Transformation - Part 1

"What the hell is going on with me…?"

Ryan lifted himself from the ground and looked at his hands after he finally finished coughing.

He couldn't believe his eyes.

They were fully covered in dark red, almost black blood. As he got forced to his knees, a lot of it spilt on the pavement, creating a small puddle of blood. His pants were soaked in the red liquid and his jacket wasn't spared as well, dirty blood stains all over it.

The weirdest part in all of this, being the only reason he still kept his composure, was the fact that he didn't feel anything. He was fine. Even better than fine. He actually felt refreshed as if he just finished a relaxing session in the spa.

Looking down at his bloodied clothes, Ryan didn't hesitate and took off his new shirt and jacket, getting his torso naked. There was no one on the street anyway but he still hurried himself before anyone comes.

The jacket could still be saved so he put it on the side but the shirt was all bloodied from the blood that dripped on his chin and down his neck. He would throw it away anyway so he started wiping his face with it, followed with his neck and hands.

A thought of going back to Rose's house to ask for help crossed his mind but he quickly dismissed it.

'They will ask questions yet I don't have answers… How will I explain myself?' Ryan thought troubled, imagining what he would say, 'I just coughed out a few liters of blood but don't worry, I feel fine. Yeah, they won't believe in it.'

They would definitely send him to the hospital for a check up and doctors would ask even more questions. Based on this fact alone, he decided to quickly get back to the dorms instead.

It was good that he still carried his old clothes so he quickly wore his old shirt and changed the pants as well, throwing everything else into a trash can. From everything that Rose bought him, only his jacket and shoes survived but it was better than nothing.

He couldn't clean the pavement so he left it as it is and started moving.

'Please, don't turn me into a Vampire…' Ryan prayed to no one in particular as he speed-walked towards the dorms.

First it was him drinking blood and then this. How could he avoid imagining that maybe Rose was right? This scene reminded him of cleansing body of impurities but wasn't it too much? He just coughed out liters of blood and he was still fine as if nothing happened.

He was lucky it was already dark so even though his outfit was covered in blood, he was able to avoid some gazes. It was a little bit over eight o'clock so there were still many people on the streets.

Just as he thought about it while entering the main street, he got spotted by a mature couple who froze when they saw him.

"Kid, are you okay? Do you need help?" the man asked cautiously, protecting his girlfriend just in case.

'Sweet, now I'm treated like a serial killer…' Ryan lamented in his mind and shook his head, showing a wry smile, "Don't worry, I'm fine. I just tripped."

He used the first thought that came to his mind but seeing the couple reaction, he wanted to smack his face.

The couple took a step to the side, giving him the space to pass and the guy turned defensive, putting his girlfriend totally behind him.

Ryan realized his lie wasn't believable because he didn't even have grazes on his outfit from tripping. If he bled from his body, his shirt would be red instead of his jacket. It completely didn't make sense.

He looked as if someone else's blood just sprayed on his body.

"I am sorry, I need to go," Ryan informed awkwardly and passed them, starting to run.

It wasn't the best time to walk outside. He needed to get home as soon as possible and change.

Some far away, Ryan turned around to see if they were okay and saw the man was on the phone while looking in his direction. It was obvious they were reporting him to the authorities.

"Damn…" Ryan cussed and sped up before he got in any trouble.

If police got involved, he didn't even want to imagine how bad this would end up.

'Strange…'

His sprint was especially smooth which surprised him. Ryan didn't feel tired at all and his body seemed much stronger. Before he realized, he was already in the park, rushing through it with his hair blown away by wind.

There were many couples walking by, all stopping to take a look at him but he didn't made the same mistakes again, avoiding all of them. They were all gossiping but he didn't care until he suddenly heard one couple chatting.

'Why is this guy covered in blood…?'

'He seems fine to me…'

'Should we help him…?'

'Better not…'

It wouldn't be that shocking if not for the fact that they were clearly whispering to each other yet he could hear them clearly as if he was right next to them. What's more, they were ten meters away from him.

Boom!

Out of nowhere, his mind exploded with chatter as if he was in the middle of the crowd, causing him to slow down his run. The endless chatter turned into a buzz as all words mixed together, causing him to go crazy.

"Ah! Why are you all so loud in the evening?!" He finally shouted as he rubbed his temples, not able to take it.

The buzzing stopped and everyone looked at him confused only to resume a moment later. He could see people whisper into each other's ears yet he heard them anyway.

'I think he is insane… Let's get away before he goes crazy…'

'You are right… Let's go…'

That particular couple stood up from the bench and moved away from him.

This proved he wasn't going crazy. He actually heard them!

'What is going on…' Ryan cleaned his ears, completely confused and resumed running, wanting to get away from the buzzing sound as soon as he could.

He passed the park and saw the dorm building, lowering his anxiety. He finally reached home.

'Finally…' Ryan repeated, running to cross the last distance when he suddenly felt pain in his eyes, causing him to blink a few times.

When he opened them, everything became blurry. The building he just stared at looked like one big pixel-dot and the humans disappeared from his view. He rubbed his eyes to regain his vision but it didn't help at all.

"Ryan? What happened with you?" He heard a familiar male voice next to him yet he didn't see the person clearly.

He was like big black box that slowly regained its sharpness as if his eyes were calibrating. Ryan was already in panic, not knowing what was going on when the person grabbed his shoulder.

"No! Don't touch me!" Ryan shouted, pushing the person away and heard loud thud, accompanied by a painful groan.

As if scripted, his eyes regained his vision at that time and he was blown away once again.

His vision was crystal clear and he could see all details no matter how far they were, shocking him to the core. Even the small sign more than fifty meters away from him, he could see and read it normally despite the darkness.

He turned to the person he just pushed away and realized they were almost ten meters away, tossed by him as if he had some inhuman strength. The man's body even created a trail on the grass.

"Au…" The person which happened to be his acquaintance from the classes groaned as he gazed hatefully at him. "Are you insane?!"

"I-I didn't mean to…" Ryan stuttered anxiously, looking down at his arms.

'I didn't push him this hard…'

Ryan didn't know what to think anymore so he ran away from the scene, storming into the dorm. Whatever was going on with him, it was best to get away from other people.

———

Even with Ryan gone, everyone that saw him still gossiped, wondering what happened.

The man that got pushed looked pissed as his outfit got ruined, filled with grass and earth. He could only be thankful he fell on the grass instead of the pavement else it would have turned badly.

Just as he seemed to be ready to curse, a blond beauty appeared on the scene and asked him curiously, "What happened here?" She carried some textbooks in her arms, looking like a teacher.

When the man saw her, he immediately strengthened himself, acting like he wasn't hurt at all and called out, "Miss Lisa! What are you doing here?"

He didn't receive a reply so he scratched his head and described awkwardly, "Nothing much. I was pushed by someone on the ground and now my clothes are all ruined."

"Do you want me to report it to the administration? The person should be punished," Lisa asked politely, using her authority of a teacher.

"Oh, it's not a problem," the man waved his hand as if he wasn't troubled before commenting, "Though, he did look strange. Maybe something happened with him instead. He was covered in blood, acting all crazy. I tried to help him but he pushed me away."

"Blood?" Lisa's face changed when she heard him and immediately ordered, "Quickly tell me where he went! Do you know his name?"

She couldn't just leave it alone.

"Yeah, I know him actually. I had classes with him. His name is Ryan and he rushed to the dorms. I can show Miss—" he couldn't finish his proposal as Lisa visually panicked and launched towards the dorm without caring about him anymore.

"Does she know him…?"