The commander pulled out his sidearm, levelling it at Shelby's head, "This gun is loaded with a mixture of silver nitrate and some chemicals our scientists brewed up. When this fucking thing hits you, there's no coming back, you little bitch. Don't even think of trying to run; all our guns are loaded with the stuff. You think you're the first people to come into contact with the shit? Hardly. So you just lay there, and I'll make it quick."
More crashing through the brush, and two more soldiers came through, presumably from the team that had killed Tom and Mike. One of them, however, seemed to be clutching his shoulder and struggling to walk. "Sir?" said the seemingly unharmed one," it's Perkins, while we neutralized the transmorphs, he got bitten. "
The commander whirled around, "What the FUCK did you just say? You know the policy! Fucking eliminate him before he changes!"
"But sir," another of the soldiers spoke up, "It's Perkins, he's your nephew!"
"You know the fucking policy!" the commander yelled again, cocking his gun, now taking aim at the young soldier.
Two of the soldiers aimed their guns at the commander. "No, sir, this isn't right," said one of them. "He isn't some shithead we don't know; this is Perkins; he's one of ours!"
"You fucknuts don't know what you're doing!" the commander protested.
"You know our squad's policy: no man left behind, sir. Yet since you've taken command, our squad's had the highest fatality rate of any transmorph hunting squad. Effective immediately, I relieve you of command. Now drop your weapon."
The commander sighed, dropping his gun to the ground, raising his hands above his head. "You'll fucking pay for this!" he muttered.
"No man left behind, sir," said Perkins, wrapping an arm around the soldier who had accompanied him in the woods. "Of course, some might say..." he trailed off, looking skyward, his eyes suddenly glittering amber, "I'm not a man at all anymore!" In a flash, his teeth elongated into fangs, and he pulled his companion in for a bearhug, biting deeply into his shoulder, tossing the wounded man to the ground.
With a lightning speed, the now-changing Perkins bit two more of the soldiers, his body gaining fur, mass, and deadly raw power by the second. The commander and one unbitten man ran for cover from the rampage, leaving Michelle and Shelby unguarded.
"This is our chance, Michelle!" Shelby said, jumping up, pulling Michelle to her feet. "We've gotta get the fuck out of here!"
Michelle simply stood, not reacting, simply taking the scene in. Watching the final moments of Perkins' change, she could feel an almost alien arousal seeping into her consciousness. Part of her wanted to stay...to watch the others change. Part of her wanted to run away from everyone, to be away from this madness. And part of her noticed the guns strewn about, and knew she could put an end to all of this.
"Michelle!" Shelby snapped again, "Get your ass in gear, let's GO!"