Denaroans may be of lower intelligence, but their bodies do not like to die. And they are the worst to fight in mass numbers.
Fucking orange and black zombies.
I cautiously take out the other Denarsoan the same way, sneaking through the brush, snapping his neck, so he’ll go down quietly before I obliterate his core.
The two Nebs are my next targets.
They chat back and forth about the Denarso being unreliable and selfish.
If only they knew they were already dead.
I sneak up behind one, slide a claw around his throat, and slice through his flesh in one fast move. His partner turns toward me and snarls. I lift one of the guns I’ve stolen off the Denarso, point it at his forehead, and fire.
My heart doesn’t even stutter as I watch him fall. Their kind has killed hundreds of thousands of our allies just to steal supplies. The first time I took life was devastating. But it kept Zorin safe. I think of who is safer every time I capture someone’s last breath.
The two Myndrous turn on me. I fire at the closest one, and he goes down with two bullets to the chest, one to the head.
Then I drawn the shock spear I’ve found, flick it open, and lob the point toward the last member of the infiltration crew. It plants in his chest. Something crackles and sparks in his armor that I have to figure is his portal generator.
He staggers back and rips the spear out of his chest, tearing the portal generator with it. Then he roars and charges at me, his augmented eyes glowing. He has artificial claws and veins of metal bracing crawling up his arms.
We bash into each other and tumble through the underbrush, slashing, wrestling to be the one on top until I get aclaw into his throat, spin around, and draw him into the nook of my elbow. His face darkens.
“What do you want from our world?” I snarl.
“Not what. Who.”
“Then who?” I repeat.
Blood drains from his mouth. “Fuck you.”
“Your kind takes females. What do you want with a pup?”
“What do you think?” he growls.
“They’re different somehow.”
“Nebs don’t tell us shit. We’re just working animals to them. So if you’re going to kill me, you better just do it.”
“You could help us stop them.”
He laughs, chokes, and swallows against the blood he’s drowning in. “They can’t be stopped. Even if they could be, there will always be a few hold outs that will just wait for their time to rise again. Resisting them is pointless.”
I curl a lip. “They don’t know what they just ignited in me.”
“You?” He tries to snarl, but just oozes blood. “You’re one Shifter.”
Carrying the weight of my world and my pack, the loss of my mate, and our son…
“They’ll destroy you.” He blinks slowly. “Natural selection.”
My fur ripples as I pull the light from the forest and turn it into energy I can wield.
His eyes widen.
“I am not just a Shifter.” I release the energy I have collected and shatter his body so his death is fast. He didn’t ask to be made into what he is or be born the way he was.
Others think my methods are demented. But it is meant to not draw out death any longer than it must be. I need answers. I do not wish to torture him.
