Chapter 18
Blackridge Courtyard – Minutes Later
Sirens howled in the distance.
Teachers yelled for students to get inside. Security rushed the gates.
And Jerry stood in the center of the courtyard, chest heaving, his half-monstrous form bathed in the flickering light of phones, news drones, and panicked eyes.
His breath fogged the air around him. His claws were still wet with black blood. His mind screamed run—
But his legs wouldn't move.
Not yet.
Not while she was looking at him.
Emily.
She pushed through the crowd. Ignored the chaos. Her eyes locked onto his.
He braced for a scream.
It never came.
She walked right up to him, stopping only a foot away.
Her eyes shimmered with fear.
But not fear of him.
Fear for him.
"Jerry…" she whispered.
He looked down. His voice cracked through a throat not fully human.
"I didn't want you to see this."
She shook her head, tears slipping down her cheeks. "I knew. I didn't want it to be true, but I… I knew."
He lowered his gaze. "I didn't choose this."
"I know," she said. "But they'll come for you now. My father—Xyros Corp. He's already sent drones. They're watching."
He nodded.
"I can't hide anymore."
She grabbed his wrist.
"Then don't. Fight. But not alone."
Xyros Corp – Mobile Command Unit Nearby
Edward Xyros stood before a giant holoscreen, Jerry's monstrous silhouette frozen mid-strike.
Dr. Verin stood beside him, hands shaking slightly.
"This confirms it," Verin said. "Abyss Signature Class-6. Possibly higher. He's progressing faster than Subject-13 ever did."
Edward's eyes narrowed.
"He's no longer just an experiment."
Verin nodded grimly. "He's a threat."
Edward turned to a nearby agent. "Initiate capture protocol. No civilian casualties."
The agent hesitated. "Sir… there were students filming. It's already gone viral."
Edward turned slowly.
"Then change the narrative. Blame it on rogue bio-weapons. Say it's a security drill. Say whatever you must."
He looked back at Jerry's image.
"But bring me the boy."
Back at School – Rooftop Moments Later
Jerry and Emily had fled the courtyard. Now they crouched behind a rooftop vent, watching drones sweep the grounds below.
Jerry's claws were retracted. His breathing, still ragged. Blood soaked through his torn shirt.
"I should run," he muttered. "Disappear."
"No," Emily said. "That's what they want."
He looked at her. "Why are you helping me? Your father—"
"—lied to me my entire life. About the project. About you." She took a breath. "If he's hunting you, it means you're important. Maybe dangerous, yeah. But not a monster."
Jerry's throat tightened. "You don't know what I've done."
"Then show me," she said. "All of it. Tell me everything."
He stared into her eyes—searching for judgment, for disgust, for fear.
He only found truth.
"I killed people."
She didn't flinch.
"I watched something crawl out of me and tear them apart."
Still nothing.
"I liked it."
She looked away—finally—shaken.
But she didn't leave.
Instead, she whispered, "Then you need someone to keep you human."
And Jerry—for the first time in days—closed his eyes and exhaled.
Final Scene – Nightfall, Hidden Alley
Jerry and Emily had escaped through the back alleys of the city. The school was on lockdown. Xyros Corp was sweeping neighborhoods.
But Jerry had one destination in mind.
The voice from his vision. The man in the coat.
His mentor.
He walked alone now, deeper into the shadows, until a faint blue light flickered ahead.
An alleyway—cold, humming.
And at the end of it… he stood.
The man from before.
Still cloaked. Still silent.
"You're early," the man said.
Jerry stepped closer. "You knew they'd come for me."
"I knew the moment you tore through the parasite hounds that your time was short."
"Why help me?" Jerry asked.
The man looked over his shoulder. One pale eye glowing.
"Because I was you, once. And I know what's coming."
Jerry's breath caught. "The end?"
The man nodded.
"No. The beginning."
(To be continued ...)