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The Last Stand
An unreleased short story from the book:
Beasts of Creation Tales of Human-Animal Hybrids Gone Wrong
The mission seemed straightforward at first—too straightforward, as it turned out.
A covert military operation, led by Captain Elias Ryker, was tasked with taking down an out-of-control hybrid that had once been a soldier. The hybrid, designated Alpha-9, had been part of an experimental program designed to create enhanced soldiers, blending human intelligence with animal instincts and strength. It was meant to be a superior warrior—faster, stronger, more resilient than any human soldier.
Alpha-9, however, had become something else entirely.
The hybrid had started showing signs of aggression during routine training exercises. The blend of human and animal instincts had become unmanageable. One day, it had killed its handler, ripping through the man’s throat with its clawed hands. The military quickly quarantined Alpha-9 in a containment facility, but that didn’t last long. The creature had grown increasingly violent, overpowering the guards and escaping into the wilderness. It was now a rogue killing machine, hunting anything in its path with cold, methodical precision.
Ryker and his team, six seasoned soldiers handpicked for their experience in extreme conditions, were sent in to neutralize the threat. The mission parameters were clear: find and eliminate Alpha-9. They were the best of the best—veterans who had fought in the bloodiest wars, trained for any and every scenario. But no one had expected the terror that awaited them in the thick, desolate woods where Alpha-9 had fled.
As Ryker and his team set up camp just outside the target area, the sense of unease was palpable. There was no sign of the hybrid yet, but the forest seemed alive in a way that was wrong. Every rustling leaf, every snap of a twig set their nerves on edge. It was as if the entire forest was holding its breath.
“Stay alert, this thing isn’t just a rogue soldier,” Ryker warned, his voice gruff, betraying his own sense of unease. “It’s more. We’re dealing with something that thinks like a predator. Like a beast.”
The team nodded in grim silence, their faces grim under the harsh glow of their lanterns. They set up a perimeter, weapons ready, each man scanning the woods with a heightened sense of danger. They knew the hybrid could be anywhere, watching them, waiting.
Then, just as the last soldier secured the rear, it happened.
A loud crack echoed through the trees. It wasn’t an animal. No—it was the unmistakable sound of something large, something powerful, moving through the underbrush with the intent to kill. And it was fast.
Within moments, Alpha-9 emerged from the darkness, its glowing eyes the only visible part of its monstrous form. A hulking figure, over seven feet tall, covered in thick, matted fur. Its muscles rippled beneath the surface, giving the creature an almost predatory grace despite its imposing size. It moved in unnatural silence, blending into the shadows before springing into the light.
Its human intelligence had made it cunning—strategic. It knew exactly where to strike, and how to evade. The soldiers, despite their years of training, were caught off guard. The creature’s speed was overwhelming, its senses razor-sharp, its instincts untamed.
Before they could even react, Alpha-9 lunged, crashing into the nearest soldier, Private Mason, with terrifying force. The man screamed as his body was hurled into the trees like a ragdoll. His limbs were twisted at grotesque angles, his screams cut off in an instant as Alpha-9’s claws raked through him.
“CONTACT! CONTACT!” Ryker yelled, firing his weapon into the darkness. But it was too late. The creature was already gone, disappearing into the shadows, leaving nothing but blood and the scent of death in the air.
The remaining soldiers scrambled, trying to regain control. Ryker ordered them to fall back to a more defensible position, but the terror of the situation began to sink in. They had no idea where Alpha-9 would strike next, or when.
Hours passed. There were no more attacks—only the silence of the forest. But the silence felt worse than the noise. Every time a branch snapped or the wind howled, they tensed, their fingers gripping their weapons until their knuckles turned white.
Finally, the creature came again.
Alpha-9 appeared out of nowhere, moving faster than humanly possible, its glowing eyes cutting through the dark like a predator’s. It went straight for Corporal Hayes, a quick-thinking soldier who had always been the first to act. But this time, it wasn’t enough. Alpha-9 was too fast. It was everywhere at once.
Hayes had no chance. The hybrid was on him in an instant, its clawed hand sinking deep into his chest, ripping through flesh and bone with terrifying precision. He screamed, the sound gurgling as his life was torn from him in a matter of seconds.
The others opened fire, but the creature danced between their shots, almost mocking them with its agility. It moved with terrifying grace—unpredictable, unstoppable. A nightmare made flesh.
At this point, the soldiers knew it was over. They were being hunted, not by a mindless animal, but by something that was both man and beast. Alpha-9 wasn’t just using animal instincts—it was outsmarting them.
Desperation set in as they regrouped, their survival instincts kicking in. They tried to move in formation, tried to outwit the creature, but every move they made was anticipated. It had learned. It had adapted.
“I’ll distract it!” Ryker shouted to the remaining men. “You get into position—”
But before he could finish, Alpha-9 appeared again, silent as death itself. It was right behind him. Ryker felt the air shift, the ground tremble underfoot, and before he could turn, it lunged.
It wasn’t a brutal attack like the others. This time, it was personal. Alpha-9 swiped at Ryker, knocking him to the ground. The hybrid’s face—part human, part animal—loomed over him. Its teeth glistened in the moonlight as it leaned down to whisper in his ear.
“You made me,” it said, its voice a guttural growl, mixing with the human words.
Ryker’s heart pounded as the creature tightened its grip. There was no escape now. The creature had turned the tables. It had become the predator, and they were its prey.
By the time the creature was done, the forest was still. The soldiers were dead, and the hybrid stood alone in the clearing. Blood stained the earth beneath its feet, and the sound of its breathing was the only noise in the otherwise silent night.
Alpha-9 had done what it was born to do. It had hunted, and it had won. But there was something deeper in its gaze, something darker. It was no longer just a weapon. It was more than its creators had ever imagined.
It turned, disappearing once more into the shadows, the echoes of its actions lingering in the woods, and the fear that it could strike again hanging in the air like a thick fog.
The Last Stand had ended. But the creature, the hybrid born of man’s darkest ambitions, remained. And in the end, it was the soldiers who were the hunted.
If you enjoyed this short story you will probably like our latest release available now:
Beasts of Creation Tales of Human-Animal Hybrids Gone Wrong
$3.99
Prepare yourself for a chilling journey into the heart of scientific ambition and unnatural horrors in Beasts of Creation: Tales of Human-Animal Hybrids Gone Wrong. This collection of dark and disturbing short stories explores the terrifying consequences when humanity’s attempts to merge human and animal traits spiral out of control. Each story delves into the unimaginable nightmare that arises from hybrid experiments gone wrong, filled with blood-curdling twists, moral dilemmas, and relentless horror.
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