Chapter 138: Outbreak


    “Just go home,” Enzo said. “I’ll see you at the final match.”


    I felt my frown deepen. Why was he being so indifferent about this? It was clear to me that Ronan was


    up to something, but Enzo didn’t seem to believe me. I watched as he stalked away to the showers,


    then turned on my heel and stormed off toward the exit.


    Just as my hand touched the door handle, I heard something. Something loud and abrasive. It wasn’t


    just one, but many: screams.


    My eyes widened. I felt myself freeze momentarily, but then I gathered the courage to crack the locker


    room door open…


    I immediately shut it when I saw the scene unfolding in the arena and began to hyperventte, leaning


    my body weight on the door as my mind raced. Outside, there were three rogues attacking people.


    There may have been more; I couldn’t be entirely sure just from the split second I looked out there.


    I opened my mouth to call for Enzo, but decided against it as that ran the risk of being heard, so I


    instead quickly bolted away from the door and ran to the showers.


    “Enzo!” I said as I ran up to him, just as he was about to undress. He stopped and stared at me, looking


    confused, but his eyes widened as he saw the look of shock and fear on my face.


    “What? What’s wrong?” he asked, grabbing me by the shoulders.


    I tried to stammer out a response, but nothing woulde until finally, I managed a single word.


    “Rogues.”


    Enzo’s eyes widened even further.


    “In the arena?” he asked. I nodded. “How many?”


    “I-I don’t know,” I said, my chest heaving as he stormed past me toward the door. “Three, at least.” I


    jogged after him and grabbed his arm for support as he approached the door. He cracked it open just


    as I did, then immediately shut it and took a deep breath.


    “The Crescents,” he murmured. “They must be turning people. But why now? Here–” he shoved his


    hockey stick into my shaking hands, then pushed me away and pointed toward a door at the back of


    the locker rooms that led to a supply closet. “Go and hide. I’lle back for you.”


    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    I shook my head vehemently as I gripped the hockey stick. “No way!” I insisted. “I’m going with you.”


    Enzo groaned, passing his hand over his face, then suddenly did something unexpected. He hugged


    me tightly, his scent filling my entire body.


    “I promise I’ll be back,” he whispered into my hair. “Just stay here and stay safe.”


    Before I could protest, he suddenly ripped away from me and flung the door open. I yelped as I saw


    him bolt through, into the fray. In the brief moment that the door was open, I could see students running


    around, being chased by rogues. There were far more than three now, and they were making more.


    Just before the door closed, I saw a rogue go to bite a screaming student, but Enzo had already shifted


    and leaped onto the rogue.


    As the door closed, the sounds of the screams became muffled. I stood there for the longest moment,


    still gripping the hockey stick, as I searched for Cora’s presence and urged her to help me shift. I


    squeezed my eyes shut, pleading to shift just this once so I could be of help, but she didn’t have the


    energy.


    I cursed, ncing over at the supply closet.


    I knew that Enzo wanted me to hide… But I couldn’t. I had to help somehow. Maybe, if I could touch


    some of the rogues like I had done with Justin and Lisa, I could make them shift back into their human


    forms…


    Finally, I took in a deep breath, the hockey stick shaking in my hands, then flung the door open and ran


    out.


    My blood ran cold at the scene. Several students were huddled in the corners or under the bleachers


    as several rogues ran around rampant. I watched in one horror as one student shifted after a bite; how


    were they shifting so quickly? As far as I knew, it usually took hours, even days, to turn after a bite. And


    now they were shifting within a matter of seconds. It was almost as though these rogues had some sort


    of enhanced ability to turn people.


    As I ran out, Enzo looked up, his red eyes shing when he saw me.


    “I told you to hide,” his voice echoed in my head.


    But I ignored him.


    Letting out a wild yell, I sprinted up to one of the rogues just as it was about to bite a student. I reached


    my hand out and squeezed my eyes shut as I felt my hande into contact with coarse, thick fur.


    And then…


    Skin.


    I opened my eyes to see that the rogue had turned back into a confused-looking student. She


    copsed onto the ground, swiveling her head around wildly.


    “What… What’s happening? Where am I?” she said, her voice shaking.


    “Get into the locker room,” I said to both the rogue student and the one she was about to bite. “Now!”


    The two girls nodded and scrambled to their feet. I watched as they ran into the locker room before I


    turned back and made my way over to another rogue. I ran up behind it and leaped forward, touching


    its leg for the briefest moment.


    But it wasn’t enough. Maybe I didn’t get enough contact, or maybe my energy was lowered from the


    first rogue. I wasn’t sure, but I did know one thing: this rogue didn’t shift back. He felt my touch, then


    immediately whirled around and snarled loudly. I felt my heart race with fear and a scream erupted from


    my throat as I put my arms up in defense.


    There was a sh of silver fur. The sound of snarling. A thud. I opened my eyes, stumbling backwards,


    as I saw Enzo pin the rogue to the ground. They scuffled for a moment before Enzo grabbed him by the


    back of its neck in his jaws, then bit down.


    Blood squirted everywhere. A few students nearby screamed and ran toward the locker rooms.


    Through the pounding of my heart, I heard Enzo’s voice echo clearly in my head once more.


    “Bar the door. I handle thisst rogue.”


    I nodded, steeling my nerves and ripping my eyes away from the dead rogue who was likely once just a


    student at this school, and ran over to the door. Meanwhile, Enzo bolted over to the bleachers, where a


    rogue was terrorizing a group of students who were hiding underneath the bleachers.


    “Come inside!” I called out to several students that were nearby outside. “Hurry!”


    The students, without a second thought, raced for the door with rogues chasing closely behind. One girl


    didn’t make it; a rogue got her by the ankle and dragged her away, screaming. Another boy narrowly


    avoided a sh across the back from a rogue before diving into the arena at thest second, just


    before I mmed the doors shut and shoved the hockey stick through the handles.


    The doors rattled as the rogues tried to get in, but thankfully, the doors held. For now.


    “Grab anything heavy you can find!” I ordered. The students that weren’t inplete shock nodded


    and ran around, grabbing chairs, folding tables, and crates, and began to stack them in front of the


    door.


    Meanwhile, the scuffle between Enzo and the final rogue stopped. I looked up from my task to see that


    Enzo had the rogue pinned down beneath his massive paws. He nced up, his red eyes pleading —


    he didn’t want to kill the rogue if it was a fellow student. I knew what I had to do