The hallway was a warzone. Smoke choked the air, lockers bent in half, shards of glass crunching beneath Zara's sneakers. Reed's claws pressed against Josh's throat, his twisted grin daring her to move.
"Choose," Reed rasped. "Him or Tammy."
Zara's blood boiled. She teleported, silk snapping like lightning, striking Reed's arm before it could crush Josh's windpipe. The impact echoed like a gunshot. Reed staggered, his grip loosening just enough for Josh to fall to the floor, gasping.
"Run!" Zara shouted, already blinking forward again. She drove her fist into Reed's jaw, blood spraying across the tile.
But Reed only laughed, spitting teeth. "Yes… more! Feed me!"
He swung wildly, claws gouging deep scars into the walls. Students shrieked, scrambling for the exits. Zara tangled him in silk, pulling with everything she had—but Reed ripped free, snapping threads like rotten rope.
"I'll take her," Reed hissed, his eyes flashing toward the exit. "Tammy's mine."
And then, with a burst of inhuman speed, he vanished into the smoke.
Zara collapsed against the lockers, chest heaving. Josh coughed beside her, his face pale, his eyes wide with fury.
"You knew," he rasped. "You knew what he was becoming. And you didn't stop it."
Zara's throat tightened. "Josh—"
"You let him turn into a monster!" Josh slammed his fist against the dented locker. His voice shook with rage. "And you're no better. You disappear, you lie, and now Tammy's gone. If she dies, it's on you."
The words cut deeper than Reed's claws.
That night, Josh didn't go home. He sat alone under the overpass, his breath fogging in the cold air. His mind replayed the fight—Reed's strength, Zara's lies, Tammy's scream.
And the hunger for power burned in his chest.
From his backpack, he pulled out a vial. Stolen. The same kind of chemical that had twisted Reed. His hands trembled as he uncapped it.
"If Zara won't stop him," Josh whispered, "I will."
The fluid slid down his throat like fire. His veins lit up, glowing faintly under his skin. His body convulsed, bones shifting, muscles tearing and rebuilding. He screamed, the sound echoing through the tunnels.
When it was over, his breath came ragged. His reflection stared back from the puddle at his feet—eyes glowing faint gold, jaw clenched with hatred.
"Reed's mine," Josh hissed. "And if Zara gets in my way… so is she."