Thor reacted instantly to the sudden shift in dynamics, pressing his heavy body fiercely against Ethan’s legs, his sharp teeth fully bared at the slowly advancing handlers.
Halvorsen scowled deeply. “This is exactly why he is too dangerous to live in society.”
Karen stepped directly in front of Ethan, pleading with her boss. “Sir, please, do not escalate this situation. Thor is only reacting to the immediate physical threat you are creating.”
Halvorsen ignored her entirely. “Get Mr. Walker out of there.”
Two handlers advanced with extreme caution, their heavy aluminum catch-poles fully extended. Thor’s defensive growl deepened significantly, the acoustic frequency vibrating straight through the concrete floor. His broad chest he heave, his breathing turned frantic, and his muscular body trembled violently with the sheer terror of forced separation.
Ethan knelt swiftly beside the dog, whispering softly into his perked ear. “It is okay, boy. I am right here.”
Thor’s amber eyes, wild and incredibly desperate, locked firmly onto Ethan’s blind but exceptionally steady gaze. But the handlers continued their slow advance, and Thor finally snapped—not at Ethan, but violently at the metal poles aimed toward his head. Heavy metal clanged loudly as the shepherd bit down hard on the thick aluminum shaft, shaking it violently side to side with terrifying jaw strength. The entire room erupted into chaos as the terrified staff frantically scrambled backward.
“We cannot physically control him!” one of the handlers shouted in a panic.
“Pull Mr. Walker out of that cage right now,” Halvorsen barked loudly.
Karen grabbed Ethan’s arm, her fingernails digging deeply into his jacket. “Please, Ethan, please listen to me. If you stay inside there, they are going to heavily sedate him. Or worse, they will put him down.”
Ethan hesitated, physically feeling the massive dog trembling violently beneath his steady hand. Another handler reached into the enclosure, and Thor lunged forward, his massive teeth clashing against the metal pole just inches away from the man’s exposed wrist.
Ethan’s voice broke under the emotional weight. “I do not want to leave him in here like this.”
“I know you do not,” Karen whispered, hot tears pooling in her eyes, “but if you do not step away, he will only see them as a direct threat to your life. And he absolutely will not stop fighting until they are forced to put him down.”
Ethan slowly rose to his feet. Thor let out a sharp whimper—a truly heartbreaking, choking sound of pure despair—pressing his heavy body intensely into Ethan’s legs as if physically begging the man not to abandon him to the dark.
Ethan knelt one final time, gently cupping Thor’s scarred face within his calloused hands. “I will come back for you,” Ethan murmured, his rough voice thick with an unbreakable promise. “I promise you.”
Thor whined significantly louder, nudging Ethan’s chest frantically with his nose, entirely refusing to let go of the connection. Karen gave his arm a soft, desperate tug. Ethan finally stepped away from the animal.
The exact moment Ethan crossed the steel threshold and the heavy security gate clanged shut, locking securely into place, Thor’s entire physical demeanor changed. His pointed ears pinned flat against his skull. His heavy breath hitched in his throat. His amber eyes went completely wild with panic.
Then, the total psychological breakdown began.
Thor hurled his massive body directly at the reinforced bars with terrifying, unbridled power. He violently snarled, barked relentlessly, and physically smashed his heavy frame against the steel cage so intensely that the thick metal actively rattled within its concrete frame. The terrified handlers shouted overlapping orders. Karen gasped in horror. Halvorsen swore under his breath.
Thor was not launching an attack. He was actively grieving in the absolute only way his shattered mind knew how to process the trauma. He was desperate. Violently thrashing. Completely heartbroken. Because Ethan was gone.
The deafening echoes of Thor’s anguished, violent fury were still actively reverberating through the long hallways when a shrill, ear-piercing alarm suddenly blared overhead, violently cutting through every other sound like a jagged, rusted knife.
Bright red emergency strobe lights instantly began flashing against the cold concrete walls, aggressively bathing the sterile corridor in frantic, pulsing washes of crimson warning.
Karen spun around rapidly, her eyes incredibly wide. “What now?”
A breathless handler sprinted frantically from down the main hall, his face entirely pale. “We have heavy smoke detected in Wing C! We have a confirmed structural fire! Everyone needs to evacuate the building immediately!”
Total chaos erupted in the blink of an eye. It was instantaneous and deeply terrifying. Panic-stricken handlers bolted aggressively toward their designated emergency stations, heavy fire doors began slamming shut automatically on their strict magnetic locks, and the terrified staff frantically raced to guide the confused, barking animals out of the immediate path of harm.
The acrid smell of thick smoke rapidly drifted into the corridor. It was incredibly sharp, throat-choking, and completely unmistakable. It tasted heavily of burning industrial plastic and raw human fear.
Karen reached out and grabbed Ethan’s arm, her grip fueled by pure desperation. “We have to go. Right now.”
But Ethan did not move a single muscle. His head snapped violently toward the secured isolation wing they had just evacuated. “Thor. He is trapped inside a fire zone.”
“The security doors are locked automatically by the system!” the panicked handler yelled over the alarms, coughing harshly as the first gray, toxic tendrils of thick smoke actively seeped into the narrow corridor. “We cannot physically reach him! The emergency system permanently seals the wing to prevent drafts!”
At the explicit mention of Thor’s name, Ethan’s heart instantly plunged like a lead weight straight into his stomach. He vividly pictured the massive dog—completely alone, utterly terrified, and aggressively abandoned once again in the suffocating dark. The horrific thought physically twisted something deep and permanent inside of his chest.
Karen attempted to pull Ethan toward the exit again, pulling significantly harder this time. “Come on! We will get him out once the professional fire team arrives on scene. They have the manual override keys!”
“Once they arrive?” Ethan snapped aggressively, forcefully shaking off her grip. “He does not have that kind of time!”