Brendon didn't have time to think.
The moment the creature lunged, instincts screamed, and his body reacted on its own. He dodged to the side, scraping his shoulder against a rusted control panel, and bolted for the hallway.
Behind him, the monstrosity roared, the sound shaking dust from the ceiling. Heavy footfalls followed—a crashing thud with each step, metal groaning beneath the beast's weight. Brendon didn't dare look back.
He weaved through the corridor, ducking under collapsed beams, shoving broken doors out of his path. The building wasn't stable—each quake from the creature threatened to bring the structure down on top of them.
Too small. Too narrow, Brendon thought. If I stay in here, I'm done for.
He threw his body through a shattered window and rolled into the brush outside. Vines tangled around his legs as he rose, thorns scraping his arms, but he didn't stop.
A second later, the wall behind him exploded as the creature tore through it, roaring again, this time in frustration.
"COME ON, THEN!" Brendon snarled over his shoulder as he ran into the thick woods.
The canopy swallowed the last rays of twilight. Brendon ducked and jumped between roots and fallen logs. He needed space—needed cover. The forest, he hoped, would slow the brute down. The deeper he ran, the denser the trees became.
His breath rasped in his throat, lungs burning. The gash on his shoulder from earlier throbbed. Still, he didn't stop.
Just a little further…
Finally, the ground dipped. A ravine. Brendon leapt down and rolled to the bottom, scrambling to his feet and flattening against the rock face. Silence fell.
No footsteps. No crashing.
His ears twitched. He sniffed the air.
Nothing.
He slumped to one knee, panting. Bark dug into his back.
That thing—whatever it was—looked like it stepped right out of the photo in the file. Human… gorilla… rhino. A weapon. A science experiment meant to outlive nuclear winters, maybe even wars.
He gritted his teeth.
How many others are out here? He can't let this monster go any near to residential areas. He have to stop them here. Otherwise consequences will be dire.
Then, the sound he dreaded.
Crunch.
A branch. Snapped.
Brendon's head snapped up.
The thing had circled.
The creature emerged from the trees, silent now. It tilted its head, nostrils flaring.
It's smart, too smart for being an abomination Brendon realized.
Brendon moved, sprinting across the ravine floor and into a different section of the forest. Behind him, the creature gave chase again. But now Brendon isn't running anymore— he is leading.
He zig-zagged, doubled back, hopped across stones, climbed trees, and dropped down again—doing everything he could to throw off the scent. But no matter what he tried, the beast kept pace.
He finally reached a clearing. The moonlight offered a ghostly glow, reflecting off his sweat-covered fur.
Brendon skidded to a halt, panting.
"No more running…"
He turned. The creature stepped out from the dark, massive chest rising and falling.
Brendon gritted his teeth. "Let's end this." raising both of his hands in front of him, taking the poise of a boxer.
The wolf in him stirred. Muscles tensed. Fur bristled. Claws extended. His pupils shrank to slits. His eyes changed from amber colour to bright yellow.
The creature snarled and charged.
Brendon darted forward—dodging the first swipe, then the second. He slashed with his claws, catching the creature's shoulder. It bellowed in pain but kept swinging.
He jumped, landed on the creature's back, and tried to claw at its neck, but it threw him off, slamming him into a tree. Bark cracked beneath him, and stars burst in his vision.
He barely had time to roll as the beast's fist shattered the tree trunk above him.
I'm not strong enough, Brendon thought, staggering up. Not alone.
But he refused to fall.
He howled—feral and raw—and lunged. His claws sank into the creature's side. He bit, tore, ducked a backhand, rolled under its legs, then kicked at the back of its knee.
The monster dropped to one leg.
Brendon pounced.
He aimed for the throat. His claws met flesh.
The creature screamed. Its hand swung blindly, striking Brendon's side, knocking him back.
Blood dripped from his mouth. He staggered but remained upright.
Then the beast faltered. It dropped to all fours, groaned, and collapsed.
Breathing hard, Brendon limped forward. He nudged the creature's body with his foot. No movement.
It was over.
He collapsed to one knee again, clutching his ribs. "You… were a victim too… weren't you?"
The thing didn't reply. It just lay there, twitching once, then still.
The forest fell silent again.
---
It took nearly an hour for Brendon to recover enough to stand fully. His clothes were torn, fur matted with blood—some his, some not. Every step sent pain up his legs. But he had to finish this.
He made his way back to the ruined facility, passing the mangled edge where the creature had burst through.
The lab is eerier now. Every shadow felt like a whisper. The pods loomed like sentinels. One of them had shattered entirely. That must've been its cage, Brendon thought grimly.
He went back to the workbench, careful this time. His eyes scanned for any other files he might have missed.
Another folder—smaller, tucked behind the drawers.
He opened it.
Inside were lists. Codenames. Timelines. Test subjects labeled with species combinations.
And one page with a French title:
> Échec du Prototype 7 - échappé.
(Prototype 7 - failure. Escaped.)
A scribbled note in English beside it:
> Subject displayed heightened intelligence. Escaped containment during transfer. Unstable but responsive. May exhibit human memory triggers.
"Responsive?" Brendon muttered. "To what?"
He was about to flip to the next page when—
CRACK!
Pain exploded at the back of his head.
The world spun.
He dropped to the floor, vision flickering, and caught one last glimpse of someone standing over him—silhouette blurred by the spinning lights in his eyes. Whoever they were holding something—long and wooden.
A broom.
Then darkness swallowed him.