Chapter four: midnight wolf.
The van's door groaned open with a long, metallic creak, rust grinding against rust. Seth climbed inside, exhaustion weighing down every step. He dropped onto a narrow sofa-bed that sagged beneath his weight, its springs protesting. The cushions smelled faintly of mold, but he didn't care.
Within moments, he drifted into sleep—dreamless, heavy, and strangely peaceful. A full day of walking and screaming into the void had drained the strange energy that had filled him earlier.
Midnight crept in. The night air outside grew sharp and cold, every breath fogging the thin glass of the RV windows. Seth stirred when a noise cut through his rest—iron scraping, followed by a slow, guttural breathing.
He sat up instantly, body tensed, ears straining. For a long moment, silence pressed down. Then it came again—the rustle of metal, closer this time, scraping along the right side of the RV.
And then he heard it. Sniffing.
Seth's blood chilled. He felt it, Whatever prowled outside was large. Predatory.
A deep howl shattered the silence.
"Awooo—"
The sound was so close it rattled the walls. Seth's heart lurched. Wolves.
Another answered. Then another. By the fourth howl, his panic sharpened into clarity. At least five of them. Though most were far away some sounded close.
His eyes darted through the dim light filtering in from the cracked moonlit window. Instinct took over. He lunged for the rusted baseball bat he had spotted earlier, leaning against the wall. The handle was rough, corroded, but its coating had slowed the rust enough to keep it intact. Barely.
The bat scraped against the floor as he grabbed it, the metallic clatter echoing. Too loud.
A snarl ripped through the night, right outside the back door.
Seth's grip tightened, knuckles whitening. He froze, staring at the door. His chest heaved with shallow, rapid breaths.
Then, with a speed that seemed to blur, the wolf slammed against the door.
Metal shrieked and buckled inward, the thin iron folding like wet paper. The beast forced its head and one massive paw through the gap, its glowing eyes locking on him. Drool dripped from its fangs as it snarled, trapped but straining forward, claws raking the floor as it attempted to free itself from its binding.
Terror rooted him, but only for a second. Then instinct snapped.
He charged.
With all his strength, Seth swung the bat down on the wolf's skull.
Crack!
The head snapped sideways, blood splattering across the wall. The wolf whimpered but didn't fall. Its paw still clawed at him.
He swung again. And again. Each strike was fueled by pure panic, pure survival.
By the sixth blow, the skull finally gave way. Bone split. Brain matter spattered. The wolf collapsed with a broken whine, twitching once before going still.
Seth staggered back, chest heaving. His hands trembled as he stared at the bent weapon in his grip. Not just the bat. The floor of the car beneath the wolf's head was dented where his swings had landed.
Even rusted metal shouldn't bend so easily.
His heart thudded as realization dawned. He wasn't just stronger—he was inhumanly stronger. Far more than he had thought he was.
His victory, however, was hollow. As his gaze drifted back to the ruined corpse, the wolf twitched.
A strangled gasp escaped Seth. Reflex took over, and he brought the bat down once more with a desperate cry. The blow shattered what remained of the skull completely.
Panting, drenched in sweat and gore, he staggered back. That was when he saw it.
A faint, glowing orb rose from the corpse, luminous and pulsing. Before he could react, it shot into his chest, disappearing into him at a speed he couldn't comprehend.
He tapped at his body all over but couldn't find it. In the end he could only give up while wondering what it was.
He was lost in thought for only seconds before a new howl tore through the night. Loud. Close.
Seth's eyes snapped wide.
No time to think. He bolted through the side door of the RV, slipping out into the frigid night air. He had no weapon left—the bat was ruined, warped and useless.
And then he froze.
Perched atop the mangled hood of a wrecked jeep, a second wolf loomed. Its eyes glowed faintly in the dark, its chest rising with steady, murderous breaths.
It was looking away originally but as if it felt his gaze beast turned its head, and their eyes met.
Violence radiated from its gaze, primal and merciless.
Seth's throat went dry.
"…Fuck."
The word slipped out as barely a whisper. While he raised the twisted bat anyway, hands shaking, every nerve screaming at him to run.
But there was no escape now.
Another fight was coming.