Something Missing

The werewolf's paw pressed down hard on Jack Chase's chest, the immense weight making the man's face turn red as he struggled to breathe.

"You... filthy beast... How dare you... kill... me?" Jack spat, blood trickling from his mouth and nose. He couldn't believe that someone who was supposed to become part of the new humanity was about to be killed by a mere creature.

"Stop!"

A sharp cry echoed through the night, followed by a flash of crimson light. The feral werewolf sensed the deadly power behind the incoming attack and leapt back just in time, turning to snarl at the newcomer with glowing green eyes.

Serena Walsh stood firm, her hands gripping her blood-red sword. Seeing that Jack was still alive and breathing, albeit barely, she let out a small sigh of relief. As much as she wanted to see Jack torn apart, now wasn't the time. The city was still dealing with the chaos of the infected attackers, and they needed answers.

"Are you breaking the agreement?" Serena demanded, her sharp gaze fixed on the werewolf. Little did she know that the creature had already lost its rationality.

She had tracked the werewolf to this area, thanks to the phone she had given to him earlier with a GPS tracker. When his signal had stayed in one place for too long, Serena decided to investigate, only to arrive just as the beast was about to finish Jack off.

The werewolf said nothing, only letting out a bloodcurdling howl before charging at her with its deadly claws extended.

Serena quickly realized something was wrong. This wasn't the same calculated and intelligent creature she had fought alongside earlier in the day. This was a wild animal, driven solely by instinct.

"So it's unstable after all," Serena muttered under her breath. With a calm exhale, she drove her sword into the ground and shifted into a combat stance.

She wasn't going to use her weapon—not for this. Instead, she planned to take the beast down with her bare hands.

A faint glow appeared around the ring on her finger, and an immense pressure surged through the air around her. With a simple shift of her footing, Serena stepped forward and threw a solid punch at the werewolf's arm, like a hammer smashing into steel.

The impact was so forceful that the nearly three-meter-tall werewolf was sent flying through the air.

Serena's physical strength was just as formidable as her blade skills.

The werewolf twisted midair, landing deftly on its feet. Shaking off the blow, it let out a guttural growl before charging at her again, moving slightly faster this time.

But Serena was ready. Every slash of the werewolf's claws was met with a counterpunch, and every time it tried to advance, she would meet it with a kick so powerful that the air itself cracked with the force of it.

The beast snarled in frustration. Despite its size and strength, it couldn't land a hit on her. Its muscles were beginning to ache, its movements slowed by the repeated blows to its body.

"Don't even think about running," Serena warned, throwing a glance at Jack, who had been inching away during the fight. Her icy gaze made him freeze on the spot, too terrified to move any further.

Jack, still half-deaf from earlier, couldn't hear Serena's words, but the look in her eyes told him everything he needed to know. Reluctantly, he slumped back to the ground, pretending to be unconscious.

Meanwhile, the werewolf began pacing around Serena, trying to find an opening. It wasn't reckless—despite its primal rage, it still had the instincts of a predator, knowing when to strike and when to hold back.

Serena, however, was running low on patience. She decided to make the first move.

With lightning speed, she rushed forward, aiming to knock the creature out with a single blow. Her fists and feet landed with crushing force, every strike hitting its mark.

The werewolf tried to fight back, but Serena's strength was overwhelming. Each punch sent it stumbling, each kick knocked it off balance.

With a final leap, Serena delivered a flying kick to the werewolf's head. The beast, despite its resilience, finally collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

Serena stood over the fallen creature, not even out of breath. She walked back to retrieve her sword, the glow from her ring dimming as she sheathed her weapon.

"Looks like our wolf friend is more unstable than we thought," she muttered, glancing around at the scene. Jack lay defeated on the ground, still breathing but out of the fight. Nearby, the monstrous abomination Ash had fought earlier was still pinned to the wall, thrashing helplessly as it struggled to free itself.

Something felt off, though.

"Am I missing something?" Serena thought, just as a bone-chilling shriek pierced the silence.

From the shadows, the white-clad specter emerged, having hidden itself the entire time. It had been biding its time, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

Serena's reflexes kicked in as she quickly withdrew her sword, slashing through the air, but her blade sliced only through empty space—the ghost had no physical form.

It lunged at her, its ghastly maw wide open, biting into Serena's sword hand with a vicious snap.

"Why are you still alive when everyone else is dead?" The ghost's venomous voice echoed inside her mind, attacking the deepest corners of her consciousness.