Bwerrrr! Bwerrrr! Bwerrrr! Bwerrrr!

"Hurry up! Get out of the way!"

"Secure the lower levels, now!"

"Get the students to safety!"

Boooommmm! Boooommmm!

The scene on the ground floor of Anderson Science Center was pure chaos. Explosions were rocking the building, sirens were sounding off, and people were running around like mad men. The Center had faced all matters of medical emergency before -- complex crush injuries, severe burns, penetrating wounds requiring massive blood transfusion -- but defending the building from a full-on, canine attack was something it had never faced. The Center was a healthcare facility, not a military outpost.

"... proceed to the shelters in an orderly fashion... "

Buried beneath the foggy din of alarms and explosions was the Interlink, acting as a public address announcer. It reminded the science community of Level 5 protocol, the highest order of response in case of a disaster. The calm, scripted recording was in stark contrast to the utter confusion gripping the Center. Instead, people regarded the overhead directions with a frantic, scattered disposition.

Aaieeeaaahhhh!

No!! No-oooo!!

Aaaahhhh-eeaahhhh!!

Adding to the pandemonium were cascades of gasps and screams coming from the main lobby and entrance. People had gathered at the front windows and were reacting to the outdoor happenings with horror and disbelief.

Invading mongrels were at a telescope distance. They had made an unimpeded entrance onto the campus grounds, leaping and rollicking, their powerful forelegs muscling over the grassy plains; racing one another as the only challenge to their ingress. A light, cool wind blew through their flying coats of fur.

At that moment, a small HP patrol unit arrived to intercept the animal horde.

"Don't let them reach the outer structure!"

The limited group of humans put up a barrier of resistance and clashed with the mongrels on the plaza plains, still far below the canines' destination.

"Create a wall!"

"Stay together now!"

The canines stopped to reorganize.

Whh-boooommmm!

Whh-boooommmm!

The mongrels shot rocket launchers and pulse cannons -- modified human weapons – blasting the humans' line of defense and forcing them to separate, back-up and regroup.

Whh-boooommmm!

Whh-boooommmm

"Retreat! Retreat!"

"Call for reinforcements!"

Inside the Science Center, Elliot made his way through the fervid masses to gain a better view.

Where is Aless?

He could not find his vampiric friend. The last time he'd seen him was in the library, discussing a safe-house strategy. He was supposed to have stayed within the pathology lab, separate from everyone else; however, Alessandro had seemed to have disappeared once again. Did he know, Elliot wondered, that a mongrel lynch-mob had come searching for him?

Where's Mimi?

Elliot turned his thoughts toward his other best friend. He breathed hard and felt light-headed. Why had he thought her joining the HP would ever be a good idea? The sight of the other fallen officers made him worried sick. He looked for his childhood friend among the chessboard combatants, but it was impossible to know if something terrible had already happened.

He yelled into his wristcom:

"Mimi, the canines are attacking Anderson!"

The mongrels were a combination of speed and strength, brawn with brains.

"They're moving too fast!"

"Don't let them surround us!"

The canines' pointed attack broke the HP line of defense. Once separated, the humans became easier, individual targets.

As on a hunt, the canines broke into smaller groups – stalking their prey, circling them, zig-zagging in and out of the lines of fire. Similar to attacking a line of defense, the mongrels overwhelmed the lone humans with waves of aggression from different directions.

Soon, only a few human officers remained.

"Did you see that?"

"The canines have made it to the front entrance!"

Three HP officers aligned themselves into a final, back-to-back formation; an Alamo situation. They had fended off the blood-thirsty mongrels for as long as they could, but were heavily outnumbered. The situation looked bleak as the marauding animals surrounded them.

Inside Anderson, a senior physician pulled people away from the windows and lobby entrance.

"Everyone, disperse from the windows! If you're not part of the inner defense, you've got to get out of here! Get clear! Get clear! The mongrels could break in at any time!"

Elliot backed away from the window in a daze.

With security measures already in place, further precautions for the Center were also being employed. Camouflaged, steel doors were shutting down over the basement entries, and fellow humans were taking up defensive positions along the different access points on the ground floor.

"Here, Doc! You're going to need this!"

A person rushing by handed Elliot a laser gun. Firearms and shields were being passed out to all present personnel.

Elliot stared at the gun placed into his palm. It looked foreign to him. Like a toy gun, as if it were not real. The whole situation wasn't real. The world seemed to be swirling around him while he stood in the eye of a hurricane.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" Elliot murmured. He was not part of the inner defense, but now found himself alongside the other volunteers. The scientists were armed, but Elliot knew, much like the remaining HP officers, they would be no match for the mongrels.

"The shooting has stopped!"

"All the HP soldiers are dead!"

"The mongrels are still here!"

The fighting outside was over. The animal aggressors were barking and howling in celebration. They wagged their tails wildly. A couple of them twirled in a circle. One final objective remained -- the breaking-and-entering into Anderson. With arrogant swagger, they openly approached the building entrance.

Inside the lobby, the atmosphere was thick with choking suspense, as if the building were on fire and smoke were pervading the entire compound. Anticipation heightened. An inevitable breach awaited.

A sudden surge in power cackled everywhere, causing the building lights to flicker. In the background, the usual hum of laser security stopped. Backup generators restored a small amount of lighting and function, but the inhabitants of Anderson were feeling more vulnerable than ever.

Elliot felt his heart beating like a drum in his chest. He was certain his breathing was louder and faster than everyone around him. What was he doing, he asked himself. Did that tenured position mean anything to him now? Had he gone through all that schooling just to die at the hands of the animals anyway?

Whhappp!

An animal's grotesque face smashed itself against a clear window, fresh amid a smear of snot and saliva. With the laser matrix gone, the canines pressed their snouts against the lobby windows. Unable to peer through the one-way viewing, they snickered to be so obviously present and able to make faces at their enemy's front door.

Fvroooommmm!

An explosion at the main entrance jolted the building like a strike of lightning.

Sssshhhhzzzzrrrrrr!!

A loud shearing noise came at the hinges and locking panels of the front doors. A black smoldering appeared at the heavy frame. Sparks flew. A pungent burning smell began to spread.

Fvroooommmm!

Another explosion blew the metal doors inward, creating a custom entrance through which the wild dogs could enter. A dark, thick smoke filled the lobby and obscured the view within.

"Here they come!"

"Don't let them in!"

"Look out!"

An exchange of gunfire erupted between the two unseen groups. Blue and yellow laser blasts shot out in different directions. Explosives went off.

The canines stormed in with blaster shields.

The scientists fired without a lot of confidence or accuracy.

The mongrels deflected much of the humans' firepower. They returned the laser barrage and pressed forward, easily gaining entrance into the place. It wasn't long before the scientists began to fall at the point of attack.

"Run for your lives!"

"We can't stop them!"

Panic settled in, and some of the humans turned and ran, giving up their space and allowing the canines further access and control into the building.

Elliot listened to the senseless fighting as he hid behind a barrier. What was happening? What were they doing? This was not the way they had ever lived their lives.

"Everyone, stop firing, please!" Elliot yelled at his cohorts.

The shooting slowed for a split-second.

"Hold your fire!"

With a clear pause in action, Elliot laid his firearm on the ground for his enemy to see. He raised both arms in the air. "Please, no more killing! No more!"

Several other, senior humans also raised their hands in the air to surrender, hoping to avoid a complete massacre.

"Peace, please!"

A full cease-fire soon ensued as the scientists surrendered. The humans placed their guns on the ground and kneeled, then put their heads to the floor.

A foul, defecating smell filled the air as a beast larger than the others stepped through the burning doorway and into the Science Center lobby. It was Gevaudan the Grey Wolf King, and he stopped to stand there, overlooking the humans on the floor before him.

"Who is the leader of this miserable little joint?" he thundered.