Chapter 12: Telling Tim

Chapter 12: Telling Tim

Finally, he heard the sound of Tim's Jeep pulling into the driveway. He heard the sound of a car door being slammed, and a few seconds later, Tim burst through the front door like he always did. Tim was full of energy and grinning like nothing could ever go wrong.

"Alright!" Tim said, holding up a bag of chips like a prize, "Snacks are here! Now, what's the big emergency?"

Jerry was just standing awkwardly in the middle of the room. He tried opening his mouth to speak, but no words came out.

Tim's smile turned into a frown as he scanned Jerry from up to down. "Okay, you're officially freaking me out. Did someone die? Or wait, is this about Erin? Dude, did you finally ask her out?"

Jerry finally let out a long sigh, he pinched the bridge of his nose, and said, "Tim, just… sit down, please."

Tim made a few blinks and then flopped onto the couch while tossing the bag of chips aside as he leaned back, giving Jerry his full attention, "Alright, dude, spill."

Jerry took in a deep breath as he tried to calm the nervousness that was pounding in his chest. "What I'm about to tell you… It's going to sound crazy.

Tim smiled after hearing Jerry's words and said, "Jerry, everything you do sounds crazy. Just hit me with it."

Jerry hesitated, then he made up his mind and held up his hand. The mark on his palm began to glow softly, and the faint light flickered like a weak flame.

Tim's smile slowly disappeared as he leaned forward and squinted his eyes at the glowing fang-like mark. "Uh… okay, what is that?" Tim asked.

"It's part of this… thing that's been happening to me," Jerry said, lowering his hand, "since the car crash at the party."

"What about the crash?" Tim asked if he sat up straighter.

Jerry exhaled sharply. "There's something I didn't tell you about."

Tim's face twisted in confusion. "Alright, now you've got me worried. Start from the beginning."

Jerry sat down on the edge of the coffee table while his foot tapped nervously against the floor.

Jerry explained everything to Tim. The crash, the pendant, the system, the daily quests, the stat points, and the powers.

He even told him about the shadow assassin and the fight that had nearly gotten him killed.

Tim just sat there without saying a word. He just stared at Jerry while his face shifted from amused to skeptical to outright shocked.

When Jerry was finally done with his explanation, the room fell silent; Tim leaned back and crossed his arms.

"Okay," Tim slowly said, drawing out the word. "So, let me get this straight: You've got a system in your head that gives you powers? Like… super strength and super speed?"

Jerry nodded and tightened his jaw.

"And there's this timer thing that's counting down to the next full moon, and when it hits, you're gonna… what? Go nuts?" Tim said.

"Pretty much," Jerry muttered while looking at the floor.

Tim remained quiet for a few moments. Then suddenly he burst out laughing.

Jerry's head snapped up. "What the hell is so funny?"

"I'm sorry," Tim said between laughs while holding up a hand, "It's just… dude, you've basically turned into a werewolf RPG character. Do you get bonus XP for how broody you're being right now?"

"Tim, this isn't a joke!" Jerry snapped as he stood up.

Tim's uncontrolled laughter stopped immediately. "Okay, okay, sorry, I just… wow, this is a lot."

"You think?" Jerry said while throwing his hands in the air.

Tim sighed and ran his hand through his blonde hair. "Alright, show me."

Jerry slowly frowned. "What?"

"Show me what you can do." Tim said as he stood up, "You've got superpowers, right? Prove it.

Jerry first hesitated for a while, but then he walked over to the coffee table, gripped the edge, and lifted it over his head like it weighed nothing.

Tim's jaw suddenly dropped in shock. "Holy crap!"

Jerry then slowly and carefully set the table down. "Is that enough proof for you?"

"Nope," Tim said while shaking his head, "Do something else, run really fast, or… I don't know, jump through the ceiling.

Jerry rolled his eyes but walked to the far side of the room and took a deep breath, then sprinted forward, stopping inches from Tim in a blur of motion.

Tim yelped, stumbling back and nearly falling over the couch, "Dude! That's insane!"

"Now do you believe me?" Jerry asked, crossing his arms.

"Yeah," Tim said, nodding slowly, "Yeah, I believe you."

Tim sat back down and put on a serious face for the first time since he had arrived. "Alright," he said, "You're not dealing with this alone."

Jerry made a few blinks. "Do you really mean that?"

"Of course I mean that," Tim said firmly. "You're my best friend, dude. We'll figure this out together."

Jerry felt a lump form in his throat. "Thanks, Tim.".

"Don't thank me yet," Tim said with a grin. "We've got three days to figure out how to keep you from going full werewolf. That means we need a plan. Let's start with seeing how far these powers go.".

Jerry managed a small smile. "Alright, let's get to work.".

As the two began brainstorming, Jerry felt a tiny spark of hope, because he wasn't sure what would happen when the timer hit zero, but at least he wasn't alone.

Jerry stood by his bedroom window as he looked outside.

His forehead almost touching the cold glass, he stared outside through the window, and he could see that the night was quiet outside, but deep inside his thoughts were anything but quiet.

His hand hovered in front of his face, the faint symbol still glowing on his palm.

And then there was the timer.

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[Time Remaining: 66:49:14]

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It glowed faintly at the side of Jerry's vision; to Jerry, it almost felt like it was floating in the air, and no matter where he looked, it always followed the edge of his sight.

The countdown was a constant reminder that his life had taken a turn he didn't understand, a turn he might never be able to undo.

He sighed deeply and let his hand drop to his side.

Behind him Tim was sprawled on the couch and flipping through a comic book that he'd snagged off Jerry's desk.

His legs were kicked up like he had no care in the world, but Jerry knew better because Tim always tried to act casual when he was nervous.

After a while of flipping pages, Tim closed the comic with a snap and sat up. "Alright, dude," he said, breaking the silence, "Let's talk about the elephant in the room.".

Jerry turned and raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What elephant?".