Gavin awoke with a scream. His heart was beating so fast, it felt like it was going to burst out of his chest. He was drenched in sweat. He was panicked. He had to find the girls. He had to make sure they were okay. His breathing ragged, he began to yank and pull the wires and needles from his body.
Mr Johnson was at his side immediately and put his hands to Gavin, stopping him from further injuring himself. "Gavin, son, calm down. You're alright. You're safe." Mr Johnson whispered softly and calmly as Gavin struggled in his arms.
"Where's Erza? And Aria? Lyla? Where are they?!" He demanded as he struggled against his large father.
"They are okay son, calm down. Hush. It's okay" his father continued to speak quietly and tried holding onto Gavin.
Gavin was panicked. He couldn't breathe. He had to make sure they were okay. He had to protect the girls. The door to his room opened and Erza ran in, followed closely behind by Tessa, which surprised him.
"Gavin! What's going on, what's wrong?" Erza rushed over to his side, and checked to see what was causing him to act this way.
"You're alive. Thank God you're alive", Gavin whimpered as he calmed down a degree. He held onto Erza with everything he had. He pressed his face into her chest as he tightened his arms around her.
Erza held him close to her chest. She played with his hair softly and just held him while she looked between father and son. "What happened baby? What's got you so panicked," Erza said softly as the door to the room opened and Aria walked through into the room followed by Lyla.
They stopped mid-conversation as they noticed the chaotic scene that was going on.
"Lyla. Aria. Thank God you're both alright," Gavin said as he looked at both of the girls.
"Baby, won't you tell me what happened?" Erza drew his attention to her and asked him again.
"I had the worst nightmare I can imagine." Gavin whispered, his body trembled as he spoke.
"Go on baby" she urged him softly as everyone walked over to stand by the bed.
"I don't know where I was. Some dark facility. Concrete floors, metal walls. Barely had any light in the rooms. I was alone. Only in my jeans." Gavin described his surroundings to them quietly as he relived the horror.
"Out of nowhere I heard a scream from nearby. I didn't know who it was. Only that it sounded like someone was in pain." Gavin went on to say as he continued. "I had a pipe in my hands as i walked down this hallway. Searching for the screams, I found someone guarding a room. I drew him away and ambushed him. I took his gun as I heard another scream from the room he was guarding." He said as he looked at everyone there and laid back against the hospital bed.
"As I went into the room, the screams kept coming from I saw 3 figures hanging from the ceiling by metal chains. One had red fur. Another brown. And the third was covered in white fur." He described the conditions of the three, and saw the faces of Erza, Aria, and Lyla pale at the description. "You three were beaten. Bloody. Naked. It looked like you were tortured while hanging there" he told them.
"Before I could register what was happening, a man came into the room from another door and shot Aria in the head, followed by Lyla. I remember I grabbed the gun, I raised it and tried to pull the trigger. But nothing came out. The bullets were gone. I knew I couldn't let Erza die. I remember shifting into my werewolf form, but I was frozen in place, and he shot you as well. Then he killed me" he whispered, tears fell down his face as he choked on his sobs.
"Oh baby" Erza whispered, horrified by what he described. "It was just a dream love."
He shook his head in protest. "It doesn't feel like a dream. It felt like someone more powerful. Maybe a premonition." He said as he whipped the tears from his face and looked at Aria, Lyla and Erza.
"I'm sure it was just a messed up dream, Gavin." Aria said soothingly as she stepped over to the side of the bed and grabbed his hand. She gave him a tight squeeze. "We are all here dude. We are okay, we are safe. It's alright. Just breathe", Aria said, as she tried to bring his heartbeat down and calm him down.
Gavin shook his head in protest. "You don't understand. I know dreams. This wasn't a dream. Everything felt real. The smell of mold and mildew. The cold concrete in my feet. The hard metal in my hands. The sound of the gunshots. I wasn't strong enough to protect you. But I will be. I will gain strength. Power. I'll protect you. I promise it," Gavin said. He put so much will and determination into his words it sent a surge of energy through the room that was felt by everyone. It sent a tingle running down their spines as his eyes began to glow red at his proclamation.
Something definitely was off about Gavin.
"It'll be okay Gavin. We will work together to figure things out. So long as we are together..." Erza said and began saying.
"There is nothing we can't beat down", Gavin finished as he smiled up at his beautiful girlfriend. "I need to start working on learning my transformation strengths. And magic in general before I even go to the academy this fall," Gavin said as he leaned back in the bed.
"We will try teaching you about shifting." Erza said as she looked between herself and the other two girls.
Gavin nodded, his face grim with determination. "Thank you, I'll make sure to be a good student" he said.
Now that the commotion was quieted down, they all chatted a little bit while Gavin yawned and rubbed his eyes. "Why am I still so exhausted?" Gavin asked as he felt aches all over his body.
"The first time shifting takes a toll on the body and depletes mana," Erza said. "Once you get used to it, it becomes like second nature, and you don't even realize the amount of mana being used for shifting." She told him, as she demonstrated with a partial shift with her-eyes changing shape to a cats like eye. Soft ears and a tail also sprouted from her back. Quick as the change came she reverted.
"Now get some rest, and we can talk more in the morning." She told him as the others got up to leave them in peace.