Hunted to the Brink: The Adventures of Griffin & Karen EP 2 Part 3

In the last installment, “Tiger on the Loose: The Adventures of Griffin & Karen EP 2 Part 2,” our determined scientists face their biggest disaster yet. Their experiment to reverse aging in Tony the tiger backfires, turning him into a monstrous beast. Amidst the chaos, they manage to sedate Tony and gather vital samples, but a critical error in their formula leads to even greater peril. With time running out and the lab in chaos, Griffin and Karen must find a way to save themselves and fix their mistakes. What new dangers and challenges await them next?

Hunted by a Monster

Griffin, Karen, and the Sergeant burst through the door of the building, their lungs burning as they ran as fast as they could. Behind them, the sound of splintering wood and crumbling brick grew louder as Tony, the giant tiger, ripped apart the building they had just escaped from.

The trio emerged into the open air, gasping for breath, and found themselves face to face with Jim Hung-lo and half of his small army of men, each one brandishing a modified Type 88 AK-47 assault rifle. Mr. Hung-lo’s face was twisted in anger as he glared at Griffin and Karen.

“You fools!” he bellowed. “You put everything I’ve built over the last decade in danger! And now you’re running from that monster you created!”

Griffin and Karen knew he was right. They had been foolish to think they could control Tony after he mutated into this giant, dangerous force. But they had never imagined he would grow at such an accelerated pace and turn on them and the people in the building so viciously.

Suddenly, a loud roar interrupted their conversation as Tony burst out of the building, his massive claws ripping apart the remaining walls. The tiger was in a frenzy, and it was clear he wouldn’t stop until he had killed everyone in sight.

Jim Hung-lo’s army took aim, firing their modified rifles at Tony, but it was like trying to stop a freight train with a BB gun. Tony charged forward, his massive jaws wide open, and lunged at Hung-lo.

Hung-lo stood his ground, his rifle aimed straight at the tiger’s head. But Tony was too quick, and he swiped at the rifle with his massive paw, sending it flying out of Hung-lo’s hands.

Griffin, Karen, and the Sergeant watched in horror as Tony pinned Hung-lo to the ground, his jaws closing in for the kill. But then, unexpectedly, Tony stopped, his ears perked up. He turned his head, his eyes focused on something in the distance.

A moment later, a helicopter appeared on the horizon, its blades chopping through the air as it approached. Tony turned and bounded away, disappearing into the jungle. The helicopter touched down with the remainder of the mercenary army, joining Jim Hung-lo and the other men.

Griffin approached Mr. Hung-lo, his head bowed in shame. “I’m so sorry, Mr. Hung-lo. Everything went so horribly wrong. We never meant for Tony to turn on us like this.”

Hung-lo’s face was stern, but there was a glimmer of something else in his eyes. “You should be sorry, Griffin. You and Karen turned my beloved friend into a monster and let him loose on my island, and now many of my people are dead because of it.”

Griffin nodded. “I know, and I take full responsibility for what happened. But we did find the cure, Mr. Hung-lo. We have the remaining two doses of the serum that will return Tony to normal and make him a young cub again, just like you wanted.”

Hung-lo’s eyes widened at this news. “You found the cure? And you have it with you?”

Griffin nodded and handed Hung-lo the gun with the remaining two doses. “Yes, but we still need to find a way to get it into Tony’s system. His skin is too tough to inject, but there must be another way to get a dose into him.”

Hung-lo took the gun and examined it closely. “I appreciate your efforts, Griffin. And I appreciate that you’re trying to make this right. Right now, our priority is to take down Tony before he escapes the island and reaches the mainland. If I don’t find a way to give him this cure, I will have to kill my baby.”

He turned to his men and barked out orders. “Split up into teams. Half of you on foot, the rest in the helicopter. We need to find Tony and take him down before it’s too late.”

Hung-lo: “Sergeant, if I don’t make it back, initiate protocol yocowime.”

(Griffin and Karen exchange stares of curiosity)

Sergeant: “Yes Sir!” (salutes)

Hung-lo: “Alright Men, move out!”

Griffin watched as the team split up and headed out, each one determined to contain the force of nature he and Karen unintentionally let loose on the world.

(Primal roar in the distance)

Race for Survival

Hung-lo and his men charged into the dense jungle, their rifles at the ready. The giant hairless tiger, Tony, had mutated beyond recognition, and it had become their mission to bring him down. They moved in a tight formation, their eyes scanning the dense foliage around them.

Suddenly, the beast was on top of them, its massive form silhouetted against the greenery. Hung-lo and his men opened fire, their armor-piercing bullets tearing through the thick hide of the tiger. The animal roared in pain, but it didn’t slow down. One by one, the giant hairless feline picked off Hung-lo’s men.

“We need to try the serum!” Hung-lo shouted over the gunfire to the pilot. “Get the helicopter in there!”

Hung-lo signaled to the pilot, pointing to the back of Tony, and the helicopter swooped down low. With monstrous speed, the giant cat spun around from ripping apart the men and lunged at the chopper, its razor-sharp claws tearing through the metal. The pilot struggled to keep the aircraft aloft, but it was no use. The helicopter spun out of control and crashed into the jungle floor.

Tony approached the downed chopper, his jaws open wide, ready to deal the final blow to Hung-lo. Hung-lo lay there, the gun with the remaining serum just inches away. But his mangled body could not make it that far. Before Tony got close enough to strike, Hung-lo used the last of his strength to radio back to his sergeant.

“Initiate Protocol Yocowime,” he said, his voice calm and steady.

The sergeant on the other end of the line hesitated for a moment, but then he nodded. “Understood, sir,” he said.

There was a pause, and then a rumble shook the jungle. The ground beneath their feet began to tremble. Hung-lo’s remaining men stumbled and fell.

“What the hell is going on?” one of them shouted.

But Hung-lo knew. He had ordered the activation of the Yocowime protocol, a last resort in case of a catastrophic event.

He looked up at Tony, the giant hairless tiger who had been the cause of so much chaos and destruction.

“I’m sorry, my friend,” he said softly. “It shouldn’t have ended like this.”

Island’s Last Stand

Back at the complex, Karen and Griffin went into a panic hearing the order come over the radio.

“That is the second time we’ve heard that. What does that mean?” Karen said nervously.

The sergeant nodded grimly. “There’s no time to waste. You two need to leave. Now!” he said, grabbing a bottle of soju from the bottom drawer of one of the desks.

Griffin and Karen looked at each other, their eyes widening and the anxiety swelling in their stomachs.

“But what does it mean?”

The Sergeant sighed and took a sip. “In 30 seconds, I’m going to push this button. That will initiate the protocol and start a self-destruct sequence for the island and send a payload to destroy the castle of Mr. Hung-lo’s cousin and sworn enemy,” explained the sergeant, taking another sip of soju. “Yocowime means ‘You’re Coming With Me.’”

Griffin and Karen exchanged a puzzled glance, then turned back to the sergeant.

“Come with us,” Griffin said. “We can all get out of here together.”

The sergeant shook his head. “There’s no sense. My wife and I were expecting, and she died in that lab. I have nothing left.”

Griffin and Karen’s hearts fell to their feet, trying to imagine the sergeant’s pain.

(Sergeant takes another sip and presses the button starting the sequence.)

“You two have 5 minutes, you better head to the marina.”

The sergeant gave them one last look, then took a seat and turned around to view the sight of the sun setting over the horizon through the command center window.

The ground started trembling. Griffin and Karen sprinted towards the marina, their hearts pounding. They could hear the countdown in their heads, ticking away the precious seconds.

“Come on, come on,” Griffin muttered.

(3 minutes to go)

They burst through the trees and saw the marina ahead. They sprinted towards the nearest boat and started the engine.

“Let’s go!” Karen shouted.

(90 seconds)

Griffin gunned the engine, and the boat lurched forward. Just seconds out of the marina, they heard a high-pitched swoosh and supersonic boom, looking up just in time to see a missile fly over their heads and disappear above, and then they heard the first explosion.

They could hear the explosions going off one at a time, like loud dominoes falling, and could feel the heat of the explosions behind them.

Griffin and Karen could hear the groundbreaking behind them and saw the waves from the tremors growing. They still had to get clear of the island to avoid the boat being destroyed by the aftershocks of the explosions.

“Come on, come on,” Griffin muttered, glancing over his shoulder at the mushrooms of flames.

Karen held on tight to the rail, her eyes wide with worry. The boat sped towards the horizon, leaving the island behind.

They were now miles away and could no longer feel the tremors from the island. Griffin slowed the vessel as they both stood and watched the remaining explosions set off all around the island, the ground heaving and buckling, and the trees exploding into flames.

And then, in the distance, they heard it. The last mega-roar of Tony, the giant hairless tiger, as the island sank beneath the waves.

Griffin and Karen held onto each other, their hearts heavy with the knowledge of what had taken place on the island.

“This is all our fault,” said Karen, her voice heavy with remorse.

Griffin said nothing, he just held her.

It is not how they would have wished it to be, but they were alive, together, and the nightmare was over. And for now, that was enough.

Stay tuned for their next experiment as they try to get their lives back on track to finish their work…