The air in the hallway was ten degrees colder than the kitchen. Jay and Aaron stood by the rusted lockers, the low hum of the Stronghold's ventilation masking their voices.
"He's not normal, Jay," Aaron whispered, his voice as sharp as a scalpel. "Those teeth... he didn't file them. Bone doesn't react to metal that way. And when he reached for the ladle..." Aaron hesitated, his eyes darting toward the kitchen door. "I saw something under his shirt. On his shoulder. Something black. It wasn't a bruise. It was moving."
Jay felt a knot tighten in his stomach. "Moving? Like a parasite?"
Aaron looked away, his jaw tightening. He went quiet for a second too long, his fingers nervously fiddling with a transistor from his pocket. "I don't know yet. I need more data. Just... stay close to him, Jay."
Jay narrowed his eyes. He could tell Aaron was holding back. There was a specific type of fear in Aaron's eyes.,.the kind that comes from knowing exactly what a monster looks like before it strikes. "You're hiding something, Aaron. If you know what's happening to him—"
"I said I don't know!" Aaron snapped, then immediately lowered his voice. "Just trust me. Keep your eyes open."
Jay sighed, rubbing his face. "Oh, sure. I guess. We're all just tired."
They both turned to look back through the cracked kitchen door. The scene inside looked like a memory from their childhood, but distorted.
Leon was standing behind Maya, his tongue poking out in "concentration" as he tried to braid her long, chestnut hair. It was a pathetic attempt,the braid was lumpy and messy and he was chuckling to himself like the goofy kid he used to be. Maya was swatting his hands away, complaining about his "sticky fingers," but she was smiling.
But then, Leon's face shifted.
As Maya looked away to talk to Maverick, Leon's "goofy" expression vanished. He leaned in closer to the back of her neck, his eyes darkening into voids. His mouth pulled back, revealing those serrated, needle-sharp teeth. It wasn't a smile of affection,it was the look of a starving wolf staring at a lamb's throat. It looked like he wanted to bite her entire head off right there.
Maverick suddenly butted in, shoving a piece of bread at Maya and barking a joke.
In a flash, Leon snapped back. The predatory hunger vanished, replaced instantly by his high-pitched, fake laugh. He went back to fumbling with the braid as if nothing had happened.
Jay only saw the laugh. He missed the darkness. But Aaron..Aaron had seen the whole thing. He stood in the hallway, his face pale, clutching his high-tech scrap so hard his knuckles bled. The light bulb hadn't just flickered,Aaron had seen the glass start to crack.