Chapter Text
Do you know your name?
Or have the waves of time washed over you, devouring you whole and smearing your identity out of your desperately gripping hands with it? The things that brought you joy, the things that you despised, the things that made you who you were– gone in an instant. A muddled, foggy memory breathes heavily in your ear, whispering in a foreign language like an unyielding spectator, spoiling you on things that you have yet the ability to understand.
Do you have a sense of purpose? A meaning to your life?
Or do you drag your feet to work? A grueling, painstakingly repetitive task that seems to never end with the demands of the outside world gone to hell. Demands that pressure on you despite you unwillingly walking into such a place, crushing you and requiring you to push your body past what it should be able to do– what it couldn’t do before.
Do you know who you are?
Or do you watch and wait– greedily drinking up parts and pieces of other’s identities and formulating your own over the slow course of time, a tin of broken off pieces that don’t fit together in any shape or form, chipping and molded to fit into spots echoing of a lost sense of self.
If you relate to any of this– beware, as you might not be yourself, but a parasite.
A greedy, lurching parasite looming over its victims with false promises of protection, love, and unyielding cherishment. A shapeless entity molding to the wants of whoever–
“Intern! We need you for surgery in Room Eight!”
He blinks, his dim expression popping in an instant as he snaps his head up, his bunny ears bouncing in place before sticking up eagerly, soaking in the sound of Nurse’s tired, yet sickly sweet-pitched voice. Before he could wind his body into the mechanical movement of walking– it moved as if commanded by an outer force, traversing himself automatically toward the direction of the room.
Out the office past the waiting area, down the hall toward the shop and two hallways, and down the left– the very last door.
As he swiftly moved– his eyes darted toward the movement in Room Six, being at just the right angle at that split moment to see a patient with slumped shoulders standing there, soaking in the toxic rays of the confined space as he sipped on his Maple syrup– an iv drip spotted not too far from him. His eyes parted from the scene before locking onto the ajar door of Room Eight. The door clicked open softly as he entered, the cold metal perceivable despite the latex gloves adorning his hands.
Turning around to close the door behind him, he was instead swiftly yanked by his upper arm and spun around to face the operating table. The patient didn’t seem to have much time left, breath shallow and harsh if the staggering rise and fall of her chest was any meaningful sign. Nurse smiled bashfully at him– an indirect apology for her movements before swiftly speaking, her words hurried and slightly jumbled with her slight country accent.
“Hiya Intern, could’ya deal with her, please? There’s a patient in Room Five in critical condition.” Intern opened his mouth to reply before closing it, simply nodding instead. Nurse smiled softly at him, her teeth gleaming and the fluorescent lights catching on her clean, white canines before she turned, her ears flopping and gently slapping her face before she rushed out of the room, closing the door behind her with a loud swoosh and a gentle click. The bunny blinked for a few moments before heaving in a deep sigh, walking towards the sink and removing his latex gloves before washing his hands under ice-cold water with antibacterial soap provided by the hospital. He then equipped a fresh pair of gloves, snapping them into place as he pulled the edge back to ensure that his fingers would be fully flexible inside. Bringing his hand up to his face, he wiggled his fingers to ensure this, before turning to the operating table.
Glancing at the edge of the bed to see if there was any report made from the check-in– he found that there was, indeed, a couple sheets of paper for the patient. Grabbing the clipboard, his eyes brushed over the details briefly.
Her name was Hannah Meadows, a woman who worked an average office job and had unfortunately realized too late that her husband had turned into an anomaly. Intern’s eyes flickered up to the unconscious patient, seeing a large bite mark hazardously placed on her upper arm. Intern’s bunny ear flicked, his expression contorting into one of sympathy. His chest expanded as he took a deep breath in, closing his eyes as he did so, before exhaling, his eyes groggily opening to a beady, half-lidded state. He set the clipboard back into the thin, rectangular bin and took a few steps closer to the table, darting his eyes toward the large screen showcasing the company’s usual steps for a situation such as one that Hannah had experienced.
Intern grabbed the scissors swiftly, turning back to Hannah and leaning down, slowly cutting around the pus-oozing wound. The gooey, soft, yellowish flesh came off easily with the butter-like slide of the scissors cutting the skin. He peeled the rest off with his gloved fingertips, placing it on a silver tray matted with a thin hospital napkin. He then placed the scissors beside it. With a fleeting glance toward the screen, he grabbed the antibiotics and the syringe beside it. As he extracted the antibiotic from the bottle, he couldn’t help but wonder… wouldn’t it be more logical to use the antibiotics before anything else? The bunny blinked, peeking around the room– left and right, before pulling the filled needle out of the bottle. Setting the empty container on the silver platter, he flicked the needle, pressing slightly on the handle to release the air bubbles inside. The bubbles sputtered, flocking toward the front of the syringe and swiftly draining out the medical instrument. He lowered his hand, bringing the syringe nearer to the patient’s arm before. Given that this was an intramuscular injection, he spread the skin of her arm near the wound before slowly pressing the needle in, narrowing his small eyes as he did so.
Once the antibiotic was inserted, he placed the syringe on the platter before adjusting his head to look back up at the screen. He then turned away, walking over to the farthest table and picking up the scalpel. At this point– he didn’t bother to question the order that the company operated on, instead simply opting to lean down and scrape off any excess yellow, pus-like skin. Once he had done so, he pinched the loose pus-filled skin between his fingers before flicking it onto the napkin sitting on the platter. Then– adjusting this grip on the scalpel, he held it firmly between his thumb and index finger, bringing it closer to the large bite wound– particularly, the large, bulging area in the middle.
The skin around it was significantly darker– with the large, rounded lump appearing close to bursting due to how filled it was. Intern’s eyes drooped unenthusiastically before he sighed heavily, finally bringing the scalpel down onto the bump. Starting at the top, he applied a miniscule amount of pressure to ensure that the seal of the bump was broken before dragging the scalpel down, revealing its contents entirely. Intern shifted his hand away, peeking at the wound, only to scowl violently at its grotesque appearance.
Not only was it yellow and pus-filled– but there was an odd green-ish substance that oozed out like liquid while the pus had popped out the second the scalpel cut it open. He blinked, watching it trail for a moment before blindly reaching over toward the silver platter, and grabbing the forceps, cautiously lowering them down toward the opened bump before clamping it around the contents of the patch. He then gently pulled it out, snaking the contents from inside before placing it down onto the platter. Disgusting.
Grabbing the previously abandoned napkin, he dabbed it gently, wiping away any excess before crumbling the napkin into a misshapen ball, and placing it on the napkin-covered platter. He then straightened himself, groaning as he popped his back into place before slouching over the patient once more, scalpel in hand.
Leaning in close to the wound, he placed his left hand on the skin, spreading it as his right, scalpel in hand, inched near the skin. Placing the sharpened side of the scalpel down onto the soft skin, he applied a bit of pressure to push it through initially, before slowly sliding down, applying far more pressure. The wound blossomed open like a flower in spring, and Intern proceeded to slide it the rest of the way down until the length encompassed the entirety of the wound. He then cut diagonally with the same tactic, blindly placing the scalpel on the platter before ghosting his hand around for the scissors, finally landing on them.
Raising them toward the wound, he trimmed the flaps of skin off before diving in with the scissors to remove the infected chunks of flesh– clearly in such a state judging by the off, green tint that it possessed. He placed the chunks methodically on the table– four of them– one by one.
Not needing to glance up at the large surgical screen, he moved back from the operating table, grabbing the lid of the counter’s cooler before popping it open, turning his head slightly to see as he wrapped his hands around a transplant.
His tail flicked as he shut the small cooler following his actions, turning back to face the patient, he picked up the scissors, cutting up the transplant into smaller pieces. Pressing the malleable flesh between his gloved fingers, he placed them carefully into the cut open wound, packing it tightly with the transplant. Once he had finished refilling the wound, he reached up, glancing in said direction as he did so, moving another silver platter down toward his face. His ears and eyes barely peeked out from above the tray as he grabbed the needle and thread before readjusting the tray to a higher angle.
As he stitched up the patient, he slowly began to think.
‘My name is Intern, and I’m decently fond of my job.’ He threaded the needle inside the flesh, angling it before pushing it back out. ‘The work load isn’t too bad, despite the fact that I’m overworked to hell.’ Pressing the tip back inside the skin, he pinched it between his fingers as he maneuvered the needle out. ‘My coworkers… are a joy to be around. Despite my obsessive coffee drinking– I get along with everyone, and everyone seems to like me.’ In and out the needle went once more. ‘The entities aren’t much of a problem, either.’ He blinked, his eyes minimally shifting as he watched his skilled hands thread the needle seamlessly. ‘I don’t really mind them. Most of them, at least. Hiders can be pretty annoying. And…’ Intern’s body slowly went lax, his shoulders dropping as he stared blankly at his unmoving hands. His finger twitched. Followed by his eye.
Slowly, he forced his body to regain its movement.
‘...There’s just one I’m not fond of.’ As he finished up the sewing job, his hands moved, unaffected, while his eyes gazed off into a distance unseen by others. His head slowly tilted to the left, his body feeling unusually weak– as if he were no longer in control.
Pulling the thread to tighten his work, he made a small knot before cutting off the excess with scissors. He pulled the top tray back down, placing the needle and small amount of thread back down before doing the same with the scissors on another tray.
His eyes made a messy path toward the large screen, darting uncontrollably with an unusual sluggishness before landing safely on the screen. Medkit, bandages, medicine.
Rotating around the operating table, he grabbed the three required items swiftly before placing them on the tray beside him. Grabbing the medicine, first, he raised the limp arm with his left one before slathering the medicine on the stitched wound. He then took the antiseptic bandages, adjusting the arm up to be just a tad higher before winding a thin strip of white around it. Tucking it under the first layer, he flicked open the medkit with his thumb, grabbing a larger roll and securing that over the first before grabbing a safety pin and locking it into place.
Closing the medkit, he placed it back on the shelf before grabbing all of his instruments, and promptly throwing them in the trash. This was not average for the Animal Hospital– but given the particular state of the world, second contact could mean death– or corruption. Intern walked back toward the operating table, reaching under it to pull out a thin hospital sheet. He unfolded it, snapping it through the air to straighten it as much as he could manage before draping it over the patient. His eyes darted over the patient– then the tables behind her to ensure that everything was in proper order. Seeing that it was, he then turned on his heel and walked toward the door, flicking a light switch to dim the lights before slipping out, and gently shutting the door behind him.
The lights of the hospital were a blinding, bright white. He passed by empty Room Seven and unoccupied Room Six. Glancing at the closed shop shutter window, he turned to the right, entering the lobby. Peeking through the small window of the door, he could see that Secretary was seated inside the check-in office, his back turned to the door as he casually watched the security cameras with his arms crossed. With his ear flicking, he looked over at the main entrance to see Security snoozing, her hat tilted over her eyes as she softly snored. Intern snorted, chuckling as he did so.
“What’s so funny, Intern?” His eyes shrunk into beads as he jumped, practically flying into the air before swiftly spinning on his heel, coming face to face with Head Nurse. His shoulders quickly dropped, his eyes narrowing into small horizontal lines to showcase his relief.
“...Nothing. You scared the life out of me.” Intern muttered, his head feeling as if it were stuffed with static– likely due to the scare. The goat’s expression shifted into one of sympathy.
“Sorry, Intern! I didn’t mean to frighten you…” Her eyes glanced away from him, bashful with her actions. Intern closed his eyes, waving his hand casually.
“Ah, don’t worry ‘bout it. Just finished up with surgery, is all. Still a bit wound up.” Head Nurse nodded in understanding, her eyes darting up to look at Security behind him before unwillingly flickering off to the side. She jumped in place, bringing her hands up to cover her eyes as she groaned quietly. Intern moved closer, concerned.
“Ngh– it was just Stalker… nothing to worry about.” Unknown to her, Intern froze at the name while she rubbed the horror out of her eyes, looking toward the office door.
“Maybe I should grab some coffee… I do feel quite unsettled after that.” The bunny nodded dazedly, his heart racing unsteadily in his chest as Head Nurse waved goodbye to him before entering the office. A shadow inside perked it’s head up, waving at the Head Nurse as she entered. She waved back, the shadow shifting as Intern hurried past the office, down the left hall into vacant Room Six.
He darted inside, pushing the containment breach flaps aside before tucking himself into the corner of the x-ray room, taking in slow, heavy breaths as he attempted to calm himself. Intern was hiding– he knew that. But could he really hide? Was hiding a palpable thing if it were from an entity that moved around soundlessly, only being seen when it so desired? His eyes were wide with horror, heaving in now heavier breaths. In and out meant nothing to him now as he sat there, shadows creeping up on him, wrapping around his feet and slithering up his legs. A cold shiver wracked his body as he whimpered, burying his head into his arms. Could he be safe anywhere? Was he still so naive? Would the same tricks lure him away from everyone until he was isolated in Room Five, with the door locked tight?
Would he ever be able to see a smile the same anymore? Hear those same words come out of someone else’s mouth without overreacting? He wanted to believe that he could– that this affected him much less than it really felt like, but deep down, an ashamed part of him knew the truth. An ashamed logical part. It was too recent. His reactions were to be expected, and he should really speak with someone about–
“What happened, Intern?” In a sudden moment, all movement from the bunny froze as he stared out at the feet of those who dared to disturb him. Too consumed with fear to look up, the being cocked its head to the side in confusion before leaning down to enter his vision. A black vest, a white collared button up, and a black tie. With each added detail of his outfit, Intern unknowingly relaxed. It was Secret Agent.
“Hi.” He said lamely, his voice wet with unreleased sobs and overly released tears. The agent’s ear flicked with the sound of him sniffling. His yellow scelera eyes narrowed. After a short moment of silence, the cat spoke.
“I fear that doesn’t answer my question.” Intern glanced away, his eyes heavy with emotion. For a moment, he contemplated on what to say. Anything but the truth was his rule. And yet, such rules felt so easy to break in the presence of a protector.
“...Surgery went kinda badly for a second, and I thought that I was gonna kill her.” He muttered out, his ears sinking with his lie. Secret Agent stared at him intimately for a moment before releasing a long hum, his knees silent as he straightened himself, pulling the edge of his vest to straighten it out before approaching Intern.
“It’s not your fault.” Intern willed himself to not react to the words, reminding himself that Secret Agent was replying to a false situation. Still, his bunny ears slowly drooped to his shoulders.
“...Yeah.” He murmured, unwilling to give much more of a response. As Secret Agent took a step closer to the dark corner, his pupils dilated, expanding to consume the light drifting in from the fluorescence behind him. He leaned down once more, the heels of his gleaming black shoes tipping off the floor.
“I mean it, Intern. Everyone makes mistakes, nobody is perfect, and if you’re not holding anyone to the same standard that you’re holding yourself to, that instantly means that your expectations for yourself are obscene.” Intern stared blankly at the floor as Secret Agent spoke, slowly processing his words with horror-filled eyes still dwelling in the dark. Once the agent finished speaking, he noticed Intern’s lost gaze and narrowed his eyes. Reaching his hand out and ensuring that he kept it within Intern’s range of sight, he carefully placed it under the other’s tucked chin before raising it until the bunny’s eyes met his.
“You can’t be more than what you already are, and you’re already so much, yet you fail to realize it. Not just anyone can stay the extra hours so Head Nurse can go home and rest. Not just anyone can get along well with just about anyone, patient and coworker.” Secret Agent’s eyes traced over Intern’s face indirectly before once more landing on his eyes with his own.
“You’re doing what you can. And in these conditions? That’s really all that anyone expects of you, Intern.” Secret Agent’s smooth voice coaxed a gentle, bashful blush onto Intern’s face. His ears bounded forward, covering his eyes as he reached up and pulled them further down. Secret Agent tilted his head to the right, curious.
“Don’t be like that.” Intern heard the crinkle of his suit vest as he stood up, accompanied with the slight scuff of his heels meeting the floor. “The others are heading out soon. Their shifts are about to end, along with mine.” There was the sound of clothing adjusting. Intern peeked out from behind his ears to see Secret Agent standing before him with his hand held out.
“You want to go say goodbye?” Intern simply nodded, slowly releasing his ears before grabbing Secret Agent’s hand. The cat hoisted him up– causing the bunny to stumble for a moment before he regained his footing. Tightening his grip just slightly, the agent led him out of Room Six and toward the office.
Nurse spotted the two first, perking up and waving with a close-eyed smile.
“Agent! Intern! We were just about to leave!” Head Nurse turned her head over, waving slightly before shuffling her long brown coat on. Secret Agent waved back, his other hand clenching slightly for a moment before releasing Intern’s own in his grip. He walked into the office through the ajar door, grabbing his own long black coat before throwing it over his shoulder. Secretary shuffled by them, fixing himself his last cup of coffee, a folder of papers tucked under his arm.
“Are you sure that you’ll be able to hold it down by yourself, Intern?” The sheep inquired as he stirred the creamer and sugar into his coffee. He nodded, determined. Secretary hummed for a short moment, tapping the disposable spoon against the edge of the plastic cup before tossing it into the trash can.
“It’s not too busy at night anyways, right? Not to mention, the hospital is pretty small. I’m sure I’ll be fine.” Head Nurse glanced at Secretary who refused to meet her eyes, nodding at Intern’s claims.
“Yeah, it doesn't usually get too crowded at night– and ambulance’s usually come mid-day or so,” The purple sheep took a sip of his coffee, relishing in the warm heat before his tongue darted out to lick his lip.
“But… just in case,” maneuvering the cup of coffee to the junction between his forearm and his upper arm, he pulled out the folder of papers, opening it and slipping a card out. His eyes glanced over it for a moment before he closed the folder, the card secured between his fingers.
“Here.” Intern blinked curiously as his ear flicked idly. Taking the card between his two hands, he read it over quickly.
“Just so you know how to reach me in case you get overrun by patients.” Intern’s tail wagged gently, his smile widening slowly before he nodded, glancing away despite the clear signs of his softly reddening face being evident. Secretary chuckled briefly before tucking the folder back under his arm and grabbing his coffee cup.
“Well, I’ll take my leave then,” he turned on his flat heel, throwing his arm behind him in a wave that was returned by all the occupants of the office. Following his departure was both Head Nurse and Nurse, the former helping the dog shuffle on her hand-knit pink cardigan with an odd gentleness. The two could hear Security startle, Nurse undoubtedly softly shaking her awake from her slumber before really departing. Paramedic emerged from the right hall not long after, glancing at the coffee machine and muttering something about Secretary before waving goodbye to Secret Agent and Intern both.
“Oh! By the way, Doctor is in the back resting for a bit. Doctor said for whoever to wake ‘em if he’s needed, so keep that in mind for tonight, alright?” Intern grinned, giving the man a thumbs up of understanding. Paramedic returned the gesture before exiting the hospital with a simple goodbye to Security.
Now– alone in the office, Intern turned to look at Secret Agent, who did the same.
“...Shouldn’t you be heading home?” The agent’s tail flicked in sync with a twitch of his ear. “Do you want me to go?” Intern didn’t want to answer that– so he didn’t. Instead, he walked up to the clipboard pinned on the wall, narrowing his eyes as he raised his finger to trace down the list of names. Doctor, Paramedic, Head Nurse, Nurse– he’s pressed against the wall suddenly before having the chance to continue reading. His eyes widen at the action, but he has no other chance to react, because the pressure is removed in the next instant.
“Ah… sorry about that.” Secret Agent clears his throat, his clothing shuffling as he adjusts his tie. Unknown to him, Intern is trying his hardest to stifle the sweet red flush on his face. Unwilling and ever so slowly, he turns to face Secret Agent. “The fact is– I don’t care what time I’m scheduled to. It’ll essentially be just you working tonight– given that Security’s job is simply to dispose of anomalies that try to walk through the doors, and that Doctor is asleep in the back. Secret Agent tosses his head gently, swaying stray fur out of his eyes before continuing to speak. Intern’s smile twitches, his face warming shyly.
“–So if you need additional support, I’m more than willing to stay and help out.” He didn't spare a glance toward Intern, luckily for the bunny, before his hand came up to his front pocket and pulled out a card, holding it out towards Intern. Once more, the bunny took the card between his two hands, sliding it in front of Secretary’s card. He slowly read over the details, before his eyes fixated on Secret Agent’s photo.
“I’d rather you call me before Secretary if anything goes wrong– not that I have anything against him, but just because an influx of patients means an influx of anomalies. It’s better to be on the safe side.” Intern nodded dumbly before lowering his hands and slotting the cards in his right pocket. Secret Agent’s tail flicked as he adjusted the jacket on his shoulder.
“Well then. I’ll see you tomorrow– or later, possibly.” The bunny slowly bobbed his head in agreement as Secret Agent turned on his sharp heel, strutting out the office door and down the right hall toward the entrance. Security, half asleep, sluggishly waved goodbye, snoring as she did so. Secret Agent brought his paw up to his mouth, giggling as he opened the glass doors with his other hand, chiming melodically following his departure.
Intern walked up to the check-in counter, slumping his upper half against the desk. This was undoubtedly going to be a boring shift, with Security dozing off and Doctor passed out in the break room– Intern just hoped that it’d pass quickly with little difficulty. As he slumped forward further, shadows molded around his body, gleaming with the light, he believed. He yawned, snapping his jaw open, his tongue curled out wetly before stretching out. His beady eyes clamped shut with the effort, unseeing and uncomprehending to what was unknowingly looming, awaiting. His jaw slowly closed, and he rested his head against the table, his knees trembling as he softly closed his eyes.