Chapter 10 THE WAR WITH THE INFECTED WOLVES
The Alpha's words echoed inside Ethan's mind long after the giant beast finished speaking. The war begins tonight. Standing in the middle of the ruined street surrounded by hundreds of infected wolves, Ethan felt the weight of those words settle heavily on his shoulders. Around him, the city of Ashvale burned beneath a sky stained black by smoke. Buildings collapsed in the distance. Explosions flashed across the horizon. The world he once knew was disappearing piece by piece.
The Alpha turned away from him and looked toward the northern district. Every infected creature immediately followed its gaze.
The wolves became still, then a distant sound rolled across the city.
At first it resembled thunder. Moments later Ethan realized it was something far worse.
Gunfire.
Thousands of weapons firing at once; the military had launched a full assault. The battle for Ashvale had begun. The Alpha released a low growl. The infected army responded instantly. Hundreds of wolves surged forward as the streets trembled beneath their movement. Ethan watched the horde race through the city like a living tidal wave.
The Alpha remained behind.Its glowing eyes settled on Ethan.
"Come."
The single word carried the force of a command. Ethan clenched his fists.
"I'm not following you."
The giant beast stared at him for several moments then it did something unexpected.
It lowered its head slightly and said to Ethan
You must see!!
Before Ethan could answer, another explosion shook the city. The Alpha turned and sprinted away.The wolves followed. Within seconds they vanished into the darkness. Leaving Ethan and the survivors alone.
The Last Broadcast
Marcus exhaled heavily.
"I hate that thing."
Rachel nodded.
"Join the club."
Nobody laughed; the situation was far too serious. Victor looked toward the northern district.
"We need to move."
"Why?" Sophia asked; Victor's expression darkened. “Because whatever battle is happening out there will decide whether Ashvale survives the night." The group continued moving through the ruined streets.
Fires burned everywhere, abandoned military vehicles littered the roads. Bodies lay scattered across intersections. Signs of battle covered the city. Eventually they reached an emergency command truck overturned beside a collapsed office building; a faint signal crackled from inside. Ethan climbed into the damaged vehicle.
The radio was still functioning then a voice emerged.
"This is General Ward; All remaining military personnel are ordered to retreat."
Rachel frowned.
Retreat.
The word alone revealed how desperate the situation had become.
The voice continued.
"We have confirmed the existence of multiple Alpha-class entities."
Ethan froze.
The transmission continued.
"The original Alpha is leading the infected forces. Additional entities have been detected outside the city perimeter."
Silence followed, even Victor looked shocked.
The voice returned.
"We repeat. Additional Alpha-class entities have been detected."
The signal suddenly died.
Nobody spoke, the implications were terrifying, The Alpha Ethan knew wasn't unique, there were others.
Beyond the Walls
The group eventually reached a hill overlooking the northern district. The sight that greeted them stole the breath from their lungs. The battlefield stretched for miles the military tanks lined shattered roads. Helicopters circled overhead armored vehicles formed defensive positions. Thousands of soldiers occupied the city outskirts facing them stood an army of infected creatures, the scale of the battle was unimaginable.
Wolves, mutated humans, gigantic creatures Ethan had never seen before the infected covered entire streets.
The military opened fire as xplosions erupted across the battlefield, missiles streaked through the sky, buildings collapsed as the infected charged forward.
The collision between both armies shook the city. Ethan stared in disbelief.
This wasn't a battle, It was a war; a war humanity was losing; then he saw the Alpha. The giant beast moved through the battlefield like a force of nature.
Tanks exploded beneath its claws, missiles detonated against its body but nothing slowed it down and all he infected followed wherever it led. A king commanding his army.
Suddenly Ethan felt the familiar burning sensation beneath his skin, he staggered slightly. The golden veins across his arms brightened.
His vision blurred; the battlefield transformed before his eyes. Golden energy flowed through every infected creature. Invisible connections linked them together.
The Alpha stood at the center of those connections controlling them.
Ethan gasped.
The network stretched for miles, every infected creature belonged to it, every wolf, every monster, every transformed human. Then something impossible happened. One of those connections extended toward him. The golden strand connected directly to his chest.
Ethan froze.
The Alpha suddenly looked toward the hill.
Their eyes met across the battlefield then a connection brightened. A voice echoed inside Ethan's mind.
"You can command them."
The words nearly stopped his heart he looked around but nobody else seemed to hear it.
The voice continued.
"The blood remembers."
The connection pulsed, the infected nearest the hill suddenly stopped moving. Several wolves turned toward Ethan, then lowered their heads. Rachel stepped backward.
"Ethan."
Fear entered her voice.
The wolves weren't responding to the Alpha, they were responding to him.
The ground suddenly shook, as a tremendous roar rolled across the battlefield.
Everything stopped as every creature looked toward the eastern horizon.
Something was coming, the roar sounded again. The skyline exploded and a skyscraper collapsed outward. Dust filled the air as a gigantic shape emerged from the destruction.
The creature dwarfed the Alpha. Black armor-like skin covered its body, four glowing eyes burned like molten gold. Massive spikes protruded from its back. Each footstep cracked the streets beneath it. The battlefield fell silent as the sound shattered windows through the city.
Victor's face turned pale.
What the hell is that?
Then the ancient being's words returned to Ethan.
Additional Alpha-class entities, this was one of them. And judging by the reaction of every infected creature present, it was stronger than the Alpha.
The new monster charged as the battlefield erupted into chaos. The Alpha met the attack head-on. Both titans collided with enough force to shake the city.
Buildings collapsed, roads split apart, shockwaves tore through nearby streets.
The infected scattered and the soldiers fled. Nobody wanted to be anywhere near the battle.
The Alpha fought fiercely, Claws flashed, roars echoed, blood stained the streets yet something was wrong.
The new creature was winning; Its strength exceeded anything Ethan had witnessed before.
The Alpha was driven backward, then the larger monster struck. The Alpha crashed through three buildings before finally stopping.
The battlefield went silent as the Alpha struggle to stand; the king of the infected had been defeated.
The giant creature lifted its head and roared triumphantly the sound echoed across Ashvale. The infected immediately lowered themselves. Thousands of monsters bowing at once.
A new king had arrived but then the creature's four glowing eyes turned toward Ethan, the distance between them didn't matter.
Ethan knew it was looking directly at him.
The monster opened its mouth and spoke.
"Found you."
The words echoed across the battlefield. Every survivor froze, every infected creature became silent, the giant monster took one step forward as its gaze never left Ethan.
And deep beneath his skin, the golden blood began glowing brighter than ever before
