There was smoke everywhere.
Soldiers were crying out—yelping in agony. Understandable.
Some had lost their arms, others their legs—and some even both.
Only Nicole had been fast enough to react.
Yet even she wasn't without injury.
She touched her chest—blood seeped from the wound and dripped to the ground.
She had already been in bad shape, but now... she was truly done for.
The commander still hovered in the air above them, watching like a predator.
Nicole struggled to her feet and staggered toward a wounded soldier.
'Can you stand up?' she asked.
The soldier nodded—his arm was gone, but he could move. Still, tears streamed down his face.
'What happened to our commander? What happened to him? Daaamnn!'
Suddenly, something caught the commander's attention.
Without a word, he turned and flew away.
The group felt a rush of relief—momentary delight.
But they knew he'd be back.
He was a predator.
And the way he had looked at them… he enjoyed the hunt. That much was certain.
Still, with him gone, they could finally breathe.
'He's become a beast,' Nicole whispered, her voice cracking as her tears threatened to return.
'He's turned into a beast… and this time, for good.'
In the City
Sark and the others had no better plan than to follow the women.
Returning to the forest wasn't an option—not with the pressure and the lights emanating from there.
People were fighting.
At the front, Jessie and Larah suddenly stopped.
They all ducked behind a truck, observing the incoming army of ghouls.
Leading them was a light priest.
'What do we do now?' one of the soldiers asked.
'We capture that bastard and force the information out of them,' Larah declared.
'Aren't you soldiers of the Special Forces—Alpha and Beta?
How come you're more scared than me?'
The soldiers remained silent.
Larah ignored the side-eyes Sark was giving her.
She stepped out from behind the truck. Her walk turned to a jog—and then to a sprint.
The priest spotted her and bellowed:
'Attack!'
The ghouls charged.
Larah tightened her grip on her weapon and leapt over some of them.
She landed in their midst and started cutting down everything in her path.
She didn't differentiate.
If it moved, it was the enemy. If it was alive, it had to be cut.
As she sliced, she bathed in blood—hers and theirs.
'She's totally snapped!' Sark grunted.
'Let's go!'
The rest joined the battle.
Jessie fought her way toward the priest, who was clearly stunned that she had gotten so far.
Even more shocking was Larah suddenly appearing behind him.
The priest pulled back their hood, revealing long blonde hair—
and eyes that shimmered gold and white.
A woman.
An immune one.
'I can feel it! You two are crazy!
Well, I'm crazy myself—hahahah!'
In the Forest
Nicole had placed the wounded soldiers beneath a tree, giving them something to lean against.
They had lost their light, their hope.
They were waiting for death.
One of them had already passed—his body completely drained of blood.
'What's the plan, Nicole?' one soldier asked.
'I—I don't know! I'm sorry! I don't know! I—fuck!'
'Drink our blood,' the same soldier suggested.
'We're already dead men. But you—you can still save the others.
And the commander—he's wounded.
If you drink our blood, you might be able to defeat him!'
'You mean kill him,' Nicole corrected.
'You want me to kill our commander?'
'Yes. I do.
He's not our commander anymore—he's an enemy.
And you're the only one who can stop him.
I can feel it—my body is reacting to something... something dangerous.
He's coming. So what will you do?
Die with us—or fight for us?'
The other soldiers said nothing.
But their silence was not hesitation—it was unity.
Their faces all said the same thing:
We're ready.
Nicole had to decide.
She rose, stepping back.
Shaking her head.
'First I lose the commander… and now I must kill my own men. I can't—'
'Get a grip, Nicole!' one soldier shouted.
'You're our commander now! We serve you!
And we will gladly lay down our lives if it helps you.
So, Commander—what are your orders?'
Tears spilled down her face.
Nicole gave her order.
'Die… for me.'
'Yes, Commander!' they all replied.
Suddenly, blood left their bodies—
and Nicole's skin absorbed it.
Her wounds healed.
Her strength returned.
Just in time.
Because the commander had returned.
He approached slowly.
'You've come back… to be hunted like a beast,' he said with a groan.
'You've even lost the ability to speak.
Let me end your suffering… my love.'
Somewhere in the Forest
Seraphina finally woke up.
'Damn… that was a strong woman!'
She gasped for air and crawled toward a tree, leaning against it for support.
'Guys… where are you?
Shit's about to get real here…'