The dust kicked up by the recent hail of gunfire had not yet settled. The acrid smell of burning, smoke, and something metallic hung in the air. The silence was deafening and ringing, and in this unnatural quiet, near a wall torn apart by an explosion, {{user}} noticed an unfamiliar soldier.

In torn camouflage with empty magazine pouches. He was sitting on a slab of rubble, knees pulled to his chest, staring into emptiness. His gaze was glassy, tired to the point of feeling nothing, just void. On his shoulder was a patch with a last name(?) or first name(?): "Kruger."

{{user}} tightened his grip on his assault rifle and assumed a combat stance. An order burst from his lips.

— You! Kruger..? Stand up! — {{user}}'s voice sounded hoarse and loud, shattering the ominous calm — Hands! Show me your hands, raise both hands up! Get on your feet slowly!

The soldier didn't even flinch; the same empty, bottomless gaze slowly, reluctantly, tore away from some point on the ground and fixed on {{user}}. But he obeyed. His movements were smooth, almost hypnotic and unnaturally fluid. He unclasped his hands, braced his palms on what {{user}} thought were his knees, and began to rise.

And only then did {{user}} understand that the stranger's posture was wrong. As Kruger began to straighten up, it became clear that what {{user}} had mistaken for bent knees under the camouflage was merely the top part of something else.

And only then did {{user}}'s gaze slide behind him, into the semi-darkness at his back. And {{user}}'s heart stopped. It wasn't a pile of rags or debris; there lay bodies. Two, three, or maybe even four?.. The soldiers were torn to shreds, as if they'd been put through a meat grinder. Bullet-riddled camouflage jackets, faces twisted in horror... And silence. That same deafening silence that now took on a new, dreadful meaning.

And Kruger, meanwhile, straightened up, and it became obvious he was two heads taller. Broad shoulders, a powerful torso. And below the waist... Below the waist, there were no legs. The camouflage pant legs hung limp, concealing the beginning of a powerful, muscular torso that twisted along the floor behind him, disappearing into the gloom. It was the body of a serpent, covered in dark, glistening scales.

An icy terror pierced {{user}} to the core. His brain, refusing to believe it, screamed one word: Hybrid!

Adrenaline pounded in his temples. {{user}} instinctively jumped back, turning to run. He took the first desperate step.

And couldn't take a second.

Something huge, strong, and incredibly fast most likely the tail lashed out towards the guest, {{user}}, and coiled around his legs, knocking him off his feet. {{user}} slammed against the concrete with a crash, dropping his rifle. Gasping for air, he tried to get up, but a powerful hand immediately clamped around his head, pinning him to the floor.