American Apocalypse IV - Chapter 7 - by Nova

The entire rooms flow changed.  I stood up. Woof, who had been sitting next to Zane, got up in one fluid move and positioned himself in front of him. 

There were four of them. They came though the door fast and hard in a diamond wedge.  The room went quiet for about two beats of time. They covered half the distance to the paperwork stations during those frozen few seconds. The two soldiers doing security were good. I would have been faster but they didn't fuck around. They had either done this before or drilled for it.  Why? One was armed with a shotgun.  Close in like this it was the perfect weapon for intimidation and if he pulled the trigger the rounds wouldn't be punching holes in cars and people a mile down the road. The NCO yelling "Halt!" knew how to yell with authority but his partner racking the shotgun added the punctuation that made them stop period. If this was a cartoon their boots would have been smoking from the lockup.

The leader was a monster. I knew that without even thinking about it. Woof did too. I could the rumble from his chest begin. I heard Zane whisper "Quiet Woof! Instantaneously it stopped.

Monster was an easy 300lbs of muscle an insanity. Close cropped blond hair, a face that was flat planes and eyes that were lit up with 100 watts of pure blinding bullshit and death. His crew were an unusual mix. Most times when an animal like him was running the pack the rest tried to look like clones of the big dog.  Not this bunch. Each one of them was a piece of standalone work. Anywhere else I would have gunned them down right then and there. Fuck talking. Fuck posturing. Coming into a room I was in like that said all I needed to hear.