Unconventional Companionship

Warning:This page is restricted; please enter valid credentials.
Reason: You are not permitted to view this file as it requires a higher clearance level to access. Any unauthorized access to the following document will be met in termination, and in certain circumstances, an execution of the culprit. Certain other negative consequences may also result from the following; distribution of this page, discussion of this page outside the authorized clearance level, and/or attempting to access the page via invalid credentials or impersonation of a higher-level MEG official.
 M.E.G. Database Login Form Insert IP Address, Network Address, and Full Name 175.189.70.156, 68AF6081EA26, Insert Password 
█████████████████
This page consists of an interview transcript of a new arrival at █████████████████. Newcomer approached the front gates and informed the posted guards that a he had a docile "dog-like creature" with him. Protocol stated that Hounds be terminated on sight, but a higher official insisted that the creature should be detained for further research.
"When we first fell, there were four of us. Driving through the suburbs... God, I've almost forgotten what normal suburbs look like. It was dark, the only light coming from the headlights, and then it felt like we were falling. And then we were here. Well, not here here, but you know. The Backrooms.
Strange how something that takes mere seconds can change your life forever.
We still had the car, but it was essentially totaled. The only salvageable supplies were the food in the back..."
"We don't need your life story."
"You said start from the beginning, so that's what I'm doing. Anyway...
The lights on the ceiling were disorienting, especially because we'd been drinking. None of us knew what to do- no survival handbooks had taught us what to do if you fell through solid ground.
We found Tristan and did our best to help him, but he had lost too much blood. He died quickly. I wish I could say the same for Addie.
That morning, despite our hangovers, we decided we needed to move. Though our cries for help last night had proved fruitless, wandering seemed like a better idea than sitting and waiting to die.
The first few days felt like a strange dream- wandering through places that seemed vaguely familiar, seeing no other humans. Tristan's death hadn't quite sunk in yet. I tried to think of it like we were urban explorers or something, and that any day now we'd find an exit.
How naive I was.
Addie died in the garage. I remember we were all so excited, thinking we'd found an escape... but it stretched on as far as the eye could see, just like those damn yellow rooms. We were making too much noise. It wasn't hard for that thing to find us.
Addie was the smartest of all of us, by far. She quickly figured out its weakness, and kept shining a flashlight we'd found in its face. But the battery didn't last forever. Once it ran out of juice, she was the first to go. If that thing was capable of having emotions other than happiness, it tore into her with an unprecedented fury. Beck and I ran, and the monster was too focused on her to give chase.
It was just a day later that it happened. Why I'm telling you this, I mean. Why our story matters. I mean, our friends dying is tragic and all, but I get the feeling that's not what you wanted to hear.
We'd made our way into the boiler rooms, when we ran into that dog thing. I felt a bit bad about what we did to it, especially looking back, but it was attacking. We had no choice. It bit Beck deep in the arm. We managed to pin it against one of the hot pipes and burn it to death. The smell was... unpleasant.
Addie would have known what to do about the bite, but we didn't. I just tried to stop the bleeding by wrapping part of my shirt over the wound. Looking back, it was obvious it would get infected. I thought, given our luck, that he would die that night. Of course he turned into a dog. Why wouldn't he have turned into a dog? Silly me.
Somehow, he must have awoken during the night and tied himself up. Pretty impressive- it sure saved my ass. I didn't want to just leave him there. I knew it was stupid, but I gave him the last of the chips. I still had Almond Water, but he didn't seem to like that stuff very much. 
It took a few days for him to stop trying to bite my face off. I'd been traveling back and forth from where he was tied, trying to find food to keep us both alive. I couldn't stand losing another person. Somehow I hoped I could change him back, and I guess I must have been right- in a way.
It was after about a week that he finally seemed to fully calm down. I came back to him crying, or as close to crying as one of those creatures can really get. When I embraced him, he flinched, but didn't try to bite me. I freed him, and ever since he's been my sort of... guard... dog? I don't know, it feels derogatory to refer to him like that. He's probably the only reason I haven't died yet.
He's scared off entities and sniffed out supplies and exits... I'm still sane because I have him.
Oh, and there's one last thing I should mention. Back when I was first feeding him, he bit me. That was months ago. I thought I would turn too- the bite was just as deep as the one Beck had gotten- but I didn't. I'm still here. I don't know why.
...can I see him now? He's probably anxious without me."
Category:Tales