Chapter 1

Zack's body didn't feel the same today, he had always known it was sensitive, but this was just crazy. He stood at the door with his hand on a door knob, his hand now baring the same silvery color of the knob. He watched in horror as his hand seemed to sink into the knob, slowly losing shape and size, now his arm was beginning to turn the dull silver of the knob as well. He jumped back now, ripping his hand back. It was perfectly normal, still the same white skin it had been when he had reached for the knob. He looked quickly from the knob to his hand, a bewildered look in his eyes. Reaching out, he touched the knob, nothing. "Must have been from the insomnia…I need a cigarette." Zack turned the knob and pushed through the door, walking out into the bright day, he busted out a lighter and fumbled in his pocket for a pack that wasn't there, he had given up smoking 2 weeks ago. He flicked the lighter on, letting the flames dance across his hand, his mind still thinking about the dull silvery knob of his front door.

Zack was 16 years old, and proud of it. He had just finished getting his driver's license and he felt like he ruled the world. His brown hair was shoulder length and it hung down into his eyes and draped over his sweater. His jeans always bore a hole or burn mark from his pastimes, skating and burning things. Always moving, he easily blended into the crowd. Not many people liked him as he had a habit of pulling pranks and being a bit unlikable at times. Still he managed to get a few friends, such as Lloyd and Alex, he even had a girlfriend. He always felt like he was on top of his game, and it showed clearly in his attitude. He jumped up onto a giant yellow bus, "6:20 already? Off to the grind then." The door closed and the bus took off down the street.

"14," Carinne said out loud, looking at the calendar, "I can't believe it's my birthday already.' Her finger rested on the 16th of April, a big smile on her face. She ran to the bathroom for one last look in the mirror before she left for school. Her reflection seemed as it always did, but with a pointy smile on her face. Pointy; her hands jumped up to her teeth, running softly over the tips of her sharp incisors. They were more than pointy she noticed, they were razor sharp. She yanked back her hand with a sharp yelp. She had cut her finger; instinctively she put her finger into her mouth to try and quell the pain and suck off the little bit of blood on her skin. She didn't notice that it seemed to taste sweeter than normal today. She left the house, still earnestly sucking on her cut finger as she rushed to school.

Carinne had dark brown hair and matching eyes. Her skin was a much lighter shade of brown, but it was still clear that she wasn't of fair complexion. She always seemed busy, that or she was stressing over something. She enjoyed most of her classes, but then she had grown up without knowing any different. She always was organized, at least in public, and seemed to hold her head above the rest. She appeared at first as an optimist with a bit of spontaneity, she was really an optimist who had a bit too much caffeine in the morning. She had just moved into town not to long ago, but she was amazed at how quickly she fit in and found her niche. She picked up her pace as she flagged down Ivonne, today seemed like it was going to be alright.

"Wow, this beard came in quick," said Alex looking into a mirror, it had been shaved yesterday, yet it was as if he had lost progress. His stubbles had turned into a full beard over night; he reached for the razor again, just like he had yesterday. He reached up to shave his face and then caught sight of his hand; it too was covered in a layer of hair. He pulled back his sleeve and followed the hair all the way up his arm. It slowly grew thicker as his eyes climbed the slope that was his shoulder. "Wow, maybe I should see a doctor about this, I wonder if it's normal or what. Well I guess I can live with a beard today." He turned from the mirror, shrugging off his shirt without realizing it. He walked out the door with a pair of shorts on, a layer of hair now clearly covering his body.

Alex was now indiscernible, his tan skin now completely covered in brown hair. Running on all fours, Alex no longer seemed like a human anymore. His jaw was now longer, teeth stuck out from his lips forming a vicious snarl. He bounded through the streets at breakneck pace. He used only his instincts to guide him now. His senses and abilities seemed to be keener, enhanced. Picking up more speed, he rounded a corner and caught sight of the long yellow bus that Zack was on. Catching it on the corner, he threw himself up into the air. His leap easily covered what little distance split the werewolf from the bus, and he landed atop it with a loud crash.

"This is awesome," Lloyd said as he lifted his body up by one arm, his eyes watching as his arm bulged with muscle. "I bet I could beat anyone with arms like these." A smile danced across his face as he pictured clobbering every guy in school and getting all the girls to come crawling to him. He rushed downstairs to eat some food and suddenly realized that he couldn't fit through his door, "well that's fine I guess I'll just use the window." He turned around and climbed out the window, he dropped from it all the way down to the first floor of his house. It almost didn't faze him that he had just dropped out of a 5 floor building. Landing perfectly he walked up to the kitchen window and grabbed his plate of pancakes, the clock on his wall read 6:38. He ate outside then turned towards the street, "time for school," he thought with a smile.

Bounding from his house, Lloyd caught up to the bus easily. Grabbing the side, he hoisted himself on to the roof of the yellow bus. Almost as soon as he got atop the bus, he was greeted by a loud crash and was then joined by the massive wolf that was Alex. He was in shock, what is this thing. All he knew was that this thing was clearly not friendly. After a few moments of growling, it turned on Lloyd, realizing he was there. Quick thinking may have been what saved Lloyd at that moment. Alex Lunged across the roof, intent on crashing into Lloyd. Lloyd jumped to the side, barely avoiding the brunt of the tackle. Unfortunately, as Alex soared over the edge of the bus, he managed to score a major gash along Lloyd's left arm. Blood immediately filled the trench Alex's claws left behind, Lloyd's right hand shot up to cover the wound, but by the time his hand reached the wound, it was gone. Today was turning out to be fairly interesting.

"April the 16th," the professor said as Zack and Lloyd sat in history class together, they were both 16 and sophomores in high school. "A day to remember…" droned the teacher,

"Lloyd, the weirdest thing happened to me this morning." Zack whispered over to Lloyd.

"Really, me too, I ran into a big 'ol wolf on top our bus, he nicked me with his claws…and not a scratch. What happened to you?" Lloyd whispered back. They already had "A's" in the class, why pay attention?

"Well, I reached out to touch my doorknob, to leave my house…and my hand like…melded or some crazy crap like that."

"Have you had a cigarette recently? When did you quit again," asked Lloyd.

"No I haven't, and I quit 2 weeks ago," Zack said angrily, "why won't you believe me?"

"Well, I'm no trek-y so I need proof bro, don't be expecting me to just jump out and believe everything you say," said Lloyd, a smirk on his face.

"Dude this is so not funny, you want proof though here you go."

Zack stood up from his chair at that moment, the teacher stopped mid-lecture, his eyes locking onto Zack, "Sit down now," he said, clearly angry with this insolence. Zack ignored him and walked across the room, drawing all the eyes towards him, "what on earth do you think you're doing Mr. Yancey, go back to your seat," the teacher's eyes were now full of rage. Zack strode directly up to the teacher, then turned to the class,

"Everyone pay close attention, I'm about to make some real history." Turning around, Zack pulled his hand back and balled it into a fist.

"What on earth…" the teacher flinched back as Zack's hand sped towards him, it seemed to slam into his face, yet he felt nothing. "What trickery is this?"

"Well, there you have it, I have just imbedded my hands into the teachers face, no damage done whatsoever. How do you like that oldie?" Zack walked to the side of the teacher, showing off the fact that his hand was indeed sticking out the other end of the teacher's head, but the old man was entirely unharmed. Turning back around, Zack returned to his seat. Twenty eyes followed him back to his chair as he sat back down. "Is that proof enough Lloyd?" the only answer he received was a nod.

"Woah, those are big teeth you have there Carinne. What are they for?" asked Ivonne, one of Carinne's friends. They were walking through the halls, class had just ended and they were on their way to lunch.

"Well I'll be damned if I know," Carinne answered she was still sucking on her cut finger, her tongue enjoying the salty-sweet flavor of her blood. With her other hand she closed her locker and the pair of them headed towards the exit door at the end of the crowded hallway.

"Well, maybe it's a Filipino thing," Ivonne suggested, her hands reaching up and testing her own teeth.

"Who knows at this point, maybe I'll start craving blood or something." A smile hit her face as her and Ivonne said together in a high pitched voice,

"Vampire!" afterwards they burst into giggles.

"Vampires are sexy," Carinne added as they reached the door, a large cheer had risen up behind them, along with a stampede of footsteps.

"Well that would make your day," encouraged Ivonne. She was tempted to look back, but she decided against it. "Anyway, how are you and Zack," prodded Ivonne, trying to get off the topic as she watched Carinne suck her finger. Carinne began to speak, but all Ivonne could notice was how red Carinne's tongue was.

The bell rang and Zack dashed out of P.E, followed closely by a bunch of bigger guys in class jackets, "We'll kill you Yancey!" the Jocks threatened

"Only if you catch me!" he taunted back, his legs moving quickly as he fought to keep a lead. His mind began to race, if they did catch him they owed him a hell of a beating, he had pulled so many pranks on them in class that day. He just prayed they wouldn't remember last summer and how he stole their girlfriends. As always, he roared through the hallway with cheers on all sides, but it wasn't cheering for him, it was for the Jocks. He was just glad none of them had the guts to try and trip him, boy had he made a lot of enemies this year. He dashed forward, praying that he could at least get out the door, and then he'd be home free. It seemed so far though, it was wide open though. His only hope of salvation lay on the other side of the door, and he was now closing fast. Suddenly, another hand came in and shut the door behind them as they left. Zack's mind knew two things at that moment: One, he had just seen Carinne and Ivonne step outside through the door he was heading towards, Two he had just watched his girlfriend close his only hopes of escape, and the door was a one way door. Slamming into it at full force Zack knew he was going to be lucky if he went home in one piece that night as the four Jocks descended upon him.

Zack knew that he had about three seconds to live when the lead Jock lifted him to his feet, "Well I don't like to hit 'em when they're down, so let me help you up." Shutting his eyes, Zack readied himself for a thundering blow to his face, everything in him screamed with fearful anticipation. He felt his face collapsing under the blow in his mind; he felt the fist slamming into his nose, into his chest, into his newly straightened teeth. Oh yes, they'll remember "metal mouth" and they'll fix the fact that he no longer fit the nickname. Then it happened, the Jock slammed his fist into Zack's nose, which quickly gave way under the force, a satisfying crack rang through the hallways. Zack's back slammed into the door behind; he knew what was next, the pummeling. A massive slam, Zack thought it was him who had been slammed, but then he opened his eyes. Lloyd had thrown two of the Jocks across the hallway and into the lockers there, leaving behind massive dents in the cheap metal. "Lloyd, I'm glad to see you." Lloyd looked over to the form that had blood covering his face. So they had finally caught Zack? Sad really, Lloyd thought, Zack used to have a straight nose, not anymore though.

"Glad I found you, be glad that's all you got," Lloyd added as he tossed the lead Jock into the air and batted him across the hallway. Zack had never felt better, broken nose or not.

Zack and Carinne met after school, it was habit for him to walk her home. They never really got to see each other when they were at school, her being a freshman and, him a sophomore. They started off as usual, all the same turns, street after street, he guided her wordlessly hand-in-hand. "How was your day," she started, her finger had healed now, but her teeth were as sharp as ever. She felt a little strange though since they now stuck out a little from her lip.

"Good I guess," he tried to keep her looking ahead, or at least paying attention to where they were going, "How about you?" He looked down, his hand had now melted into hers, it gave him the weirdest sensation now, and it just seemed different in his mind this time. He suddenly took a left turn, veering away from her house, "well, I've been fine, it's my…"

"Birthday, I know, sorry I couldn't get you a good gift," even though he hadn't bought her anything, he had an idea. Turning into an empty corner he spun and looked her in the face, "but I did get you these." His mind focused on roses, red like blood, focused on nothing but roses, and her eyes. He stared at her puzzled expression, her beauty driving him harder than ever. He felt his hands lose shape; they suddenly felt thorny and soft all at once. He pulled his hand out from behind his back; in it he saw a bouquet of roses. Her expression was thanks enough, as she threw her arms around his neck. He felt like putty in her arms, literally.

The broken form of Alex lay in the woods, blood dripping from his crushed muzzle. He had landed on his face when he fell off the bus, the damage was healing slowly though. The regeneration was clearly one of the final steps of his transformation. Even though he held a deep respect for Lloyd, he had an urge, need, to catch him. He wanted to track him down, pin him in a corner, and slowly move in on the helpless form, its dieing breaths came out fast and heavy on the werewolf's fur. Then he felt his mouth close heavily and slowly on the throat of his victim. He felt the life pulsing beneath the skin, Alex's mouth watered as he played the scene through in his mind. Yes, he would get revenge, there was nothing else for him to do except eat and sleep, and he had just woken from a nap.

The woods seemed as if to hold Alex among them, he looked around, now standing up. His senses were keen, he heard birds around him, he saw them moving around, he could smell there flesh, he could taste the wind. He was more aware now then ever. He was no longer bound by his human body, by judgment, by laws and rules. He was now part of the food chain, the oldest system on the planet. His mouth watered as he began to exercise his senses, smelling the air around him, the scent of human filled his nostril. It was close too; yes a victim, the first to grace his plate. No one could stop him now, as he looked down on the boy from a tree above. No Lloyd, no bus, no cars, no injuries. Hungry as Alex was, he decided a bit of fun was in order. Alex dropped from the tree, purposefully missing the boy below, and landed loudly behind him. Immediately, the boy tried to flee, running off into the woods, off the beaten path, Alex's territory. His hunger would be satisfied, soon, Alex thought as he raced after the boy.

Lloyd knew that all of this was no laughing matter; he sat alone now, under a tree in the park. His Hands were clenched tight, a crushed apple oozed out from the sides of the massive fist. "What is all this…I don't understand, first me, then Zack…what next?" He sat quietly, contemplating the cause of all this chaos. Muscle had simply appeared overnight, Zack was no longer a true solid, it fit, but into what? This world was beginning to show him things he didn't want to see. The truth was more than he could fathom, was he just to live with it? He picked up another apple, watching his arms as the flexed, as he squeezed tighter. He felt the apple in his arms, his fingers leaving imprints in the apple, he heard it crack. Suddenly, it too was just a handful of ooze, crushed in his hands. Where did he get this power, what was it for, why did he get it? Questions he didn't want answered, but he knew it was coming, soon he would know what he was. The trees above began to shake rapidly, something was watching him.

His cd player blared in his ears, the voice of Bush in his ears, he was always calm at moments like this, but his heart wouldn't stop beating right then. Rain had started to come down, but he was standing outside at the corner of the sidewalk, looking up into Carinne's window, he had nothing better to do. His body suddenly seemed to become something else; he was in touch with his senses, his instinct. He smelled the rain, felt it splashing on him, on the ground on the fence. He took off his headphones in order to see how far hi senses stretched. He heard every drop, little lakes slamming into the ground at blistering speeds. The ice cold wind whipped past him, his nose was filled with the scent of his wet clothes, flowers, grass, ground, cars, everything. Something stood out though, something foreign, it wasn't familiar, yet it was very subtle. He looked around, everything seemed ordinary, but he could hear it now, steps were echoing all around him, yet there was nothing as far as he could see. He decided it was his mind playing tricks on him, and he went to playing with his body. He molded it into all sorts of shapes, mostly weapons: whips, swords, staves, nun-chucks, axes, guns, maces, flails, and shields, anything you could think of. Then he heard it again, footsteps, this time he was sure, he jumped around, his eyes locking with a figure not more than 3 feet away. "Hi Zack, we've been looking for you."

"We who…" his heart began to race, who was we?

Carinne sat in her room, gazing out her window which over looked the whole cul-de-sac. The rain was piled high outside; the window was covered in tiny droplets. Thousands and thousands of drops dotted the outer surface. She stared down at her left arm; little bleeding cuts ran all across the arm. Her mouth began to water when she looked down at her arm. Thoughtlessly she placed a cut against her lips and began to taste the blood that dripped from it. The drops on her tongue made her crave more. She began to suck at the wound but it wasn't enough for her. She took her wrist into her mouth and sank her sharp teeth into it. Blood flowed into her mouth, satisfying the craving that ached inside her. The crimson elixir, salty and sweet in her mouth, oozed from her own body seemed to lack the flavor she really craved. It still calmed her for the moment, suppressing her more serious urges. She slowly closed her eyes as she relaxed, letting her whole body drift away from her consciousness. The crimson fountain fell from her mouth and lay quietly to her side as she fell into a deep slumber. Lightening struck outside, but in the flash, a figure could be seen in the window sill, looking in.

"Things are going as planned sir," said a man in a total black skin suit, only his dark green eyes were visible.

"Good, how much longer until we capture the targets in area 16, you know I'm not a patient man."

"I know sir, we're doing our best. We have one of them right now; she was a simple grab and go. Unfortunately, one of them has gone completely off the map." The man in the suit felt a little uneasy at that moment, he picked the short straw that day; there was bad news. No one gave the boss bad news, not if they planned on living.

"And the other two?" the voice held a dry hostility beneath it, yet the man in the suit shivered at these few words.

"They are a bit more persistent, but I am sure we will capture them, we should be getting the message any minute now." The man swallowed hard, he knew that if things didn't go well, it was going to be his head.

"You better be right, you know what happens to the bearer of bad news…" outside, the moon was rising as the sun went under the horizon, the time of the hunter.

Lloyd had stood up and walked away from the benches, his eyes locked on his feet. "What do you want, who are you, speak quickly…" Rain began to fall from above, crashing on the tree's leaves and Lloyd's shoes.

"I'm a friend, if you'd like to think of it that way," spoke a cold voice, it echoed down from the trees above. Lloyd continued to walk on. He didn't want to stay here, especially with this thing following him.

"Why are you following me? There's nothing special about me." Lloyd answered, preparing himself for the answer, or an attack.

"Well, you are…different, if you get my gist. I'm going to ask you to come with me if you want to learn more though." Lloyd looked up into the trees, a smile shined down from above. It seemed inhuman; the smile was huge and extremely sharp. Lloyd reckoned it could open up and eat him.

"No, I'd rather not stay here, have a nice night." With that Lloyd flew from the park at a full run, he hoped to put some distance between him and the thing in the tree. A loud crash told him that it was going to be a long night as he tore down the street.

"Well, I'm not much of a runner. So if you want me, come get me." Zack pulled his hands back, letting them blend away, and change shape.

"Why do they all have to fight it, I wish one of you would come…" the man reached up to his earpiece, "good news, she," he pointed up to Carinne's window, "Has already been captured. In a few moments I'll have some back up, I suggest you surrender now." The man smiled cruelly at Zack, he could visibly see Zack's rage. Zack's skin boiled as his hands returned to their original form, a pistol in each, "You'll wish you were dead when I'm done with you…"

"If you get the chance, you should kill me instead." The man grinned tauntingly at Zack, preparing for battle. The man believed he knew everything, every known form of fighting was known to him. Karate, he was a black belt, same with Tae Kwon Do. He had boxed, kick-boxed, wrestled, everything. Yet, he wasn't prepared to deal with what came next. Zack hurled himself across the yard that split the two of them, his guns blazing a trail between them.

Carinne was startled when she awoke to a pair of white eyes staring into her own. The darkness of her room engulfed the eyes so they were the only thing visible. Without blinking, they jumped back, disappearing for a moment and then rolling back into view at the other end of the room. Carinne suddenly found that the room wasn't dark at all, yet none of the lights were on. She strained her eyes now, trying to see who was in her room. Suddenly, she also felt a warm breath the back of her neck. Shivering, she turned to greet whatever it was behind her. The eyes stared back at her again. She let out a sharp scream, jumping away from them, trying to get away from it. Her mind pictured gruesome clammy hands reaching out to grab her, she fumbled backwards, fighting to keep her balance but keep her distance. She rammed into something soft, something like foam. Again she turned to be met by the white eyes. She lashed out with her hands now, unable to back away now. Still, the object seemed to envelop her, like being rolled up in a blanket. She furiously fought this being, fighting for her life, to get away. She scratched and bit at this thing, but it continued to wrap around her, relentlessly crushing the air from her lungs. She felt it crowd into her mouth, her face. She felt her arms and legs pinned to her body. She felt lungs crying for air, crying to breathe once more. She gasped dryly around her, but nothing came. Slowly, she felt her consciousness fade away.

"Good news, we found and captured the other girl." The man in the suit confidently said to the boss. He wanted to focus on the positive information, keep the boss happy.

"And the other targets?" a cold voice echoed back.

"Well…" a hard swallow echoed through the room this time, the boss hated bad news.