The Rescue Plan

Thomas, Steven, and Sophie sat in silence, the weight of Beth's rescue pressing heavily on them. Breaking the tension, Steven spoke up with his usual bravado, "Since Thomas has this alpha strength now, why don't we just charge in there? He can beat them all, and while they're distracted, Sophie and I can rescue Beth. Easy."

Sophie gave Steven a deadpan look. "You know, I didn't think it was possible for you to sound dumber, but congratulations—you've outdone yourself." She crossed her arms and explained, "There are at least a thousand of those beasts. Even if Thomas could handle them all, they'd quickly figure out the alpha power is in him, not Beth. They'd kill her, unseal their leader, and then it's game over for everyone. Not to mention," she added, "Thomas has terrible stamina. He'd burn out and die before it's over."

Steven slumped back, chastened but not entirely discouraged. Thomas leaned forward, asking, "Alright, what's the plan, then?"

Sophie took a deep breath. "If Thomas can find a way to blend in with the crowd of beasts and create a distraction, we could sneak in and get Beth out."

"Blend in?" Thomas frowned. "You mean… like fully transform into a beast?"

"Exactly," Sophie nodded. "If you can harness the alpha's power to transform fully, like you did with your hand before, you could act the part. But you'd need to move and sound like one of them, and that takes practice. Unfortunately, we only have until tomorrow night to save her."

Thomas nodded, determination hardening his expression. "I'll figure it out before then."

Steven, now fully energized, jumped up. "Great! We've got today to train. Let's meet here tomorrow morning, ready to go!" The others agreed, and they all headed home to prepare.

At home, Thomas went straight to his room. He sat cross-legged on the floor, focusing on summoning the alpha's power. He visualized the beast within him, tapping into its energy. Slowly, he began to transform, but the process was painful and incomplete. Undeterred, he continued practicing into the night.

Meanwhile, Sophie gathered supplies, scavenging through her lab for tools and inventions that might come in handy. She tested everything meticulously, knowing failure wasn't an option.

As for Steven? He did what Steven did best—slept.

The next morning, the trio regrouped at Steven's house. Thomas looked exhausted but determined. Sophie came armed with gadgets, while Steven seemed as refreshed as if he'd spent the night at a spa.

"Uh… Sophie?" Steven asked, eyeing her assortment of tools. "What's with all the gear?"

Sophie smirked. "Let me explain. First, this is a blaster." She held up a sleek weapon. "It fires concentrated bursts of energy. Very dangerous." She pulled out another device. "This is a drone lifter. It'll carry us above the beasts so we can avoid direct contact. And finally…" Sophie held up a spray can with a mischievous grin. "This is my masterpiece. Beasts eat humans—everything except their brains. So, I used brain tissue from the cemetery my dad works at to create this spray. It makes you smell like a beast, so they won't suspect you're human."

Steven and Thomas recoiled in horror. "That's disgusting!" Steven exclaimed, his face twisted in revulsion.

"Yeah, well, survival isn't pretty," Sophie shot back, unfazed. Thomas then says that "I used the whole day to perfect my transformation into my beast state but it couldn't be mastered in one day as I can only use it for five minutes" as he transforms showing them

To prove her invention worked, Sophie sprayed the concoction on Thomas. The smell hit him like a brick wall, and he staggered back, gagging. "Ugh! That's the worst thing I've ever smelled!"

"Good," Sophie said, satisfied. "That means it's working."

Their discussion was interrupted by Steven's mother entering the room, curious about the noise. She froze, eyes wide, when she saw Thomas in his beast form. Before anyone could explain, she fainted. Sophie and Thomas hurried to lay her on Steven's bed, but Steven waved it off. "Don't worry. When she wakes up, she won't remember a thing."

With that, they finalized their preparations. Sophie handed Steven the blaster, and they set out for the abandoned garage where Beth was being held.

Inside the dimly lit garage, Beth was slumped against a pillar, tied up and barely conscious. She hadn't eaten, slept, or even moved much in two days. The beasts ignored her suffering, prowling around as they awaited the night when their leader would be unsealed.

From a safe distance, the trio surveyed the scene. Thomas clenched his fists, his blood boiling at the sight of Beth's weakened state. "It's time," he growled, his voice already deepening as he began to transform.

Fully transformed, Thomas entered the garage, blending seamlessly with the crowd of beasts. He moved confidently, mimicking their snarls and grunts. To create a distraction, he shoved a nearby beast. "You stink, and you're ugly!" he snarled.

The insult landed like a punch, and the offended beast lunged at Thomas. With a quick move, Thomas flung him into another beast, sparking an all-out brawl. Chaos erupted as beasts turned on each other, completely distracted from their surroundings.

From above, Sophie and Steven used the drone lifter to fly toward Beth. Steven clung tightly to Sophie, his face pale with fear. "Don't drop me!" he squeaked.

They landed near Beth, who weakly opened her eyes. "You're here," she whispered, tears welling up. "I thought… I thought I was going to die."

"Not on our watch," Sophie said as she and Steven worked to untie her. Once free, Beth collapsed into their arms, too weak to stand. Steven handed her a beef stick, which she devoured ravenously.

Their escape plan hit a snag when a stray rock, thrown during the beasts' fight, struck the drone. The device sputtered and crashed to the ground, destroyed. Sophie cursed under her breath as she explained the situation to the others.

Things worsened when the acting alpha—a towering, menacing beast—entered the fray. His eyes scanned the chaos, quickly noting that Beth was missing. He roared, silencing the fighting beasts, and barked out orders to find her.

Sophie, Steven, and Beth hid in a small storage room. Thomas slipped in moments later, reverting to his human form. Steven, startled, nearly threw the broken drone at him. "Calm down!" Thomas whispered harshly.

Beth, seeing Thomas, broke down in tears and hugged him tightly. "I knew you'd come," she sobbed.

Thomas held her close. "You're safe now. I promise."

Her stomach growled loudly, and Steven handed her another snack. As she ate, Thomas turned to Sophie. "What's the plan now?"

Sophie's face was grim. "The drone's destroyed, and the only exit is the front door."

Thomas nodded, his resolve hardening. "I'll buy you time. Get Beth out of here."

Before anyone could protest, Thomas transformed back into his beast form and burst out of the room. He leaped into the center of the garage, landing with a thunderous roar. The acting alpha turned to face him, and without hesitation, Thomas delivered a devastating kick that sent the alpha's head flying.

"Run!" Thomas bellowed to the others.

Sophie and Steven grabbed Beth and bolted for the front door. The beasts, enraged by the loss of their leader, swarmed Thomas. He fought with all his might, knowing he only had five minutes before his stamina gave out.