Zootopia Adventures

Doughnut Disaster III

"Clawhauser? Are you home?" Judy asked as she knocked firmly on the wooden door of her colleague's apartment.

No respond came from the inside, only the sounds of her knocks could be heard echoing throughout the rather musty hallway. The hallway reminded Judy of her own apartment complex that she lives in - poorly conditioned, barely any ventilation and unbelievably gloomy as always in the early hours of dawn. It was covered by a dust packed cream colored carpet, lit by a small series of rather weak and rusted brass wall lamps. The rooms were lined with a set of old wilted plants in ceramic pots that were wrapped with a number of hairline cracks, a sign that the landlord was clearly not attending to them. Even some of the door plate numbers were missing, perhaps dropped off and became a key artifact for some animal's peculiar metallic number collection.

"I don't think he's in there, Hopps," Nick commented, keeping his shades.

"Just give it a moment, he might be busy with... something!" Judy denied with a look of uncertainty on her face but still being optimistic as always; Earning a half-lidded smile from Nick. After a rather dreadfully silent and awkward wait, she knocked on the door once more - this time much stronger, still to no avail. "Clawhauser! Are you home? Hello?"

Her ears shot right up as the door gradually gave way, creaking on its rusted hinges; revealing the living quarters of the chubby officer. Apparently, the door was not locked. A gust of cool wind blew against the pair as the air-conditioned air diffused into the stuffy corridor they were standing in. Judy stood still, paw still held out like she was still knocking as she held a wide-eyed, absent-minded gaze at the scene presented before her. Nick held his position beside Judy, cocked an eyebrow in curiosity as he tilted his head towards exposed portion of the room.

"Dark, dim hallway - Check. Cold breeze that sends shivers down your spine - Check. An unlocked door at the end of an eerie corridor - Check. Totally not creepy at all," Nick muttered with the side of his muzzle as he eyed longingly at Judy. As calm and collected of a fox he was, Nick certainly did not have a soft spot for scary places. Judy let out a soft laugh as she noticed Nick instinctively shifting behind her.

"Come on, Nick! This is scary to you?" Judy joked, gesturing both her paws at Nick. "Its just a semi run down apartment!"

"I - I am not scared, just you know... self-defense. Yes, self-defense," Nick justified sheepishly, placing both paws on top of her shoulders, gently nudging Judy to take the first step. "As usual, ladies first."

Walking into the living room, the pair studied Clawhauser's rather well-furnished apartment. Just front of them was a two seater cotton covered recliner made complete with a set of four pillows. On the wall opposite the comfy sofa mounted a forty inch digital television accompanied with a slick set of black theatre grade speakers capable of surround sound. A white wood table sat in between, with a zebra stripe patterned wool rug underneath. Adjacent to the wall with the Tv set, an air conditioner ventilated the room with cold air right above a simple metal framed window which looked out into the streets below. Nick whistled in awe as he headed towards the sofa. He pressed his paw on the unbelievably soft seat, ears perking up as he plopped onto the snug two-seater. Looking at the other seat, Nick chuckled as he retrieved a small, hand-sewn pillow he found leaning on the other side.

"Hey Carrots, want to know something interesting I fou- Gah!" Nick exclaimed halfway as he jumped from the sound of a closing door, one paw clutching at his chest as the fur on his tail stood on end. "Did - did you just close the door?"

"Yes I did, we do not want any extra visitors now do we?" Judy replied as she returned from the door. Eyeing on Nick's flustered expression and posture, she covered her mouth with her paw as she snickered. "You were scared by the sound of a door shutting? You silly dork." Nick flushed red from embarrassment. Unable to withstand the awkward moment, he cleared his throat.