Chapter 12 Containment Failure

The containment pod hissed and groaned as it opened, releasing a plume of cold mist. Sable’s face turned pale as he looked inside.

 “What?” he whispered, then louder, “What?! It’s... empty?!”

He stepped back, running his hands through his hair in frustration.

 “No, no, no! NOOO! This can’t be happening! It should be here! We came all this way for nothing?! Where is it?! Who took it?!”

Reed exchanged a glance with Dune.

 “Well, this sucks. Maybe it just... walked away?”

“Not the time, Reed,” Mia said, keeping a wary eye outside the room, her sniper rifle ready.

While Sable paced and muttered, Dune let her gaze wander around the trashed lab. The place was a mess, but something caught her eye: a skeleton slumped over a workstation near the corner, its bony hand clutching something. She nudged the skeleton’s arm revealing an old SSD disk in its grip.

“Hey, Doc!” she called, holding up the device. 

“Found something!”

Sable stopped mid-panic and spun toward her, his eyes locking onto the disk. He rushed over, snatching it from her hand with the eagerness of a drowning man grabbing a life raft.

“What is it?” Reed asked, leaning in for a better look.

“An old storage device. Could have something useful on it. Might be our only clue as to what happened here.”

Sable turned the disk over in his hands, examining it closely.

 “This... this could contain the lab’s logs. Maybe even a record of who took the device—or where they went!”

Dune leaned against the workstation, crossing her arms.

 “Or it’s just a bunch of bad pre-war adult files. Only one way to find out.”

“Don’t even joke about that!” Sable snapped.

“Relax. We’ll pop it into my system when we get back to my place. Assuming it’s still readable, we’ll see what secrets it’s hiding.”

Mia scanned the hallway with a wary expression. 

“That’s assuming we make it out of here in one piece. We should move.”

“Yeah, no point sticking around this tomb. Let’s get out of here before this place decides to throw us another surprise.”

Sable clutched the SSD tightly.

 “We have to know what’s on this. We’ve come too far to stop now.”

Reed patted him on the back.

 “Don’t worry, Doc. We’ll figure it out. And if not... well, at least we didn’t get eaten by a giant maggot, right?”

 “Not yet, anyway. Let’s not jinx it.” Dune said as they turned to leave.

The moment the group stepped out of Lab 864, a faint clanking sound reached their ears, metallic and rhythmic, growing louder with each passing second.

“What now?” Reed muttered, gripping his monkey wrench.

A pair of red dots appeared in the dark hallway ahead, swaying unnaturally as they moved closer. Then came the sound—a mechanical, animalistic screech that echoed through the corridors, a horrifying fusion of bestial rage and metallic distortion.

Heavy, galloping footsteps reverberated through the floor like thunder, each step growing louder, faster. Suddenly, a grotesque abomination burst into the flickering light of the hallway. It was monstrous—a fusion of bull and abominator, its massive form bristling with jagged metal plating, exposed cables, and pulsating flesh. Its glowing red eyes locked onto the group as it charged forward like a runaway train, steam hissing from vents on its body.

“Move!” Dune shouted.

The team dove to the sides as the beast barreled through, slamming into the wall with an ear-splitting crash. The impact blasted through the reinforced concrete, sending debris, shower of sparks, and exposed wires and broken pipes flying in every direction. The hallway trembled, groaning under the strain.

The emergency lighting snapped to life, bathing the area in eerie red hues. From somewhere deep in the bunker, an automated voice began to play over the crackling PA system, distorted and broken:

“W—warn...ing...”
“L-lo—ockdown... protocol... ini—ti—ated.”
“Un—author...i—zed sub—jects... det—ected.”
“Spec—im—en conta—ainment bre—ach.”
“Sec—u—rity mea—sures... acti—vated.”

The voice stuttered and looped; each phrase punctuated by bursts of static. Red lights flared, casting unsettling shadows on the walls.

“That doesn’t sound good,” Reed said, his voice shaky but attempting to mask his nerves.

“No kidding,” Mia said, her sniper rifle already up and aimed toward the hole in the wall where the creature had vanished.

Sable stared at the chaos, clutching the SSD to his chest like it was a talisman.

 “What is that thing?! This isn’t just an abominator—it’s... it’s something else entirely!”

Dune pulled her steel beam off her back, hefting it over her shoulder.

 “Yeah, and I’m betting there’s more where it came from. Welcome to science hell, Doc. Let’s make sure we’re not on the menu.”

As the looping emergency message crackled and died, a chilling silence descended over the bunker. It lasted only a moment before horrifying screams erupted from all directions. The echoes bounced through the corridors, some high-pitched and shrieking, others guttural and monstrous.

Mia’s face paled. 

“What in the hell was that?”

“All of them,” Sable whispered, “Every... single one of them. They’ve woken up.”

The ground trembled under their feet, the sound of metallic stomps and scraping claws growing louder by the second.

Dune shouted, “We’re done here! Move it! We can’t fight them all!”

She didn’t wait for a response. Grabbing Sable by the arm, she yanked him forward, leading the charge down the flickering, red-lit hallway.

Reed hesitated for only a second, hefting his wrench and muttering, “Guess cardio was a good idea after all,” before sprinting after them.

Mia brought up the rear, her sniper rifle scanning the shadows as she moved, her eyes darting to every sudden flicker of light or burst of sparks from overhead wiring. The screeches grew louder, accompanied by the unmistakable clang of metal and the dull thuds of massive bodies moving in tandem.

“Where the hell do we go, Sable?” Dune barked as she dragged him along.

Sable fumbled with the holo-map; its faint glow shaky in his trembling hands. 

“I—I’m trying! There’s... a maintenance shaft nearby! It should lead to the upper levels! This way will be faster! A small shortcut!”

“Better be sure. I don’t wanna end up in a dead end with that... bull-thing chasing us!” Reed said as he ran.

As if summoned by Reed’s words, a distant wall collapsed with a deafening crash, the sound of enraged, metallic roars following it. The abominators were closing in.

“This way!” Sable shouted, pointing to a side corridor.

Dune turned sharply, practically shoving Sable through the narrower hallway. The team squeezed into the tighter space, the oppressive darkness broken only by the pulsing red emergency lights. The walls felt closer, the air heavier, as the monstrous sounds behind them grew louder.

Then came a new sound—a relentless pounding, as if the entire bunker trembled under the force of their pursuers. The abominations weren’t just running. They were smashing through weak walls, taking the shortest route to their prey.

Mia spun mid-stride and fired a shot behind them, the sniper round echoing like a thunderclap. In the brief flash of light, she saw one of the grotesque hybrids—a hulking, wolf-like monstrosity fused with mechanical limbs, its glowing red eyes locked onto them as it sprinted on all fours, gaining ground fast.

“We’ve got company!” Mia shouted.

Reed skidded to a halt, gripping his wrench and readying himself.

 “Keep going! I’ll buy you time!”

“No!” Dune snapped, turning back.

 “Grab Mia and Sable! Carry them out of here! Run as fast as you can! Sable! You point the way! I will cover our backs!”

She pulled out her SMG and Desert Eagle dual wielding them and let lose.

“Let’s see how these freaks like some lead!”