I hit the ground so hard my teeth cut into my lip. Blood filled my mouth, hot and metallic.
The sound of laughter above me burned worse than the pain.
Three of them stood in a loose circle, blocking the alley's only exit. Their shadows stretched long in the moonlight, like monsters wearing human skin.
"Pathetic," one of them said, kicking the book bag I'd dropped. Pages tore, my cheap pens snapped under his shoe.
Another spat beside me. "Coker, you're not even worth punching. Just stay down."
I wanted to stay down. I wanted to close my eyes and pretend this wasn't happening. But there was something in me — something that had been growing since last night — that refused to let me.
It started as a whisper in my ribs.
*Stand.*
I pushed my palms against the cold ground. The gravel bit into my skin. My knees shook.
"You don't listen, do you?" The tallest boy stepped closer, his fist clenching. "Guess I'll—"
He didn't finish. The air shifted. Cold rushed in, biting at my skin, but it wasn't the kind of cold you could escape with a jacket. It felt like the world itself took a breath and held it.
And then… I heard it.
Not with my ears — deeper than that. Inside my bones.
*A debt must be paid.*
My head pounded. My heartbeat turned uneven, like it was skipping beats on purpose. My vision swam, but it wasn't just from the hits. The shadows around the three boys bent unnaturally, curling toward me like ink in water.
"What the hell—" the tall one said, but his voice cracked.
I didn't speak. I couldn't. My throat felt like it was full of smoke.
My hands shook, not from fear this time, but from something… waking.
The whisper returned. Louder.
*You asked for strength.*
Last night flashed in my head — the empty street, the bleeding stray dog, the voice in the dark. I had thought it was a dream.
*I listened.*
The ground under me trembled. The boys looked around, panicking now. "Let's get out of here—"
Too late.
The nearest streetlight burst with a sharp pop, showering us in darkness. Only the moon remained, pale and watchful.
I stood up fully. My body didn't feel like mine. My blood was burning, but my skin was ice. The shadows at my feet coiled up my legs like serpents.
The tallest boy swung first. His fist met my face — but I didn't feel it. I caught his wrist without thinking.
Something cracked. Not my bones. His.
He screamed and stumbled back, clutching his arm. The other two froze.
"Stay away from me," one whispered, but he was already backing toward the exit.
The voice inside me smiled. I didn't know how I knew, but I *felt* it smiling.
*Pain is the price. And you will pay it — or they will.*
My breath came out ragged. I wanted to tell them to leave. I wanted to end this. But my body took a step forward on its own.
They ran.
The alley fell silent except for my breathing and the faint hum in my head. The shadows slid off me and sank back into the ground, leaving me in the dim moonlight.
When it was over, I dropped to my knees. The power, whatever it was, vanished as fast as it came. My body screamed in pain — every bruise, every cut suddenly real again.
But there was something else under the pain.
Hunger.
Not for food. Not even for revenge.
Hunger for *more*.
---
I stumbled home with torn clothes and blood drying on my chin. My hands still trembled, but now it was from the memory of what had just happened.
At my front door, I froze. Someone was there.
A girl leaned against the wall, her black hair catching silver threads of moonlight. She looked at me like she'd been waiting for hours.
"You felt it, didn't you?" she said softly.
I didn't answer.
She stepped closer, her eyes catching mine. They were too sharp, too knowing. "That wasn't luck in the alley, Coker. It was a call. And now that you've answered, you can't ignore it."
I swallowed hard. "Who are you?"
"Someone who survived it," she said. "And someone who knows the price."
The air between us thickened. She didn't look dangerous — but something in her gaze made my instincts scream.
"What do you want from me?"
She smiled faintly. "Not me. *It.*"
The whisper in my ribs stirred again.
*We will meet soon.*
My heart slammed against my chest. I didn't know if it was fear… or excitement.
But deep down, I already knew one thing — my life had been broken tonight, and there was no way to fix it.