Chapter 67: The thing that followed

“Did anyone else hear that?” Jack asked as they walked through the quiet woods.

The night was colder now, the air thick and heavy. Their flashlights flickered every few seconds, like the batteries were dying.

Damien stopped walking. “Stay still.”

Everyone froze. The forest was silent, but under that silence was something faint, something breathing.

Lyra moved closer to him. “Maybe it’s just an animal.”

Maya shook her head slowly. “No. It’s something else.”

The two Alphas looked around, their eyes glowing faintly in the dark. Marcus raised his voice. “Show yourself.”

No one answered. The trees didn’t move.

Then a low growl came from behind them.

They turned fast. A tall shadow stood near the path, its red eyes bright in the dark. Its shape looked human but wrong, twisted.

Jack took a step back. “Please tell me that’s not another hybrid.”

Maya grabbed a silver knife from her belt. “It’s not one of theirs. This is new.”

The creature stepped forward. Its skin looked burned, and its mouth stretched wide with sharp, uneven teeth. It smelled like ash and wet soil.

Damien clenched his fists. “Stay behind me.”

The thing laughed, a low, broken sound. “Alpha,” it said. Its voice was deep and rough, almost like metal scraping. “You should have stayed dead.”

Damien froze. The sound of his name in that tone made his blood run cold. “Who are you?”

The creature tilted its head. “I was the first. The one they threw away.”

Maya’s eyes widened. “It’s one of the doctor’s failed tests.”

The creature smiled wider. “Failed? I’m perfect now.”

Before anyone could react, it rushed forward. Damien jumped aside just in time, its claws tearing through the air. Marcus and the second Alpha ran toward it, grabbing its arms, but it threw them off like they were paper.

Jack pulled Lyra to cover behind a fallen log. “He’s not slowing down!”

Damien grabbed a broken branch from the ground and swung it at the creature’s head. The wood snapped against its hard skin. The creature hit him across the chest, and he fell back with a loud grunt.

“Damien!” Maya shouted, running toward him.

He pushed himself up, his breathing heavy. “I’m fine.”

Lyra came from behind, her eyes glowing silver. She jumped and kicked the creature in the face, making it stumble back. The second Alpha grabbed it by the neck and slammed it into a tree.

For a moment, the creature didn’t move. Then it laughed again. “You can’t kill what’s already broken.”

The ground under them started shaking slightly. Roots moved like snakes around their feet.

“Move!” Maya shouted.

They all jumped back as the roots rose, trying to trap them. The creature stepped forward again, its arms stretched wide. “I will finish what they started.”

Damien’s anger burned inside him. He felt weak without his wolf, but something inside still wanted to fight. He looked at Maya. “You have any more wolfsbane?”

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small pouch. “Only a little.”

“That’s enough,” he said.

He ran forward, dodging the creature’s claws. It grabbed his arm, but he pushed his hand into the pouch and threw the powder into its face. The creature screamed as smoke came out from its skin.

Marcus shouted, “Keep going, it’s working!”

Lyra ran in and hit the creature in the leg. Damien swung again, punching its chest as hard as he could. The thing fell to the ground, shaking.

“Is it dead?” Jack asked.

Maya looked at it carefully. “Not yet.”

The creature’s hand moved suddenly and grabbed Damien’s ankle. “You think you stopped them,” it whispered. “But you only made them stronger.”

Its eyes turned white, and then its whole body turned to dust. The wind blew, scattering it into the air.

Everyone stood silent for a moment. The forest went quiet again.

Marcus sighed and wiped his face. “That was not just an experiment. That was a message.”

Maya nodded. “It means the doctors know we’re coming.”

Jack rubbed his hands together. “So what now? We go back, pretend nothing happened?”

Damien looked at him. “No. We find them before they find us.”

They started walking again, their flashlights lighting the narrow path. None of them spoke for a while. The smell of smoke and dirt lingered in the air.

When they reached the road, the two Alphas stopped. “We’ll return to our pack,” Marcus said. “We’ll prepare for what’s next. You three, stay safe.”

Damien nodded. “Thanks for helping.”

The Alphas turned and disappeared into the woods.

Lyra looked up at the sky. “The full moon is tomorrow.”

Maya frowned. “That’s not good. The full moon will make the hybrids stronger.”

Jack exhaled. “And Damien doesn’t even have his wolf anymore.”

Damien stayed quiet. His chest still ached from the fight, but something else bothered him. The creature’s last words echoed in his head. You only made them stronger.

When they reached Maya’s house, the lights were still on. She locked the door behind them.

“Everyone should get some rest,” she said. “Tomorrow we plan.”

Lyra nodded and went to the window, looking outside. “I don’t think they’ll wait for tomorrow.”

Damien sat on the couch, staring at his hands. His veins looked darker under the light. He rubbed his chest where the old bite mark was. It burned faintly.

Jack noticed it and frowned. “You okay?”

“I’m fine,” Damien said, though his voice sounded unsure.

Lyra turned around, her face serious. “You don’t look fine.”

“I just need sleep,” he replied.

Maya crossed her arms. “We all do.”

They stayed silent for a moment. The wind outside blew harder, making the windows rattle. The house creaked, old and tired.

Then, from outside, came the sound of something dragging on the ground.

Maya turned off the lights. “Did you hear that?”

They all looked toward the door. The sound came again — slow, steady, like something heavy being pulled through the dirt.

Jack whispered, “Please tell me that’s the wind.”

Lyra shook her head. “No wind sounds like that.”

Damien stood up. His hand went to the doorknob. “Stay behind me.”

He opened the door slowly. The yard was empty, the moonlight bright. The dragging sound had stopped.

He stepped outside, his eyes moving across the shadows. Nothing.

Then he saw it. On the ground, near the gate, were long, dark marks — as if someone had been pulled away.

Maya came beside him, her voice quiet. “They found us.”

Damien looked up at the moon. His heart raced, his body tense. “Then it begins again.”

The night was silent, but deep in the forest, something howled — long, sharp, and not human.