He was running as fast as he could, each step pushing him further from the chaos behind.
His breath came in ragged gasps as the wind whipped his face, but he didn't dare slow down. He had already sent his child ahead, as far as she could go. As long as she could escape, he didn't care what happened to him.
The sound of footsteps pounding the ground behind him was deafening, but he didn't dare look back. It didn't matter. His creation had a chance, and that was all that mattered. He couldn't let them catch him, not when she was still free.
"Hey! I found him!"
"Shit."
Entro stumbled over a root, breathless and painfully aware of his exhaustion. He was out of shape, years of drinking had left him unable to outrun the average man, let alone the trained guards hot on his tail. He could feel his body starting to give out, but the thought of his creation kept him going.
His baby was safe.
Then, a piercing sound shattered the night, cutting through the darkness like a blade. Birds froze mid-flight, diving for cover in the treeline. Crickets fell silent, and even the frogs stopped croaking. The entire forest seemed to hold its breath.
A howl echoed through the trees.
It was so primal, so full of power, that Entro felt the hairs on his neck stand on end.
"What the hell was that?" one of the men pursuing Entro muttered fearfully.
In an instant, the night exploded with chaos, gunshots, screams, and the shrill sounds of battle ringing in his ears.
Entro pressed himself against a tree, his breath coming in shallow gasps. He couldn't see what was happening, but the sounds painted a gruesome picture.
The noises grew louder, then suddenly stopped.
Then came the sound of movement, something massive, moving faster than he could process.
Before he could react, the forest seemed to explode. A massive shadow, the size of a bear, burst from the brush and barreled into him, knocking him to the ground with the force of a freight train.
The creature's massive tongue licked his face, cleaning off dirt and leaves, as if nothing had changed.
Entro laughed weakly, his heart pounding in his chest. There was something that tugged at his heart, seeing her safe. It felt primal, not complex, but excessively strong.
"Hey, I missed you too."
But there was no time for sentiment. He pulled himself to his feet, wiping blood and sweat from his forehead.
"Come on. We've got to get out of here."
The shadow beside him moved, staying close as they disappeared into the forest.
As the chubby man stood before him, shoulders heaving in fury, Karl felt a flicker of real fear—not because of the man's size, but because of his sway. Physically, Karl could take him down without breaking a sweat. But this was a man whose power extended far beyond the reach of his fists. With a single phone call, the whole world could turn on Karl in an instant, and the fear of that was palpable.
"Run that by me, one more time."
Karl's heart skipped a beat. He knew better than to lose his cool, but the boss's words were a threat, loaded with the kind of casual menace that set his nerves on edge.
"We had three units on him and the asset. That should've been more than enough, given what we're working with. But the comms went dead, and we found mauled bodies in the forest. Both assets are missing. We've sent dozens of men out in the last few hours. No sign of them."
For a moment, there was nothing but silence. The man's face was a stone mask, his nostrils flaring as he took a deep breath, like he was holding himself back from losing control.
Then, in a heartbeat, his voice shattered the calm, sharp and venomous.
"And how fucking hard is it to find a former alcoholic and a fucking dog?" His voice broke into a growl. "Find out where they went. They couldn't have gotten far. Get me my animal. NOW."
Karl's stomach twisted, his mind racing to keep pace with the sudden shift. The man was a live wire, one wrong word and he could snap.
"Yes, sir," he forced out, feeling the weight of that threat settle heavy on his chest.