Zarda's inquisitive mind was racing with questions. He looked up at Rez, the grungy lizard who would occasionally glance back as he precariously balanced in the dune buggy.
"What's on your mind, beastie?" Asked Rez.
Zarda was irritated by his new pet name and took his time to respond, "Curious, I was just wondering where we are headed. What is the name of the location?"
Rez looked over at him with a smirk and said, "Why does it matter? I already told you we're going to see Big Zee, end of story."
Zarda, feeling frustrated, remained silent. Thurston's relative was starting to become a nuisance for him. Despite this, he held onto hope, knowing they were out of the intense dry heat. The wind as they rode off quickly helped cool their sweat-drenched clothing. Oridian felt sticky and uncomfortable, but was relieved to have pipsie in her lap beside Vulpix, and Dane, a heavy set horned lizard loomed over them as he hung on the back tail gate of the buggy. Osborn started to drift to sleep, he closed his eyes as he sat between Zarda and a dark scaled Horned lizard named Akkis.
The driver swiftly reached their destination, he skidded to an breakneck stop. Dirt was flung back at the trailing dune buggy, which stopped more cautiously. frustrated by the abruptness, Rez felt the driver deserved a solid punch to the bicep.
"Learn to drive better Grizk, you idiot!" shouted Rez angrily.
Grizk vigorously rubbed the sore spot to alleviate the throbbing pain. He gulped down his pride and avoided Rez from that moment on. Another male horned lizard sitting next to Osborn burst into laughter. Rez shot him a look, silently telling him to shut it or he would be next.
Meanwhile, Zarda ignored them and focused on the steampunk-style building standing in view. The exterior walls had a burnt copper-brown color with a texture similar to cement. Bright shiny copper pipes emitted white smoke and ran in multiple directions from the building's side. An oversized vintage clock clung to the entrance wall, with copper metal gears turning slowly as the minute hand moved. It looked like something out of a time travelors dream. Meanwhile, Rez stepped out of the vehicle, picking up his triple burst SMG wrapped in green and orange camo tape, that he called Mr suprise.
He moved to he side of the vehicle instructing his new crew, "Let's go inside to Big Zee, it's time to move out." Grizk started to unfasten his seatbelt and get out of the vehicle, when he was called out by Rez to stop.
"Not you! Grizk, drive your buggy back to the garage. Throk, you too, drive and follow Grizk to the back. The rest of you - Thriruuzk, Six, and Akkis - come with me. Prepare your weapons. Thriruuzk, stay to the back end of the party. Akkis, stick to the middle left. Six, you'll be on the middle right side, and I will lead us to our destination. The rest of you strangers stay in a straight line."
Without any more trouble Zarda's group did as they were told. His hope hinging on water and a bed to sleep on. The large party approached the massive clock and entered through an automatic sliding door, worn down by years of sun exposure. The dark metal now bore a rusty copper hue with patches of shiny metal fused together. A rush of cool air greeted them as they stepped inside, one by one, into a dimly lit hallway. Most of the light provided by a sporadic blinking fluorescent bulb overhead, inside after the doors closed it created an eerie atmosphere. The air smelled of iron, dirt, and mildew, while the sound of loud mechanical fans filled the hallway, indicating the source of the cool air. They proceeded down the spooky corridor one by one.
It became clear beyond their initial cooperation with Rez, the lizard still enforced gun power to keep them in line. They easily obeyed orders when faced with heavy artillery aimed in their direction. Oridian held Pipsie in her arms, staying close to the middle behind Zarda. Dane and Zarda supported the weakened Osborn, allowing him to lean on them. Vulpix the fox stayed behind Oridian and Pipsie, while Pipsie trembled with fear. Her fear of being imprisoned again and tormented caused her to release a foul odor, a natural defense for an adolescent skunk. Oridian, Vulpix, and the three lizards began coughing and gagging as a result. Zarda, Dane, Osborn, and Rez kept walking until they noticed the others had stopped and were struggling to breathe in the skunk's defensive cloud.
Before long, Rez and the other three started coughing along with them. The odor was overpowering in the confined spaces.
"WHAT IS THAT? The only way out is to keep moving forward. Follow me and don't stop," shouted Rez.
The group chased after Rez through the dimly lit hallway. When they reached the end, they found themselves facing another metal sliding door, this one newer and less weathered than the previous one.
As the door slid open, a blast of chilly, invigorating air greeted them. Osborn's expression remained serene each time a door was opened. The animals passed through, entering another dimly lit hallway. The only change was a staircase made of metal grates was fashioned at the far end. Both hallways lacked rooms or windows, consisting only of dark, cold metal walls with sporadic fan air ducts.
Rez hurriedly led them up the stairs and into a spacious room that looked like a clock factory. Gears, gadgets, ticking clocks, whistles, and steam pipes filled the space. Multiple doors led in different directions. At the far end was a dark maroon sliding door with a white number one, while a faded navy blue door with a white number two was tucked away to the left. Zarda and his group carefully examined the room before following Rez through the navy blue door, which led them into a bright and clean hallway. The walls were white, the floor had speckled gray tiles, and the fluorescent lights remained steady, unlike the flickering lights in the previous halls.
Zarda observed the presence of clear sleek sliding doors that alternated every few spaces on either side. They resembled that of a spacecraft or space station. Inside, the interior seemed spotless, with each containing a cubby bed, a small table, and a chair, with a possible hidden bathroom to the side. Excitement surged through Zarda as he saw them, wishing they could pause and explore, but Rez insisted they meet Big Zee.
They once again trailed behind Rez down an incredibly lengthy corridor, eventually arriving at a white, transparent sliding door. As the door slid open, they entered a massive dining hall with the same pristine white decor. Rows of long wooden tables with white round stools tucked neatly beneath them lined the hall. Zarda couldn't help but notice the unusual emptiness of what appeared to be a large facility. "Where are all the Lizards Thurston mentioned?" he pondered silently.
Rez turned around and began to speak, "Just one more hallway, and we'll be at Big Zee's area."
"Thank the heavens," Zarda thought to himself. He didn't know how much longer Osborn could keep up with all the walking. The bear had been persevering, moving from one room to the next despite the pain. Zarda gesturing to Rez he could continue ahead. The lizard turned sharply in his dusty biker boots and proceeded onwards. They examined the room as thy passed, beyond the tables in the main room, there was a small kitchen area, perhaps a pantry, and a cafeteria line for food. On the other side, there seemed to be bathrooms. Rez came to a sudden stop in front of a black door with a white lizard symbol on it. A door scanner was located next to it on the right hand side. Rez took out what looked like a lizard tooth from his pocket and used it to scan himself in. The door opened, and he gestured for the group to hurry through. He stood in front of the door watching the others pass him by. Once everyone was inside, Rez stepped aside to let the door close behind them.
Rez led them through another hallway past the dining hall, this time it was much shorter and decorated with copper pipes lining the walls in a peculiar design that gave the hall a grungy, steam punk look. Surprisingly, a large window on the right side overlooked a courtyard surrounded by bobwire fencing.
Zarda didn't seem to mind, in fact, he quite enjoyed this peculiar style. It was a refreshing change from the boring plain white walls they previously traveled through.The vibrant colors and unique design definitely surpassed the mundane sand box outside.
Just beyond, another black sliding door adorned with the same white lizard symbol, a brightly lit room was revealed. The walls were painted burnt orange with white trim, and two large panefree windows adorned the back wall, allowing sunlight to flood in. Zarda's first distraction was by the massive fish tank, filled with exotic species, the aquarium lined the entire left side wall, while a mysterious door beckoned towards the right. In the center of the room, Big Zee the great horned lizard was perched at a large black walnut desk.
He was lounging with his feet clad in old, well-worn biker boots propped up and his eyes closed, his scaled hands resting comfortably behind his head. It appeared that he had been caught resting in that moment of their arrival.
The group stood anxiously watching the elderly lizard snoozing peacefully at his desk. Wondering when he would take notice and how he would react to the sudden abrupt invasion.