Distant thunder rumbled across the crimson sky.
Nobody said a word.
The strange howl still echoed in their minds.
Even the darkness felt heavier.
Britney looked like she was about to cry.
"I want my normal life back."
No one laughed.
Because they all wanted the same thing.
Liam continued staring into the darkness beyond the buildings. Something inside him was restless. It felt like a sleeping beast had suddenly opened its eyes.
Then he blinked.
For a second, he saw a forest.
Massive trees.
Silver mist.
And countless wolves looking at him.
The vision vanished.
"Liam?"
Trisha touched his arm.
He looked at her.
"You okay?"
"I think so."
She frowned.
"You don't sound convincing."
"I don't feel convincing."
That actually made her smile.
Before she could answer, Hamim suddenly looked around.
"Where's Austyn?"
Everyone froze.
Silence.
Then Gold spoke.
"He was with us."
"No, he wasn't," Vyonna said nervously. "I haven't seen him since we ran."
The group immediately looked around.
The street was empty.
A cold feeling settled in everyone's stomach.
"Austyn!" Alpha shouted.
No answer.
Britney cupped her hands around her mouth.
"AUSTYN!"
Nothing.
The city remained eerily quiet.
Trisha took out her phone.
No signal.
"Still nothing?" Liam asked.
She shook her head.
Everyone checked their phones.
No service.
No internet.
Nothing.
"Perfect," Henry muttered. "The apocalypse has terrible reception."
Grey elbowed him.
"This isn't funny."
"I know. That's why I'm making jokes."
Nobody argued.
Because they understood.
They were all scared.
A sudden crash echoed nearby.
Everyone jumped.
A shop window exploded.
Ice spread across the glass.
Then it crawled up the walls.
Britney looked horrified.
"I didn't do that!"
"Nobody said you did," Ethan quickly replied.
Then another crash echoed.
This time from the opposite side of the street.
Water burst from a broken fire hydrant.
It spiraled into the air.
Vyonna's eyes widened.
"Oh no."
The water slowly circled her.
Like a living creature.
She looked ready to scream.
Alpha stepped beside her.
"Hey."
She looked at him.
"It's okay."
"No, it isn't."
He gently held her hand.
For some reason, the water calmed.
Everyone noticed.
"So you're basically a human fountain now?" Henry asked.
Vyonna glared at him.
"Henry."
"What? I'm trying to help."
She looked completely unconvinced.
Suddenly, a familiar voice shouted from down the street.
"Guys!"
Everyone turned.
A figure was running toward them.
Austyn.
He looked terrified.
The moment he reached them, he bent over and struggled to breathe.
"Why did you disappear?" Britney demanded.
"I didn't disappear!"
He looked genuinely confused.
"I woke up in the middle of a park."
Silence.
"What?" Gold asked.
"I was here one second, and the next second I was somewhere else."
Nobody understood.
A strange cracking sound interrupted them.
Everyone looked at Austyn.
Frost was forming beneath his feet.
The air temperature suddenly dropped.
Austyn blinked.
"Guys?"
More frost spread.
A nearby car became coated in ice.
Britney slowly pointed at him.
"You're freezing the street."
"I know!"
"I don't think you should panic."
"I'm already panicking!"
The frost spread farther.
Then it stopped.
Austyn looked down.
The ice slowly melted.
Everyone released a breath.
"Okay," Hamim said. "We're definitely all cursed."
"No," Liam said quietly.
They looked at him.
He was staring at the crimson rings.
"I don't think this is random."
"What do you mean?" Trisha asked.
He frowned.
"The messages knew who I was."
Silence.
Moon Werewolf.
The title still sounded unreal.
"What if all of this was planned?" he continued.
Nobody spoke.
Because the thought was terrifying.
Planned by who?
And for what purpose?
For several long seconds, only the distant hum of abandoned cars could be heard. Somewhere nearby, a lonely siren wailed briefly before fading into the oppressive silence once more.
Then Gold cleared his throat.
"Standing here isn't helping anything at all."
"Agreed, let's leave," Amazon said. "We need somewhere safe."
"My apartment?" Grey suggested.
Henry looked at him. "You live on the tenth floor. If monsters attack, we're trapped."
"That was my concern too."
Hazel looked around the dark street.
"What about the university?"
Everyone turned toward her.
"The campus has dormitories, security offices, generators, and a medical center," she explained. "It's probably safer than wandering around the city."
The idea immediately made sense.
"I vote university," Bukar said.
"Same," Britney agreed.
One by one, everyone nodded.
Liam looked at Trisha.
"You okay with that?"
She glanced at the crimson rings hanging above the city.
No place truly felt safe anymore.
Still, being together was better than being alone.
She nodded.
"Let's go."
A cold wind suddenly swept across the street.
This time, all of them felt it.
Not just cold.
Something else.
The strange sensation of being watched.
Every instinct in Trisha's body screamed at her to look behind.
Slowly, she turned.
The darkness stared back.
Nothing was there.
Yet her heart began pounding again.
Because for one impossible moment, she thought she saw two golden eyes staring at her from somewhere far away.
A deep sound suddenly echoed through the city.
DONG.
Everyone flinched.
The crimson rings glowed brighter.
DONG.
The ground trembled.
DONG.
Every electronic screen turned on again.
Crimson letters appeared.
HEIRS OF THE BLOOD MOON.
SEEK SHELTER BEFORE MIDNIGHT.
THE THIRD PHASE WILL CLAIM THE UNPREPARED.
A final line slowly appeared.
YOU ARE NOT ALONE IN THIS WORLD.
Then the screens went dark again.
Nobody moved.
Nobody breathed.
Trisha slowly looked up at the endless darkness.
Not alone.
The words chilled her.
Because she somehow knew they were true.
"Trisha?" Liam called softly.
She blinked.
The feeling disappeared.
"Coming," she said.
The group began moving toward their cars.
Nobody noticed that one of the crimson rings pulsed once.
Far beyond Asteria City, in a forest that did not exist on any map, countless red eyes slowly opened.
A deep growl rolled through the darkness.
Then an ancient voice whispered only three words.
"The Vessel has returned."
And somewhere, something enormous began walking beneath the eternal crimson sky alone.