Chapter Text
“This is our new Intern!”
Doctor Harlow’s hoof felt heavy on Intern’s shoulder as the light orange bunny-like creature looked down at the rough blue carpet that ruffled their paws.
The muntjac deer cast a judgmental gaze around the check-in-counter, where he was standing outside the check-in window. The stethoscope around his neck glinted silver in the flickering ceiling lights.
Intern cast a gaze around the hospital, their ears wiggling in confusion at the deserted place. The walls were half grey and half dirty cream, with the logo ANIMAL HOSPITAL with the white first-aid cross underneath it. A row of metal chairs beside a potted plant was situated beside a dirty glass door. The blanket of the night seemed strange, almost suffocating. Even the moon seemed to be struggling to shine.
To their left, there were more metal chairs, which seemed to be for patients waiting for their appointments. The reception room had windows looking out at the metal chairs.
It was a compact room located next to the lobby, separated by two check-in windows fitted with metal shutters to deny entry. Inside, the office had a long L-shaped reception desk with a registration computer and printer, G-Cams, and bells. In the back, there was also a security monitor to access the security cameras. On the right, there was a desk with a coffee machine and chocolate, and two posters.
There were two animals in the Reception Office. One of them, sitting in a chair. He was a sheep. A very tired-looking sheep. He was lavender purple, with slightly drooping ears, which were pink on the inside. He had large black glasses, and wore a white, collared shirt with an orange tie. He had a large amount of wool on his head, resembling an afro, with a small cowlick hovering between his eyes. His wool was slightly darker than his skin color. His wool was slightly messy, and his eyes looked permanently tired. Still, he cracked a weary smile. He raised a black, shiny hoof and waved.
The other animal was a jet-black cat wearing a black vest over a white collared shirt, including a black tie and a white pocket square, a black belt and black pants. His face had pointy cheek tufts and equally pointy ears. Wire-straight whiskers poked out from His thick black fur. He had almond shaped eyes, which were the brightest yellow Intern had ever seen. His pupils were wide and vertically almond-shaped, and a tail like a serpent raised and coiled in the air like a charmed snake. He had no visible mouth or nose.
Intern waved. The feline narrowed his eyes.
“’S nice to meet you,” the Secretary greeted Intern, breaking the tense silence between the mysterious black cat and the light orange rabbit.
Intern blinked. Then they raised their paws and signed. Nice to meet you too.
The Secretary blinked, his eyes widening. He cast a startled glance towards Doctor Harlow, who tilted his head forward. His hoof tightened around Intern’s shoulder, the pale grey cloth scrunching up under his grip.
“Oh, yes,” Doctor Harlow said, nodding his head. His voice was muffled behind his mask. His unbuttoned doctor’s coat fluttered when he raised his hoof in apology.
“Intern here is mute...” He shot a glance towards the rabbit, who had tilted his head, waiting for Secetary’s reply. “Sort of. Sometimes, they sign, other times they response using simple words or sentences.”
Intern perked their ears, which had gone flat against their head when Secretary remained silent, raising his eyebrows.
“...You..too.” Inten’s voice was like any regular animal’s voice, except for a growlier undertone.
The black feline’s paw slowly drifted, almost casually, to a gun tucked in his belt snugly.
Intern flattened their ears. They looked at Doctor Harlow. This was not how they expected their first meeting with the staff to go.
Doctor Harlow's eyes narrowed slightly. “Put that away, Agent.”
Agent said nothing, but he obediently released his paw from his gun.
“That’s an anomaly, Doctor.” Agent said, his tone almost protesting. Secretary said nothing, but he moved his chair a little backward. Intern saw him reach for a taser in his pants pocket.
Intern swallowed. Why were they so aggressive?
“Now, now,” Doctor Harlow chided. He looked at his watch, his brow furrowing. His pupils contracted a little in shock. “It's been way too long. 10 minutes! I’m running late.” He shot a sharp glance around the Reception office, lingering on Agent’s face for a longer time.
“Be nice. They're one of us now. Anomaly or not. Respect them. Treat them like a staff member too. And if anything funny happens...” Doctor Harlow’s eyes flicked to the taser in the sheep’s pocket and the gun in Agent’s belt.
“...You know what to do.”
And with that, he removed his hoof from Intern’s shoulder before sweeping away, leaving nothing but the sound of his hooves against the carpet and then clicking onto the gray tiles, along with the open and slam of the door as he swept into his office.
Secretary stood up a little awkwardly. He pointed to a door that led into the reception office. “You can come here. We’ll teach you the basics.”
Agent looked away, his tail-tip flicking. “I’m good.” His voice was cold.
Secretary blinked but didn’t object as Intern entered and Agent left.
Secretary pointed to the chair where he was previously sitting on. When Intern sat, the lavender sheep then bent down to a stack of cupboards under the thin metal table. He reached his hooves inside and Intern heard the rustle of paper.
Secretary then drew out, holding a bunch of photographs in his hoof. He threw them on the table.
“You looked confused when we mentioned the topic on ‘Anomalies,’” Secretary said. He pointed a hoof at the photograph. “These are anomalies. Anomalies are creatures pretending to be animals. They may have very significant anomalies or subtle, vague abnormalities in their appearance.” The lavender sheep pushed Intern, still in his chair, to one corner of the room, where a table with a coffee jar sat.
“You go and figure out the anomalies. I’ll go and tend to the patients who want to check in.”
Some anomalies were easy to identify. Like the dripping, black maw filled with rows of sharp teeth, or the wide, distorted body. Or the hollowed eyes.
But Intern stopped at one animal. The animal had a wide, bright pink mouth. Its jaw was unhinged and looked like those snakes when they swallowed prey whole. Its mouth was filled with rows upon rows of sharp teeth and green, thick saliva splattered on his chin. A pale green stain curled the corner of the photo. Its eyes were dead; their pupils held no light in them.
Intern’s paws trembled, and they raised a paw to their face. There was no dripping maw, no blown-wide pupils. Not that they could see anyway.
But the other photos were less distinct. Like a cat who had a wolf’s tail, or a rabbit with long, spiraling antlers. An eyeball that rolled up, one eye looking at the photo, the other gazing at something above them. A crooked skull.
Intern let out a sigh, rubbing their paw against their head.
“Good evening,” a polite voice said. Intern raised their head. Secretary was standing at the check-in counter, greeting an impatient-looking tabby who had greyish-brown fur.
She sighed and growled. “I’m here for my appointment.”
Secretary adjusted his glasses, looking at her forms. After a thorough investigation, he stamped her papers, then tapped on a computer situated in a corner, near the reception counter. After some furious clicking, the printer whirred to life and spat out a name tag.
Luna Bears.
Secretary handed the form to Luna, then said, “The nurse will be with you in Room 3. Please be patient.” His voice took on a sharper tone at the word patient.
Luna sighed, then made her way to Room 3, her tail flicking irritably. However, as she walked, her back stiffened and her paws clenched against her sides.
“This place gives me the creeps...”
Secretary rolled his eyes. Then he looked back at Intern. “See that? That’s how you check in patients. Or visitors.” A smile curled at his mouth at Intern’s perked ears.
“Wanna try?” He backed away and gestured with a hoof towards the counter, where a rabbit was making his way to the counter, glancing nervously at the lights that crackled and flickered above him.
Intern nodded. They stood up and signed. Yes. Thank you.
Secretary looked confused. “Sorry. I don’t understand.”
Intern fidgeted. They cleared their throat. “...Yes.Thank you.” Their voice crackled with a growl. Secretary didn’t seem so scared now. Instead, he turned away and grabbed the coffee jug, pouring the brown liquid into a white cup, among the others that sat beside the jug. He raised the cup to their lips and sighed.
"...Finally. A coffee break. Haven't had one in a while..." He looked up at where Intern was staring. Then he pointed at the check-in window. "Hey, aren't you supposed to be doing something?" His tone was light and teasing. Intern perked their ears up, nodding.
Intern turned his head towards the counter, where the Rabbit was waiting. The moment Intern walked to the check-in window, the rabbit's eyes flashed with something a little like...
No. Intern shook his head; their ears erect. Their paws tightened on the counter. They raised his head and signed. Hello. How can I help you today?
The rabbit smiled, understanding what Intern had signed. He replied, "Good evening. I'm Jiwoo Spiders. I'm here for my appointment."
Intern carried out the process, first stamping the to-be patient's form, then adjusting the camera and taking the patient's picture. Everything seemed normal when Intern checked the photograph. Finally, they registered the rabbit's name in the computer and printed out the name tag.
He took the name tag, handing it to the rabbit.
But then the rabbit twitched. Not a tic. His whole head a full swung 360 degrees. His voice suddenly took on a deep, staticky tone.
“I’m hungry...”
Secretary spat out his coffee mid-gulp, his head whipping up.
But the rabbit’s mouth had widened, showing rows upon rows of teeth. A thick tongue flicked, spraying the two shocked animals with green saliva. The rabbit snarled, launching itself through the window before Secretary could slam a red plastic button that had a note underneath it.
Shutters. Use them to reject patients.
The rabbit crashed into Intern, bowling them over and sending them sprawling on the tiles. Intern let out a yelp and teeth sank into their neck, teeth shredding their sweater. White pain bloomed in their throat as they felt blood spray across the floor.
Intern choked as the rabbit continued attacking them.
“HELP!” They shouted, kicking their back legs in an attempt to dislodge the attacker.
Secretary was fumbling for his taser, but he dropped it. It slid across the floor and hit the cupboards, releasing an electric zap that crackled across the tiles and charred the wood.
“AGENT!” Secretary screamed, slamming open the door and sweeping outside.
Intern screamed louder. “HELP! SOMEONE HELP!”
Pawsteps thudded against the tiles.
Intern’s vision flickered black. Hunger pooled in their stomach.
Hunger. Mind-bending hunger. Intern swallowed harder. The pain bloomed further, blood clotting their sweater. Flesh tore and fur flew in the air.
A black blur swept into the Reception Office. Gunshots fired in the air. Weight dislodged from Intern’s neck as the anomaly was shot three times in the head, then two more in the spine. It screamed and tumbled onto the floor, twitching.
Intern stopped struggling, exhausted. Black spots twirled in their vision.
Everything hurt, everything. From the tips of their ears to the their tail. They felt something wet underneath them. Raising a paw, they was met with red. Blood. They let their paw fall back, equal parts terrified and exhausted, and their field of vision wavered. There seemed to be that black cat above him, holding a smoking gun. Secretary was with him, his hooves over his mouth.
"...Agent. We just let the Intern get attacked. On his first day."
"Is that really all you care about right now?"
"No, but..." The secretary's gaze flicked to Intern's. They slowly filled with horror. "Agent, get Nurse and Head Nurse." He turned away. "And Paramedic. Now."
Intern shook their head, trying to clear their thoughts. Darkness was creeping in, obscuring everything they saw.
Secretary pressed his hooves to Intern's throat and Intern felt a stab of pain. They let out a whimper.
"Its okay," Secretary said, his voice shaking with horror. "Everything's gonna be alright. Hey, look at me."
Intern looked weakly up at Secretary's face. Everything seemed to be so....fuzzy.
"You're passing out," Secretary's voice broke. "Look at me. Come on-"
Intern's vision crackled, blurred, and then fizzled black.