By Monday morning, Zara's body was stitched with bruises. She had barely slept. Every time she closed her eyes, she heard Reed's laugh echoing through the subway tunnels, saw him dragging Tammy deeper into the dark.
She wanted to hunt. She wanted to rip the city apart until she found him. But instead, she walked into school like nothing had happened. Her hoodie was pulled low, her bag heavy with books she didn't care about.
Josh cornered her by the lockers, jaw tight. "Where's Tammy? She's been missing all weekend."
Zara swallowed hard, forcing the words down. "I don't know."
Josh's eyes narrowed. "You're lying. Again."
Before she could respond, the hallway lights flickered. A low vibration shivered through the floor. Students froze, whispering. Then the fire alarm shrieked.
The lockers exploded outward in a shower of metal and sparks.
Reed crawled out of the smoke.
He wasn't just mutated anymore—he was monstrous. His arms had doubled, claws dragging against the tile, his spine arching unnaturally high. His jaw was unhinged, teeth stretching too far, saliva sizzling where it hit the ground.
Students screamed, scattering in every direction. Phones came out, recording through the chaos.
"Zara!" Reed's voice tore through the smoke, guttural and broken. "Where's my welcome back?"
Her blood went cold. Everyone's eyes snapped toward her.
Josh stepped forward, confused. "Reed? What the hell—"
Reed slammed him into a row of lockers with one grotesque arm. Josh crumpled, gasping for air.
Zara's rage ignited. She tore off her hoodie, silk snapping from her palms. "Reed!"
He grinned, jaws dripping. "That's more like it."
They collided in the middle of the hallway.
Her teleportation cracked the air like lightning, but Reed matched her, claws scraping across her stomach as she reappeared behind him. She slammed his face into the floor; he retaliated with a swipe that shredded through desks. Students screamed, sprinting for the exits. Fire alarms wailed.
Teachers tried to intervene, but one swipe from Reed sent a desk flying across the room, knocking a grown man unconscious.
"Every time I bleed," Reed snarled, "I get stronger. You did this to me, Zara. YOU MADE ME."
She blinked behind him, slamming both fists into his spine. The tile cracked beneath the impact, but Reed only laughed, blood streaming from his mouth.
"Keep feeding me, Zara," he hissed. "The more you fight, the more I evolve."
Her pulse thundered. She realized too late—he was baiting her. Every punch, every strike was exactly what he wanted.
Reed lunged, grabbing Josh by the throat, holding him high in the air. "So which one of us do you save?" he asked, eyes glinting with twisted joy. "Your little friend… or Tammy?"
Zara froze, heart pounding.
Reed's grin widened, blood dripping from his teeth. "Choose."