"Fools!" the Human Protection officers exclaimed. "We've been made fools!"

Despite Alessandro handing himself over to the Canines, the humans had been double-crossed. Gevaudan the Grey Wolf King had gone back on his promise for peaceful coexistence and ordered an onslaught against the humans instead. A human massacre. A genocidal attack. Gevaudan's soldiers screamed and howled at the excitement, trembling. They jumped and leaped into the air, charging forward and beginning their invasion of Anderson Science Center.

High upon the hill, the Human Protection commanders reacted to the surprise attack.

"Withdraw! Withdraw!" Samuel, one of the HP captains, called out. "Defensemen! Provide some coverage!"

A subset of officers began a barrage of laserfire coverage. Among them was Mimi.

Samuel noticed the girl, but was interrupted.

"Sir, what about the boy?" the second officer asked. "Should we help him? What should we do?"

"He's already made his decision. We cannot save him." Samuel turned his attention elsewhere. "Initiate a counter defense!"

"Turn it up!" another officer ordered. "Now!"

At the outer perimeter, the first wave of mongrels encountered an audible disturbance, a higher-pitched frequency that brought a terrible clanging and ringing to their ears.

"Aagghhhh! What is that?"

The first line of Canines fell to the ground, holding their heads from the stabbing pulsation. Some grabbed at the collars about their necks.

One of the Canine leaders, familiar with the humans' audio defense, projected a bubble shield around himself. "Increase the bandwidth!" he shouted from within.

Other Canines followed their leader's suit, producing their own safety spheres.

Many of the newer, Canine recruits, however, had never dealt with such an attack. They turned to escape their suffering.

"Stop running, you stupid piglets!" Gevaudan commanded.

Abruptly, the tinnitus ended. The Canine countermeasures were successful. A change in bandwidth had terminated the transmission.

"Get back in formation! Get back in formation! Get going!"

The Canines resumed their march, crossing the perimeter lines unscathed. The advance toward Anderson Science Center continued onward.

At the upper campus grounds, another one of the HP officers reported: "They're a third of the way up the plain, Sir!"

"Last lines before complete evacuation!" Samuel ordered.

"Last lines before complete evacuation!" the second officer yelled and repeated.

"Fire the pulse lasers! Now!"

"Fire at will!" the other HP officer yelled.

Two human artilleries unleashed an automated round of firepower, a bombardment of laser beams.

Several mongrels were pulverized instantly. Canines with pulse shields took to the forefront to protect the others. The next hail of laser blasts was turned aside.

"Pulse cannons!" Samuel ordered. "Disrupt their formations!"

"Fire away!" the second commanding officer yelled.

Boooommm! Boooommm!

Heavier explosives were catapulted down the hill, smashing through the mongrel lines. Some of the Canines carrying pulse shields were also blown away.

A reporting mongrel approached the Grey Wolf King. "Sir, we are sustaining a lot of losses up front, especially among the new recruits. Should we adjust our blunt approach?"

"No, no!" the Grey Wolf King replied. "It's okay! It will only prolong the inevitable. They're dingo-berries anyway. Nobody cares! Proceed as planned!"

"Yes, Sir."

Despite the humans' tactics, the Canines remained relentless in their charge up the campus grounds; maniacal in their efforts. Using superior speed and agility, they sprinted and stretched up the hill, outlasting the recharging and reloading of human weaponry. Steadily, they advanced toward their opponents' front lines and prepared for paw-to-hand combat.

—————————-

"Mimi! Elliot!"

Beyond the outer perimeter, a short distance away from the battlefield, Alessandro called out in vain. From within an iron cage, he helplessly strained to see what was happening, but could only see flashes of piercing light and laser fire that lit up the night sky. Chained hand to foot, he listened to the sound of combatants clashing in the background. His hope for a bloodless exchange had failed and instead, his friends were now fighting for their lives.

"No, no!" Alessandro cried.

He grabbed the bars to his full-length cage and pressed his face against the metal rods. He shook but could not budge them. In the background, he listened to the screams of battling creatures. He breathed heavier and faster. He became nauseated and lightheaded. He closed his eyes and dropped to his knees. The pounding of his heart seemed to roar through his chest and burst through his head. He felt sure he would pass out.

Out of nowhere, electricity materialized from the air about him. It whipped and crackled, and struck him wholly at his back. His face shot upward from a covered arm and stretched him high to the sky, arching his back. His eyes blazed a glowing neon blue. He trembled and began to change. His arms and legs squeezed against the metal clasps that held him. His back rippled into a muscle-bound board. Black wings burst from his shoulders — the vampire inside was set free!

Eieeeeeeerrraaahhhhkkkkk!

Alessandro stood transformed, endowed with a higher strength and power. He clenched his fists and flexed his arms. He stretched his neck and expanded his darkened wings. He let out another scream, shrieking through sharpened teeth. Respite. He breathed a few heavy breaths, and took a moment to look about his enclosed surroundings. The cage was an unfortunate obstacle. He felt an innate desire to be free and smirked at the feeling. He leaped at the iron bars before him and began pulling at the constraining metal.

"Hey, you there! What're you doing... "

Close by, a couple of stationed Canine guards had overheard the transfiguration. They came to the iron cage, but already found the vampire emerging. They fired their weapons, only for the vampire to evade their shots.

Eieeeeeeerrraaahhhhkkkkk!

"Aaghhhhhh!" the first mongrel screamed.

Alessandro charged and leapt onto the back of the Canine. He sank a bite into the neck of the dog and held on tightly. Unshakable. The poor, hapless Canine yelped and kicked to a pallid stillness.

The demon remained, savoring his thirst before tearing away, as if he could not spare the time to breathe during the proceeding. He raised his head into the air and thrust it backward, inhaling sharply. He shook his head in exhilaration, his mouth wide open and tongue left flying. The warm taste of fresh blood splattered all over himself.

The other mongrel guard watched, horrified, and could not move, spellbound by a beast he'd never imagined.

The vampire turned, his icy blue eyes searching for his next quenching.

The second Canine guard knew the outcome. He pressed himself against the wall with nowhere else to go. Paralyzed, he shook as Alessandro approached him. There was no use in running.