Chương 32: Howling Death

Autzee swiftly makes his way to his Camaro in the hospital's parking area. As he unlocks it and reaches for the handle, he spots a paper tucked beneath the windshield wiper. He retrieves it, carefully unfolding the note and scanning it with curiosity. Glancing upward, he pivots back toward the hospital, as though searching for a hidden observer. Then, crushing the paper in his grip, he hastens with unprecedented urgency. Moments later, his car thunders out of the lot and onto the road.

Crimson and Churro occupy the empty classroom while Mr. Harris reads the newspaper. He pulls a crumpled tissue from his nose and looks at Harris.

"Excuse me, sir, I realize this is detention, but I'm expected at my job. And I really can't afford to lose it." Harris pays him no attention. Crimson stays quiet next to Churro. Then leans over to whisper.

"You knew I'd recover. So you did that to teach me a lesson, but also partly to punish me for missing the other day. When your Dad was hurt."

"Yep." Churro says nothing. Just stares ahead.

"You're my closest friend. I don't want you upset with me." Now Churro faces him.

"You've got something, Crimson. Like it or not. You can do things nobody else can. That means you no longer have a choice. It means you're obligated to act."

"I understand. And I will." Harris casts a glance at them over his paper. Then sets it aside.

"Fine. You two. Get out of here." They snatch up their belongings, hurrying to rise.

While sorting through files at the animal clinic, Mark catches the jingle of the door chimes.

"Crimson, you're late again. I trust this isn't turning into a routine." He glances up and finds not Crimson, but Autzee stepping inside.

"Is there something I can do for you?" Mark inquires"I'm hoping there is. I'm curious about the animal you discovered with the spiral marking on its flank. That was three months back. The deer..." He unfolds the note that was left on his windshield. It shows a report and a photo of a dead deer bearing a spiral etched into its side.

"Notice that symbol. Do you recall it?"

"Oh, right. That was merely a deer. And I wasn't the one who found it. They reached out to me to ask if I'd encountered anything similar." Autzee tilts his head just a fraction.

"Did you catch that?" The rhythm of your heartbeat climbing higher. It's the sound of your deception. He darts like a flash of lightning, seizing Mark by the coat and yanking him forward. On the street, pedaling with all his might, Crimson speeds down the road on his bicycle.

"Had to break my phone..." He whispered to himself Out of nowhere, at the animal shelter, Mark's eyes flutter open. Now there's a bruise and a cut beneath his eye. He looks around and realizes he's tied to a rolling chair.

"Oh God..." Autzee emerges from the shadows. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

"Are you shielding someone? I need to know the reason for your lies."

"I have no idea what you're referring to..." He extends his hand, seizing him by the jacket. He hoists Mark up, the chair still attached to him. His feet swinging in the air. Autzee lifts him to face him, the bruise under his eye visible.

"You're not healing. Though an Alpha could have the power to control that. All I'm after is the truth about your identity, or the one you're shielding.

"Honestly, I haven't the faintest idea what you're going on about..." As the door crashes open, Autzee pulls the man nearer. Crimson peers in, taken aback by the scene unfolding before him. He lets Deaton tumble back to the ground.

"What are you doing?" Crimson bellowed. He brings his fist crashing down onto Deaton's cheek. A savage strike, sending the man into unconsciousness.

"When he's awake, he can hold back his healing. But if he's out..."

"Have you lost your mind?"

"Curious about what the spiral signifies? It's our emblem for a blood feud. For retribution. It signals he'll keep on killing until he's content." Autzee raises his hand, claws extended. Yet as he swings downward, a taloned hand seizes his wrist. Jerking his head around, he sees Crimson fully transformed. Gripping his wrist like iron, Crimson opens his mouth wide, flashing his fangs and unleashing a fierce growl. Autzee genuinely seems taken aback, his surprise visible. Crimson releases him from his grasp.

Next, he demonstrates remarkable self-mastery as he shifts back... The claws slide back into his fingers seamlessly. His teeth recede, reshaping themselves until they're perfectly ordinary again. The amber gleam in his eyes fades, replaced by his usual brown hue. Though it lasts only moments, the transformation unfolds with breathtaking ease and elegance. It seems as effortless as taking a breath. Crimson meets Autzee's stunned silence with a look of unyielding defiance.

For once, he stands there, utterly composed and unafraid.

"Strike him once more. And you'll witness my anger firsthand." Autzee regards Crimson with fresh admiration. He's catching on... Crimson tends to his still-unconscious boss, dabbing at the blood on his cheek with a towel.

"Got a strategy?" Autzee inquires.

"Grant me sixty minutes. Find me at the school. In the parking area." Crimson flings the bloodstained towel into the bin as Churro's Jeep thunders into the parking area. Both he and Crimson step out of the vehicle.

"This is a really bad plan. And we're going to do it anyway. Honestly, I love pretending a problem doesn't exist and hoping it vanishes on its own."

"Just ensure we can get inside." Churro pulls out a pair of bolt cutters. Headlights appear as Autzee's Camaro slides into a nearby spot. He turns off the engine and exits from behind the wheel. Crimson and Churro walk up to him.

"Where is my boss?"

"He's in the back." Crimson and Churro glance into the Camaro and see Deaton tied up, with a gag and blindfold.

"He seems cozy." Churro joked Crimson and Churro head toward the school building.

"Where are you off to?" Crimson kept walking without explaining"You claimed I'm connected to the Alpha. I'm going to check if you're correct." As they arrive at the vice principal's office, moonlight seeps through the horizontal blinds, casting a soft glow across the room. The door bursts open, Crimson and Churro tumbling inside.

"One question: What's your plan if the Alpha doesn't appear? What's your move if the Alpha actually shows up?"

"I'm not sure. You mentioned that a wolf howls to signal its location to the rest of the pack. Right?" But if you bring him here, does that mean you're part of his pack?" He poses this to Crimson before halting his movements. Crimson pulls the PA microphone close to his mouth. As he presses the button at the mic's base, Churro gives him a supportive nod. Crimson inhales deeply, clears his throat, and leans into the microphone... Autzee stands before his car, gaze fixed on Deaton through the windshield.

He remains perfectly still, poised like a cobra ready to strike. That is, until he catches a pathetic howl echoing over the PA system. He spins around slowly, stunned.

"You've got to be joking..." Crimson lets go of the button and looks up at Churro. His best friend cradles his head in his hands.

"Was that alright? That was quite the howl. Right?" What did it sound like to you?

"Like a cat being choked to death." Moving behind the desk, Churro grasps Crimson's shoulders, pulling him close, locking eyes, fully in trainer mode.

"You're calling the Alpha. Be a man. Be a werewolf. Not a teen wolf. A werewolf!" Crimson nods, seizing the microphone. He inhales deeply once more, and a mighty howl erupts through the speakers. Lockers clatter, desks tremble. It's as if an earthquake is shaking the entire school. The howl reverberates across the buildings, bursting from the speakers, soaring over the trees into the night sky. Autzee looks back, genuinely impressed now. Yet clearly not pleased.

As Willow lingers outside her house, she taps her phone to see the time: 8: 35. The soft echo of Crimson's howl drifts to her through the breeze. She lifts her gaze toward the strange noise. He and Churro burst through the school's entrance and spill into the parking area.

"I'm going to end both of you myself. Do you want to lure the entire state to this place?" Autzee said to them, but Crimson has stopped paying attention to either. Instead, his focus is on his Camaro. The door stands open. Torn bindings are scattered across the pavement. Autzee moves forward, taken aback. All at once, he lurches ahead. Blood sprays from his mouth as he ascends, lifted by something dark and massive looming behind him. With screams, Churro and Crimson stumble backward.

Autzee's body hurtles through the air, crashes against the school's brick wall, and tumbles down. Stumbling over their own feet, Crimson and Churro dash away, sprinting toward the school. Crimson and Churro slam the school's double doors shut. Holding them tight, they exchange panicked glances, breathless with fear. Emerging from the darkness is an enormous, terrifying black figure with glowing red eyes.