Chương 17: Mysterious Alpha

At the Ash residence, Crimson and Willow stroll up the driveway, fingers intertwined. They come to a halt on her front steps.

"So... do you think we could..." he hesitated, dreading the words before uttering them, "... hang out again?"

"Absolutely. But there's something I need to confess. I'm not really into group hangouts. How about just the two of us next time?"

"I'm pretty sure I could manage even more of just you and me."

"Perfect." Then she plants a quick kiss on his lips.

"Willow?" She turns around, and he draws her into a deep kiss. His hands encircle her waist, pulling her near.

"And I'm pretty sure I could oversee more of that too." He releases her and strides over to his bike, which is propped against the back of the Ash garage. She waves as he jumps on the bike and rides away. Neither notices Ash watching from the living room.

"Crimson…" Aqua Croft drags herself around the dim hallway's bend, footsteps heavy with fatigue, as if the walls themselves are pressing in. She moves toward her room like a ghost returning to its haunt.

"Crimson," she calls, voice frayed at the edges, "I'm done. I'm sleeping." She glances into his doorway, dark, hollow, abandoned. A flicker of irritation sparks across her face. But just as she turns away, a noise claws at the silence: a thud, a rustle, the creak of bedsprings. From the blackness of Crimson's room, a shape tumbles through the open window and crashes onto the bed. It's Churro.

He blinks up, wide-eyed, and Aqua nearly unleashes a baseball bat straight into his skull before he shrieks, limbs flailing like a startled spider.

"Churro, what in God's name are you doing?"

"What am I doing?" he sputters, still breathless.

"Do either of you even play baseball?" The light snaps on. Crimson steps in, calm as moonlight, surveying the chaos.

"Could you please tell your friend to use the front door?" Aqua demands, voice sharp with exhaustion.

"We lock it," Crimson replies, unruffled.

"He wouldn't get in."

"Exactly," she snaps.

"And just for fun does anyone here remember there's a city-wide curfew enforced by armed officers?"

"No," they answer in eerie unison, one word hanging between them like a dare.

"Fantastic," she mutters.

"That's it. My maternal instincts have officially expired. I'm done. Sleeping. Alone. In silence." She vanishes down the hall, leaving the door ajar. Crimson turns back to Churro and stops. The boy's face, usually alight with mischief, is carved from stone. His fingers twist together, restless, as if trying to hold back something too heavy to speak. Love what you're reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

"What?" Crimson asks, softer now. Churro hesitates. The air thickens.

"My dad… he left for the hospital fifteen minutes ago." A pause. Then, barely a whisper:"The Bus Driver. They said… he didn't make it. Crimson…" His voice cracks like dry earth.

"He's gone."

The Tale house stands with an ominous presence, its walls etched by the twisted silhouettes of the surrounding overgrown trees. The front door bursts open with a loud bang. Crimson appears in the doorway, merely a dark outline.

"Autzee. I know you're present. And I'm aware of your actions." Silence answers from the house's shadowy interior. Crimson steps inside, the door closing behind him. With his head tilted, he strains to hear. His calm voice emerges from the gloom...

"I've done nothing. He passed away."

"You ended his life. Just as your sister's ended?" He shouted, hoping to catch his attention.

"My sister went missing. I came searching for her. I discovered her dismembered, used as bait to lure me." Autzee admitted"I believe you're responsible for both deaths. And I'll inform everyone. Beginning with the Sheriff..." He dashes out from the shadows. He moves with incredible speed, crashing Crimson against the wall. He strikes the wall violently, shattering the plaster and collapsing to the ground. He rises onto his hands and knees, his heart racing, his chest heaving...

And when he lifts his gaze, his eyes are yellow, his teeth have elongated into fangs. The surge of anger and terror has triggered the transformation. Crimson has entered his werewolf form. He hurls himself at the still-human Auztee. They collide with a jarring, bone-shaking impact. Crimson's assault is unyielding and savage. The instant he manages to pry him off, he's back on him, claws shredding, teeth snapping.

They stagger and whirl until they crash through a charred door, splinters bursting into the air as they tumble down the stairs into the decayed, pitch-black basement. Crimson lands with a splash on the waterlogged floor. He hauls himself up, spinning onto his back, spotting Autzee through a foggy glass divider. Beyond the glass, his eyes start to shine with an icy blue light. His body contorts violently, his head snapping back as he transforms, seeming to swell, the murky glass offering a warped view of his change.

Terrified, Crimson retreats as. Auztee emerges from behind the glass. Far more monstrous, more frightening, and clearly mightier than him. Scrambling upright, he attempts to flee as he seizes him by the scruff of his neck, yanks him up, and forcefully slams him back down into the water. Crimson bursts up, attempting to resist. But Autzee swipes a clawed hand, tearing through his shirt and sending blood spraying. He stumbles backward. And when he resurfaces from the water, he's reverted to his normal self.

Gasping, choking on water, he spins, arms shielding his face as Autzee roars, his furious cry seeming to rattle the entire house. Crimson clenches his eyes shut, bracing for death. But when he opens them again, Autzee has stepped back. Breathing heavily, he's controlled the animal fury, now back to normal as well.

"I didn't kill him. Neither of us did. It's not your fault, nor is it mine." Autzee admitted Crimson slowly rises, battered and soaked. Yet his eyes remain full of defiance.

"This... this is all your doing. You destroyed my life.

"You're the one who bit me."""No, I didn't."

"What?" Perplexed, he gets to his feet. Standing face-to-face with Autzee, he feels somewhat calmer after their intense confrontation.

"I'm not the one who bit you. Crimson stares at him. Autzee doesn't blink. There's no hint whatsoever that he's lying. His hand moves to his chest where he slashed him... And the memory floods back... Crimson recalled charging through the dark lot, toward the school bus... through the open door... racing down the aisle, heading for the back of the bus. Pinned against the rear door, the Bus Driver begs for his life.

And between the man and his view stands his attacker, silhouetted against the bus windows but clearly beast-like, the low ceiling making his massive size seem even more imposing. Then the black shape slowly turns to face Crimson, its eyes glowing red. A clawed hand slashes at him. He tumbles backward in the bus, blood on his chest. Back at the Tale house, he slowly pulls his hand away from his chest in disbelief...

"There's another."

"It's called an Alpha. The most perilous of our kind. You and I, we're Betas. This creature... it's stronger, more primal than either of us. My sister came here. searching for him, trying to stop him. Now I'm trying to locate him. And I doubt I can do it without you."

"Why me?"

"Because he turned you. You're part of his pack. It's you, Crimson. You're the one he desires." In the forest's darkness, two malevolent red eyes blink open.