Jayden stormed straight home, his mind swirling in chaos. As soon as he reached his bathroom, he gripped the sink and stared into the mirror, breathing heavily, his whole body thrumming with a strange, uncontrollable energy. His skin felt hot, as though something was burning from the inside out, and his jaw ached as he clenched it, struggling to contain the rage boiling within him. A low, guttural sound escaped his throat—a sound more animal than human.
He blinked, his gaze snapping back to the mirror, and saw his eyes glowing an unnatural, bright green. As he watched, horrified, his hands curled into fists so tight he could feel his nails digging into his palms. A sharp pain followed by a warm wetness told him they had broken the skin, but he couldn't bring himself to let go. His bones were popping, cracking beneath his skin, and he felt himself on the edge of something terrible. A small voice whispered to him: *If you hadn't left that party, this could've been Benjamin's last night.*
Finally, he forced himself to relax his fists, and as he opened his hands, he saw dark, fresh blood oozing from deep cuts on his palms. His fingernails had grown, sharpened like claws without him even realizing it, and they'd left raw, bleeding marks across his skin. He staggered back, looking down at his hands, trembling.
"What...what is happening to me?" he whispered, and was startled to hear his own voice twisted, layered with another—a deep, monstrous tone that seemed to echo from the depths of his throat. It was as if something else was speaking through him.
Realization washed over him in a cold wave: whatever had happened last night with Felix was more than just a nightmare. He'd changed—transformed into something terrifying. And he knew now that if he'd killed someone once, he could do it again. The thought of it, the dark power lurking inside him, made him feel sick.
"What am I going to do?" he muttered, his voice barely above a whisper. His thoughts jumped to his mother, her safety. He couldn't stay here, not with her in the same house. What if he lost control again?
Without a second thought, he turned and climbed out of his bedroom window, slipping into the night, away from the one person he wanted to protect the most. He sprinted up into the hills, not stopping, not even daring to look back. He ran until the town was far behind him, until he was surrounded by nothing but trees and shadows, his footsteps echoing in the stillness of the forest.
Eventually, he came across a small opening in the ground, a hidden entrance leading to an underground cave. Desperate and exhausted, he crawled inside, crouching in the darkness. The cave was cold and damp, but it was isolated, far from everyone he cared about. He sat there, waiting out the night, praying that the sunrise would bring him clarity, or some sign that this nightmare would end.
When morning finally came, he felt drained but a bit calmer. Making his way back home, he slipped quietly into the house, hoping his mother hadn't noticed his absence. But as he entered, he found her sitting on the living room sofa, her arms wrapped tightly around herself. She was waiting for him, her expression a strange mix of concern and worry.
"Mom, I..." he started, trying to find words for everything he was feeling. But she held up her hand, stopping him before he could say another word.
"I know what you did…" His mother's voice was calm, almost gentle, yet it cut through him like a knife.
Jayden froze. "You...you do?" How could she possibly know? The incident with Felix was a dark secret only his group knew. He started to panic, wondering if Benjamin had somehow explained that incident to her just so he can be punished.
"Yes," she continued, her voice softening. "And I'm not mad at you."
His jaw dropped. "What?" He was stunned, unable to process what he was hearing.
She nodded. "Benjamin was scaring a poor girl and making fun of someone's death. He deserved it!" She placed a gentle hand on his cheek. "But, honey…" Her voice softened even more as she brushed her fingers across his face. "We can't go around strangling people. Promise me you won't do that again." There was no anger, only concern and a quiet warning in her tone.
Jayden's heart twisted. His mom was his rock, the only person he'd never lied to. He wanted so badly to tell her everything—to admit that Felix's death was haunting him and that he felt like something dark was taking over. But the fear of losing her, of her seeing him as a monster, stopped him cold. He swallowed the confession, his voice barely a whisper as he managed, "I love you."
Her face softened even more, and she pulled him into a warm hug. "I love you too, honey. So much."
But the warmth didn't chase away the shadows. Felix's death had changed Jayden, leaving him with a sense of dread that wouldn't leave. At school, he kept his head low, shoulders hunched as he tried to disappear into the crowd.
"Hey!" a loud voice snapped him from his thoughts. Monty clapped him on the back, the casual slap breaking Jayden's trance as he sat alone in the canteen. "What's up, buddy?" Monty's grin was wide, though his eyes held a hint of sympathy. He leaned in, lowering his voice. "Don't worry—I'm not hanging with them anymore. Making fun of Felix's death isn't my style."
Monty had always been different from the others even though he was part of his bully group first, he kept them at bay. His friendship felt like a lifeline, one of the few connections Jayden had left. Since his dad had left town for work, it had just been him and his mom. In his dad's absence, Jayden had felt an emptiness, a restlessness that sometimes drove him to reckless decisions.
As he sat there, watching Monty joke about their classes and mock the cafeteria food, Jayden felt a flicker of relief, a chuckle escaped his lips.
Jayden's father visited once in a while, so it was just him and his mom, his absence was another reason for Jayden being this wild and mean.
Jayden spent most of that day withdrawn, letting Monty do the talking. Monty went on about his latest video game conquest, describing his strategies and scores with enthusiasm. Jayden barely responded, his mind lost in the fog of yesterday's events. But when Monty suddenly perked up with an idea, Jayden snapped back to the present.
"Hey! Let's have a game night!" Monty suggested, grinning. It wasn't the best timing, considering everything that had happened, but Jayden agreed. Anything to escape his own mind for a while.
That night, they played game after game, the flashing lights and noise helping to drown out Jayden's dark thoughts. After a while, though, exhaustion took over. His head ached from lack of sleep, and he leaned back, ready to call it a night.
"What if we got...you know, a little something extra?" Monty hinted, glancing at Jayden with a mischievous look.
Jayden immediately shook his head. "No. Not tonight."
"Come on, man, just a little won't hurt—" Monty tried to coax him, but Jayden's patience snapped.
"I said no!" The words came out sharper, colder than he intended. Monty flinched, his eyes wide with surprise.
"Alright, alright," Monty mumbled, backing away. "Chill, man."
Jayden watched him leave, but he couldn't shake the anger now simmering just beneath his skin. The mention of drugs brought Felix back into his mind, his face vivid and haunting. Every time he closed his eyes, Felix's lifeless eyes seemed to stare back at him.
"No!" he growled, but this time, the sound was deeper—almost inhuman. He gripped the edges of the bed as a strange, painful sensation surged through his body. His hands shook, his skin felt hot and tight, and then his bones began to crack and shift under his skin.
In desperation, he scrambled to his feet and stumbled out his bedroom window, running toward the hills. He needed to hide, needed to escape. The same cave he'd taken shelter in the night before loomed ahead, and he stumbled into it, collapsing on the cold ground.
As pain tore through him, his muscles stretched, his bones rearranged themselves, and his skin seemed to burn. The agony was overwhelming, like fire racing through every cell in his body, until finally, his vision went dark, and he lost consciousness.
The next thing he knew, sunlight was streaming through his bedroom window. Jayden blinked, disoriented, realizing he was lying in his own bed, wrapped in a bedsheet. His heart pounded as he tried to make sense of how he'd ended up back here. His clothes were gone, replaced only by the sheet, and he had no memory of how he'd returned. The fear he'd been trying to bury clawed its way back, more powerful than ever.
When Jayden fully came to his senses, he wrapped the sheet tightly around himself and thought "What if I... I killed mom?" bad thoughts spun his head, with heavy, trembling steps, walked toward the kitchen. His mom was there, holding a warm cup of coffee, her back turned as she quietly took in the morning.
"Mom!" he called, his voice cracking with a mix of fear and relief.
She turned to face him slowly, a gentle smile on her lips. "Good morning."
He didn't reply. Overwhelmed, he felt the tears well up in his eyes, and before he could stop himself, he sank to his knees. His shoulders shook as he lowered his head, sobbing. His mom put down her coffee and walked over, kneeling beside him, and he rested his head on her shoulder, holding onto her like a lifeline.
"Mom, I've done something... something really bad." His voice was barely a whisper, and he clung to her as if confessing could somehow lessen the weight on his chest. "I… I killed Felix."
She stayed silent, her hands gently rubbing his back, encouraging him to let it out.
"I didn't know… I didn't want to kill him. I just—if I could go back, I'd do anything to stop it." His voice broke as he spoke, the words tumbling out, and he buried his face against her shoulder, unable to look her in the eyes.
"Sshh," she whispered, soothing him. "It's alright, honey." She held him closer, her own eyes glistening with tears.
When he calmed enough to look up, he noticed a calm acceptance in her expression "You don't think that I am crazy do you?" He forced a smile, she nodded "No, my little boy!" She nodded with a smile.
Jayden's eyes suddenly widened "Wait! Did you know?" he asked, astonished by her lack of surprise.
She nodded, brushing a tear from his cheek. "When you first turned, you came here. You were still you—but different. I recognized your clothes, the way you looked at me. For a moment, I was terrified. I thought you'd… that you might hurt me. But you didn't." She cradled his face in her hands, her touch warm and reassuring. "My boy was still in there."
They stayed like that for a while, silent except for his quiet sobs as he released everything he'd been holding in. Talking to her made him feel lighter, as if the secrets he'd been keeping were finally loosened, no longer crushing him.
"Thank you, Mom," he whispered when he found his voice again. "For not turning your back on me."
She cupped his cheek, her hand gentle and comforting. "I know my sweet boy, my Jayden. Even though you pretended to be this tough, stubborn, and arrogant man... You've always been good deep down."
For the first time, he allowed himself to take breath of relief. She knew what he was and still stood by him, a fierce protector of his heart. He had questions now, but he felt stronger with her by his side.
Unlike Jayden's father, was always busy, leaving Jayden feeling distant from him, his mom has always been by his side. She was everything to him—his best friend, his shoulder to cry on, the one person he could trust with even his darkest truths.