章 3: Chapter 03: Awakening

I slowly opened my eyes, experiencing a pounding headache. Confusion washed over me as I blinked and focused on the ceiling of my room.

The last thing I could recall was coming back from school. I decided to take the shorter, less crowded street as a shortcut, and then...

Sitting up abruptly in bed, my head spun. I had dreamt of a massive werewolf attacking me, its claws piercing through my chest. I could still feel the lingering pain.

With a trembling hand, I reached towards my torso, terrified to discover an open wound. Thankfully, I found intact skin beneath my clothes. It had all been just a dream... or had it? I couldn't remember how I made it home.

I glanced over at the nightstand next to my bed and checked the time on my alarm clock: it was already morning. Sophie must have been on her way to school. I grabbed my phone to send her a message, but then I noticed that my fingers sank into the solid material. I could distinctly hear the sound of the pieces rubbing against each other.

My hand effortlessly tore it apart! I stared at my unscathed skin in bewilderment, even though the glass should have caused injury.

"What the hell is happening to me?"

I certainly didn't remember having that kind of strength. I tried to piece together the events in my foggy mind. I was walking home, heading into that place... and then I stumbled upon those old guys fighting.

A dog taking on a bat? None of this made any damn sense.

And then that dog somehow managed to beat the bat and chased after me before it, uh, penetrated me. Okay, that sounded really weird.

At that moment, I felt like I had died. Was I brought back to life or something? Nah, that's freakin' impossible.

So... I'm a werewolf now? Gotta start howling dramatically at the moon like some lonely, brooding edgy?!

It wasn't just a dream. Something attacked me and... changed me. That alone could explain the newfound strength coursing through my veins.

Ugh.

I grabbed my head, trying to ease the stabbing pain. Something was seriously messed up, I knew it. I had memories from before, but there were also fragments that struggled to resurface, just out of my reach.

Then, a burning sting surged through my throat, as if a thousand flames was raging inside me. I desperately needed water to extinguish them.

I stood up and took slow steps forward, taken aback by the sensation under my feet. The sound of creaking wood cracking echoed clearly in my ears.

I reached for a glass to pour myself some water, but it shattered in my hand like it was made of paper. I checked my fingers for cuts caused by the broken glass, but my pale skin remained unscathed.

I cautiously opened the refrigerator, even though it was pointless. The door literally ripped off its hinges, and the doorknob crushed into my palm without me being able to stop it.

My breathing grew rapid. This newfound strength was out of control, and I had no clue what to do.

The thirst was driving me insane. I snatched the water bottle, not giving that it was all dented up, and guzzled it down eagerly. The liquid flowed down my throat, but it did nothing to soothe the burning sensation.

I crushed the empty bottle and grabbed another, chugging its contents in desperation as if I had stumbled upon an oasis in the middle of the desert. Empty bottles started piling up at my feet, yet the thirst only grew stronger.

"Damn it! At this rate, I won't just fail to quench my thirst, I'll drown trying!"

*Thumb!

That's when I sensed a faint pulsating from outside. I glanced out the window and saw a couple leisurely strolling at a distance. Something inside me stirred at the sound of their heartbeat, and I couldn't ignore it.

I wanted to crush their chests with my bare hands. To snatch their beating hearts...

*Crack!

I felt my fingers digging hard into the window ledge just before I jumped toward the couple. That puercing sound had abruptly snapped me back to reality.

"What the hell was I about to do...?"

Panic washed over me as I realized the twisted thoughts that had crossed my mind. My own instincts seemed to have gone haywire.

Frustrated, I sniffed the air, searching for anything to quench my thirst. And then, I caught a sweet, intoxicating scent wafting from a jar on the small table next to my bed.

I didn't even stop to think about how it ended up there. I quickly pulled out the stopper and greedily guzzled its contents. My eyes widened as I relished the sweetness gliding down my throat. It was like nothing I had ever tasted before, infinitely more delicious.

It was only after I had drained every last drop that I noticed that peculiar crimson hue.

"Did Sophie leave me some homemade juice? How thoughtful of her."

Come on, obviously that would be a joke. You don't need to be a genius to connect the dots: the superhuman strength, the insatiable thirst, almost ripping the hearts out of those poor old folks...

Yep, this was definitely blood.

So, I've become a werewolf now. Although, when you think about it, the whole werewolf thing is so hackneyed, isn't it? Maybe I should switch it up and go for the vampire side. Well, that's pretty cliché too... and I don't really have a choice in the matter.

Either way, they both drink blood in the end, so who am I to judge? Even I've indulged to quench my thirst.

What I really need now is to learn more about my newfound abilities. I wonder if I'll be able to transform or something. Hey, at least I'm not allergic to garlic, that would suck.

I hope I can figure out how to control this newfound brute strength that even a certain muscular green dude doesn't possess. Ah, the surprises life throws at you, huh?

To my surprise, I managed to ease my anxiety by laughing at the absurdity of the situation, even if it was just inside my own head.

I cautiously approached the full-length mirror, mentally bracing myself for the worst. The last thing I needed was to wake up with freakin' wolf ears and a dang wolf tail. Being a furry was definitely not part of my life plan!

As I looked up, I noticed that my eyes were still the same, except for a bluish glow emanating from them. Well, I was half-expecting to see myself with slitted, crimson pupils, but hey, at least I didn't look completely unrecognizable. My eyes seemed even more beautiful now, and my dark hair had a subtle healthy sheen to it.

But then I noticed some other, more noticeable changes. I had grown at least two inches taller, pushing close to a solid 6'2". My muscles appeared compact and well-defined, showing off a six-pack and some beefy arms.

"The scars are gone..."

The most striking change, though, was my complexion. My skin looked freakishly pale, like I had never even seen the light of day. Nah, scratch that—it was more like all the darn blood had drained from my body. Even the features of my face seemed more defined somehow.

Throughout my life, I had always struggled with heart problems. Because I couldn't engage in physical training or have a blast on the basketball court like everyone else, I was always scrawny and weak. Sophie would go out of her way to cook extra trays of food for me, but it seemed like my body just couldn't hold onto any dang protein.

But now, thanks to my recent werewolf transformation, I had a seriously ripped body. Biceps, triceps, pecs... even a six-pack. Vampire-like pale skin, black hair, and bright blue eyes.

I hadn't really noticed it before, but damn, I'm looking pretty damn good.

Then, though, I noticed something odd amidst the pale expanse of my skin, right next to my left pec.

"What the hell is this?"

At first, it was just a tiny lump under the surface, barely noticeable. But then, it started spreading like wildfire. Dark purple tentacles seemed to be snaking their way beneath my muscles, and it was freaking me the hell out.

Panic set in as I imagined this tumor-looking thing taking over my entire body. Thankfully, it stopped when the veins reached most of the way over my heart, pulsating in sync with my heartbeat.

And then the pain hit me like a freight train, knocking me down to my knees. I felt my flesh tearing and reshaping in every fiber, like it had been shredded to pieces. Even gasping for air didn't ease the excruciating discomfort.

But I'm not one to give up easily. Bracing myself, I forced myself to get back up. My throat burned with an insatiable thirst as I frantically searched for something to quench it.

Yet, one look at the tiny container and I knew all too well that I had already drained every last drop of blood from it.

I stumbled my way into the kitchen, snorting loudly like some wounded animal. My hands clumsily landed on the table, but to my utter dismay, they went right through it like butter, leaving massive dents in their wake.

In that moment, I caught a faint heartbeat from the outside, stirring up my primal instincts. That sound was rushing towards the house. And then, the door swung wide open.

"I'm back, Damien! I brought your favorite cookies." It was Sophie's voice. The person I loved more than anything.

Out of sheer inertia, I slowly turned towards her. Her racing pulse was pumping hard in my presence. My gaze fixated on her jugular, completely mesmerized. A deep, guttural growl rumbled up from the depths of my throat.

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