The Tides of Chaos
Brendon slammed a clawed hand against the sealed elevator door. His breathing was ragged, more growl than gasp, as his massive, beastly frame loomed before the control panel. He snarled, claws scraping against steel, as he jammed his fingers between the elevator's twin doors, trying to force them open.
Inside the shaft, the counterweight creaked and shifted—still moving.
"He's going up," Brendon muttered through gritted teeth, his voice distorted by the monstrous growl that now sat in his throat.
The lights above flickered in rhythm with the tremors from his claws raking metal. His rage boiled over. With a roar that echoed through the underground corridor like a war horn, he tore the doors halfway open, revealing the dim shaft beyond.
Too late.
The elevator car was already rising fast, disappearing into the shadows above.
---
Inside the elevator, Dr. Grimm leaned heavily against the handrail, blood trickling down his temple from the chaos earlier. He stared at the floor, unmoving, chest rising and falling in panic-spurred gulps.
He tore through Chimera X-Prime like tissue paper.
Grimm couldn't stop replaying it in his mind. Every second Brendon had grown stronger— faster— more unpredictable. That… thing was never part of his calculations. This wasn't just an anthro pushed to primal limits. No—this was something ancient. Something inherited. A Mythriven, yes. But something else, too.
The elevator jolted to a stop.
He staggered out into the dimly lit upper corridor of his old escape route— one of many he had installed over the years for "insurance." Dust caked the floors. Emergency lights blinked. Sirens echoed faintly from below, fading as distance grew.
His lab coat— once pristine— hung like a battle-worn banner, dirt-smeared and torn. He dragged it behind him as he stumbled down the hallway, boots scuffing against the tiles.
His heart pounded—not with excitement, but dread.
What have I done?
Chimera X-Prime, his most dangerous creation— intended to be the beginning of a new order— was now nothing more than a mutilated carcass beneath the earth.
And Brendon… that beast… was still alive.
Worse— he isn't slowing down.
Grimm gritted his teeth. He needed control again. And he had one last card to play.
The syringe inside his coat pocket.
He gripped it tight.
Even monsters can be leashed.
Or so he hoped.
---
Residential District, Lagooncrest Island — 11:43 PM
Sirens wailed, distorted by smoke rising into the cold night air. Fires cracked through shattered glass windows and twisted the serenity of suburban streets into hellish nightmares. Streetlamps flickered. A child's toy— a plush bunny— lay bloodied and half-buried in rubble.
Zoe's eyes snapped open.
The hospital's overhead lights blinked erratically. She had dozed off, chin resting on her arms beside her brother's bed. For a brief moment, the world was quiet. Her brother, Carlos, lay still— breathing peacefully. Then—
His body jerked violently.
"Carlos?" Zoe stood, knocking over a tray of bandages. His skin convulsed, muscles tightening unnaturally. His lips curled back, revealing teeth that now looked less normal. His eyes shot open—pupils gone, replaced by eerie gray.
"No, no, no," she muttered, backing away. "Not you too…"
Silas tore away the IV tubes, his mouth releasing an inhuman gurgling growl. His hands—claws now—slashed the air. Alarms blared. Nurses screamed. Doctors rushed toward him, but he was faster. Stronger.
He lunged.
---
Shed near the lab perimeter
Judith sat on a rusted toolbox, blood running down her left thigh from a scrape she'd gotten while dragging Jason away. Her hand pressed against her wound, but she didn't flinch. Her ears were tuned to the chaos outside— the distant screams, the sounds of glass breaking, and sirens. Her pulse raced, but her mind stayed grounded.
Jason, however, had unraveled.
He sat against the wall, eyes wide and hands shaking. His fur was slicked with sweat. The young koala anthro had lost his gun during the escape, and now he rocked back and forth.
"They were... they were people," he whispered. "Those were people! Judith, I tried to talk to one of them. He looked at me like I didn't exist. Do you.... do you believe it. They are like zombies. I— I couldn't do anything—"
"Jason, breathe. Breath in, then breath out."
He looked up, pupils dilated. "I'm not a fighter! I was trained for negotiations, not monster-infested bunkers and mind-controlled civilians!"
"I know," she said, more gently. "But right now, you have to be a survivor. Just for a little while longer."
Jason gritted his teeth. "I don't know if I can do that."
Judith leaned forward, despite the pain in her leg. "You can. You're still breathing, aren't you? That's half the battle. To be honest, I am afraid too."
"Then why aren't you freaking out like me? You looking me like an timid baby here." Jason said.
"Well that's because I have already experienced this things.... umm.... I should say lesser dangerous than this. But you got the point. With experience in our line of work our fear instincts gets more controllable."
Suddenly a thud from outside the shed froze them both.
Jason's ears perked.
Footsteps. Not hurried. Methodical. He looked to Judith.
"I'll check, okay?" she said with reassurance. She drew a small knife from her boot and eased the shed door open a crack.
A flickering red light illuminated the night.
Down the hill, dozens of soldiers— dressed in dark combat gear with the insignia of the French Armed Forces— moved in formation. Trucks rolled silently behind them, their engines muffled. Drones hovered overhead. One by one, they took positions around the perimeter of the city.
Judith's eyes widened. "Wha..... what?"
Jason blinked. "Who's there?"
She pulled back into the shed. "The French military."
"What? Now?! How did they even get here?"
Judith shook her head. "I don't know. But we're not alone anymore."
---
Back at the hospital
Zoe stumbled through the flaming corridor. Blood coated her scrubs. Her brother's roars echoed down the halls. Patients cried for help— some already unconscious, others hiding beneath beds. She wasn't trained for this. She was a bartender. But now, armed with nothing more than a broken metal rod she had yanked from a bed frame, she stood her ground at the nurses' station.
A nurse— an older otter anthro— crawled beside her, bleeding from a gash across his chest.
"He's gone," he whispered, coughing. "Your brother's gone wild."
Zoe clenched her jaw, her eyes glistening. "He's still in there."
The ceiling above cracked. Smoke poured down. Carlos burst through a side wall, snarling. His claws raked across tile and flesh. Zoe gritted her teeth.
Forgive me, Carlos.
She charged, ducking beneath a swipe and plunging the rod into his side.
He howled— not in pain, but rage. With a single arm, he sent her flying across the room. She landed hard against a cabinet, breath knocked out of her.
Carlos turned, stalking forward. But then—
Gunfire erupted from the hallway.
French soldiers poured into the hospital. They raised their weapons— lasers mounted, safeties off.
"SUBJECT S-12 DETECTED," barked a soldier. "ENGAGE AT WILL!"
Carlos charged at them. Bullets tore through him. He didn't stop.
But neither did they.
Zoe watched through tear-blurred vision as her brother was gunned down in front of her. A dozen bullets later, his body collapsed. Smoke hissed from his wounds.
One soldier advanced. Scanned him. "Neutralized."
Zoe dragged herself upright. "He wasn't a threat! He wasn't a threat— he was sick!"
The soldier turned his head toward her, emotionless behind his helmet. "We're not here to determine threat levels. We're here to exterminate infected assets."
Zoe stood, rage and sorrow boiling inside her.
"You bastards…"
---
Elsewhere, across the city
Fires burned across rooftops. Streets were littered with wreckage. Some civilians fought back with makeshift weapons. Others just ran.
More mini-Chimeras emerged from underground tunnels— smaller than X-Prime, but just as deadly. The French forces moved in squads, engaging with brutal efficiency.
But even they seemed surprised by the scale.
A young commander stepped forward, helmet off, speaking into a radio. "This is Commander Luc Bernard. Lagooncrest is compromised. Level 2 bio-weapons active. Engaging suppression protocol."
A voice responded: "Do not let any of that mad scientist's experiment escape. Is that clear?"
"Yes, Minister."
He looked up.
The sky above Lagooncrest was no longer clear. Helicopters hovered. Parachutes deployed in the distance. Lagooncrest is officially under military lockdown.
---
Back at the shed
Jason held his breath as the air outside grew thick with rotor noise. He turned to Judith.
"What if they're not here to help?"
Judith stared out at the soldiers.
"Then we're going to need a new plan. Just let me think."