Chapter 3: A terrifying monster

The class began as Professor Lucian continued from where the old lecturer had left off. His voice was thick yet smooth. Each time his gaze met Ethan's, Ethan quickly looked away.

Why did it affect him? Was it the same for everyone else?

Ethan's eyes darted around the room. He noticed the girls were practically drooling over him, their faces lighting up whenever Professor Lucian's gaze fell in their direction.

Ethan couldn't concentrate. He then decided to fix his eyes on his book.

The class seemed to drag on, finally ending after an hour. Professor Lucian was good—smooth in his teaching, his accent impeccable.

The girls clapped as he wrapped up his lecture, drawing out the list of names in the class.

"Sarah Martin," he called out with ease, his voice filling the room.

"Present, sir," a girl exclaimed excitedly from the back.

"Is this some kind of freaking high school or something?" Ethan heard James mutter under his breath.

Professor Lucian's piercing gaze snapped to James, and he immediately fell silent. For the first time, Ethan witnessed James being intimidated by someone.

"Carl Martinez," the professor called next, and a guy responded from the back.

Soon, it was Ethan's turn. "Ethan Wave."

"Present, sir," Ethan replied, swallowing hard as their gazes locked. Chills prickled his skin. What was happening to him?

"Freak," James whispered just loud enough for Ethan to hear.

After class ended, Professor Lucian left the class while Ethan hastily packed his things, but James stepped in his path, a smirk on his lips.

"Where are you going, Misfit? Let's have a chat," James taunted smugly.

"Get out of my way," Ethan demanded. The anger of what James said to him earlier, still gnawed on his nerves.

"Or what?" James challenged, his friends watching with eager anticipation. Ethan could feel the stares of the other students, enjoying the show.

When Ethan didn’t respond, James shoved him in the chest. "Or what, Ethan?" He pushed him again, making Ethan lose his balance and fall, hitting his head on one of the desks.

Pain shot through him as he groaned, reaching for his head only to see blood on his fingers.

Ethan's eyes flashed with anger as James laughed. Hissing in fury, he charged at James and landed a heavy punch on his face.

Blood spilled from James's lips like a fountain as he fell against the desk with a loud thud. A cry escaped him, and realization struck Ethan.

He had just hit James—the son of the renowned CEO of Moore Corporation.

The word "doomed" hardly captured his predicament. It was over. Mr. Moore would undoubtedly come after him. His education would be ruined, and all his efforts wasted.

The other students were just as shocked as Ethan, including James's friends, who were momentarily distracted. Seizing the opportunity, Ethan dashed out of the classroom.

"Asshole!" Thane shouted, trailing after him.

Once outside, the chase began. Thane and Reed were hot on his heels. He ignored the ache on his body and focused more on escaping these guys.

A dropout? He was considering that as the best option now.

Ethan weaved through the crowd, the chase lasting several minutes before he finally lost them. He found a corner to hide and catch his breath.

Tears pricked at his eyes. There's no way he'll be able to set foot into school ever again.

•••

That night, Ethan settled down with the small dinner he had managed to prepare for himself, his heart still racing from the school encounter with James. What was he thinking hitting Jmaes like that. He deserves it. Yeah, but he still shouldn't have.

They didn’t know where he lived, but he couldn’t shake the sense of foreboding growing within him.

A knock sounded on his door, making him flinch. He stayed quiet, not expecting any visitors. The knock came again, louder this time.

"Who's there?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Open the door, freak," came James's voice from the other side, causing Ethan to jump. They had found out where he lived? How?

"Oh God," he muttered, fear etched on his face.

"Open up, or I'm gonna break this door down!!" James yelled, punctuating his threat with a loud thud. It was clear he was furious. Unfortunately, the lock on Ethan's door was faulty.

After several hard hits, the door smashed open. James and his friends stepped inside his room apartment, their eyes burning with rage.

Ethan grabbed a frying pan in defense, his heart racing as he stared at them. James's eyes darted around, and Ethan noticed the bruise at the corner of James's lips—the one he had inflicted.

"I knew your place would be as trashy as you are," James mocked, drawing something from beneath his shirt. A dagger. His friends did the same.

Oh shit.

Sweat beaded on Ethan's forehead as he took a step back.

Ethan's throat dried, his mouth slightly parted, chest heaving as he struggled to control his breathing. His grip on the frying pan tightened, bracing for what was about to come.

"You've got some nerve, Misfit. Not only did you insult me, but you also punched me in front of the entire fucking class!" James roared, kicking a chair before stepping forward.

"Get out of my house, or I'll call the cops," Ethan's voice trembled.

"The cops? Oh please, even if you do, they'll do nothing," James sneered, his expression transforming into one of bloodlust. "I should have killed you when I had the chance. There’s no holding back now."

Thane and Reed charged at Ethan, who tried to defend himself with the frying pan but was no match for them. They brought him down to the floor.

"Stop it! Ugh!!"

They hit him several times, and Ethan curled into a ball. By the time they were finished, he was bleeding from multiple wounds, bruises marring his skin.

His vision blurred as he fought to stay conscious. Was this how it was going to end?

"Mom," he whispered, though no sound escaped his lips. It hurt everywhere.

James let out a dark chuckle, crouching down to cradle Ethan's bloody face. "Now I'm going to savor your screams while I cut you piece by piece, Ethan. You don’t deserve to live."

It was all over. This was how he was going to die. A painful smile spread across Ethan's face as despair washed over him. After all his struggles, he would end up killed in his own apartment.

Just as James raised the knife, the lights flickered out.

"What the hell?" Thane's voice echoed in the darkness.

"Turn on the lights!" James demanded, his grip tightening around Ethan's neck.

The air suddenly shifted, becoming cold and chilling, as if the room had been swallowed by an unnatural force, sending shivers down their spines.

"Guys, do you feel that?" Reed asked, his eyes darting around in a panic.

"Yeah," Thane whispered.

"Turn on the damn lights!" James barked, but a low rumble echoed from the darkness. Thane quickly reached for his phone while Reed stared at a dark figure he had spotted.

Silence. Then, a pair of glowing eyes appeared in the corner of the room, cutting through the dark like twin orbs of fire.

"What the—"

Reed’s words were cut off. Ethan, confused by the unfolding events, felt James's hand leave his neck, followed by sounds that terrified him to the core.

Screams. Pleas. Sickening cracks of bones. Growls and the sound of blood splattering. Some of it even reached Ethan's face.

Ethan noticed the glowing eyes moving like a flash before everything fell silent. The eyes settled on him, drawing closer with heavy thuds, a clear sign of their approach.

A terrifying monster was in his room. This had to be a nightmare, right? This couldn't be real.

Just then, the light flickered back on for a brief moment, and Ethan caught a glimpse of the tall, imposing figure in his room.

No way.

Professor Lucian?