Page 65 of The Wolf

Ahh, the mighty Marduk… You shouldn’t be here right now.

I don’t respond. I can’t. This thing… it’s stronger than I can fathom, more dangerous than I’m prepared for. If it wanted to break free, it would. I don’t know how the military managed to trap it here, but they did, and now it’s waiting for the right moment.

You must leave before it’s too late… Before she’s no more…

The man’s body—thisshell—jerks as if something inside him moves, a violent, twisting motion. I step back, almost instinctively, as the air thickens, the pressure building. The demon is trying toreachme. I can feel it scratching at the edges of my mind, forcing its way in. The human body inside the cell twitches while the demon stirs, feeling my presence.

I rush out of the hallway, my heart pounding in my chest, and then another scent hits me. Much more familiar, a scent that carries fear, pain, and desperation. That’s when I find them—the human women. They’re huddled in a corner of one of the lab rooms, some visibly pregnant, their wide eyes locking onto me behind the glass-windowed door that they have barricaded.

I push it open with ease. “It’s okay, I’m not going to hurt you.” I crouch low to meet their eye level, my hands lifted in a peaceful gesture. “What are you doing in here? Where did you come from?”

“Umm, the tiger…” one woman begins, her voice hesitant, “we were locked in cells on the lower level, and he came to release us. But with the chaos… I thought it’s best if we wait it out here.”

“That’s very smart. You’re very brave,” I say gently, trying to reassure her. “Do you know if there are any more?”

“Maybe some lab workers?” she replies, glancing at the others for confirmation. “Or maybe they got out. I’m not sure. We were the only subjects. He took the doctor lady with him and ran.”

Subjects…

“You’re safe now,” I say firmly. “I’m going to get you out.”

The other woman stirs, her voice trembling as she speaks. “Who… who are you?”

“The one tearing this place apart,” I answer with a wry edge, offering my hand to help her up.

Suddenly, the ground shifts again, but this time with much greater force than any bomb. The scent of sulfur floods the air, and a low, guttural roar reverberates even through the lower tunnels. The heat is so intense that I can feel it even from underground.

Satan’s begun his show.

“Okay, we need to hurry!” I bark, ushering the women toward the exit. “Now!”

Edwin, I’ve got some captive women heading up there. Take them to safety.

As they ascend the narrow path, another explosion rocks the ground. The walls of the base tremble, cracks spidering through the concrete, sending chunks of debris raining down. The air fills with smoke, the screams of the dying echo around, and the scent of jet fuel and scorched flesh mingles with blood and fear.

“Keep moving!” I snarl at the women as the ground beneath us begins to collapse. The base is falling apart, the tunnels caving in under the force of Satan’s wrath.

Once the survivors are out of the tunnel, I begin to crawl out of there, the ground slipping from under my paws, but Edwin’s arm is there to help me up.

Above, Satan’s firestorm has reduced much of the surface base to ash. The hot desert sky is filled with raging fire and smoke, the silhouette of his true Leviathan form dominating the horizon. His wings are spread wide as he soars high in the air, his red scales gleaming bathed in the afternoon sun like he’s the flame himself. With a screeching roar, he spits a hellfire, consuming yet another one of the military’s aircraft.

The freed women and wounded are gathered at the edge of the battlefield, their eyes wide with a mix of awe and terror as they watch the destruction unfold.

But the military isn’t giving up. Reinforcements are pouring in, and the humans still hold the upper hand in sheer numbers and firepower. The creatures we’ve freed are wild, fighting with feral desperation, but we’re losing some of them to relentless attacks from above. The fighter jets keep coming faster than Satan can burn them down, and the witches mostly exhaust their powers.

“We need to start escorting everyone out before Satan can use his full force and get this over with,” I say, nodding at Penny.

His thunderous roar shakes the entire facility—or what’s left of it, anyway—as he hovers lower above me. “Is everyone out?” Satan’s voice rumbles, deep and menacing. His massive wings beat once, scattering smoke and ash as he lands amidst the chaos.

I confirm before asking, “Clear us a path. Then burn this place to the ground.”

“With pleasure.” He rears back, his chest glowing as molten energy builds within him. Then he unleashes it—a cataclysmic wave of fire and destruction that obliterates everything in its path. Soldiers, hybrids, machinery—nothing is spared. The heat is unbearable, even for us, but I don’t flinch. This is what we came for. This is what the humans deserve.

“Time to go,” I shout. “Everyone stays together!”

We begin the escape, the stronger ones helping to escort the weaker to safety, everyone working in unison.

Behind us, Satan roars again, his eyes burn with inferno, and his maw opens wide as he exhales a torrent of flame, reducing the advancing soldiers to ash in an instant.

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