There was smoke everywhere.59Please respect copyright.PENANAn9ZZygzB5B
Soldiers were crying out—yelping in agony. Understandable.59Please respect copyright.PENANAMzwfZZSQjk
Some had lost their arms, others their legs—and some even both.
Only Nicole had been fast enough to react.59Please respect copyright.PENANAVHjXwj5wkS
Yet even she wasn’t without injury.59Please respect copyright.PENANAJcvoWnciOj
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.59Please respect copyright.PENANAFxoZMaPmb2
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.59Please respect copyright.PENANAsaJDf4CKUW
Without a word, he turned and flew away.
The group felt a rush of relief—momentary delight.59Please respect copyright.PENANALryp6rnpUa
But they knew he’d be back.
He was a predator.59Please respect copyright.PENANAETAcY8DbgP
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.59Please respect copyright.PENANAk2eRfOoICp
‘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.59Please respect copyright.PENANAlc7YQrHo6k
Returning to the forest wasn’t an option—not with the pressure and the lights emanating from there.59Please respect copyright.PENANAyVPQxlrIhD
People were fighting.
At the front, Jessie and Larah suddenly stopped.59Please respect copyright.PENANAclawMeRGnn
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.59Please respect copyright.PENANA2gnTDpLKfK
‘Aren’t you soldiers of the Special Forces—Alpha and Beta?59Please respect copyright.PENANApYTJ4msDB9
How come you're more scared than me?’
The soldiers remained silent.59Please respect copyright.PENANAcC4nbBknwC
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:59Please respect copyright.PENANAK4EZqSW3jr
‘Attack!’
The ghouls charged.
Larah tightened her grip on her weapon and leapt over some of them.59Please respect copyright.PENANAQK38AJSBj0
She landed in their midst and started cutting down everything in her path.
She didn’t differentiate.59Please respect copyright.PENANAVWNwgbUgyP
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.59Please respect copyright.PENANAcyXJJ5JDef
‘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.59Please respect copyright.PENANAWggY9OYmRV
Even more shocking was Larah suddenly appearing behind him.
The priest pulled back their hood, revealing long blonde hair—59Please respect copyright.PENANAip793oDk8G
and eyes that shimmered gold and white.59Please respect copyright.PENANAlTNx0vhjit
A woman.59Please respect copyright.PENANABZUODHslJM
An immune one.
‘I can feel it! You two are crazy!59Please respect copyright.PENANANR8BvwIqse
Well, I’m crazy myself—hahahah!’
In the Forest
Nicole had placed the wounded soldiers beneath a tree, giving them something to lean against.59Please respect copyright.PENANAhvLAV98O8f
They had lost their light, their hope.59Please respect copyright.PENANAMduDEpaCPB
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.59Please respect copyright.PENANAFmoDV9BPPK
‘We’re already dead men. But you—you can still save the others.59Please respect copyright.PENANA9jFTWtCBln
And the commander—he’s wounded.59Please respect copyright.PENANAkKtbVPLVwV
If you drink our blood, you might be able to defeat him!’
‘You mean kill him,’ Nicole corrected.59Please respect copyright.PENANAmrni39CcTz
‘You want me to kill our commander?’
‘Yes. I do.59Please respect copyright.PENANAw7GioqRf7p
He’s not our commander anymore—he’s an enemy.59Please respect copyright.PENANA81p8tZ2mnm
And you’re the only one who can stop him.59Please respect copyright.PENANA7U1hZL0k9R
I can feel it—my body is reacting to something... something dangerous.59Please respect copyright.PENANAxezxQQx4qU
He’s coming. So what will you do?59Please respect copyright.PENANAxNY6oQbhz4
Die with us—or fight for us?’
The other soldiers said nothing.59Please respect copyright.PENANADnbXj38ejf
But their silence was not hesitation—it was unity.59Please respect copyright.PENANACmWFDKkDAl
Their faces all said the same thing:59Please respect copyright.PENANAS09GkGHCNf
We’re ready.
Nicole had to decide.
She rose, stepping back.59Please respect copyright.PENANAdv4WHFxRPi
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.59Please respect copyright.PENANA4jWaOtMFMo
‘You’re our commander now! We serve you!59Please respect copyright.PENANAYrIBhmnUIm
And we will gladly lay down our lives if it helps you.59Please respect copyright.PENANAjyz6LdR6ci
So, Commander—what are your orders?’
Tears spilled down her face.59Please respect copyright.PENANAtq64WHrZQS
Nicole gave her order.
‘Die… for me.’
‘Yes, Commander!’ they all replied.
Suddenly, blood left their bodies—59Please respect copyright.PENANAbrRYLIBpVt
and Nicole’s skin absorbed it.
Her wounds healed.59Please respect copyright.PENANAFxWI4jkl2m
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.59Please respect copyright.PENANA24tZBQnHBE
‘You’ve even lost the ability to speak.59Please respect copyright.PENANAHYzZvJ1sVf
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?59Please respect copyright.PENANAvfh9j01xdz
Shit’s about to get real here…’59Please respect copyright.PENANAAgeVhFem3h