Episode 6

•Somewhere At The Highway•

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Aaron's car slowly pulled up beside the highway and parked by the road.

This highway was where Lucy had directed him; it was the exact spot where she had picked up Juan.

Upon arriving at the highway, Aaron gently brought his car to a stop and scanned the surroundings.

The highway was lined with woods on both sides, and there was no sign of any other cars passing by, as it was already late at night.

The only sounds breaking the silenced night were the eerie calls of strange birds.

Aaron, unfazed, carefully scanned the area, hoping to find trace of the people that kidnapped Alice. After looking around for a while, he decided to move to the left side of the road, away from where he had parked.

Upon checking the surroundings, he couldn't find any possible strong trace that could track those guys. So as he was about to walk away, he noticed a movement within the forest.

He withdrew back, returning his gaze to that spot, but didn't see any further unusual movement. Despite this, he decided to venture deeper into the forest.

Just as he took a step into the forest, a strange creature leaped out and lunged at him, knocking him to the ground and attempting to bite his face with its deadly canine teeth.

Aaron struggled to push the creature away, but his efforts were in vain as the creature seemed stronger. Exhausted and realizing his attempts were futile, he transformed into a werewolf and swiftly smashed the creature to the ground.

"Aruuuh!" he growled loudly before disappearing into the forest.

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The Next Morning.

Aaron awoke to find himself lying on the ground, resting his head against a tree with pieces of broken wood scattered around him.

Slowly getting to his feet, he appeared exhausted, feeling aches all over his body.

Surveying his surroundings, he couldn't recognize his location. All he could recall was being attacked by the monster the previous night; beyond that, his memory was a blank. He had no idea how he had ended up there.

Frustrated, he looked down, exhaling heavily, realizing that his troubled life are far from over.

This was the familiar aftermath whenever his wolf side took control.

It was a curse he felt helpless to shake off. Reflecting on his troubled life, he began to search for a way out of the woods to make his way back home.

While concerned about Alice, he hoped she would be there at home when he returned. The thought of facing Juan and admitting he hadn't found Alice weighed heavily on him. Adding to the pressure was the fear that Juan might expect him to bring Alice back after spending the whole day searching for her.

Aaron, navigating his way out of the woods, eventually located his car parked beside the highway. He got in and drove home.

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Home.

Juan rushed out of the house as soon as Aaron's car arrived at the compound, expecting that he had returned with Alice.

Aaron was also anticipating finding Alice at home as he stepped out of his car and approached Juan, who was waiting for him at the entrance of the house.

From Juan's facial expression, Aaron already knew that Alice was not yet home. He felt heartbroken, wanting to talk, but was abruptly interrupted by Juan.

"Where's Alice? Was there no sign of her?" she asked with high expectations, while Aaron raised his hand to speak.

"Juan, I tried, but..." He tried to explain, but Juan walked away without waiting to hear the rest.

She walked inside with a heavy heart, sat on the couch, biting her fingers, her tear-streaked face fixed on the floor.

Seeing Juan in that state, Aaron was even more heartbroken. He gently approached her, sat close to her, taking his time to choose the words he wanted to say.

"Please, I haven't given up. Just because I haven't found her yet doesn't mean she's lost. I did my best, but..." He trailed off, unsure of what else to add, then stuttered slightly.

"I... I... okay, I believe it would be easier if I knew some details about her disappearance. Perhaps I could start searching for her, or we could report it to the police..." He continued, but Juan interrupted him.

"I was personally warned by those gangs! I'm never to report this case to the police, or else I'll find Alice dead. Aaron, you are the only one who can help me find her. All my hope is on you now," she said, tears streaming down her face as she grabbed Aaron's hand.

"It's okay, Juan! I will find her. We will find her. But who are those guys, and what exactly do they want with her? Why are they after her?" He asked, hoping to gather some useful information.

"They are the Black Dragons. It's a mafia group, or so I heard. It was established within the school by the deviants. Alice had a deal with them, a deal that she probably can't afford to pay," she explained in detail, and now Aaron could understand the root of the problem.

"What kind of deal was it?" He asked, surprised.

"Well..." Juan hesitated, swallowing hard and shaking her head.

"I don't know. She has refused to disclose the details of the deal she made with them. I begged her numerous times to please speak up, but she refused," she added, looking frustrated and exhausted.

"And you don't think involving the police would be better?" Aaron inquired, but Juan vehemently disagreed.

"No, we can't risk that. Involving the police is too dangerous. They can't be traced by the police. Alice herself had once reported them to the police when their trouble haven't gotten to this extent, but so far, there's been no progress," Juan explained, leaving Aaron astonished.

"How is that possible?" He wondered.

"They seem invincible. They only show themselves when they're ready to strike. That's why we have to handle this on our own. That's why I need you to help me find her. Alice must be suffering in their hands by now. They might rape her. I was blindfolded when we were captured and taken to their domain, I heard Alice screaming. I don't know what they're doing to her," Juan expressed her deep concern for her beloved sister.

"Alright, it's okay. We are going to find her, but we will need help. I need to control my abilities first because my wolf can't assist us if I can't control it," Aaron explained, his face showing frustration.

"What do you mean? Please, Aaron, not now! It has always been helpful. I know it's risky, but you can't abandon my sister, please," Juan pleaded.

"No, that's not what I meant! I tried using my wolf, but... I woke up in an unknown forest the next morning. I don't know what happened, but I have to admit he didn't help," Aaron explained, leaving Juan staring at him silently before turning away, shedding tears.

"We will find her, Juan. But we need to think logically. Why did they release you in the first place?" Aaron asked as he approached Juan, holding her hand and trying to instill some hope in her again.

"They said they would let me know why and what I need to do to see my sister again after two days," Juan replied. Aaron then faced her directly.

"Why don't we wait and hear what they have to say in two days? Maybe then we can decide on our next steps," he suggested, only to be pushed aside by Juan, who ran out of the house immediately with expression of happiness on her face.

He looked back to know what's behind Juan's sudden happinesses, through the window, he saw a car arriving at the compound. To his amazement, Alice stepped out of the car. He happily rushed out of the house to meet her as well.