Chapter 68: You all want this

The loud crash came from outside the house. Everyone froze.

“What was that?” Lyra asked, standing up quickly.

Maya grabbed a flashlight and walked toward the window. “Stay behind me,” she said.

Damien moved beside her, his eyes alert. The light flickered as Maya opened the back door. A cold wind rushed in. The backyard looked dark and empty at first, but then they saw movement near the trees.

“Someone’s there,” Jack whispered.

They all stepped out. The night was quiet except for the sound of leaves moving. Then something came out of the shadows.

It was tall, thin, and gray. Its eyes glowed white. Its steps were slow and uneven, like it was struggling to control its body.

Maya took a step back. “That’s not a wolf.”

Lyra nodded. “Then what is it?”

Before anyone could answer, the creature growled and ran toward them. Damien pushed Maya aside as it swung its long arm at him. Its claws missed by a little. Damien fell, rolled on the ground, and stood back up.

Cole ran forward and hit it with a shovel he found near the wall. The creature barely moved. It growled again, louder this time.

“It’s too strong,” Cole shouted.

Neo pulled out a silver knife from his bag. “Keep it away from the door,” he said.

The creature jumped onto the porch, breaking the wooden railing. It moved across the roof fast, its hands scratching the tiles as it went.

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

Damien turned to her. “What doctor?”

“The one who creates hybrids,” she said. “He mixes bloodlines that shouldn’t exist.”

The creature hissed and dropped from the roof, landing close to Damien. He raised his arm to block, but Maya threw a small bottle at the creature’s chest. It broke, spilling bright blue liquid that started to burn its skin.

The creature screamed and tried to run. Damien grabbed the shovel again and hit it on the leg. Cole swung next, hitting its shoulder. Neo moved fast and cut it with his blade.

The creature stumbled back, making strange sounds. Lyra kicked it in the chest, and it fell to the ground.

Its skin started cracking, and light came out from inside its body. Then, within seconds, it turned into dust and disappeared.

Everyone stood still, breathing hard.

“What was that?” Jack asked.

Maya walked closer to the spot where it fell. “It was one of Dr. Vale’s creations,” she said softly. “He’s the one the alphas warned us about.”

Cole frowned. “He’s real?”

“Yes,” Maya said. “He used to be part of the council. But now he turns people into things like that.”

Damien rubbed his neck. “He’s making monsters.”

Maya nodded. “He wants to erase every line between human and supernatural.”

They all went back inside. The fire was still burning, but the air felt heavy.

Neo sat near the window and looked out at the dark yard. “That thing came straight here. It knew where we were.”

Bryce nodded. “Which means he knows about us.”

Maya put the flashlight on the table. “Then we need to move before he sends another one.”

Damien looked up. “Move where? We don’t even know where he is.”

“The alphas do,” Maya said. “They have files on his old labs. We’ll go there tomorrow.”

Lyra folded her arms. “And if we find nothing?”

“Then we keep searching,” Maya said. “We don’t stop until we end this.”

The room went quiet. The only sound was the crackling fire and the ticking clock on the wall.

Cole leaned back in his chair. “I thought we could rest for a while.”

Damien gave a small laugh. “You should know by now, we never get peace.”

Jack sat on the floor beside the couch. “We need to prepare. Whatever that was, it wasn’t his strongest creation.”

Maya looked at him. “You’re right. If this doctor can build creatures like that, we have no idea what else he’s made.”

Lyra sighed. “Maybe he’s making an army.”

Neo stood up and looked outside again. “If he is, we can’t wait for them to find us. We have to find him first.”

Maya nodded. “Then tomorrow, we go to the alphas’ base. They have what we need.”

Cole stood and stretched. “I’ll take the first watch. That thing didn’t come alone. I could feel it.”

Damien looked at him. “I’ll stay up with you.”

Maya frowned. “You both need rest.”

Damien shook his head. “Rest won’t help if another one shows up.”

Neo placed his knife back in his bag. “I’ll stay up too. Three of us will be enough.”

Maya nodded slowly. “Fine. But keep the lights low. Don’t draw attention.”

Lyra went upstairs with Jack, both quiet. Cole sat near the fire while Damien stood by the window, staring out into the darkness.

Maya walked into the kitchen to get water. Her hands were shaking a little. She looked down at the glass. “He’s getting closer,” she whispered.

Damien heard her and walked in. “You said his name is Dr. Vale?”

“Yes,” Maya said. “He used to study supernatural genes for the council. Then one day, he disappeared. Now he uses people as experiments.”

Damien’s eyes narrowed. “So he’s the one creating these hybrid creatures?”

“Yes,” she said. “Wolves with vampire strength, humans with mermaid lungs. He wants to control evolution itself.”

Damien looked away. “And the alphas couldn’t stop him?”

“They tried,” Maya said. “But he’s always one step ahead.”

Damien clenched his jaw. “Then we’ll find him and end it.”

Maya looked at him for a moment, then nodded. “We’ll try.”

A long howl came from outside. It was soft but strange, almost like a voice hiding behind the sound. Everyone in the house froze.

Neo stood up and moved closer to the window. “That wasn’t a normal wolf.”

Maya stepped beside him. “No. It’s one of his creations again. He’s watching us.”

Cole’s grip tightened on the shovel. “Then let him come.”

The howl stopped.

Maya looked around the room. “We need to leave at sunrise. Everyone should rest while they can.”

Damien stayed near the window until the sky turned pale. He didn’t sleep, and neither did the others. The night felt too quiet, too strange.

They all knew it deep down—something had changed.

The doctor wasn’t just experimenting anymore. He was hunting.

And they were next.