"Grrr!"

  The werewolf bared its teeth, saliva dripping onto the asphalt as its nostrils flared, catching the scent of Hanna’s blood drifting in the air. With a powerful, predatory lunge, the beast tore into the alley, its obsidian claws digging into the brownstone walls and leaving deep, jagged furrows in the brick.

  "Awooooooo!"

  The piercing howl echoed through the narrow passage, bouncing off the towering buildings and vibrating in the very eardrums of Robert and Hanna.

  Robert was still leading the way, his fingers clamped tightly around Hanna’s hand, oblivious to how far they had run through the labyrinth of backstreets. But his body was beginning to betray his will. His steps grew leaden, and his breath rattled like an old engine on the verge of exploding.

  Finally, Robert stumbled to a halt. He doubled over, hands pressing hard against his knees as his lungs screamed for oxygen.

  "Ha... Hanna..."

  "Robb?" Hanna rushed to his side, her face tight with worry, the blood on her forehead starting to dry into a dark crust.

  Robert forced himself upright. He looked directly into Hanna’s eyes, his gaze heavy with a tragic clarity. "You... you just run."

  "What? What are you saying, Robb?"

  "I’m not strong enough. My body... these injuries... I’m only going to slow you down." Robert pointed toward a smaller, branching path. "Take that alley. Don't stop until you find someone who can help."

  "No! I won't leave you! You're coming with me!" Hanna protested, her voice trembling violently.

  "If I go, we both die, Hanna. Don't worry, I’ll try to hold it off," Robert said. He managed a ghost of a smile, even as his lips quivered.

  "Robb, you can't! That thing is too strong!" Hanna’s panic escalated, tears pooling in her eyes.

  "Yeah, I know. But maybe I can buy you a little time. You have to run as fast as you can, Hanna. Please..."

  "I won't!" Hanna sobbed, shaking her head frantically.

  Robert didn't stay to argue. His eyes searched the shadows until they landed on a rusted iron pipe leaning against a wall. He tossed his backpack aside and gripped the cold metal with desperate resolve. He stepped into the center of the narrow alley, putting his back to her escape route, standing firm as Hanna’s final shield.

  "Run, Hanna... please," he pleaded, his voice breaking in a way that tore at her soul.

  "Arghhh!" Hanna let out a broken wail, her heart shattering at the sacrifice of the only friend she had ever truly known. "I don't want to, Robb... please don't do this..."

  "Don't worry about me, Hanna. I’m used to the pain," Robert said softly, giving her one last, sincere smile before his face hardened into a mask of grim determination. He turned toward the darkness of the alley. "RUN, HANNA!"

  Hanna stood frozen. Her feet felt rooted to the earth, refusing to move even as every instinct screamed at her not to leave him. She stared at the broad back of the boy—a boy who looked so wide, yet so fragile, standing before the jaws of death.

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  "Run, Hanna!"

  Robert’s demand was a ragged, desperate roar this time. Hanna bit her lip, the guilt crushing her chest until she could barely breathe. With a sob that turned into a small, guttural cry, she finally turned. she sprinted away with everything she had, leaving behind the only light she had found in this cold, alien city.

  Robert took a deep breath, trying to fill his lungs with the biting morning air. He could feel his knees shaking uncontrollably—a biological reaction he couldn't master. Yet, his fingers gripped the iron pipe until his knuckles turned white. He stared straight ahead into the gloom.

  "Why couldn't I be this brave when I was being bullied?"

  Robert whispered to himself, a flash of hollow humor meant to chase away the terror clutching his heart. But the bitter smile died instantly as a pair of glowing red eyes emerged from the darkness. The massive, grey-furred beast stepped into view, its muscles rippling beneath its hide with every predatory movement.

  Robert knew this was the end. There would be no miracle for a weak kid like him.

  "I’m going to die..." Robert whispered, surrendering to his fate. "Goodbye, Hanna."

  The werewolf lunged, its claws slicing the air, ready to shred anything in its path.

  "ARGHHHH!"

  Robert screamed at the top of his lungs—not out of fear, but as a final defiance against a world that had never been fair to him. He swung the iron pipe with the last of his strength, meeting the oncoming death head-on.

  THUD!

  A massive blow slammed into Robert’s ribs. The impact was so violent the pipe was torn from his hands, clattering away into the shadows. Robert was hurled backward, tumbling across the coarse asphalt as his skin was shredded by the road.

  Gasping for air, his chest a symphony of agony, Robert refused to give up. He didn't know where the resolve came from—perhaps the stubbornness of a boy who was far too familiar with being beaten down. He clawed at the ground, struggling to rise.

  But the werewolf didn't even look at him. The beast tilted its head, nostrils flared as it caught the scent of the alleyway where Hanna had fled. To the monster, Robert was a minor nuisance, an errand already finished.

  "No... don't go!" Robert croaked.

  He lunged forward, trying to grab the creature’s furred leg. In a heartbeat, a massive clawed hand clamped around his throat. Robert was hoisted high into the air. The grip was suffocating, threatening to crush his windpipe.

  The boy’s legs kicked uselessly in the air, his hands clawing at the massive fingers strangling the life out of him. His face turned a bruised purple, the veins in his neck bulging under the strain.

  Grrr! The werewolf snarled, staring deep into Robert’s fading eyes. With a huff of pure disdain, it slammed Robert’s body against the brick wall.

  CRACK!

  His body hit the hard masonry before slumped to the alley floor. Robert’s vision spun, his world a haze of dust and blood. But he was still conscious. In his final moments, his mind drifted back to the brief time he spent with Hanna.

  He remembered their talk on the bus, walking through the terminal, and that breakfast that had meant so much to him. Truthfully, it was the first time in his life he had been treated with kindness by a girl. A warmth spread through his chest, and a faint, tragic smile touched his broken lips. He was happy, even if this was the price.

  As he tried to prop himself up one last time...

  STOMP!

  "Arghhh!"

  A horrific scream tore from Robert’s throat. Blood sprayed from his mouth as the beast’s massive paw crushed his back with brutal force. The pressure was immense, his spine feeling as if it would snap, pinning his chest against the unyielding asphalt.

  Robert was trapped beneath the foot of death, his tear-filled eyes looking toward the alley where Hanna had disappeared.

  "ROBERT!!"

  Hanna’s scream shattered the silence. Her eyes bulged at the sight of Robert, broken and helpless beneath the werewolf’s foot. The friend who, only hours ago, had been laughing with her, was now being ground into the filth of the street, bathed in his own blood.

  Seeing Robert at death's door, something inside Hanna’s chest seemed to explode. The terror that had haunted her was instantly incinerated by a wave of heat that scorched every nerve in her body. Her pale face flushed a deep, vengeful red, and the veins in her forehead throbbed with pressure.

  A rage beyond control took hold of her soul, drowning out her reason.

  Note

  The next chapters will start being updated next Saturday, and Saturdays will be the day I release new chapters.