CHAPTER 216: The Hunting Dog

CHAPTER 216: The Hunting Dog

The darkness fell all at once.

The tunnel lights went out with a dry click, leaving the corridor plunged into almost absolute blackness. Selene stopped abruptly, raising her arm to stop Joe. Lucian poked his head out from her arms, alert.

—What happened…? —Joe murmured, breathing heavily.

An electric hum ran through the duct.

In the distance, a single emergency light turned on, flickering with a pale white tone. It barely illuminated the end of the corridor, casting long, deformed shadows on the hermetic walls.

There was a silhouette there.

A hunched figure, covered in tumors, its body still trembling.

It was Marcus.

The lycan raised his head. His destroyed jaw hung grotesquely, but even so he managed to emit sounds.

—Fe… fe… nix… —he growled, dragging the syllables—. Help…

He took a clumsy step toward them.

Before he could advance further, something burst from the lateral darkness.

An enormous arm, disproportionate, covered in compact muscle and tense veins, pierced through Marcus's torso from side to side with a wet, brutal sound.

Marcus barely had time to emit a choked groan.

The arm tensed… and hurled him through the air as if he were a broken doll. The body crashed against the tunnel wall with violence and remained motionless, slowly sliding to the floor.

The emergency light then illuminated the one responsible.

A gigantic lycan, almost three meters tall.

His body was a compact mass of dense muscle, bony plates marking the skin like natural armor. Every movement transmitted a sensation of weight and crushing force. His breathing was deep, heavy, almost mechanical.

His eyes gleamed in the gloom with an inhuman glow.

Selene stepped back instinctively, placing Joe behind her.

—No… —Joe whispered, feeling his blood run cold.

Lucian raised his head, completely tense.

—That… that's Fenix —he said in a grave voice—. His Uber Lycan form.

The monster took a step forward. The ground vibrated slightly under his weight.

—We don't stand a chance against that —Lucian continued, without taking his eyes off the creature—. The best thing is to escape. Now.

Selene clenched her teeth.

The air grew heavy, charged with an invisible pressure, as the colossus advanced slowly, as if he had already decided that his prey had no way out.

Selene reacted immediately.

—Run! —she shouted, grabbing Joe by the arm.

Both of them shot off through the tunnel, crossing side corridors and technical areas. Emergency lights flickered as they passed closed laboratories, fogged windows, and abandoned equipment. The echo of the Uber Lycan's steps rumbled behind them like a constant hammer.

Each stride of the creature shortened the distance.

The ground vibrated.

Before Selene could turn, an enormous shadow covered her completely.

A gigantic hand caught her in mid-motion.

—Selene! —Joe shouted.

The Uber Lycan threw her without effort.

Selene's body was sent flying through the air, spinning several times, until she crashed through the entrance of a laboratory. Her back struck the wall with violence. The impact knocked the air from her lungs and she fell to the floor, sliding among fragments of glass and metal.

Joe raised the weapon with trembling hands.

—Get away from her! —he shouted, pulling the trigger.

The gunshots resonated in the laboratory.

The bullets impacted against the monster's body… without causing the slightest effect. They bounced off or deformed against the muscular mass as if they were simple pellets.

Joe kept firing until the magazine was empty.

—No… no… —he murmured upon hearing the dry click of the weapon.

The Uber Lycan stopped.

His breathing became irregular. The muscles began to contract unnaturally. The bones creaked, the body mass began to compress, and little by little the monstrosity reduced in size.

The reverse transformation occurred in front of them.

Within seconds, the beast gave way to a humanoid figure.

Fenix Roger.

Devoid of all external bestiality, but with the same intimidating presence. His black eyes with the white pupil observed the surroundings with unsettling calm.

Fenix advanced slowly toward Selene, who was trying to get up, supporting herself on one elbow.

Lucian poked out from Selene's arms.

—Fenix… enough. You don't have to do this —he said firmly.

Fenix tilted his head, observing the turtle with curiosity… and then burst out laughing.

—Don't tell me that… —he leaned in a little—. Lucian? Is this how you ended up? Really, this is hilarious.

Lucian clenched his jaw.

—You weren't like this.

Fenix smiled with a twisted gesture.

—People change. Some more than others.

His eyes returned to Selene.

—Well… the game is over —he said coldly—. I'm going to finish you right now.

He took one more step.

An elegant, serene voice cut through the air.

—Don't do it.

Both of them turned their gaze.

From the laboratory entrance appeared Enid Drakewood, perfectly dressed, her hair immaculate, and a calm expression, as if she were not in the middle of a scene of chaos.

—Don't kill her —Enid continued—. She's going to be useful to me for experiments.

Lucian reacted immediately.

—You sick bitch! All of this is your fault! Look at what you did to them! —he shouted with rage.

Enid looked at him for a second… and smiled.

—You still have the same mouth, Lucian. Even as a turtle.

Lucian snorted, furious.

—Look at you… so clean, so perfect —he spat—. As if your hands weren't covered in blood up to your shoulders.

Enid remained calm, watching him without losing her smile.

—You're still exaggerating, Lucian.

The turtle let out a bitter laugh.