Chapter 68 WHAT CRAWLS OUT

Chapter 68 WHAT CRAWLS OUT
Derek's POV

I had seen monsters. I had hunted them once upon a time studied them, torn them apart when it was necessary. All because I wanted to please my father. I knew the way they moved, the way they breathed, the way fear coiled around them like a second skin. The terror that they brought, how much they sent chills down one's spine.

And sometimes, I couldn't deny that I had been one. Not exactly in the literal sense, not like the thing clawing its way out of the tear in the gate in reality before him. But in moments. In choices. In the quiet spaces where morality bent and survival took over. The way I had treated Iris like she was some kind of property I was supposed to take advantage of.

I didn't talk about those.

But this? This was different. It felt different. The way its body retracted from the gates. I wanted to run away, as far away as I could. It didn't seem like anything I had ever heard of, not even in folklores.

But Iris was there. She wanted to save us. The pack. I didn't even think there was way to talk her out of it at this point.
This felt older than monsters and yet, she was getting involved like her life depended on it.

The hand that emerged from the gate was wrong in ways that made my instincts scream. They shouldn't be here, they didn't need to be there. Too long. Too thin. The fingers bent at angles they shouldn’t, joints shifting like they weren't fixed in place.

The skin, if I could call it that, flickered between something solid and something closer to shadow, like reality itself was struggling to decide what it was looking at. It blended into the night and then formed a shape, it was there one second and then it was gone.

I exhaled slowly, eyes narrowing, I looked at everyone else, seeing the same fear in their eyes. None of them had moved an inch. Not even Iris.

Marcus wasn't smiling anymore, and he was practically clinging to me.

She couldn't look away from the darkness that was there, it looked like something that pulled her in. It was a curse, her inability to move away.

“Yeah,” Derek muttered under his breath, he shook his head. “That’s not staying in there, is it?” The question wasn't aimed at anyone in particular but it woke them all up.

I didn't hesitate. The second the thing began pulling itself further through the tear, I moved, placing himself firmly in front of Iris and her mother. Protective. Solid. Ready. I wouldn't let it get to her, no matter what.

“Everyone back!” My voice cut through the air, sharp with command. Nobody moved, they were frozen in position and it frustrated me. Goddess, I wish Garrett was here.

Marcus, for once, didn’t have something clever to say. He was staring at the tear, at the creature that stared back.

“This-” he began slowly, taking a deep breath, voice tight, “wasn’t the intended outcome.” he said the words like it wasn't something everyone else had come to conclude.

The creature dragged more of itself into the world, its form stretching, glitching, snapping back into place like it couldn't fully exist here. Its torso followed its arm, elongated and indistinct, like it was still deciding what shape it wants to take.

Its face… I frowned. Its face didn't stay still long enough to be understood. Features shifted. Blurred. Rearranged itself. A suggestion of eyes, round and black, its irises were empty. A mouth that formed and unformed, teeth that were there one second and gone the next.. A structure that refused to settle.

It was like reality couldn't decide what it would look like. But then - It stabilized. Just enough. And its eyes locked onto Iris.
It smiled, something like a whistle escaped its mouth, terror went through all their bodies.

I felt it immediately. It wasn't fear, or maybe a part of it was. Not exactly, it was like recognition. Not toward the gate. Not toward the creature itself. Toward her. My stomach tightened.

“Oh, that’s bad,” he said quietly, his voice was now a murmur.

The creature inhaled, if it could even be called that, it felt like something more, and when it spoke, the sound was wrong. Layered. Overlapping. Like multiple voices were trying to occupy the same space at once.

“You opened the door,” it said, with its voice just a distorted as the face was.

Iris didn't move. I noticed that instantly. Of course she didn't.

Of course she stood there, staring at the thing like she was trying to understand it instead of running away from it. He moved towards her slowly. Already he could sense what she was about to do.

“Iris,” I said sharply, my voice cutting through the air like a blade, “do not engage.” I warned, stepping even closer.

Too late.

She stepped forward. Just one step. But it was enough. “Who are you?” she asked. No hesitation. No fear in her voice.

The creature tilted its head, the movement unnatural, almost curious but not quite. It felt like it was trying to imitate human emotions. “We remember you.”

My stomach dropped. That’s not - That’s not possible. I moved before he even realized it, closing the distance between them in two quick strides.

“That’s enough,” I snapped, I grabbed Iris’s arm. “We are not doing this.” I said, a warning.

But she didn't pull away. Her eyes stayed locked on the creature.
It was then that something shifted in the air. The creature extended its hand toward her. Slow and deliberate. Like it knew she wouldn't run.

I tightened my grip against her arm. “Iris-” I began to speak, a warning that I so badly needed her to take. She couldn't move any closer, the risk was too much.

I looked at her, eyes that were nearly empty. I knew for a fact that something was wrong, everyone could sense it. Marcus moved restlessly behind both of them.

It moved, stepping even closer to both of us. I jerked back in fear and terror. Not even that had moved Iris, she remained there, unable to look away.

It was that moment the creature’s fingers brushed her skin, everything broke. Not in a violent way. Not in the way a part of me expected.

There was no scream. No visible wound. No burst of power. Iris didn't jolt with pain or anything. She had remained still, eyes locked on the creature's as if she couldn't move away.

Instead, Iris froze, her body went rigid, her breath catching like the air had been knocked out of her lungs. And then- her eyes changed. Not physically. But something inside them fractured.

“Iris?” my voice was sharp now, my hands shook beside me, tension bleeding through my voice.

But Iris didn't respond. Because Iris wasn't there.

It was something else, something she had never felt before. A cold shiver ran through her body, her eyes were white now, they weren't hers anymore.

Her body shook, both fear and icy anger - anger that wasn't hers.

I couldn't look away. I could feel both heat and cold. I was so close to her that I could sensed her distress.

We all saw it at the same time, the shine that began to rise. The creature was there, eyes still on her. It shifted, disappearing into the night and reappearing like it was a type of game.

“Please" Iris begged, “Lara do something.”