Arriving at the abandoned south subway tunnels, Beth approached one of the officers guarding the entrance.
"Where's the commanding officer?" she asked.
The man snapped to attention. "Inside the tunnels, ma'am!"
Beth nodded and led her squad inside. As they walked deeper, Adam noticed long, deep scratch marks on the concrete floor. This bear's heavier than it looks, he thought.
They soon reached a makeshift outpost, where a dozen men armed with heavy firearms were preparing for action. The commanding officer, barking orders at his men, noticed Beth and quickly made his way over.
"Good day, Beth! You came at the perfect time, we've got the bugger cornered!"
Beth gave a nod as he rummaged through a nearby weapon crate and tossed something to her. "Here's your request, a large caliber bolt-action rifle. It's a relic. Only used in weird sport competitions these days. Some rich guy from the upper district donated it."
He then threw a scope after it. "Here, tech-vision scope. Has all the modes you could want."
Beth examined it briefly. "Thanks. Probably won't need it," she said, pocketing it.
The officer laughed. "Hah! Of course not. Who hasn't heard of Miss No-Miss of the Wist City Police Department!" He laughed again at his own joke, while Beth simply stared at him, expressionless.
"Alright, alright," he said, raising his hands. "You're here to take down the big guy, right? We've got him cornered in that tunnel," he said, pointing to a passageway. "Dead end. Only one exit. And you're looking at it."
Beth gave a sharp nod. "Is your firepower enough to take it down?"
The officer chortled. "That's what we're prepping for. Boys, get those machine guns ready! We'll tear a hole through it before Miss No-Miss even gets a shot off!"
His men cheered and got to work reinforcing their position.
Adam leaned closer to Beth. "What do we do?"
Beth thought for a moment, then turned to Arnold. "How long can you run?"
"An hour. Five minutes at full speed," Arnold answered without hesitation.
"Good. I want you to scout ahead. Get eyes on the bear, then come straight back. Don't engage."
"Alright," Arnold said, before disappearing in a blur of speed.
The outpost went silent for a beat, still a little stunned by his raw speed.
Beth then turned to Peter. "Ready your spear. The moment the bear appears, I want you to slow it down. Aim for the legs if you can."
Peter nodded firmly, adjusting his glasses with a determined look.
Beth finally faced Adam and Jackie. "Stay with the outpost officers. If the bear charges, distract it — but don't get yourselves killed."
Adam nodded, while Jackie gave a low whistle, smirking.
They settled into position, tension building in the air. A few minutes later, Arnold came rushing back, a deep frown etched across his face.
Beth immediately stepped forward. "What's wrong?"
Arnold didn't waste words. "The plan won't work."
"Why?" Beth demanded.
Arnold scowled. "It dug a hole. It's gone."
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Near the tunnel entrance, a few officers stood around in boredom, chatting quietly.
"What's your plan after this?" one asked, glancing around with a yawn.
"Sleep," another replied, stretching his arms. "That bear's been a pain in the ass. Guard duty's hell when you know that thing's just sitting there, waiting. Once we're done, I'm passing out for a week."
A third officer was about to chime in when a low, rumbling sound echoed from deep inside the tunnel. He turned and saw a massive, hulking shadow charging toward them.
"Oh shit! Everyone move!" he screamed, panic flashing across his face. The others snapped their heads around, horror dawning just as the bear barreled into them.
One officer wasn't quick enough — the bear slammed into him with a sickening crunch, sending him flying. The beast roared, and the officers opened fire in a desperate volley.
Someone fumbled with their radio. "Base! Base! We've got a breach! Requesting immediate backup! The target's loose! Repeat, the target's loose!"
The bear slammed its paws into the ground, sending vibrations through the tunnel, before charging another officer, who turned and fled in blind terror.
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Back at the tunnel outpost, cold sweat slicked every brow as the desperate call crackled over the radios.
"Move out!" the commanding officer bellowed.
Beth spun to Arnold. "Can you shoot?"
"I can pull a trigger," Arnold replied.
Beth grabbed a rifle, tossed it to him. "Safety's off. Aim only at the bear. Go!"
Arnold nodded and dashed out in a blur, the others hot on his heels.
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Outside, chaos reigned.
The bear tore through the officers, scattering their lines.
"Damn it! Our guns aren't doing anything!" one of the men shouted, emptying his magazine in frustration.
Arnold burst from the tunnel, quickly scanning the battlefield. He spotted the bear and sprinted toward it, stopping just ten meters from its massive head. Raising his rifle, he opened fire.
Bullets slammed into the bear's face. It roared in fury, eyes locking onto Arnold. It charged, but Arnold kept his distance, firing steadily.
This gun's too weak. Barely even scratches it, Arnold thought grimly.
The bear roared again, just as Arnold's rifle clicked empty. Without hesitation, Arnold kept moving, staying just out of reach — but the bear was smarter than he gave it credit for.
The moment it sensed no threat from the empty gun, it spun and charged at the other officers.
Panic shot through Arnold. He scanned the ground and spotted a metal pipe. Snatching it up, he sprinted after the bear and smashed the pipe against its head.
The bear staggered, momentarily distracted, but the pipe bent uselessly in Arnold's hands. Snorting in anger, the beast turned away and charged at the others once more.
The squad was finally out of the tunnels, forming a shaky firing line. They opened fire, bullets hammering the bear's body, while Arnold pulled back to avoid friendly fire.
Peter conjured an ice spear, launching it at the bear's legs. It slowed — barely.
Adam, watching intently, noticed something terrifying. The bear's wounds were already closing.
Shit. It's regenerating, he realized. We need to stop it — even just for a few seconds.
His eyes darted to Beth, who was calmly loading her rifle, eyes locked onto the bear.
Without thinking, Adam sprinted forward.
"Wait! Hold your fire!" the commanding officer barked.
"Keep firing! I won't die!" Adam shouted back, charging headfirst at the bear.
The firing resumed in a deafening hail of gunfire. Adam slammed into the bear, halting its charge through raw force. The beast reeled back in shock.
My few days of torturing myself finally worked.
It raised a paw to wrestle him, but Adam gritted his teeth and locked arms with it, both man and monster riddled with bullet holes.
THIS IS FUCKING PAINFUL! Adam screamed inside his mind.
A stray bullet clipped his head. Everything went black — then, a blink later, thought flooded back.
I'm wrestling a bear?!
He grunted, re-focusing, and tightened his grip.
The bear snarled and bit deep into his shoulder. Adam roared in pain, glaring into the beast's mocking eyes — and in pure rage, bit back, sinking his teeth into its ear.
The bear reeled — just as another ice spear struck, partially freezing them both.
They struggled, locked together in a brutal, frozen wrestle.
Suddenly, a single, thunderous gunshot echoed louder than everything else. Beth's shot.
The bullet smashed into the bear's forehead, snapping its head back.
"Keep firing, Beth!" Adam roared, straining as he shoved against the beast.
The bear, snarling in rage, drove forward with renewed force. Adam gritted his teeth as he felt himself sliding back, heels digging uselessly into the ground.
Shit, I'm losing ground.
Another ghostly gunshot cracked through the air. The bear staggered, its momentum faltering for a split second.
Adam, body riddled with bullets, roared and heaved with all his strength, shoving the beast further.
The bear, sensing its impending death, thrashed wildly, trying to tear itself free from Adam's grip.
Oh no you don't.
Adam snarled, tightening his hold with every ounce of strength he had left. Around them, the firing squad kept unloading round after round, bullets tearing into both man and beast without mercy.
Another!
Beth's third shot slammed home, and the bear finally toppled, crashing heavily to the ground.
"Hold fire!" the commanding officer barked.
The gunfire ceased. Silence fell.
Adam collapsed to his knees, gasping for breath, blood pouring from dozens of wounds. Already, his injuries were beginning to knit themselves shut.
Damn... I feel like I took more bullets than the bear.
He let out a strangled laugh in his head.
I even blacked out a few times... they shot me in the damn head.
He glanced at the fallen monster.
"Bastard's finally down, huh?" Jackie whistled low.