Awa lay sprawled on the cold concrete rooftop, gasping for breath. The impact from Kelsey's brutal throw had knocked the wind out of her, and for a brief moment, her vision faded, plunging her into darkness. Her head throbbed, pain searing through her skull as she tried to gather her thoughts. When she blinked her eyes open, the dim light of the moon illuminated the grotesque sight before her—Kelsey, half-undressed, his pants discarded to the side, his hands already working on the waistband of his boxers.
A sickening dread crawled up her spine.
It hit her then, in a wave of sickening realization—How naive had she been?
Today, she thought she was special, unique, perhaps even destined for something greater. She had this raw, terrifying power inside her, but now, as she stared up at Kelsey, she understood the brutal reality. If she was different, if she had powers, why couldn't others also be unique? Perhaps Kelsey, this sadistic monster standing above her, knew how to wield his power far better than she ever could. Maybe she had underestimated him—and that was a mistake she might not survive.
Her mind raced as Kelsey towered over her, the grin on his face growing more sinister with each passing second. I can't let this happen. I need to get out of here. But how? She barely knew what she was capable of, while Kelsey had jumped buildings with ease. Her thoughts scrambled for a solution, something—anything—that could get her out of this nightmare.
Desperation clawed at her insides. "Kelsey, wait," she began, forcing her voice to remain steady, though her heart pounded so loudly in her ears she wondered if he could hear it. "We don't have to do this. We're the same, you and I. We can help each other. Be allies, not enemies."
Kelsey paused for a second, his dark eyes glinting in amusement as if her words were a joke. But he stopped, just long enough for her to feel a tiny glimmer of hope. She pressed on, her voice stronger now. "Think about it. We're better off as friends than as enemies. You can teach me. I don't know what I am, but I'm like you. Together—"
Kelsey laughed, a cold, cruel sound that echoed across the rooftop. He reached down, slowly pulling off his shirt, tossing it aside, now standing before her in only his underwear, his muscular chest bare in the moonlight. His body rippled with power, but there was something more there, something dark and predatory. Awa could see it in the way he moved, like a beast just barely contained.
"Same?" Kelsey sneered, taking a step closer to her. "You think we're the same?" His voice was laced with mockery. "What clan are you from, then, huh? What pack do you belong to, little human?"
Awa's heart stuttered in her chest. Clan? Her confusion must have shown on her face because Kelsey's grin widened, pleased by her obvious ignorance. She swallowed hard and shook her head, trying to keep him talking. "I just... turned," she stammered. "I don't have a clan yet, but that doesn't mean we aren't alike. I can feel it—I'm like you. We're both mutated humans, right?"
The words tasted bitter in her mouth, her attempts to reason with him feeling thin, fragile. But she had to try. She had to convince him, somehow.
Kelsey let out a booming laugh, throwing his head back as if her words were the most amusing thing he'd ever heard. "Mutated human?" He stepped closer, his eyes gleaming with cruel delight. "You really have no idea what you're talking about, do you?"
His voice dropped to a low growl as he lifted his hand for her to see. The sight of it made Awa's stomach turn. His fingers twisted, his nails lengthening into sharp claws, his hand transforming into something beastly, monstrous. The skin rippled and stretched, bones cracking as they grew longer, and in a matter of seconds, his hand was no longer human—it was a clawed paw, glinting in the moonlight, deadly and terrifying.
Kelsey grinned, holding his clawed hand up in front of her face. "Werewolves are born, little girl. We don't just 'turn.' You think you're special because of some random mutation? You don't know shit."
Awa's breath hitched in her throat as Kelsey's hand shot out toward her. Before she could react, before she could scream, his claws slashed across her chest, slicing through her shirt, her skin tearing open from her breasts to her stomach in one swift, brutal motion. Blood splattered across the rooftop, and Awa screamed in agony, clutching at the wound as hot pain seared through her entire body.
Her vision blurred, her senses overwhelmed by the sharp, burning pain radiating from the gash in her abdomen. Kelsey's laughter filled the night air, cold and malicious, as he stood over her, admiring his work.
"You really thought we were the same?" he taunted, his voice dripping with contempt. "Pathetic."
With a swift, brutal movement, Kelsey tore the remnants of her shirt away, leaving her exposed and vulnerable beneath him. Awa gasped, her mind spinning, her hands trembling as she pressed against the wound in a desperate attempt to stop the bleeding. But it was too deep, too severe.
Kelsey watched her with twisted amusement, stepping back as if to savor the sight of her writhing in pain. "You're not like me," he continued, his voice cold and devoid of any mercy. "You'll never be like me."
Awa's heart hammered in her chest, the edges of her vision darkening as the blood continued to pool around her. She was losing strength, fast. Her mind whirled with thoughts of escape, survival, but none of them made sense. This isn't happening. This can't be happening.
In the midst of her panic, an image flashed in her mind. Forrest.
Forrest's face appeared in her thoughts, his cold but familiar expression, his broad shoulders, the way he carried himself with a quiet strength that Kelsey could never have. A sad, bitter smile tugged at her lips, and she felt a pang of regret. It should've been Forrest here, not Kelsey.
If it had been Forrest, it would have been different. He wouldn't have hurt her like this, wouldn't have been so brutal. Despite everything, she felt something for Forrest, something deep that she couldn't explain.
But it wasn't Forrest standing above her.
It was Kelsey. And he was going to ravage her and then kill her.
As Awa's strength was fading, her body growing weaker by the second. She couldn't fight back. Not like this. The pain was too much. Her vision was dimming, and the last thing she saw was Kelsey's wicked grin as he loomed over her, his claws gleaming, ready to finish what he had started.
But then her heart thumped, thumped loudly, stronger than ever before.