The large creatures lumbered down the stairs.

Daniel held fast. As much as he wanted to charge forward, they needed to have the Lycan out on the open. The rest of his men followed his lead. His muscles quivered under the strain of anticipation.

Once the Lycan were clear of the hospital's shadow, Daniel sprang forward. "Attack!"

A roar went up from the Alliance as they surged forward. The first wave met the Lycan halfway, and chaos again erupted on the street and the front lawn of the condemned hospital. No sooner had they clashed, the remainder of Elise's militia entered the fray.

Agonizing cries ripped from his soldiers as they were repelled backward. He glanced upwards into the night sky. Where are they?

As if reading his mind, drops of water fell to the ground. Through the noise of the battle, no one has noticed the high-pitched sounds from the drones as they swept lower, bathing the area in a fine mist.

He picked up a metal pipe which lay on the ground near him and swung it at the nearest hybrid. What the...?

The pipe bounced off the Lycan's body as if it were rubber. He inspected his makeshift weapon. It was now bent. Yet the creature exhibited no signs of having even felt the blow.

More screams punctured the night as the Lycan's talons cut through man after man. Despite their attempts to attack from behind, the creatures longer arms allowed them to easily reach behind and pull off the attackers from their backs.

From out of nowhere, two bullets hit the nearest Lycan in the chest. It clenched its teeth together and let out an angry bellow. But still, it didn't falter. Its oversized arm came up and swiped at his soldiers. The elongated claws missed the first but cut deep gashed into the chest of another. The man cried out and sunk to his knees holding his chest.

He was horrified when the man pulled his hands away. The wound had immediately festered, and a green foam seeped from the open gash. The Lycan lumbered in for the kill. He was about to leap onto its back when another bullet whizzed past. This time, the sniper had a direct shot, and the bullet found its mark between the Lycan's eyes. A second was quickly followed by a third. All to the same spot. It fell to the ground like a lead weight.

Daniel glanced in the direction the bullet had come from. At least one of the snipers must have escaped before their positions were overrun.

A shout went up from Elise's men who were now spectators in the bloody and vicious battle.

Tamas pointed in the direction of the mysterious sniper. "Over there. Find them and kill them."

His earpiece crackled. "Gotta go. Looks like I'm about to have company. There are not too many places left with a good line of sight. If any of you are still there, you are going to need at least three between those beady little eyes." Kaitlyn then muted her connection.

Simon dodged a Lycan that had reached full speed and performed a roundhouse kick to its back. "Have to admit it, the freak has some skill."

The light drizzle of rain continued to soak through his clothes. The noise was deafening. So far, Elise's men had failed to notice the four drones that hovered above. A light wind had picked up, requiring them to fly lower to the ground than expected.

A sharp pain to the back of his head temporarily stunned him. He had failed to notice the three men who managed to get in his blind spot. Shrugging off the dizziness, he refocused and swung at the one closest to him. The man fell backward into the second. He slammed into the third and brought his knee up into the man's abdomen. As the man bent over double, he brought his elbows down between the man's shoulder blades, further disabling him. After incapacitating the three, he surveyed the area directly around him. His lips drew together in a tight line. The water had no effect on the Lycan. They were cutting through his forces like butter.

When a familiar cry caught his attention, he stiffened.

Simon lay on the ground. A gash on his upper arm where a Lycan had taken a sizeable chunk with its jaw. The Lycan ambled towards its downed pray readying itself for the kill.

Terror rushed through his veins. He cried out to distract the Lycan and charged towards his friend. The Lycan's arm came up, and his razor-sharp claws readied for the kill.

I'm too far away.

He pushed himself to his limit to close the distance.

Despair pushed through as the arm came down for the final blow.

From out of nowhere, Morgan materialized and pushed Simon out of the way. Daniel's eyes flew open wide, and his arm reached out with a guttural cry. The Lycan's talons cut through Morgan's back and a large section of flesh and bone flew into the air.

"No!" His voice carried, and many stopped in fear.

Morgan crumbled to the ground.

White hot rage tore through him, and he hurled himself at the Lycan who had killed and discarded his mentor like garbage. Just as he made contact, a bullet shot through the Lycan's eye exploding tissue into the air. The Lycan roared and tossed Daniel to one side.

Daniel hit the ground with a thud. He rose and readied himself to try again. Before he could move, a second bullet destroyed the other eye. The Lycan screamed, and its arms flailed.

"Don't move."

He spun around to discover Kaitlyn taking aim. She and a few of the other snipers had come out of hiding. Two of his men flanked her as she took aim again. They fought off any of Elise's men who neared her.

"This one's mine," he said as he reached to the ground for the metal rod.

Summoning all the strength he had, he plunged the rod into the Lycan's brain, through its now empty eye socket. It froze mid-roar, keeled backward and fell to the ground.

Satisfied it was dead he called out to Kaitlyn's nearest protector, "Get her out of here."

Before they could answer, a blood-curdling cry pierced their ears. He winced, and his head snapped around to see where it had come from. The Lycan cried out as if in pain. Each pulling at their skin as if burnt.

"What the hell is happening?" Kaitlyn asked.

One by one, the Lycan bodies convulsed and bones snapped.

"Shit, they're changing back," someone cried out.

Daniel lifted his face upwards and allowed the water to slide over his skin. It worked.

He turned back towards the hospital where Tamas stood. Mouth open in shock as, one by one, the Lycan turned back to their natural form. Each man fell to the ground screaming in agony. Their skin blistering as if burnt by acid.

Now with a renewed sense of hope, what was left of the alliance force doubled their efforts and rushed towards Elise's men. It was not unexpected when many of them turned and ran or surrendered. With the Lycan gone, they no longer had anything to hide behind.

Daniel only had one goal. Everything else fell away as he headed towards it. Elise's men, one after another tried to stop his path. He heard nothing beyond the fury that beat in his chest. One by one he cut them to the ground. Not one had a chance as he callously took their lives.

As he headed up the stairs, Tamas inched backward, his eyes darting as if to find a way out. By now, he was a solitary figure. Alone and exposed. The rest had either deserted or joined the fray below.

Blood pumped through Daniel's veins so fast and furious it felt as though he would explode. He stopped a half foot away from the now cowering traitor.

Tamas gulped, and he cleared his throat. "How did you—"

His words died on his lips as Daniel's hands shot out and his fingers squeezed around Tamas's throat.

Tamas brought his hands up and attempted to wedge Daniel's steely grip from his flesh. His eyes bulged, and his skin grew clammy. Even with the lack of light, Daniel could see Tamas's face turning purple as his brain was denied oxygen.

He squeezed tighter, and Tamas's legs buckled. With a dead weight, he fell to his knees.

Daniel continued to squeeze and refused to break eye contact with Tamas. While Elise was to blame for many of the atrocities, Tamas's gave her the opportunity and the information to be able to strike. It was he who was just as responsible for the loss of lives. Not only this evening but for all the deaths by the hand of the Lycan.

A hand pulled at his shoulder. He shrugged it off and continued to stare the traitor down as he squeezed further. All his anger, all his rage was channeled into making Tamas pay for what he had done.

The hand, more persistent this time shook him again. "He's dead. You can only kill him once."

Simon's words finally pierced the veil, and the world around him slowly came back into focus.

He loosened his grip and Tamas's corpse fell to the ground with a thud. Now fully in control, he surveyed the disaster. Death surrounded them. Bodies from both sides littered the area. A sharp pain pierced his heart when his gaze fell on Morgan's body. Kaitlyn had removed her jacket and covered the gaping hole in his back. With an injury with that extent, his friend would have been dead before he hit the ground.

His throat grew dry as the grief tore through him. He lifted his head to the night sky, and a mournful howl escaped from the depths of his soul. A sharper pain crushed him when he realized Parker would have seen everything from the vantage of the drones. He closed his eyes and wished he was with her now to comfort her. Morgan was like a father to her.

Elise. Elise will pay for this.

He squared his shoulders. There would be time to grieve once this was all over. Right now, they needed to find her and what was left of her army.

Simon grimaced in pain and clutched on to his shoulder. The wound had continued to fester and, while not as green as Murphy's had been, was still not looking the best. Clearly, the Lycan's bite was not as lethal as its talons. "Get the wounded back to Alice and Dr. E. The rest of us need to find Elise."

"I'm not leaving you. I can still walk," said Simon.

Without exception, every person who was able to stand did so. They were all determined to follow where he led, no matter how injured they were or how much pain they were in.

Murphy's mate stood and reached for her weapon. Tears clouded her eyes and hauled in a shaky breath. He didn't need to be able to read her mind to know her fear was not knowing Murphy's fate.

He turned and headed inside. "Let's go."