The cold night air did little to soothe the terror creeping through the remaining guards.
Pantheress's voice carried a playful lilt, a cruel mockery of innocence that made the hair on their arms stand on end. The way she spoke—like this was all just a ga—made her all the more terrifying.
One guard stood frozen in place, too paralyzed to even breathe properly. His partner, however, reacted on instinct. His body jerked into motion, and without a word, he turned and sprinted deeper into the community.
"Help!" he shouted, desperation coating his voice. "Sobody—!"
He barely made it ten feet.
Pantheress's smirk widened as she eased down onto all fours, her feline fra shifting into an unmistakable predatory stance. Her front lowered, her rear raised, the muscles in her long, toned legs tensing in preparation. Her tail flicked side to side with barely contained excitent.
Then—her pupils dilated, her ears flattened, and she moved.
She pounced.
**FWUMP!**
The first stride covered half the distance between them.
The second was the last he ever saw.
The panicked man felt sothing looming behind him, an ominous presence that made his stomach twist. Against his better judgnt, he looked back—just in ti to see her airborne, her body twisting mid-leap.
His eyes went wide.
Pantheress extended one powerful leg and kicked the gun right out of his grasp before using the other to slam into his throat.
**THUD!**
The impact sent him crashing onto the pavent, his back hitting the ground with such force that the air was driven from his lungs. His mouth opened, gasping for breath, but nothing ca.
A sharp weight pressed against his throat—her leg, pinning him in place. Razor-sharp claws grazed his skin, just enough to let him know they were there.
His entire body trembled, the fight draining out of him as he lay trapped beneath her.
Pantheress tilted her head, her green eyes gleaming with a mix of amusent and mild disappointnt. "Why are you so slow?" she asked, her voice carrying a tone of childish frustration.
Like a predator bored of its weak prey.
He tried to speak—tried to plead—but the only sound that escaped was a choked, pathetic wheeze.
**HOOONK!**
The sharp blare of the SUV's horn interrupted the mont.
Pantheress's ear twitched in annoyance. She turned her head, catching sight of dusa watching from the driver's seat, an unimpressed expression on her face.
Pantheress pouted before turning back to the man beneath her, sighing as if she were being scolded for playing too rough.
"Aww," she murmured, "looks like playti's over."
The mont the words left her mouth, the man's eyes went even wider.
He knew what was coming.
"No, no—please, I have a fam—"
**SHLKT!**
With a casual flick of her foot, Pantheress dragged her claws across his throat.
A sickening gurgle filled the air as blood spurted out, painting the pavent in warm, glistening streaks.
The man's body spasd, his hands flying to his throat, trying—failing—to hold in what was spilling out.
Then—he stilled.
The last remaining guard had watched it all.
His legs felt weak, but survival instinct overrode the horror gripping his mind. His only chance was to run.
And so he did.
With Pantheress standing between him and any escape deeper into the community, he turned and sprinted toward the gate.
**THUNK!**
But, pain hit before he even realized what happened.
A sharp, searing agony in his leg.
He stumbled, his montum failing him as he collapsed forward onto the cold pavent.
He gasped, eyes wide, as he twisted his body to look down.
A hook.
Thick, rusted tal pierced straight through his calf, embedded deep like he was nothing more than a carcass in a butcher's shop.
His breath hitched in his throat as his gaze followed the length of the chain attached to it.
And at the other end…
A behemoth.
The last guard's face went pale.
Egor stood at the edge of the SUV, towering over everything around him, his singular eye locked onto his prey with an eerie stillness.
Slowly, he wrapped the chain around his massive forearm, tightening his grip as the hook remained lodged deep in the man's flesh.
The guard let out a pitiful whimper, shaking his head in disbelief.
Tears pricked his eyes as he sobbed, voice weak, broken.
"No… please…"
He knew it was over.
The Bright residence stood in contrast to the chaos unfolding across Santos City. While explosions rocked districts, heroes fought in the streets, and ergency sirens blared nonstop, the high walls and security of Chanel Hills kept the community untouched.
But inside the house, tension had settled like a storm cloud.
Samantha stood in the living room, gripping her phone so tightly her knuckles were white. Her other arm was folded across her stomach, as if physically trying to hold herself together. She had been refreshing her ssages for the past hour, desperately trying to get through to Don.
No response.
Her heart pounded unevenly in her chest, her mind racing through the worst possibilities.
Across from her, Sumr sat curled up on the couch, her fingers fidgeting with the hem of her sweater as she glanced at her own screen repeatedly, waiting—hoping—for any sign of Don replying.
Amanda, however, was the only one not caught in the spiral of worry. She was concerned, sure. But she wasn't panicking. Not like Samantha. Not like Sumr. Because unlike them, Amanda had seen what Don was capable of—what he had done to the monster at the farm.
If anything, she pitied whoever was stupid enough to pick a fight with him.
For the past thirty minutes, she had been trying to convince Samantha of the sa.
"Sam," Amanda sighed, her tone hovering between sympathy and exasperation. "You need to calm down. I get it, you're worried, but this is Don we're talking about. He can handle himself. You saw his evaluation"
Samantha let out a shaky breath, still staring at her phone. "I just… I just need to hear from him."
Amanda rubbed her temples. "The whole city's a ss and there's likely no network where he is. I'm sure he's fine."
Before Samantha could reply—
**Ding-dong**
The doorbell rang.
All three won froze. Their heads turned toward the hallway, where the sound echoed faintly through the house.
Amanda frowned. "Who the hell—"
Before anyone could move, Winter—who had been stationed in the hallway as a precaution—spoke.
"I shall check who it is." Her voice was as neutral as ever, but there was a slight shift in her posture. Subtle. Calculated.
Samantha hesitated for a mont before stepping toward the entrance of the living room, peering into the hallway just as Winter reached the door.
Unlike a normal person, Winter didn't reach for the handle.
Instead, she paused.
A second passed.
Then another.
Winter's eyes flickered slightly as she accessed her internal network—checking the external security feed through her link to Sparky, the android dog stationed outside.
That's when she noticed sothing was wrong. The feed was still active. But Sparky wasn't moving.
The dog was lying on the lawn, but it wasn't looking at the door.
It wasn't looking at anything. Its movents were erratic, twitching in place, struggling but unable to get up.
Then, through the feed—
A voice. A childish, annoyed voice. "Stupid dog, stop struggling."
Winter's expression didn't change. But internally, she processed everything in a millisecond. The situation was now confird as a threat.
She turned her gaze toward Samantha, who was already watching her with growing concern. Samantha opened her mouth, but before she could ask—
Winter spoke.
"Please go upstairs with the others. I believe we have intruders."
Samantha's breath caught in her throat. "What?" she muttered, voice thin. "Who?"
Winter's eyes glowed faintly red. "Please go upstairs."
Samantha felt her pulse spike. "But—"
"I believe there is more than one," Winter continued, her tone eerily calm. "And so, I may not be able to contain them while simultaneously ensuring your protection."
Samantha's stomach twisted. Winter never warned them about things unless she was absolutely certain.
This wasn't an if. This was happening.
And the way Winter spoke, the way she was already positioning herself between them and the door, told Samantha one thing.
They weren't dealing with common intruders.
Samantha turned sharply toward the living room.
"Amanda, Sumr," she said quickly, voice shaking, "we need to go upstairs. Now."
Sumr blinked, confused. "What?"
Amanda didn't hesitate. "Shit—let's go."
Amanda was already moving, grabbing Sumr by the wrist as Samantha turned and rushed after them, her heart pounding.
**Ding-dong** **Ding-dong** **Ding-dong** **Ding-dong**
The bell rang again. Over and over.
Outside, dusa stood at the doorstep, repeatedly pressing the button with an almost bored expression.
She sighed, tilting her head slightly before slipping off her sunglasses and hat.
The cold night air touched the snakes on her head, making them coil and hiss.
She didn't seem concerned.
Not about the delay.
Not about the locked door.
Not about anything.
Casually, she turned her head to the side, looking toward Egor—who stood on one end of the lawn.
On the other side, Pantheress had her claws dug into Sparky's back, holding the twitching android dog down effortlessly.
dusa gave a small smirk.
"Egor," she said lightly. "Break it down."
The one-eyed brute grunted. "Yes, Mistress."
His massive footsteps thudded against the porch as he lumbered forward, each step making the wooden stairs creak under his weight.
dusa stepped aside, giving him room.
Egor curled his fingers into a massive fist, preparing to slam it through the door, but then—
**BOOM!**
The door didn't break… It exploded outward.
A leg shot through the wood like a battering ram, slamming directly into Egor's stomach before he could even throw his punch.
The force was monstrous.
Egor's massive fra was lifted clean off the porch, his body launched backward.
dusa barely had ti to move before he crashed into the ground, cracking the pavent beneath him.
Her snakes hissed, their bodies coiling in agitation.
Pantheress's ears perked up, her tail lashing as she watched with pure interest.
Egor groaned, pushing himself up. Even with his unnatural durability, the impact had hurt.
All three of them turned their gazes toward the doorway. The broken wood creaked. So pieces still clung to the hinges.
From within the shadowed entrance, a figure stepped forward. Winter.
She walked calmly, stepping over the broken remains of the door, her posture eerily composed.
Her hands were neatly folded in front of her. As if she were simply greeting guests.
But her eyes—Her eyes glowed a deep, ominous red.
The air around her shifted. Cold. Lethal.
Then, in the sa neutral, formal tone as always, she spoke. "I have designated you as lethal threats to the occupants of this household."
She took another step forward, her gaze sweeping over them, assessing.
"As per Oga-Gen Protection Law 14-A, androids operating in civilian environnts may engage lethal force in response to confird ho invasion threats."
She stopped just past the threshold, head tilting slightly.
"You now have five seconds to vacate the premises—"
She paused.
Then—
Her voice softened.
"I suggest you use them wisely."
User Comments
0 comments from readers