“I visited a zoo or two awhile back, why?” Spike asked.

“Get ready to visit a zoo with a… unique assortment,” Varek said with a smile as he wrote something down and handed it to Spike “Don’t read that, take it to the one known as Kruger, he’ll know what to do with it,” Varek said.

“Ooook?” Spike still didn’t fully or really at all trust Varek but he had no choice.

“I will assure you things are getting more complicated as time goes on, speaking of which time is running out, I’d say you only have a day and an hour left,” Varek said taking a puff of his cigar.

“Alright,” Spike said as he turned and left the office, he couldn’t help but take note of the picture on the portal.

It looked like a walrus…

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Be silent… he is listening…

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Spike made his way out of the portal and saw what looked like a trashy place.

It looked like a mix between a junkyard and a zoo, with cages and piles of garbage strewn about the place.

“Ugh, whoever owns this place doesn’t take very good care of it,” Spike said as he walked in.

“Turn back…” A weak voice croaked and Spike jumped and turned to one of the cages and saw what looked like a fake gorilla-headed person cowering in a cage.

“Oh my gosh, are you ok?” Spike ran over and he saw the thin-looking man in a cage.

“Forget me… this is my punishment, but you need to hide,” He whispered.

“Why?” Spike asked a little too loudly.

“Not so loud! He’s got really good ears!” The prisoner whispered harshly.

“Who?” Spike asked quieter.

“Kru-” Suddenly a yell overcame the area and they glanced to see a huge figure running for them.

“Too late!” The man crawled to cover.

Spike stood there frightened as the huge man barreled towards him, but when he thought he was going to attack he changed direction and ran up to the cage and bellowed something that sounded like…

“BAD GORILLA! BAD! YOU ARE ONLY ALLOWED TO TALK LIKE A MONKEY!” The man bellowed while throwing a soda can at him.

“Eeep! Oook ook!” The man cowered under the gaze of the man.

“Not good enough! No dinner tonight!” He barked at him before standing up and turning to Spike, Spike actually had to look up at this guy he was so tall.

“Heehee! A new guest! Sorry you had to see that, this dumb monkey won’t do it again, RIGHT?!” He shot a glare at him and the man nodded numbly.

“Good! My name is Kruger by the way, Kruger the walrus,” The man stepped into the light and Spike took note that he looked like a man wearing a burlap outfit modeled after a bipeadal walrus wearing overalls.

His tusks looked real though…

“U-uh hi?... Why is that man in a cage?” Spike asked.

“What man? I only see my idiot pet gorilla,” Kruger said with a head tilt.

“Huh?” Spike said.

“This guy isn’t super bright, and he’s super obsessive about animals,” Varek said.

“Ah…” Spike said.

“Well? Come on! Let’s get you fixed up newcomer!” Kruger said as he turned and walked off and Spike hesitantly followed.

“Um… actually I’m just here to-” Spike said but Kruger spoke first.

“Take my contract, I know,” Kruger said.

“How do you-” Spike asked but Kruger cut him off again.

“My buddies Topsy and Darla warned me you’d come, but no need to worry, I’m handing it over,” Kruger said as he went over to a cage with two people with lion masks on.

Looking closer Spike could see the full-head masks were sown on… he wanted to puke at this place, a place where humans are debased and treated worse than animals.

But it wouldn’t be hell if people were happy, would it?...

Spike made his way to the cage with the lions along with Kruger.

“Hello my little lions, I’m coming for the safe,” Kruger said as he opened the cage and the two people dressed as lions cowered in the back of their cages as he walked in and picked the safe up.

“What do you say?...” Kruger asked.

“R-rawr…” One said.

“Meow…” The other said.

“Good!” Kruger left the cage and closed it behind him.

“Alrighty! Here ya go!” Kruger said handing Spike a piece of paper after opening the safe.

“Thanks,” Spike said as he took the contract thankful at least one demon was being reasonable.

“Give him the paper,” Varek said.

“Huh?” Spike asked.

“The one I gave you,” Varek reminded him.

“Oh, ok,” Spike said getting the paper out of his pocket and handing it to Kruger.

“Oh! A message for me? Okay!” Kruger said as he read it… and his expression suddenly looked happy.

“Is everything okay?” Spike asked.

“Yeah, yeah, just go,” Kruger said as he waved Spike off.

“Ooook?” Spike said as he turned to leave… and a sudden jolt of electricity shocked him and he cried out and fell to the ground.

As he laid there Kruger stood over him chuckling.

“Did you really think I was going to give it to you?” Kruger said as he tossed his cattle prod aside, picked the paper up and put it into the safe again.

“No…” Spike grunted as he was hoping this guy would be the one to just give it to him but guess not.

Kruger walked around him and showed him Varek's letter.

‘You can have him,’

“What?...” Spike said in shock.

“I was going to take you anyways, but I guess he wanted you to know how expendable you are to him, heheheh, don’t worry, you're in good hands now…” Kruger chuckled as he picked up Spike and carried him away.

“.....VAREK!” Spike cried as he was dragged off.

“Heheheheh, thought it might make things more interesting if I gave him an incentive,” Varek said with a laugh.

Spike woke up on a surgical table and he looked around before noticing he was tied up, he struggled but he couldn’t escape.

“Now that you're in the thick of it-” Varek said before Spike shouted.

“Shut up! You sold me out!” Spike said.

“I simply issued a challenge to have you try harder, you’ve been getting a little more cocky as of late,” Varek chuckled.

“You sadistic-”

“Who are you talking to?” A voice said and Spike turned to see a guy wearing a cheetah mask asked quietly.

“A jerk who I owe a debt to…” Spike sighed.

“I-” Suddenly the door was kicked open and Kruger walked in and glowed at the cheetah guy.

“What did I say about TALKING?!” Kruger growled.

“S-sorry!” The guy whimpered.

“You're still talking…” Kruger growled again.

“M-meow…” He cowered under Kruger's wrathful gaze.

“You’ll get a beating later, for now, I have a new animal friend to make,” Kruger said before turning to Spike with none of the menace from before “Alrighty! Now what to make you… hmm,” Kruger hummed in thought.

“I am NOT your animal!” Spike cried.

“Yes you are!” Kruger slammed his fist down on the table denting it.

“Tch!” Spike tried to struggle some more.

“Hmm… a goat?.... No, a panda?.... No… a doggy?” Kruger walked around before getting an epiphany “Topsy said you were a slippery one… know what else is slippery?... Ferrets! I love ferrets!” Kruger said eagerly and he went over to a closet and opened it before digging through several animal masks and pulling out one of a ferret.

“I-I don’t even know what sound ferrets make!” Spike cried.

“Just go squeak from now one little ferret! I’m going to make you my newest little pet!” Kruger said setting the ferret's head on a struggling Spike and standing back.

“Hmm.. now how to do this…? Staples? Nails?... Eh, I’ll just sow it in,” Kruger approached a table and picked up a needle and a string.

“No! Don’t!” Spike cried.

“Don’t worry little ferret! I’ll be quick,” Kruger said as he leaned in with the needle and…

Suddenly the cage door flew open and Spike saw the cheetah guy book it through the door.

“HUH?! HEY! Get back here cheetah! I haven’t neutered you yet!” Kruger yelled chasing after him.

“Huh? What just-”

“I just bought you five minutes,” Varek said.

“Why-”

“Because I want to see if you can escape Kruger,” Varek said.

“Ok…” Spike said before he thrashed around trying to get free and the table fell over, on the ground Spike saw a surgical saw and he shook his head to get the mask off before he reached his head forward and grabbed the saw with his teeth and used it to cut himself free.

Spike managed to get free and he hurried out the door.

Only to run into a figure as he turned a corner and he saw it was Kruger carrying an unconscious prisoner.

“Hey! What are you doing out of bed? Bad ferret!” Kruger said dropping the cheetah-masked guy and reaching down for Spike.

“Leave me alone!” Spike got up in time and skidded back avoiding the grab.

“Ngh! Get back here Ferret! You're not complete!” Kruger lunged at Spike and he dodged and Kruger hit the ground with a loud thud.

“Nope!” Spike ran down the hallways as Kruger got up.

“You don’t wanna be my animal friend?... THEN YOU CAN DIE!” Kruger yelled after Spike who shut a door behind him and ran on.

He spotted shards and he ran for them.

Spike collected shards as he ran through the halls of the building he was in.

As Spike made his way down an adjacent hallway the door that it led to busted down and he paused as he saw Kruger wielding a large chainsaw.

“Heheheh. There’s still a chance… be my pet, or die,” Kruger said.

“Not a chance, you psychopath,” Spike said.

“Then die!” Kruger sprinted forward and swung his chainsaw at Spike who jumped out of the way and ran for it before he lost a leg.

“GET BACK HERE!” Kruger chased Spike with his chainsaw.

“Aaaah!” Spike cried as he ran down some stairs and collected his shards, as he ran down another hallway he was surprised by Kruger just going through the wall.

“WHAT THE?!” Spike cried as Kruger pinned him.

“Heheheheheh, bad ferret, dead ferret!” Kruger said before running Spike through with the chainsaw.

3 lives left “Looks like you not as slippery as a real ferret,”

Spike got up back at the office he escaped from.

“Ugh…” Spike said as he got up, before he could question anything he heard a cry of dismay from afar, meaning Kruger might be wondering where he vanished to.

“Gotta move,” Spike said as he ran and collected shards from the other side of the building.

As Spike went down some stairs he heard Kruger calling out for him.

“FERRET! WHERE ARE YOU LITTLE FERRET?!” Kruger yelled as he started bashing walls down.

“Not good,” Spike said as he ran on down a corner hallway and he saw a bridge nearby, he decided to take it and cross to the otherside.

As he ran he looked and saw more cages with more people contained inside them.

As Spike was thinking about how wrong this is he heard a shout and he looked up to see Kruger having jumped out of a window and landing in front of him.

“There you are ferret!” Kruger said before he ran after Spike and swung his chainsaw.

Spike dodged and fell back against the railing, Kruger turned and raised the chainsaw and swung it down, Spike dodged an attack that would have cleaved him in half and ran around Kruger who ran after him.

“RAAAAAH!” Kruger yelled as he chased after Spike, Spike tried to slow him down using a door but Kruger bashed it down and chased him into a hallway leading to a lobby area.

Spike collected the shards here but found that he was cornered.

Spike turned and saw Kruger closing in.

“Vanish!” Spike said and he disappeared and avoided the swing.

“Huh? Where did the ferret go?” Kruger asked as he looked around… and then he heard footsteps to his right…

“There you are!” Kruger turned and grabbed Spike before raising him into the air and slamming him down, hard.

2 lives left “Looks like you're getting thrown to the vultures, don’t worry, they’re hungry enough to want it,” Varek taunted.

Spike wasted no time shaking the dizziness from his head and getting moving.

“Where’s the exit?” Spike demanded.

“Take the hallway to your left,” Varek said and Spike made a beeline for where Varek directed him.

Eventually, he found himself outside the building and he looked around, finding himself in the twisted zoo with more shards.

He ran towards the shards and began collecting them as quickly as he could, as he collected them he ran past several cages that had varying people with varying masks in them, seeing someone resisting their oppressor made them speak.

“Yeah! Show Kruger!” a guy with a penguin mask cheered.

“Go!” A woman wearing a frog mask said.

Spike nodded at them and ran on, knowing there was nothing he could do for them.

Unfortunately, not all of them were on Spike's side.

“Hey! Kruger! He’s over here!” A man wearing a bunny mask called.

“Wha?” Spike said as Kruger rounded a corner having heard that.

“Sorry, but kissing up gets you better treatment,” The man shrugged.

“Thanks a lot!” Spike said as he ran away from Kruger who made a break for Spike.

Spike ran around the park as the crazed walrus man chased him and he was gaining on him...

“You won’t leave!” Kruger said as he jumped at Spike and Spike cried out as he felt a slash across his back and it knocked him over.

As Spike laid there Kruger picked him up aimed his head back and drove his tusks into Spike.

1 life remaining “Maybe the option to be his pet ferret is still open?” Varek taunted.

Spike got up and looked around, he was outside the building again, not waiting for Kruger to find him again he ran into an area he hadn’t gone to.

As he grabbed some more shards he ran into an area that was mainly just junk piles and he hid when he heard the roar of a chainsaw.

Looking around he saw Kruger making his way into the area, Spike watched him until he left and he made his way into the next area.

As Spike made it there he saw the last few shards were there.

Spike made his way over and collected them.

“Whew, where is it?” Spike asked.

“In a habitat nearby,” Varek said and Spike nodded and went to the nearest habitat and saw it was a pit with water and a rock in the middle, where a safe lie.

“This seems too easy,” Spike said suspiciously.

“Never know,” Varek said as Spike slid down the arching wall and he swam over to the rock and claimed the contract.

As he turned he saw a walrus head poking out of the water.

“...Please tell me you're not Kruger,” Spike pleaded.

“Heeheeheeh…” The figure suddenly rose out of the water and raised his saw.

“AH!” Spike jumped out of the way of a slash that would have taken his head.

“FORGET BEING A FERRET! Food for my other pets is what you can be!” Kruger said before he swung his chainsaw at Spike wildly.

“Bad time to let you know this is your last chance?” Varek said.

“Seriously?!” Spike said as he tried to scramble up the wall and he managed to grab the ledge and climb out.

Kruger climbed out as well and he lunged and swung his tusks down at him.

“AGH!” Spike rolled out of the way and he got up and ran for it while Kruger was pulling his tusks out of the ground.

Spike ran around the corner and slid on the ground a little.

As he got up he ran for it as Kruger rounded a corner and ran after Spike with a frenzied look in his eyes.

“I’LL RIP YOU TO PIECES!” Kruger yelled as he chased Spike into the pathways of the zoo.

As Spike made his way around he heard Varek chuckling.

“What could you be laughing about?!” Spike cried.

“This is simply amusing,” Varek said.

“SHUT UP!” Spike cried as he could practically hear the swishes of the chainsaw behind him.

Spike rounded a corner and ran for the exit to this hellish place amidst the cheers of the other prisoners and Kruger narrowly missed a swing.

Seeing Spike running for the exit he growled.

“NO! NONONO! YOU BELONG TO MEEEE!” Kruger screamed before throwing his chainsaw like a projectile.

“AAAH!” Spike turned and saw the saw flying at him.

It was going to impale him, he was doomed!

And his family… he could see his children being given to those monster hounds, his wife grieving their vanishing, and the fact that in the end… he’ll cease to exist…

“I’m sorry… I did my best,” Spike said preparing for the stab.

…

….

…..

“No!” A sudden voice cried and suddenly a light emanated in front of Spike and it manifested a figure who struck the chainsaw away.

“HUH?!” Kruger exclaimed.

“What the?” Spike said as he fell on the ground.

“Go, I won’t let him hurt you,” She said.

“Your kind can’t be here… it’s the law!” Kruger growled getting up.

“I took my chance,” She said before turning to Spike and nodding.

Spike was in awe, but he knew what she was telling him and he took this chance to run into the portal.

“NOOOO!” Kruger cried trying to run at the being but she vanished before he could grab her.

Getting up Kruger looked around and hit the ground in frustration.

“She can’t be here…” Kruger said.

YOU ESCAPED!

Spike tumbled to the ground and before he could get up he was picked up by Verak.

“You sly human! You employed one of them?!” Varek said his eyes giving off a grey glow.

“Wh-what? What are you-”

“DON’T LIE TO ME! That was an angel! How did one get down here?!” Varek demanded.

“I-I don’t know!” Spike pleaded.

“Hnngh… I sense you are telling the truth… I will investigate this, but this will cost you,” Varek said setting Spike down and walking back to his seat.

“How?” Spike said.

“You will have one less try, and I’m upping the price to your wife as well,” Varek said.

“WHAT?!” Spike said as he looked ready to fight him but Varek’s eyes glowed brighter.

“You’d be wise not to raise my blood pressure child…” Varek said.

Spike backed off but still looked taken aback by these events, an angel?... who is this angel and why is she helping him?...

Next time: Amidst a red background a huge fat creature with multiple legs is staring at the viewer, making loud wheezing noises.

Author's Note

Told ya it'd be dark, but we finally have an appearance of the mysterious being speaking to Spike, who is she?

And more is to come soon, I work tomorrow so maybe not immediately.