“Kimberly, Kimberly, Kimberly!” someone whispered my name three times, barely loud enough for me to hear.
I rubbed my eyes, trying to figure out who was calling me. Slowly opening my eyes, I realized I wasn’t in a familiar place.
“Where am I?” I screamed, shooting up to my feet. My heart raced when I realized I was still in the woods where we had come to search for Hannah and Louis. My mind struggled to understand how I ended up back here.
“What’s happening? Why am I here? Where’s Damien? Is this a dream?” I kept asking myself, but there were no answers, only silence.
I looked down and saw I had been lying on the cold forest floor. I pinched my cheeks repeatedly, hoping to wake up if this were just some bizarre dream. But nothing changed. The forest felt too real, too vivid.
“Damien,” I whispered his name, hoping he would appear. But the silence that surrounded me only made me feel more alone. As I stood there, my memory rushed back-being with Damien, feeling the warmth of his skin on mine-and then falling asleep in his arms. But now… now I was here, alone.
My mind spun with confusion. How did I end up here without him? I started pacing, desperate to make sense of it when I suddenly noticed an elderly man standing nearby. He was dressed in a white suit, his back facing me as he adjusted something.
My breath caught in my throat, and I stumbled over a small rock, barely managing to steady myself. “W-who a-are y-you?” I stammered, my voice trembling with fear.
Without turning around, the old man spoke, “Strange that you don’t recognize me. I’ve seen you around.”
His voice was raspy, echoing through the woods. Each word seemed to bounce back, making his presence even more unsettling.
“If you know me, then show yourself!” I demanded, trying to sound braver than I felt. “Who are you, and why am I in this forest? What’s going on?”
The man chuckled, his laughter eerie. “Haha… even if I reveal myself, you still wouldn’t know who I am. But that doesn’t matter. I’m only here to deliver a message, and then I’ll be on my way.”
I frowned. “A message? What message?” My voice wavered with confusion. What could an old man possibly want with me? “Before you say anything, just tell me where I am. Am I dreaming, or is this real?”
The old man’s posture didn’t change as he spoke. “This is real, Kimberly. You’re here because this is where you were born, right by that tree.”
I took a step back, my eyes wide with disbelief as I stared at the tree he pointed to. “That’s impossible,” I muttered under my breath. “I was born in a hospital… my father told me that!” The words came out shaky, as my mind tried to reject his claim.
“It’s a lie,” the old man replied, his voice calm. “Your whole life has been a lie. Since the day you were born, the truth has been hidden from you.”
His words hit me like a punch to the gut. I wanted to scream at him, to deny what he was saying, but a small part of me was terrified he might be right. “You’re lying,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. “My father would never lie to me.”
The old man shrugged, unfazed. “Believe what you want. It doesn’t change the truth. Now, are you ready for the message?”
I stared at him, unsure of what to say. Who was this man? What did he want from me? “Fine,” I muttered. “Tell me the message.”
Slowly, the man turned to face me. I gasped, shocked by the intensity of his bloodshot eyes. He looked much younger than I’d expected, maybe in his mid-forties. But there was something about him… something unsettling.
“You need to reawaken your power,” he said firmly, his eyes locked onto mine. “The world needs you, Kimberly. You have a responsibility.”
“What power?” I asked, my voice laced with disbelief. “I don’t have any power. You’ve got the wrong person!”
The man shook his head, stepping closer to me. “No. The wise one is never wrong. You have power beyond what you’ve been told, and now is the time to awaken it.”
I took another step back, my heart pounding in my chest. Was he serious? Did he really think I had some kind of hidden power? “Look,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady, “the only power I have is being a werewolf, and even that feels like it’s slipping away. So stop trying to mess with my head.”
The man’s expression didn’t change. He continued speaking as if he hadn’t heard me. “Twenty-one years ago, in this very forest, a baby girl was born. That child was destined to wield the most powerful force in the universe and to protect the world from the evil werewolves threatening humanity.”
His words stopped me in my tracks. For a moment, I didn’t know what to believe. My thoughts were racing, trying to piece everything together. “Are you saying… I’m that child?” I asked, my voice barely a whisper. “How is that possible?”
“It’s true,” the man said, his voice steady and calm. “And now, it’s time for you to awaken your power. The answers you seek are in this forest.”
I stared at him, my mind spinning. Could any of this be real? Or was this some sort of elaborate trick? “Before I even think about believing you,” I said, my tone serious, “tell me if this is real or if I’m still dreaming.”
The man chuckled again, his eyes gleaming. “This is no dream, Kimberly. You will need to wake up to the truth soon enough.”
Before he could say more, I heard someone calling my name from behind me…
—
“Hey, what exactly are you planning to do to us?” Hannah shouted at Doctor Eugene, struggling against the straps holding her down in the chair.
Doctor Eugene ignored her, calmly continuing to assemble the equipment he needed for his experiment. His white gloves and lab coat gleamed under the harsh light, and he quietly mixed chemicals in a glass vessel as if Hannah hadn’t said a word.
“You think whatever you’ve got planned for us is going to work?” Louis snapped angrily from his own chair, glaring at the doctor. “I bet you won’t succeed!”
“I’m sorry you feel that way,” Doctor Eugene replied softly, not even glancing at them.
Hannah and Louis exchanged frightened looks. Their eyes revealed the same fear they both felt, knowing something terrible was about to happen. Louis had already reached his limit and was too frustrated to comfort Hannah anymore. They knew their chance of having a normal life was over the moment they were dragged into this room. The doctor was preparing to experiment on their bodies, and there was no escape.
Meanwhile, Shane and Steve were watching the entire scene unfold on a monitor in another room. The large screen displayed a live feed of the laboratory, where Hannah and Louis sat helplessly strapped to their chairs.
“Do you see that?” Steve asked, staring intently at the screen. His eyes were wide with concern. “Look at their eyes. Something’s off.”
“What do you mean?” Shane replied, glancing at the monitor. “I don’t see anything unusual.”
Steve shook his head. “No, seriously. Look closer. When I spoke to them last, their eyes didn’t look like that. Something’s changed.”
Shane squinted at the screen but remained unsure. “They look fine to me.”
Steve let out a frustrated sigh. “No, they’re not fine! Look closely, Shane! The whites of their eyes are fading. And their skin… it’s turning pale. Plus, their muscles-look! They’re growing! Check out their arms!”
Shane’s eyes widened as he finally noticed what Steve was talking about. He took a step back from the monitor, his face filled with shock. “Wait, are they… are they transforming?”
“It sure looks that way!” Steve said anxiously, rushing toward the microphone on the control panel. He grabbed it and spoke into it, his voice urgent. “Doctor Eugene, can you hear me?”
“Yes, Mr. Steve, I hear you clearly,” Doctor Eugene responded in a calm, quiet tone. His voice showed no sign of the concern Steve was feeling.
“You need to get out of that room immediately,” Steve warned, his voice rising. “Whatever you’re doing, stop! Don’t disturb them anymore!”
Doctor Eugene paused and glanced up at the camera in confusion. “What do you mean? I’m nearly done here, just mixing the final chemicals. Is something wrong?”
“They’re transforming!” Steve shouted. “Get out now before it’s too late!”
“What?” Doctor Eugene gasped, dropping the chemical he was holding. The glass shattered on the floor, its contents spilling everywhere. He turned slowly to look at Hannah and Louis, and his face went pale with horror. Both of them were already changing before his eyes.
“Everyone, out! Now!” Doctor Eugene yelled, grabbing the two security guards with him and racing toward the exit.
The door slammed shut behind them just as Hannah and Louis completed their transformation. Fur sprouted all over their bodies, and their teeth grew into long, sharp fangs. The clothes they had been wearing ripped apart, leaving nothing but shreds as their new forms grew larger and more feral.
Inside the observation room, Shane let out a deep sigh of relief. “Thank God they made it out in time,” he said, wiping the sweat from his forehead. “That was way too close. Doctor Eugene barely got out of there alive.”
Steve remained silent, his heart still racing. He was shaken by how close they’d come to disaster. “If we hadn’t realized what was happening…” Steve couldn’t finish his sentence. His hands were trembling.
“You need to go check on Doctor Eugene,” Steve finally said, taking a deep breath to calm himself. “Tell him to stay away from that room until we know it’s safe. And make sure the others know not to go anywhere near it.”
Shane nodded quickly. “Got it. I’ll go now.” Without another word, he rushed out of the observation room.
Left alone, Steve’s mind raced as he stared at the monitor, watching the transformed werewolves thrash around the lab. Hannah and Louis, once human, were now wild beasts, slamming their fists against the walls, their growls echoing through the speakers.
Steve couldn’t tear his eyes away. “Is this really happening?” he muttered to himself, unable to believe what he was seeing. He had heard stories about werewolves his entire life, but he had never seen one transform right before his eyes. It was a chilling sight, and part of him couldn’t help but feel a strange mix of fear and fascination.
“So, this is what they turn into,” Steve whispered. “Their eyes… their bodies…”
As he spoke, a strange expression crossed his face, a mix of horror and excitement. He was mesmerized by the transformation, captivated by the raw power of the creatures that were once Hannah and Louis.
Back in the lab, Hannah let out a piercing scream, causing Steve to jump. She had come into contact with the spilled chemical Doctor Eugene had been working on, and the pain was unbearable. Her howl echoed through the room, a terrifying sound that made Steve shiver.
“Hannah!” Steve whispered, leaning closer to the screen. He watched as her body convulsed, the chemical causing her muscles to twitch and her fur to bristle. Louis growled beside her, his fangs bared, his claws raking against the floor.
“They’re dangerous now,” Steve muttered to himself, a realization dawning on him. “We have to keep them contained.”
But deep down, he knew this was only the beginning. Whatever had happened to Hannah and Louis, whatever Doctor Eugene had been trying to do-everything had changed now.
And there was no turning back.