The tragic end

As Steven and Sophie backed away from Thomas in his terrifying beast form, fear etched into their faces, Sophie desperately tried to reach him. "Thomas! This isn't who you are! You have to fight it!" she pleaded, her voice trembling but resolute.

But Thomas wasn't hearing her words. His beastly instincts overwhelmed him, drowning out any shred of humanity. With a guttural growl, he lunged at Sophie.

Steven, acting on sheer instinct, threw himself in front of her, shielding her with his body. Thomas's powerful jaws clamped down on Steven's arm, and blood gushed out, staining the ground beneath them. Steven cried out in pain, his voice both firm and pained. "Thomas, stop this! You're going to hurt people—hurt the ones who care about you!"

The sound of Steven's voice pierced through the haze of Thomas's instincts. For a moment, clarity flickered in his beastly eyes. He released Steven's arm, recoiling in horror as he realized what he had done. The struggle between his human self and the beast raged within him. Unable to bear it, Thomas let out a guttural roar and fled into the night, leaving Steven bleeding and collapsing to the ground.

Sophie dropped to her knees beside Steven, tears streaming down her face. "Somebody help! Please!" she screamed, her voice cracking with desperation.

Hours later

Steven awoke in a hospital bed, his vision blurry. His family stood around him, their faces filled with worry. Sophie was there too, seated by his side, her hands trembling as she held his uninjured hand.

"Where's Thomas?" Steven mumbled weakly, his voice barely above a whisper.

His family exchanged confused glances, unsure of what he meant. One of them left to fetch the doctor, but Sophie stayed, leaning closer to him.

"Steven, Thomas... I don't know where he is," Sophie admitted, her voice shaking. "I've tried calling him, but he doesn't answer. I even went to his house—nothing. It's like he's disappeared."

Tears welled in her eyes as she lowered her head. "I thought we could handle this. I thought we could help him, but I failed. I couldn't do anything to save him. I couldn't even stop him from hurting you."

Steven mustered what strength he could to squeeze her hand. "You're wrong, Sophie. We couldn't have made it this far without you. You stood by him when no one else would. Thomas is in pain right now, but he's a fighter. He won't give up on himself, and neither should we."

Sophie wiped her tears, nodding hesitantly. "You really think he'll come back to us?"

Steven managed a faint smile. "I know he will. One day, he'll walk through that door, apologize for everything, and laugh with us like old times."

Overcome with emotion, Sophie leaned forward, wrapping her arms around Steven, careful not to disturb his injuries.

Elsewhere

Thomas sat slumped in a dark, damp alley, injecting himself with a makeshift serum. The pain from the injection was immense, but it was the only thing keeping his beastly instincts at bay, even if only for a short time. He let out a deep sigh, his body trembling as the serum coursed through his veins.

"Just a little longer," he muttered to himself.

Once the pain subsided, Thomas stood and began wandering aimlessly through the city. His clothes were torn and bloodstained, his eyes hollow. He barely noticed when he accidentally bumped into a burly man surrounded by a group of thugs.

The leader grabbed Thomas by the shoulder, spinning him around. "You looking for a fight, punk? You just messed with the wrong guy."

Thomas, exhausted and uninterested, muttered softly, "Please... just let me go. I don't have time for this."

The thugs, noticing Thomas's disheveled appearance, urged their leader to leave him alone. But the leader smirked, raising a steel pipe.

"I don't care who he is. No one disrespects me!"

The pipe came down on Thomas's head with a loud clang. To everyone's shock, the pipe bent on impact, and Thomas didn't even flinch.

The leader laughed nervously, taking a step back. "What the hell are you made of?"

Thomas's eyes glowed faintly as his instincts began to take over. He muttered under his breath, "No problem. I'm hungry anyway."

Before anyone could react, Thomas moved with inhuman speed, his clawed hand swiping through the air. The leader's head hit the ground with a sickening thud, his lifeless body collapsing seconds later.

The other gang members screamed in terror, trying to run, but Thomas's beastly instincts had taken full control. He tore through them mercilessly, leaving no survivors.

When the police arrived, they were met with a blood-soaked street and Thomas in his beast form. Without hesitation, they opened fire, but bullets ricocheted off his thick hide.

"Bring him down!" one officer shouted, but their weapons were useless. Thomas roared, charging at them.

The officers deployed tasers, lasers, and every weapon at their disposal, but nothing could stop him. Just as hope seemed lost, a massive steel cage was dropped from above, trapping Thomas inside.

The material of the cage was unlike anything Thomas had encountered before. No matter how much he thrashed and roared, he couldn't break free.

A woman with an air of authority stepped forward, her expression calm yet intrigued. Her dark uniform bore the insignia of a special task force.

"Fascinating," she murmured, approaching the cage despite the warnings of the other officers.

Thomas snarled, his glowing eyes fixed on her, but as she reached out and gently touched his face, his anger began to subside.

"You're a vessel," she said softly, almost to herself.

Thomas's growls turned into a low rumble of confusion. "Who... are you?"

The woman smiled faintly. "My name is Aisha. I've been waiting for someone like you.

Back at the task force's headquarters, Aisha explained everything to Thomas.

She showed him a scar on her back—a circular mark burned into her flesh. "This mark," she said, "was given to me by the beast I once carried within me. Like you, I was a vessel."

Thomas stared at her in disbelief. "How is that possible? That was... centuries ago."

Aisha nodded. "I'm over 500 years old. The beast's power has a way of distorting time. But that's not important now. What matters is that you can be saved."

She explained that the injections Thomas had been using were making things worse, not better. "The serum suppresses your instincts temporarily, but it damages your body and mind. I can help you gain control—permanently."

Thomas hesitated. He thought of Steven and Sophie, of the harm he had already caused.

"If I do this, I can't see anyone for a long time," he said. "I don't want them to see me like this... not until I've mastered it."

Aisha placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Then we start tomorrow."

To be continued...

(Man Beast 2 coming soon)