War Beast

Book Four: Chapter 8

The heavy metal door clanged shut with a resounding finality, the echo reverberating through the cold, dimly lit cell. Huntar's eyes narrowed, his powerful frame tensing as he surveyed their new confines. Zena and Torag flanked him, their expressions grim.

"This is not good," Zena muttered, her striped tail lashing with agitation. "They've separated us from Jenny and Eddie."

Huntar's jaw clenched, a muscle twitching beneath his golden fur. Fear gnawed at his insides—a sickening, unfamiliar sensation. What horrors awaited their human companions at the hands of these ruthless captors?

Torag let out a deep, rumbling growl, tightening his massive fists. The rhino-man's eyes, small and sharp, surveyed their cell, fixating on the sturdy bars that blocked their way out. Huntar knew exactly what that expression meant.

With a sharp shake of his maned head, Huntar refocused his mind. Fretting over Jenny and Eddie's fate would only drive him mad. They needed to stay sharp and watchful for any opportunity.

Stalking the perimeter, his sharp claws scraped against the unyielding metal bars. A low snarl escaped his lips as he searched for weaknesses, any crack or flaw they could exploit. But the cell proved as sturdy and unforgiving as the world that had forged him.

Zena leaned against the far wall, her keen eyes missing nothing as she surveyed their dismal surroundings. "You know they'll be back for us," she said, her tone low. "Thunder Tech didn't go through all this trouble just to leave us rotting in here."

A hollow chuckle rumbled forth from Huntar's broad chest. "Then we had best be ready for them."

The ambiguity surrounding their friends' fate became a burdensome thought over time. Had the humans hurt them? Worse? Huntar's mind conjured grim visions, each more unsettling than the last. He cursed the fact that they'd allowed themselves to be taken alive.

*****

The antiseptic stench of the infirmary assaulted Jenny's senses as she slowly regained consciousness. A dull throbbing ache behind her eyes, the remnant of the blow that had dropped her. Memories came flooding back—the bank heist, the daring rescue, Huntar, and the others...

"Eddie?" she croaked, her throat dry like the desert sands. Blinking against the harsh fluorescent lights, Jenny squinted to make out her surroundings.

"I'm here, Jen." His voice sounded from somewhere nearby, tinged with relief. A warm hand found hers, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

Surveying her surroundings, Jenny recognized they were in a type of medical bay, a stark contrast to the grim cells she had imagined. Banks of monitoring equipment blinked mutely, and a slim, severe-looking woman in pale blue scrubs tutted as she made her rounds.

A woman's sensible shoes clicking against the tile floor announced her arrival. "You're awake," she stated in a clipped, professional tone. "Good. Mr. Freeman will want to speak with both of you shortly."

Walter. The name struck a dissonant chord within Jenny, stoking the embers of her fury into an inferno once more. She pushed herself upright, ignoring the wave of dizziness the motion brought.

"Where are my friends?" The demand emerged as more of a growl, her grip tightening around Eddie's hand. "They'd better not have harmed them—"

The nurse raised a hand, her expression one of practiced neutrality. "Your... companions are secure, Ms. Summer. Beyond that, I'm not at liberty to discuss the situation."

"Not at liberty?" Jenny echoed, her voice rising in pitch. She discarded the fragile blanket and positioned her legs on the cot's edge. "I don't care about your confidentiality agreements or whatever. Those are my friends, and you people had no right to capture us like animals."