CHAPTER 233: Safe Place

CHAPTER 233: Safe Place

The three of them burst out of the building almost stumbling. The door slammed shut behind them.

For a second, only their agitated breathing could be heard.

Then it started.

Howls.

One.

Then several.

Then dozens.

From inside the building, the sounds began to multiply, rumbling through the hallways, filtering through the open windows. Growls, blows against the walls, doors slamming… as if the entire place had come to life.

Selene pressed Lucian against her chest.

—We have to get away now.

Fenix nodded and they began running through the streets of Munich, illuminated by streetlights that barely managed to break the darkness of the night. The echo of the howls pursued them.

Fenix breathed irregularly, clearly altered.

—What the hell was that…? —he said, looking back for a second.

Selene did not stop running.

—Calm down.

—How do you want me to calm down?!

—Listen —she replied, firmly—. From what it seems, Marcus… when he kills or infects someone… he turns them into something similar to him.

Fenix frowned, processing the idea.

—An infection…?

—Yes. And it's spreading —Selene added—. A pack is forming… bigger and bigger.

Fenix let out a tense sigh.

—Great… just what we needed.

At that moment, he lowered his gaze.

His arm.

The wound was still closing, but it was still bleeding.

—Shit…

Selene saw it and stopped for an instant.

—Hold still.

Without hesitating, she tore a piece of cloth from her own clothing and pressed it against the wound, improvising a firm bandage.

Fenix clenched his teeth from the pain.

—Don't move.

She finished adjusting it quickly.

—This should hold for now.

Fenix nodded, breathing deeply.

—Thanks…

A new howl, closer, resonated in the distance.

Both looked at each other.

There was no need to say anything.

And they ran again.

—Where are we going? —he asked—. We don't have any safe place.

Selene did not slow down.

—I have an idea.

—Then let it out already.

—Alaska.

Fenix frowned.

—Alaska?

—Yes. There's a vampire fortress there —Selene continued—. It's a fairly isolated community. They're… different.

—Different how?

—Peaceful. They don't consume human blood, only animal blood. They chose that path a long time ago.

Fenix looked at her with skepticism.

—That sounds too good to be true.

—My mother belonged to that community —Selene added—. If anyone from that time remains, they'll probably receive us.

Fenix let out a short laugh, without humor.

—Very nice, all of it, but there's a small detail: I'm a lycan. And vampires and lycans don't exactly get along.

Selene nodded slightly.

—I know.

—Then…

—This community is not like the others —she interrupted—. They didn't even support Lucian when he started his war.

Fenix looked at her, surprised by that fact.

—Really?

—Yes. They stayed out of all that.

There was a brief silence while they kept running.

—So… they shouldn't have a problem with you —Selene added—. Or so I hope.

Fenix sighed.

—Great. Crossing half the world with a possible horde behind us to trust in a "hopefully."

—Do you have another idea?

Fenix did not respond.

—That's what I thought —Selene said.

A new howl cut through the air.

Closer.

Fenix quickened his pace.

—Fine… Alaska then. But it better work.

—It better —Selene replied without stopping.

Year 2005 — Enid Corp Laboratories, Berlin
Containment Room — Internal Log

The room was hermetically sealed. Reinforced glass, cold lights, and a heavy silence, interrupted only by the constant hum of the machines.

Behind the glass, inside the containment chamber, a figure remained chained.

Or what was left of it.

Several scientists observed from outside, surrounded by screens showing vital signs completely outside the normal range.

—Log active —one of them said, adjusting his glasses—. Project T-409.

Another scientist checked the data on a tablet.

—The hybrid serum was injected six hours ago into the designated subject: Marcus Blackwood.

A third intervened, without taking his eyes off the interior of the chamber.

—The reaction has been… extreme.

Inside, Marcus's body trembled violently. His muscles contracted without control, as if something inside him were forcing every change.

—He's mutating —the second continued—. The tumors began to appear twenty minutes after the injection.

On the screens, magnified images of his skin were displayed.

Irregular protuberances grew beneath the surface, deforming his anatomy.

—The skin is deteriorating and regenerating at the same time —another added—. It's unstable.

A dry sound resonated from inside.

CRACK.

One of Marcus's bones rearranged unnaturally.

His back arched.

—His height is increasing —the first said—. He has grown at least twenty centimeters since the start of the process.

—This wasn't planned…

—None of this was.

Marcus raised his head slowly.

His eyes, once human, now reflected something completely different.

Confusion.

Pain.

And something darker.

He opened his mouth, but no clear scream came out. Only a distorted sound, as if his throat no longer responded correctly.

—Aggression levels are rising —one of the technicians reported.

—Reinforce containment.

The chains vibrated when Marcus tried to move.

The metal structure creaked under the tension.

—If this continues, it won't hold…

Silence.

No one responded.

Everyone watched.

Because, for the first time, they were beginning to understand it.

This was not a failed experiment.