deep, shaky breath, Mococo gathered her courage and pushed the door open a crack, then a few inches, then almost enough to step through it. Fuwawa crawled closer (she never walked on two feet anymore) and then stopped just within reach, tentatively sniffing the air. Mococo raised a shaky hand and stretched it out into the chamber, towards her, almost close enough to touch her face-
Fuwawa lunged forward and snared the side of her jacket between her jaws.
Mococo didn’t realize she was screaming until she was already jumping backwards, pushing her away, trying to pull the door closed. They struggled for a few seconds until a loud rip echoed through the hallway and Mococo stumbled and fell onto the ground. She scrambled to get away from the door, but instead of giving chase, Fuwawa turned around and walked back into the chamber, holding a piece of Mococo’s jacket between her teeth.
Mococo blinked. She tilted her head in confusion. She looked down at her hand and patted her torso to confirm that no, she didn’t have any injuries. For some unfathomable reason, Fuwawa had only torn a good chunk of Mococo’s jacket apart - she had basically taken her entire right pocket.
Her right pocket. The biggest one. The one where she always kept her food and snacks. Like the pon-de-ring she had bought at the cafeteria that morning.
Mococo could physically feel her blood boiling and her tail fluffing up before she bolted towards the observation window. Indeed, the demon dog was laying on the floor, happily munching on the remains of Mococo’s snack.
“Hey!” She shouted, angrily pounding the glass. “What the heck! Why would you do this to me?! I got you extra ribs and everything!”
Far from acknowledging Mococo’s words, Fuwawa simply swallowed down the last bite of the pon-de-ring and laid her head down on the floor with a satisfied sigh, making Mococo huff.
“Well, you know what? Fine! Be that way! But I’m not gonna bring you any meat at all anymore! Have fun eating nothing but spinach and cauliflower for six months!” She said, crossing her arms and indignantly turning her face away.
At this, Fuwawa did seem to react. She got up on all fours and walked over to the observation glass, eyes wide and ears pressed flat against her head in an irresistible pleading puppy face. Mococo tried her best to keep her gaze turned away, but in the end she gave in and let her arms fall, sighing.
“Okay, fine, I guess I can give you some chicken every now and then,” she grumbled reluctantly. “You’re lucky you’re my sister, cause otherwise you’d be insufferable.”
When Fuwawa barked happily, tail wagging side to side behind her again, Mococo couldn’t help but smile.