The Escape

-----

Chrisy walked into the room and her eyes widened, horror and bile rising in her stomach as she took in the scene. Blood and gore all over the tiled floor of the examination room. The pitcher of water she was bringing dropped to the floor, shattering, as her father straightened. He twisted the knife in his hand so it was pointing forward, no longer down at the body beneath him. One look and she knew, she knew she was next.
“F-father?”
“Look at what you’ve done,” he gestured to the pitcher shards beneath her feet, “I have... a suitable punishment in mind.”
The grin on his face was unlike any she’d seen before.
He’d hurt her before, the twinge in her ribs was a testament to that, but she’d never seen him look so manic, so crazed before.
“I-I’ll clean it up, I’ll-” Bile rose in her throat as she looked at the creatures she’d once called comrades, “I’ll clean it all- it all up.”
“No,” he came forward and Chris felt herself freeze in the spot. She wanted to run. Everything was screaming at her to - but she’d done it before. Running only made him hit harder once he’d caught up with her. “No, you’ll come with me.”
He gripped her arm, right on top of the bruise she had from a recent beating, and she winced as she tried not to call out. He pulled her out of the laboratory, and she followed as best she could, twisted as she was in his grip.
She didn’t truly understand until she saw the staircase.
The one leading to the attic.
“NO!” She tried to pull away, “No, father, please!”
He tugged her harder, fingers drawing blood as she struggled. She fell to her knees, digging in as they got to the bottom of the stairwell. She’d heard whatever it was that he kept up there moving. It was huge. It had to be. She saw an open ledger once of the food for the “Goddess Experiment” and was astonished. Chrisy did not want to be the next item on the list. He yanked her angrily and still she struggled.
The knife was at her throat suddenly and the tears would not stop.
“I kill you for certain,” her mind’s eye flashed back to the blood all over the lab, “or you take your chances.”
The blade pushed against her skin and she dare not nod, so she whimpered. He had to keep it caged, or locked up, right? There had to be a few seconds before the beast was released via remote so… Maybe there was a window… She did not relish the walk up the stairs. The tears would not stop, and she dare not wipe them away from her good eye. The knife was at her back, and she felt it press through her threadbare t-shirt in the lull between steps.
He’d finally lost it.
Father had been talking about summoning this... Goddess, about harnessing her power for his own for some time now. He always talked about how everyone would remember him for his power, how they would talk of his greatness for generations to come… Chrisy wished she were more ignorant, so she would not know how absolutly bat-shit insane he sounded.
But he’d done something, something big enough to warrant ‘disposing’ of his other experiments in such a fashion. Maybe he was onto something.
The walk up the stairs seemed to take years.
Why wouldn’t he just let it go? He was a man of science, surely he could have found better things to do than… well, Chrisy had always wondered why there was no mother in her life. She tried not to think of it. She tried not to think of which was worse, that her mother was dead or that her mother had left without her. Some days she let herself think of her mother coming in with a big team of police in all black (The news reporter had called them SWAT when she caught it on his TV in passing) and stopping her father. Sometimes her mother would scoop her up and take her into her house and there would be no experiment room, no lab equipment, and no cages. Just her and her mother and a television she was allowed to watch.
Chrisy never let those fantasies stick around for too long though.
It was too painful.
Just like that they were on the landing, and he keyed in the code to the door.
“Go in,” he put pressure on the knife at her back, and she felt liquid pour from the hot tip easily breaking the skin, “Tell the Goddess that more awaits her if she just comes over if you meet her on the other side, won’t you Chrisy?”
“F-father, I-”
“Shh, shh,” the knife dug in deeper and she inhaled sharply. He pushed her forward, “Do as I say.”
She couldn’t move.
How could she? Beyond those doors was most certainly death. She knew the walls and the hallways of the rest of the house, she might be able to hide long enough for Father to get frustrated and drink to stupor and then maybe she--
He shoved her towards the door, kicking it open at the same time. She fell onto the attic floor, hard, as he closed and locked the door behind her.
His footsteps receded.
Silence.
Chris got up slowly, assessing the situation. There were a couple tiny skylights up in the ceiling, she would maybe be able to fit her head through but as malnourished as she was there was no way she would fit her shoulders through. There wasn’t any other sources of light. She peered into the gloom, her one good eye slowly adjusting.
She heard breathing that was not her own before she made out the hulking mass of what must have been the creature. Chrisy clamped a hand over her mouth to keep from screaming. It was enormous.
Something else, look at something else. There was a divide in the attic, a walled off area where this might have been planned to be divided into two rooms. Space enough for french doors… A front and back room...She took a deep breath, and looked once more at the creature between her and the back wall.
The better she adjusted to the dim light of the starlit attic the more she feared the thing in front of her. A massive… chimera of sorts. Father had created chimeras before… though they never lasted long. A giant mass with sheep-like fur and a long lizard tail… Front paws as wide as Chris was tall, chained to the floor with more slack than was probably wise. It didn’t seem to have noticed her yet, the breathing regular. Maybe she could skirt around it, see if there was a window on the other side... She took a deep breath, letting it out slowly.
Okay.
The creature didn’t wake this whole time, or so she hoped, so she’d probably be able to get by it without waking it too… right? Chris tried to swallow past the lump in her throat, getting up on shaky legs. It was going to be fine.
She just… had to get past this thing.
The thing that her Father hoped would eat her.
Right.
She wanted to move, she did.
Why weren’t her legs moving?
If she was still here when it woke, she would have nowhere to hide. At least on the other side there would be a wall and she could hide until it fell back asleep. Maybe there was a window or… loose drywall. She could try digging her way out as the creature slept. As long as she didn’t die of starvation first.
But the back room half was her best bet.
Another deep breath.
Okay.
One foot in front of the other.
She was only mildly surprised when her legs complied, keeping her back to the wall and trying to move as slowly as possible. Five feet… ten… fifteen…
She could hear the creature’s large lungs suck in air as she neared and she tried to keep it together. It sniffed the air in its sleep, and Chris stayed perfectly still. The head slowly rose and she could just make out the shape past her horror. Hyena. Yellow eyes glowed as they opened, and this was not the retroreflectors of cats, no… They emitted light.

Gods, what had Father done?

Something must have given her away because the hyena head snapped toward her, and Chris didn’t even have a moment to think before the thing pounced. The enormous front paws pinned her easily, pushing on her sore ribs.
Chris could feel herself hyperventilating, eyes squeezed shut.
“You smell like him.”
She opened her eyes at the gruff voice, glowing yellow eyes examining her closely, “But you do not seem like him.”
Chris shook her head slightly, in awe.
“I will not eat you... today.”
The creature sat back, large paws on either side of Chris’ head.
“T-Thank you.”
“It is what that man,” The creature spat, “would want.”
“Y-yes. Father meant for me to be eaten but I-” She stopped as the hyena’s head snapped back to her.
“...’Father’?”
“...Yes?”
A low growl started in the beast’s chest, stopping as Chris tensed.
“Despicable man.”

-----

There was not a window on the other side of the wall Chris discovered. Thrash, she’d discovered the hyena’s name, had said she wouldn’t eat her but… well Thrash would eventually get hungry.
It was quite bright out when Chris realised she had fallen asleep on the far side of the wall, leaning against the drywall. It must be noon. She got up, breathing in sharply as her ribs screamed at her. She peeked around the corner to see Thrash watching the opening for her.
“Afternoon.”
“H-hi.”
“I had a dream last night, telling us how to escape.”
“Really?” Chris wasn’t sure what to think, but she came out of hiding to lean against the wall - trying to look like she wouldn’t bolt back to the room if she needed to.
“Yes. My mother - the one that man is trying to call and bind - showed me.”
“But…” Chris bit her lip and tensed her legs to jump, “Father created you.”
“That man,” Thrash growled past her canines, “brought me into being. My mother took me in. Like a real parent.”
“And you’re saying,” She tried to slow her breathing, “That your… mother t-t-old you what to do? In a dream?”
“Yes.”
“And what exactly is it that we must do?”
The hyena’s face watched her’s a moment before looking away.
“You will not like it.”
“I don’t really care for this current situation either.”
“Right you are.” Thrash grinned,“Mother told me that you can create things. She showed me how to create Bond Necklaces… I can see from your expression you know a bit of them?”
Chris shook her head, attempting to clear whatever look it was from her face.
“Father said… he said he would bond the Goddess to him, and that it would amplify both of their inherent powers… then he would bind her to be his lesser.”
“Disgusting.” Thrash’s head whipped to one side, as if tossing the idea from her mind. The chains clattered together as she - Chris realised it now, Thrash was female - got into a more comfortable position, “Bond Necklaces are a ritually recognized way to show two people have a union - a bond - which will make the two stronger than if they were apart.”
“It sounds rather suspiciously like marriage.”
“It is usually reserved for those that wish for romantic or sexual kinship, yes.”
“Oh.” The two stared at each other awhile.
“We do not have to take this route, but it is the easiest. I would easily be able to break these chains if we became Bonded, little one.”
“Does…” Chris tried to get the wording right, “I mean it sounds like it would boost both of our powers.”
Thrash nodded.
“So it’s a magical bond… but can we… would we be able to break it?”
“Get a divorce?” Thrash’s lopsided grin was actually kinda cute when you got past the fangs.
“Well… yeah.”
“We could.”
Chris frowned, “That didn’t sound positive.”
“The Bonding creates an… affectional tie between the Bonded. We can break it of course, but it would be difficult to do so. And if we did, it would leave us empty inside. For a long time.”
Chris ran through the possibilities in her head.
Magical marriage to a beast? No, to… to Thrash. She’d proven more civil than her Fath-- than that man. Was it enough? ...Did she have any other options?
“Take your time,” Thrash said, rough voice soothing, “I know it is a lot to process.”
A beat of silence.
“How… How did you know I have creation magic?”
“Mother told me.” Thrash said, “She said it was as plain to see for her as your blind eye to me.”
Chris pushed up her glasses self-consciously. She got the feeling that this Bonding ritual was more important to Thrash and… the Goddess than it was to her. And Thrash was still willing to try it if it got them out of here.
“What if…” Chris took a breath, “What if I want to leave but you don’t?”
“Ah.” Thrash rolled her shoulders slightly from her position on the floor - Chris realised that there was no was for her to stand upright without hunching. Curling on the floor was probably more comfortable, “Well, I promise that if you wish to break the bond I will leave you alone.”

Chris must have been in her head for some time because suddenly Thrash was faced the other way and the skylights had dimmed. Her stomach growled and Chris gripped her stomach through her shirt. She allowed herself to slump to the floor, and fell asleep.

-----

Chrisy was somewhere else. Somewhere warm and… safe. She wasn’t sure how she knew, but she did.
“Chris…”
A soft woman’s voice called to her through the darkness. She looked around but saw nothing.
“Chris… listen…”
“I’m listening.”
“Bond with Thrash… you will be safe…”
“I… I don’t know how.” She felt tears prick at her eyes. She didn’t know how to create Bond Necklaces. She didn’t know how to act in a safe environment. She didn’t know how to be around someone that didn’t want to hurt her. She didn’t know how to be a partner in crime or a… partner. She didn’t know--
“Chris… it will be alright.”
“How do you know?”
“I do not… I have faith…”
“Faith?”

Chris woke with a start. It was still dark out, lights twinkling overhead. She looked over to Thrash, and saw that the chimera was watching her intently.
“Are you alright, Chris?”
“Yes. Your… your mother spoke to me.”
“Ah.”

Silence.

“I know how to make Bond Necklaces.”
“We can find a different wa-”
“Let’s bond.”
Thrash cocked her head, “Are you sure?”
“No.”
“Then?”
“I… I have to do something, and… and I have faith it’ll all work out. I’ve always worked with the faith or, at least, the… hope that it would. I can’t stop now.”
“Careful little one, you’re growing on me.” the lopsided grin was back, “We might not want to break the Bond.”
Chris couldn’t help but smile back, “Maybe.”

-----

Thrash hadn’t felt this strong since that man bound her powers. Now… Now she was unstoppable. The crescent moon shaped necklaces swung from both her and her Bonded’s throats as she broke down the heavy metal door with relative ease. Chris was cradled to her (easy enough, the wee thing fit easily in her paw) as she shoulder checked the door open. Thrash descended the stairs, following the floor plan Chris had sketched out with the old paper the man had left behind. Thrash had it memorized but a paper plan and the real thing were very different. She found herself peering into rooms to check against the descriptions the little one gave.
Chris gasped and Thrash faced forward once more - a prick of pain and Thrash looked away from the man holding the gun to the tranquilizer embedded in her arm. She pulled it out easily, watching the man. He seemed different. Chris had explained last night while she made the necklaces about his descent into madness.

“Hello Chrisy, still alive?” He giggled, eerie given the situation, “I thought you would have been eaten. No matter- Oh! You’re bonded!”
Thrash felt Chris turn away from the man, pushing her face into Thrash’s dense fur.
“Don’t worry,” He raised the gun again, “You won’t be for long. I’ll kill you and chain the beast up even tighter.”
He shot Thrash again, puff of air as the dart released, and this time it hit her in the shoulder. Again, ineffectual. Was he so mad that he did not realise…?
“I’ll chain it up up up and cut it up up up and then its Mommy will come out to play!”
He shot her again. Puff.
Puff. Puff.
“Chrisy come out and play! We’ll cut the beast and then I’ll cut you!”
“F-Father, please-”
He laughed again, and rage boiled inside Thrash. He was insane. He wanted to hurt Chris. His own daughter - her bonded.
No.
He’d never touch her again.
Chris was hers, and she was Chris’ and no one would hurt her again.
The man raised the gun towards Chris this time and Thrash took the hit with her free hand. He pressed the trigger again, but the chamber was empty. Thrash took the opportunity to rush forward, pinning him to the wall by his neck.
She heard Chris scamper off, hopefully to do her part of the plan.

Trapped as he was with her large paw, He still laughed.
She growled at him, “Have you no shame?”
“I’ll cut up your mouth, your tongue. Silence you.” He grinned as if he had complete control of the situation, “Then kill you. True silence... Silence you like I should have silenced her as a baby.”

-----

“Thrash! I found the van keys, we can-”
Chris stopped as she saw the chimera over her father’s body. His… corpse.
“He was going… He was going to kill you.” Thrash’s voice was sorrowful. Not over the man who’d hurt them, she could tell.
“I… I know.”
Thrash stepped towards her, putting herself in Chris’ line of sight to the body.
“Chris?”
“Let’s just… go.” Thrash’s paw wiped away tears, she’d been crying? “I have some stuff that can help us if… Can you help me get it into the van?”
Thrash nodded, trailing behind her... finally able to stand to her full height.

-----


“Thrash?”
“Mmn?”
The lights of the highway flashed past as Chris matched speed with those around her. She hoped they had enough gas to make it to the base of the mountain before filling up again. The beef jerky from the gas station sat like a rock in the pit of her stomach after so long without but it was better than it had been. Times like this she could see why people smoked. She wanted to do something with her hands, with her mouth. Something to take her mind off the horrors of the week. A hand came off the wheel to rest on her Bond Necklace, and it brought her peace. Have faith, she thought, it finally paid off. She had no idea where they were going or what they were doing but… she was free.
“I’m thankful we’re together.”
“As am I, little one.”