"Moving this creature is impossible"Marcus kicked a chunk of bloody ice near the snout of the paralyzed Frost Stalker. The beast lay motionless in the frozen park. Its sheer volume dwarfed the two men standing over it. The pale scales reflected the dull winter light."We possess mutated muscle density," Logan pointed out. He stood over the creature and analyzed the torso. "We have the strength to shift the weight.""We cannot drag a reptile across two miles of deep snowdrifts," Marcus argued. He paced the length of the scaly body to emphasize his point. "The friction against the ice alone will snap our spines before we reach the city streets. We will burn thousands of calories just trying to move the tail."Logan stared at the enormous claws dug into the frozen dirt. He processed the variables and agreed with Marcus. Manual transport would expose them to the elements for hours. The bleeding carcass would attract every scavenger in Silver Lake.Logan reached up and pressed the transm

"Spread out and aim for their knees!"Logan shouted the command from the cargo bed of the transport. The truck idled on the frozen street while three towering cannibals crashed into the militia.The Man Eaters moved with terrifying velocity. They ignored the verbal warning and charged directly into the bright muzzle flashes of the defending soldiers. The militiamen fired caliber rounds to halt the advance. The cannibals anticipated the weapon trajectories with predatory instincts. They ducked and wove through the incoming lead with unnatural agility. Their bare feet slapped against the black ice as they closed the distance in mere seconds."Hold the line!" Marcus ordered his squad. He swung his combat axe at the nearest one.The cannibal dodged the steel blade with effortless grace. He grabbed a soldier by the vest and hurled the man against the side of the transport. The impact dented the steel siding and shattered the man's spine. The soldier collapsed onto the ice and stopped breat

"Give me the names of the thieves."Logan issued the command and waited for a response. The fifty militiamen stood frozen in the staging garage. They shifted their weight on the wet floorboards and avoided eye contact with their king. Nobody raised a finger to identify the mutineers hiding in their ranks."You choose silence to protect them," Logan observed. He looked at the bruised faces of Ashton and Lily. "You value a false sense of brotherhood over the safety of this camp."He turned his attention to his engineer. "Eric, open the freight elevator doors."Eric ran to the wall panel and engaged the lift mechanism. The grated steel doors rattled open with a loud mechanical clatter."Marcus, bring the tow chains," Logan instructed his commander. "We are moving the harvest into the lower levels."Marcus grabbed the thick metal lines securing the dormant creature to the truck bumper. He wrapped the cold iron links tight around his own hands for leverage. The loyalists pitched in to help

"Bring the carcass to the freight elevator."Logan issued the command on the freezing bunker roof. He wiped his bloody combat blade on his slacks and sheathed the weapon.Marcus grabbed the headless corpse of the cannibal brother by the ankles. The commander dragged the body across the snow. A thick trail of dark blood stained the pristine white powder.Eric and two militiamen hauled the two remaining captive Man Eaters toward the roof access hatch. The pale giants strained against their iron chains. They bared their jagged teeth and hissed at their human handlers."Keep your spears pointed at their spines," Marcus ordered his men. "Do not give them an inch of slack."The group descended the concrete stairs and packed into the large industrial elevator. The steel grate rattled shut. The lift ground downward into the deep foundation of the Hawthorne estate.The heavy scent of copper and raw meat filled the enclosed space. The headless corpse leaked fluids onto the diamond plate floorb

"Keep your guard high or you will swallow your own teeth."Marcus bellowed the warning across the staging garage. He paced along the edge of the large circle painted on the concrete floor.The forty two combatants stood around the perimeter of the ring. The physical conditioning period had transformed the frail survivors into towering giants. Thick ridges of armored skin covered their arms and necks. The proving trial to determine Logan's left hand commander had officially begun.Logan sat on a metal shipping crate. He watched the first wave of brutal eliminations. He had established a simple tournament bracket. The winner of each match advanced to the next round."Enter the ring," Marcus commanded.Lily stepped onto the painted circle. She faced a veteran soldier named Sarah. Lily had survived the serum injection, but her frame remained much smaller than the seasoned militia members."Do not hold back," Lily told the older woman. She raised her fists and adopted a defensive stance."