It was afternoon when I changed direction and headed toward Johnny's house, cutting through town.
That's when the smell hit me.
Blood.
Fresh.
Hot.
Under it—
a heartbeat.
Faint. Weak. Dying.
Every instinct screamed turn away.
I didn't.
That's never been my nature.
I slowed my breathing and followed the scent into a narrow alley, shadows stretching like claws along the walls.
Then I saw them.
A girl—barely standing.
And a man pressed against her, mouth buried in her neck.
Drinking.
Our eyes met.
He froze.
Slowly, deliberately, he released her. She collapsed to the ground like a discarded toy.
The man turned toward me.
Pale skin. Red-stained lips. Eyes glowing wrong.
He sniffed the air.
Then recoiled.
His grin vanished.
"…A mutt," he muttered.
The word was venom.
He vanished—
FLASH.
Pain exploded as he aimed straight for my chest.
I didn't think.
My body moved on its own.
I grabbed his right arm—
CRACK.
—but I missed the left.
His fist slammed into my stomach.
Agony ripped through me.
I staggered back, air gone, vision blurring.
I swung.
He wasn't there.
He moved like smoke.
I dropped to one knee, gasping, staring as my wound knitted itself shut.
Healing.
Too slow.
Run, my mind screamed.
Too late.
He struck again.
My body flew.
I crashed into a pipeline—
BOOM.
Metal snapped. The pipe burst free.
My strength drained fast.
He laughed.
A high, ugly sound.
"Why don't you change?" he taunted.
Suddenly—
his hand closed around my neck.
Pressure.
Crushing.
Darkness crept in.
Instinct screamed louder than fear.
I grabbed the broken pipe—
And rammed it into his chest.
Metal pierced flesh.
His scream cut short as I twisted—
SNAP.
His neck broke.
His body dropped like a log.
Silence.
I staggered toward the girl.
Heartbeat.
Still there.
Alive.
Relief—
WHAM.
Something slammed into my back.
Metal.
Pain.
I looked down.
The pipe—embedded in me.
Then—
BANG.
A gunshot.
A scream.
I turned—
The vampire was down.
Head gone.
Smoke curled from a gun barrel.
A man stood there.
Eyes cold.
Voice colder.
//Stranger//
"You should've finished the job."
The world went black.
When I woke up, Johnny was sitting beside me.
His face—worried. Alert.
In front of me stood the man with the gun.
And Johnny's mom. His dad. His brother.
I jumped to my feet instantly.
//Johnny//
"Are you okay?"
//Aaron//
"I'm cool."
I swallowed.
"Thanks for saving me. And… who are you?"
The man stepped forward.
"Michael," he said. "Johnny's uncle."
Then his eyes hardened.
"When were you turned?"
The room went dead silent.
Whatever I was now…
I had just stepped into a war. 🩸🐺
!I froze.
Wait… how did he—
The pieces clicked together too fast.
The only option left?
Play dumb.
//Aaron//
"I… don't know what you're talking about."
Michael stood.
In one violent motion, he grabbed my shirt and slammed me forward.
//Michael//
"If I remember correctly," he growled, "I walked in on a werewolf and a vampire fighting."
His eyes bored into mine.
"And who do I see? My nephew's best friend."
He leaned closer.
"You might not know me, Aaron… but I know you."
Johnny sat there.
Silent.
His parents beside him.
That's when I knew—
something was very wrong.
Michael released me… then casually pulled out a gun.
He aimed it straight at my face.
//Michael//
"Last chance."
My heart pounded.
"Let's make this simple. Who sent you?"
I opened my mouth—
BANG.
White-hot pain exploded through my arm.
I screamed.
He f@*€king shot me.
The pain was worse than the pipe. Worse than the vampire. Worse than anything I'd ever felt. My body went heavy, numb, like gravity doubled.
Johnny leapt up.
//Johnny//
"You're taking this too far! I didn't agree to shooting him!"
Michael didn't even look at him.
He pressed the gun to my face.
Then—
CLICK.
Another gun.
Johnny stood there.
Hands shaking.
Gun aimed at Michael's head.
Mmh…
A high school kid holding a gun.
What in the nameless hell did I get myself into?
This had to be the weirdest family fight in history.
//Johnny//
"Drop the gun. Or else."
Michael laughed.
//Michael//
"Come on, John. Look at him."
He gestured to me.
"Look at his eyes. He's one of them now."
He sneered.
"So what's the problem? I'm just minimizing the competition."
Johnny didn't blink.
Michael studied him.
Then—slowly—
he dropped the gun.
Johnny rushed to me, lifted me onto the table.
He pulled out a knife.
My eyes widened.
He looked at me seriously.
"This will sting. A lot."
As he raised it—
//Aaron//
"WAIT!"
I screamed.
Like a girl.
No shame.
Meanwhile…
Joe stood outside Johnny's house, phone to his ear.
"Yes. He went into the hunters' house."
Pause.
"Yes, they were friends."
Another pause.
"…We don't know if he'll survive."
He nodded.
"Understood."
A scream echoed from inside.
Joe flinched.
"…Yeah. That's my cue."
He walked away.
Mission complete.
AARON — POV
Johnny pulled the bullet out.
I nearly blacked out.
Then he sat across from me, eyes serious.
I trusted him.
So I told him everything.
The pack.
Frank.
The bite.
The van.
The wolf.
The vampire.
All of it.
When I finished, he nodded once.
"I believe you."
Then he stood.
"My family has hunted monsters since the dawn of monsters," he said calmly.
"I'm a hunter."
My stomach dropped.
I had walked straight into a den of killers.
Johnny saw the fear in my eyes.
"Relax," he said quickly. "Nothing will happen to you."
I exhaled.
"Yeah… besides being shot, I'm cool."
His family entered.
They apologized for Michael.
Warned me.
This was hunters' territory.
I needed to be careful.
I was exhausted.
I thanked them and headed for the door.
Michael was waiting outside.
Cigar in his mouth. Bottle in hand.
Not his first round.
He looked at me.
//Michael//
"Sorry, kid. Didn't mean to hurt you like that…"
He puffed his cigar.
Then smiled.
"That's what you thought I'd say."
He laughed.
Loud.
Broken.
"Oh—and tell your friend not to take things so lightly."
I ignored him and walked away.
His laughter followed me down the street.
One thing was clear.
Michael wasn't right in the head.
And I had just made enemies on both sides of the war. 🐺🩸