At the Durnloop High cafeteria, Tim came rushing in. His eyes scanned over the hall looking for someone.
And there he sat, in their usual spot. He rushed over and sat next to him
"I think you were right." He tried to catch his breath as he spoke.
Danny gave him a questioning look.
"I'm always right. But just to make sure we're talking about the same thing, what am I right about?" His head tilted slightly.
"Our new '_friend_', Theo, I think he has a secret."
Danny's expression changed. He did not say anything but Tim still understood that he wanted to know more.
"So, when I was in the bathroom I saw him take some sort of pills."
Danny raised an eyebrow.
"So? That doesn't mean anything."
"Doesn't mea–– Dude?"
"What? It's probably vitamins or something." Danny reasoned.
"Then why did he hide them when I walked out of the stall?" Tim asked. "I think we have a junkie on our hands."
"Okay, woah. That's a bit too much, don't you think?"
Danny felt a headache grow the more Tim talked.
He kept rambling on and on about how Theo might be doing drugs in the bathroom.
"Plus, you're the one who said there was something wrong with him."
Danny was appalled by Tim's accusation.
'Me? That's not what I meant you idiot!'
Although he didn't get the time to say those words as their conversation was interrupted by four students who sat at their table.
"What are you guys talking about?" A blonde haired girl asked.
"Ah... The weather...?" Tim lied.
Danny almost fell when he heard his response.
"Hm, you're lying and I wanna know why."
The blonde haired girl took a spoonful of her food as she waited for Tim to answer.
"Oh come on, Katie. You should know by now that lying is a basic instinct for Tim.", Elis said.
He was a guy that Danny and Tim only hung out with because he dated their friend, Katie.
"Okay, A that is not true and B... We really were talking about the weather, right Danny?"
Danny simply shook his head, not wanting to be a part of Tim's lies. Well he was already though.
"Look at you being so defensive." Another girl teased.
Her name was Domino. She was a light skinned black girl with curly afro hair.
As the group continued to chat, one remained quiet.
Danny noticed Michelle had been wearing a hoodie that he did not recognize. And the scent coming from it was not familiar as well.
"New hoodie?"
Danny's question startled her.
"What?" She paused and looked at herself. "Oh, all my other clothes were soaked by the rain so someone lent me theirs."
The girls were now interested.
"Oh, tell us more. Is he hot?"Katie asked.
Elis raised his eyebrows and looked at her.
"What, I'm just curious." She defended.
"Now why would you assume it's a he?" Michelle asked.
The girls rolled their eyes in exasperation.
Tim called it "Women Intuition", a rare trait possessed only by females that allowed them to sense when a friend or lover was lying.
Just as the 6 friends were busy talking, the owner of the hoodie walked in. He had an unreadable expression on his face, but when his eyes landed on Tim's table, a frown appeared on his face.
Michelle was the first to spot him as her chair faced the entrance.
Out of the six, he had only interacted with two. Tim and Michelle.
Tim thought the frown was for him. That he had caught him red handed in the bathroom.
Michelle on the other hand thought it was something else.
Earlier in class, Theo had seen her tremble uncontrollably as her hair was not dry yet and she was very underdressed for this weather.
He had reluctantly handed her the hoodie once more but she refused.
"Quit being stubborn and just take it." Theo placed the hoodie in front of her.
She looked at him for a while, not sure how to respond.
Was he being nice?
"Your chattering teeth are annoying."
No.
He wasn't!
Michelle's eyebrows twitched as she remembered that.
Katie looked back and forth, from Theo to Michelle.
She didn't say anything but only smiled at herself.
Danny also caught something. A faint scent, one similar to the on the hoodie. He looked at the girl next to him but did not say anything.
****
Meanwhile, on the Durnloop Hiking Trail, 6 figures quietly navigated their way through the forest, carrying backpacks.
Kane took the lead, following the needle of the compass which pointed them deeper into the forest.
"... We're close."
Behind him, Oisin scoffed.
"About damn time."
They all took out a vial from their backpacks. The vial had a dark liquid inside.
It had a very pungent odor that caused many to grimace before swallowing it whole.
Dark veins seemed to spread under their skin before fading a second later.
Then, the hunters took out their weapons. Some carried crossbows while others carried swords and maces.
The sheriff's department officers were not too far from them so the use of guns was prohibited.
Kane continued to lead the team into the forest, the compass needle trembled in his hand.
Then, it snapped forward.
He stopped.
"... There."
The others followed his gaze.
A cave stood ahead, half-hidden behind thick vines and jagged rock. The entrance was dark, swallowing what little light filtered through the trees.
Oisin spat to the side.
"Looks welcoming."
Kane stepped forward first, the others falling in behind him, weapons raised.
The deeper they went into the cave, the darker it became. Water dropped from the ceiling, echoing through the walls of the cave.
The hunters remained calm and focused.
Then—
They heard it.
A low growl rumbled through the cave walls. It was not loud but deep.
"Please tell me you heard that." The female hunter whispered.
Just as she finished speaking, the group saw a part of red glowing eyes in the dark. From their distance, the eyes still looked like something that was larger than ordinary humans.
Something felt wrong.
Why was the distance between them and the eyes decreasing?
It was fast! Too fast for its size.
A massive shape lunged forward, claws scraping against stone as it galloped towards them.
Its frame was towering, muscles rippling beneath dark, matted fur. Its jaws parted slightly, revealing rows of sharp, bloodstained teeth.
'Alpha!'
Martha cursed.
"It's an alpha werewolf!"
She yelled.
The group stood in a composed formation. From what they knew, Alpha werewolves rarely travelled alone.
Their pack was always with them, which made their situation even more dire.
Arrows flew in the direction of the wolf, which it ignored as they barely slowed it down.
Oisin stood forward with his mace. He swung it at the beast as it approached but the wolf raised its paw and smacked Oisin's hand.
Blood sprayed out as it dug its claws into his arm.
The beast stood on its hind legs and then smacked another hunter with the back of its paw.
The Hunter slammed into the cave walls with a sickening crack.
Kane and Martha swung their swords, barely cutting through the thick fur and muscle of the wolf.
The beast roared.
Its eyes locked in on Martha and it attacked.
Using the speed blessed to her by the elixir, Martha was able to evade most of the attacks from the Alpha.
The beast then slammed into her, sending her flying across the cave.
She hit the ground violently and vomited a mouthful of blood.
Her vision blurred. For a second, she couldn't move.
'…I'm going to die here.'
Retreat!
"We must retreat!"
Kane barked.
But it was too late.
The beast had already torn into the female hunter. Her scream was cut short as the sound of tearing flesh echoed.
The hunters scattered.
Oisin charged forward with a roar, swinging his blade straight for the creature's neck—
The Alpha caught his arm mid-swing and crushed it.
A sharp crack echoed as Oisin's weapon dropped.
Before it could finish him, another hunter slammed into the beast from the side, forcing it back.
"Fall Back! Fall back!"
Kane cried out, desperately.
He helped Martha stand and they turned to flee but the beast was on the move once again.
It vanished into the shadows and then reappeared behind them.
A flash of claws and blood sprayed across the cave floor.
Another body dropped.
Kane gritted his teeth.
They couldn't turn back now, they had to run.
It was not until they were by the cave entrance did they notice that the Alpha was not giving chase.
The group let out a breath of relief which only lasted for a few moments.
"... What the f*ck was that?!"
Martha cursed.
An Alpha werewolf should not have been that strong. Especially when it did not have a pack.
Oisin clutched his arm, veins still faintly visible beneath his skin as the effects of the elixir began to fade.
His arm was beginning to heal.
"What do we do now?", Another hunter, James, asked.
Before anyone could answer, a loud roar came from deep inside the cave.
"F*ck! We'll discuss this later, first we retreat back to the orphanage!"
Kane helped Martha stand and James did the same for Oisin. The group did not dare to look back.
Not even when they entered their car and drove off.