CHAPTER 15
Mike walked toward his motorcycle. His backpack was still slung over his shoulders. The school day had ended long ago; the halls were empty, the courtyard abandoned. Silence settled over everything like a heavy blanket.
Just as he was about to put on his helmet…
He heard something.
It came from the football field.
But it wasn't the voice of an ordinary student. There was tension in it, a restrained hostility. It wasn't words it was the rhythm of breaths, sharp and deliberate.
He moved closer, his steps careful, quiet. When he reached the back of the bleachers and peeked around, what he saw made him stop in his tracks.
There were two groups.
On one side was Ethan's group. Six of them. They stood close together in silence, their stares sharp as knives. Ethan stood in the center; his cold eyes carried that same one-sided, mocking grin. The energy radiating from him made his role as their leader unmistakable.
Opposite them was another group nine in total. They were larger in number and carried an even heavier aura. Their leader stood silently at the front. His pale skin and razor-sharp gaze were anything but normal. Behind him, the other eight barely moved, but the tension in their posture promised violence at any second.
Mike's heart started to race.
The school's empty… but these two groups…
He took another step closer.
Then Ethan's eyes began to glow.
A second later, the five behind him followed. Their muscles tensed, bones cracking audibly as their bodies began to change. Their arms lengthened, their facial features sharpened, nails stretching into claws. They weren't human anymore. They looked like werewolves but not quite. They were something more savage, more twisted.
The nine on the other side remained still. Their leader exhaled slowly, and suddenly their eyes turned a deep, dark crimson. Their skin paled even further, their teeth elongated, their nails hardened into metallic-like talons. They were vampiric in nature, yet… tainted. Something older, darker resonated within them.
And then… the silence shattered.
Ethan's group howled as they charged. The nine moved like shadows silent but impossibly fast. Claws tore through the air, teeth sank into flesh. The field echoed with animalistic roars and bone-chilling hisses.
Mike's ears rang. He'd heard this before but never this intense. Pressure crashed down on his mind. His knees weakened. His heart pounded so violently it felt like it would break free from his chest.
"No… it's happening again…"
He clutched his head. His breath hitched. Veins bulged under his skin as his eyes flickered with a glow he couldn't control.
And then he dropped to his knees.
But this transformation was different. Darker. More unstable.
Jagged spines burst from his shoulders. Blackened veins spread beneath his skin like cracks in stone. The bones in his hands twisted unnaturally. This wasn't like any form he'd taken before this was pure chaos erupting.
Ethan and the vampire leader froze mid-fight. Their glowing eyes instantly turned toward Mike.
Gripping the metal railing of the bleachers, Mike forced himself upright. He didn't walk he staggered, dragging himself forward, his body trembling as it shifted.
And then… it happened.
His frame grew taller, broader. From his back, torn and ragged yet massive wings unfurled. The glow in his eyes burned not with fear, but with raw, uncontained rage. His breath came out in clouds of smoke… carrying the scent of death itself.
Everyone on the field stopped.
The remaining members of both groups abandoned their fight, frozen by what they were witnessing.
Mike's roar came next.
It split the air. A sound so powerful it shook the ground beneath them. The vibration tore through skulls, a noise that shattered the mind.
And in that instant Ethan's five followers collapsed back into their human forms. The eight behind the vampire leader followed suit, falling back in fear.
But Ethan… and the vampire leader… did not.
Their eyes flared even brighter. Anger consumed them.
The two leaders charged Mike at the same time. Ethan leapt, his wolf-like claws slashing through the air. The vampire leader glided in from above, aiming straight for Mike's chest and face.
But Mike… caught them both. One by the leg. The other by the arm.
His muscles strained violently, veins threatening to burst as he held them in place. They struggled, their claws digging deep into his flesh.
Then Mike roared again.
But this time it wasn't just a roar. It was an earthquake of sound. The ground shook. The echo ripped through the air and into their skulls, shattering focus.
Even Ethan and the vampire leader faltered.
And then… they shifted.
Both leaders were forced back into human form.
Mike's breathing grew ragged. He staggered, took one final deep breath… then collapsed to his knees. His trembling body slowly reverted back to its human state.
That form lasted only for a fleeting moment.
And Mike could already feel the crushing weight of the price he'd just paid.