Everest tiredly opened her eyes, slightly confused about when she had fallen asleep. For some unknown reason, her head was in extreme pain, so much so that she had trouble even thinking straight. "M-Marshy?" She whispered as she sat up, assuming he would be next to her.

Instead, the husky received nothing in response. At first, she realized it was probably because she was outside still, so she rubbed her eyes and got a better look at her surroundings. But that's when she realized she wasn't even at the lookout, instead, it seemed like she was in some old warehouse.

Everest was starting to get scared, realizing she wasn't at her home. She had no clue what was going on or where she was. But she was alone, and her being alone was only half the issue. She knew if she was alone, that meant Marshall was too, and she was of course concerned about him. If he wasn't with her or at least knew she was safe, it wouldn't end in his favor.

"H-hello? Is anyone there? Marshy?" She called out. She sat there in silence waiting, hoping to hear anyone, but naturally, the only one she really wanted to hear was Marshall. Unfortunately, it didn't seem like she was getting what she wanted.

Starting to realize that no one was there to help her, Everest went to the door, but no matter how hard she pulled or pushed, it wouldn't open. It was locked. By now, it felt like her head was spinning. None of this made any sense. One second she was about to go to sleep with Marshall, then the next she's trapped in some unknown building.

"Something wrong?" Someone asked. The husky stopped struggling, paralyzed with fear. She knew exactly who that voice belonged to, it was one she hadn't heard in a while, yet it always provoked the same feeling. Everything was slowly starting to make sense now, but that didn't make it any less frightening.

"Y-you....What do you want? If you're about to ask me to go back with you, I-I won't, especially after what you've done." Everest whimpered nervously. Just as she figured, a larger, darker husky walked up to her, wearing a devilish smirk on his face.

"Oh please, I've moved on from that. I have different plans now. And don't say that like I've done much to you. I mean, you're still alive, aren't you?" Damian taunted, trying to get under her skin as much as he could. It was working.

"Shut up. Y-you've done more than you could imagine." The female snapped, thinking of all the pain he had caused for Marshall. She knew there should be no way he'd know about it, but it was something that had permanently changed the dally's life, and it was by no means a good change.

"You sound like you're trying to hide something." The darker husky observed as he got closer to Everest, who had forced herself into the smallest corner she could fit in. Unlike last time, she knew how easily she'd lose in a fight, and she also knew how big of a risk Marshall was at. The fear in her mind had completely taken over her body, not to mention it seemed like Damian was on to her. "Like...Marshall's PTSD, perhaps?"

Everest felt her heart drop the second she heard his words. Somehow, he knew about her love's biggest weakness, and in a way, her's as well. The dally meant everything to her, so naturally, she would do anything to protect him, especially in the state he was in now.

"H-how do you know about that? A-and, why should that matter?" She questioned worriedly, her tail slipping between her legs in fear. Damian smiled at her but didn't answer immediately, as if trying to think of a response.

"Let's just say, I have some help. I've gotten rather close with someone who knows a lot more about the Paw Patrol than I do. And as far as why Marshall's condition matters, well, you'll see sooner than later." He responded, moving away from the husky.

However, Everest was just getting more scared. Was Marshall here too? Who else was here? She had so many questions going through her mind, and still no answers. "W-what does that mean?" She asked, struggling to fully keep herself together.

"It's simple. I left a note telling him to come here alone, within twenty-four hours, or else I'd kill you. Obviously, he's going to come for you, and then, we'll take care of him for good." Damian explained, far too calmly for comfort.

"W-what?!" The smaller husky shouted as tears began to flow down her face. She hoped she had misunderstood something, but she knew that would've been too good to be true. He was planning to kill Marshall, and it didn't seem like there was much she could do to save him.

"You heard me. But don't worry, you won't have to grieve over him. It's not like you'll be alive any longer anyway. He's going to have to watch you die all over again, and then, he won't be an issue to get rid of at all." He replied.

At this point, Everest couldn't hold it in any longer. She was sobbing, it was starting to be too much. She knew how much seeing her die would terrify Marshall. It didn't look like either of them would make it out alive, and even if the dally did manage to get away, after seeing her die she wasn't sure if he'd ever fully recover.

"N-no, please don't do this. Don't make him s-suffer like this. H-he's already come so far, he's gotten so much better. Please don't take this one chance he has from him." She begged in between tears, not even questioning the fact that her life was also in jeopardy.

"Last I checked, you don't get to decide what I do." Damian answered sharply. This just made her cry even harder. She was starting to realize there really was nothing she could do.

"But, w-why would you even want this? W-what did we ever do to you? C-can't you just leave us alone?" She asked after finally calming herself down some. The husky let out a low growl, one that she couldn't tell the meaning of, but nonetheless, it still scared her.

"You never knew what happened after you left our owners, did you?" He questioned in return, only receiving a scared shake of the head from Everest. "When you ran away, they were furious with me. So much so, that I became completely neglected. Sure, I never got much attention anyway, but this was much different. I got no food, no water, it was like I didn't exist." He explained.

Hearing his story, Everest began to feel a strange feeling she was sure she'd never feel for him. It was guilt. Her actions had unintentionally made already bad living conditions into something unbearable. Of course, she knew it wasn't completely her fault. After all, it was his abuse and manipulation that caused her to leave in the first place.

"Seeing as I had nothing left, I did exactly what you did. I ran away too." Damian continued. "I was a stray for the longest time, until eventually, after years of hunting for scraps, I managed to find another pup. She was surprisingly kind to me, something no one had ever been. She would even bring me food and water, and over time, we got rather close with each other."

And yet another detail that threw the smaller husky off. He had been a stray, just like she was for years, something she knew wasn't easy. But that wasn't the only thing that caught her attention. What really got her curious was the mention of another pup.

"She had a very nice home, but just like me, she was neglected. She felt unloved, saying that her own owner preferred a different group of pups over her. Some group called the Paw Patrol. When I asked her what was so special about this group of pups, she described all of them to me. At first, they just sounded like some everyday rescue team, but that was until she mentioned you." Damian stated looking dead into the female's eyes.

Everest whimpered at the sudden stare, but other than that, she was deep in thought. The story of the other pup sounded familiar, but she couldn't quite place her paw on it.

"That's when I realized what had happened to you during all those years. While I had been alone, hunting for scraps to survive because of your actions, you had been living a happy life along with your new family and mate. I explained my own past to this pup, and we saw that we had a common enemy. And I realize that I treated you wrong back then, but that doesn't change what happened because of you." The larger husky said, finishing his explanation.

As he finished, Everest's eyes slowly widened. She knew exactly who he was talking about, and it only made her more scared. There was only one pup she knew that held a grudge against them because of what he had described, and that horrifying reality was sinking in.

"That look on your face...you know exactly who I'm talking about, don't you?" Damian asked. Before Everest had a chance to answer his question, a different voice spoke up. The voice of a British west highland terrier to be exact.

"Hehe, you're smarter than you look." She laughed, followed by a snort. Just as the husky had thought, it was Sweetie. The terrier walked past her and went straight to Damian, giving him a quick nuzzle once she got to his side, which the larger husky returned.

It seemed like an insane thought to Everest. The two pups who had tormented her, or, more accurately tormented Marshall, were together. And they even seemed happy with each other, which was even more out there.

"I-I'm sorry that you went through all of that, both of you. I really am. S-still, I didn't mean to cause any of this. B-but...if you're going to kill me, then please, just leave Marshy out of this. He hasn't done anything." She requested, thinking maybe she could keep him away from all this. She knew there was no point in trying to plead for her life, but if she could save Marshall's, then she'd at least be able to rest knowing he was safe, physically at least.

"And why should we do that? Don't you get it, Everest? Because of you, we were both neglected by our families. My own Princess chose you all over me, and Damian was treated like he didn't exist after you left. We know Marshall means everything to you, he's your family. " Sweetie stated, looking over at Damian who gave her a small nod.

"So if we don't get to have our families, you don't get to have yours either. "

◾◻◻⬛◻◻◾

After a long drive, Marshall finally found what he assumed was the abandoned warehouse he was told to go to. There was only one in Barkingburg that he was aware of, so he figured this must've been it. Why he had even had to go all the way to Barkingburg was still a mystery.

The dally jumped out of his firetruck and walked towards the entrance. The entire ride there he had been trying to mentally prepare himself, but naturally, he was still beyond terrified. The fact that Everest wasn't with him, he'd be confronting Damian, the possibility that the husky may lose her life if he wasn't able to save her. It would be scary to anyone.

Then, there were also the others on his mind. By now, they were probably just waking up and realizing that he wasn't there. He knew he had to hurry as the others could simply take the Paw or Air patroller and easily catch up to him. He only thought for a split second about waiting for them before shaking the thought from his head. It was too late for that.

Slowly, he walked into the warehouse. He didn't see anything at first. No Damian, no Everest, just nothing. "H-hello? Eve?" He called out, hoping for any sign of the husky he came for. But of course, he didn't hear any form of response from her.

"Oh there you are, it's about time." Damian greeted out of nowhere. Marshall immediately jumped in fear. He was terrified by the husky, and he was trying his hardest to suppress the memories that were coming back.

"O-ok. I-I came. N-now, give her back." The dally demanded, attempting to not sound as terrified as he really was. The husky only looked at him and raised an eyebrow. Marshall was confused, but he didn't dare say anything.

"When did I say I was going to give her back? I only told you if you didn't meet the requirements, she'd die. I didn't promise anything if you followed them. The results will end up being the same, except now you're all alone." Damian explained, letting out a small laugh.

"W-wait what? Y-you said if I came alone, and within twenty-four hours you wouldn't hurt her. And h-here I am. S-So please, just give her back." Marshall begged, even starting to cry lightly from the fear and stress he was experiencing.

"You really thought I was just going to hand her over? How stupid are you? I only told you that to get you to come alone, you're much easier to deal with without any support. But, since you did as I asked, I'll let you see her." The husky replied with a smirk as he motioned for the dally to follow him.

Reluctantly, Marshall nodded and followed him, knowing there was no point in trying to disagree. Besides, all he wanted was to see Everest. He just needed to make sure she was still mostly okay.

The two walked into a room, and Marshall froze at what he saw. Everest laying on the ground, badly scratched and injured. She wasn't moving. "Eve!" The dally gasped as he quickly ran to her side.

"E-Eve, please wake up. D-don't go." He whispered, slowly picking her up. He could tell by checking her pulse that she was alive, which made him feel a bit better. She wasn't dying, but she was still extremely weak.

"I'll be right back, if you two try to escape or do anything stupid, I swear there will be consequences." Damian warned as he left the room, locking the door behind him. Marshall heard him but didn't even bother responding. Everest was his top priority right now.

Thankfully, the husky's eyes slowly opened. "M-Marshy? I-Is that you?" She asked in a shaky voice. The second he heard her speak, Marshall tightly hugged her, her fur almost instantly getting wet due to the tears that were now pouring out of his eyes. Despite still being hurt, she did her best to hug back.

"W-what happened to you?" The dally questioned. Everest tried her best to stand up but found herself unable to as she ended up falling back into Marshall's arms. It looked like she was using all of her strength to not go back into unconsciousness.

"I-it doesn't matter. Y-you can't stay h-here, you h-have to go." She whispered, Instead of doing as she asked, Marshall just hugged her tighter, refusing to let her go.

"I-I'm not leaving you Eve. I've already let you d-die once, I can't do that again." He responded. Everest let out a quiet sigh. She knew he wasn't gonna leave her, but she was scared for his life, and she was willing to try anything to save him.

"I-I don't care. N-none of that was your fault. J-just please, go. T-they're going to make you watch as they k-kill me, a-and then they'll kill you. S-spare yourself from that. W-when they come back, I-I want you to run. R-run out the door as f-fast as you can, and d-don't look back." She begged. She knew how much seeing her die would break him, it'd bring him to rock bottom, and she wouldn't be able to help him out of it.

"B-but, what about you?" He asked in return. The husky paused, knowing he wouldn't like her suggestion, but it was the only thing she could think of to save him.

"I...I-I can distract them. I k-know what you're gonna say, b-but it's the only way." She explained softly. Marshall immediately shook his head, not even considering her offer for a half-second.

"N-no. Listen, w-we can get out of here together. I-I won't leave you."He replied. Without giving her any time to protest, he quickly looked around the room for some sort of escape. He knew he had to act fast, but he wasn't much to work with. At least, until he noticed a vent.

"Ok, we can get out that way. D-do you think you can walk?" Marshall asked. Everest nodded and basically forced herself to stand. She still looked weak, but it seemed like she had regained some of her strength.

"M-Marshy, we can try to get out together, b-but if we get caught, you need to promise me you'll leave me and run. I-I can try to hold them off for you. I know this scares you, but if one of us is going to make it out of here, I want it to be you. A-and if it does come to that, I-I want you to remember that I love you, and none of this is your fault, ok?" The husky requested, licking his cheek in hopes of reassurance.

Marshall looked at her and frowned. As much as he didn't like to deny her wish, he knew this would be a promise he couldn't keep. "I-I'm sorry Eve, but I can't leave you. If it truly comes to that, I'd rather stay and die with you." He answered.

Everest sighed, and although she hated the idea of the dally staying with her, she found herself giving him a sad nod. There was no point in trying to convince him otherwise, and besides, if they wanted any chance of escaping, they needed to act fast.

"F-fine, but we need to go now. They'll be back soon, and if they find out we were trying to escape, it's not gonna end well." She stated. Marshall agreed but paused before they could continue.

"Wait...what do you mean they? I thought it was just him." He asked, confused. Everest suddenly realized that he had no idea about what she had been told, so she explained everything she had heard, not skipping a single detail.

"S-so, Sweetie is here too?" Marshall questioned nervously after she had finished. The husky nodded, confirming his worries. The dally couldn't help but get noticeably more scared. Although Damian was worse, he didn't like Sweetie either, and it didn't help that the two were now together.

"Hey, don't think about them Marshy. I-If we can hurry and get out of here, we won't even have to see them." She cooed, hoping he wouldn't get more stressed than he already was. Without saying another word, Marshall walked over to the vent and successfully pushed it open.

The two pups looked at each other and smiled. They had found a way out. A way to their freedom and safety. Although the space for them seemed a bit tight, they knew they'd be able to fit. It didn't matter though, anything beat the situation now. They could escape, and now nothing stood in their way...

"What do we have here?"

Marshall and Everest both froze in pure fear as the voice brought chills down their spines. They were too slow, they had been caught. "I thought I said if you tried to leave, there would be consequences." Damian recalled as both pups slowly turned around.

As they did so, they not only saw the husky, but Sweetie was also standing by his side wearing her own pup pack. "Well, if that's how it's going to be, I guess this calls for a change in plans. Would you like to do the honors, my love?" The husky asked as he turned to the terrier.

"Heh, of course I would." Sweetie replied. Without any more of a warning, she barked and her pup pack opened. Both pups' eyes widened at what they saw. A gun, and it was pointed directly at Marshall.

"Marshall never fared well without you, Everest, so let's see how you do without him." The terrier stated with a grin. Knowing exactly what she had to do, Everest immediately jumped in front of the dally and hugged him, shielding him from what was to come.

And with that, a loud bang echoed throughout the room.