Boom!
Crackle!
Fireworks crackled in the distance as Leon and Enid headed to the parking lot.
In the parking lot, Leon could see Wednesday talking to Tyler as she took a folder from him.
“Is that Tyler?” Leon muttered, looking at the folder in Wednesday’s hands.
He activated his senses and focused on what they were saying.
“…Kooky.”
“I prefer spooky,” Wednesday said.
“Oh.”
“Now my train leaves in an hour.
I’m burning moonlight—” Wednesday looked around.
“Where is he?”
“Who?”
“Someone who gave me his word.” She looked around.
“If he lets me down, I’ll cut off his pretty mouth and save it in a glass jar.” Wednesday then noticed Leon and Enid walking over from a distance and shook her head.
“If you need a ride — I can give you one,” Tyler said.
“No.” Wednesday refused, then started heading in the direction Leon and Enid were coming from — before a group of boys appeared, bats in hand, blocking her way.
Tyler saw them and the weapons in their hands, recognized them and quickly yelled at Wednesday.
“Hey.
Come on, Wednesday.
Wednesday!
We can lose them in the crowd,” Tyler said, trying to pull her away.
“No need,” Wednesday said.
“He’s here.”
If there was one thing Wednesday had noticed about Leon, it was that his physical capabilities were monstrous — almost too inhuman, even for an outcast.
For a while now she’d kept an eye on him, whether herself or through Thing, and what she’d found was that this flirty guy had enough power in his body to punch clean through a person.
She’d seen him slip out of Nevermore more than once, clearing the wall with ease, and at some point punch a tree hard enough to split it clean in half.
“Hey, freaks!” one of the boys called out as he got closer.
But before he knew what had happened, the ground seemed to rush up to meet him, and everything went dark.
Tyler looked at the three boys on the ground, then at Leon — back at the boys, then back at Leon.
Three grown kids.
Three hits.
None of them were still standing.
‘This is nothing like what Marilyn told me about outcasts.’ Tyler thought.
She had said Outcasts were stronger, faster, more durable.
She hadn’t said they moved like that — like something Tyler had only ever seen in the Hyde..
“You’re late,” Wednesday said.
“Sorry about that,” Leon said.
“Principal Weems kept watching us — we couldn’t get away quickly.”
Wednesday nodded.
“Okay, let’s get moving.”
As she started walking towards Leon’s car, she heard a voice calling from a distance.
“Miss Addams, where do you think you’re going?” Principal Weems yelled from a distance as she came striding over.
Wednesday turned and looked at the tall woman walking toward her.
She was blocking the road they would leave through.
“Run.”
Leon, Tyler, Wednesday, and Enid ran through the crowd, attempting to lose her, when suddenly Wednesday bumped into someone — who Leon recognized as Rowan.
Her whole body stiffened and she passed out.
Leon caught her quickly before she hit the ground.
“Wednesday, you okay?” Enid asked, checking on her.
A few seconds later, Wednesday woke up, looking at the boy leaving before she quickly ran after him.
“Rowan, come back!”
***********
In the woods, after running for a while, Wednesday finally caught up.
“Rowan, wait!” Wednesday yelled as she got close to him.
“Argh!” Rowan groaned with annoyance.
“What do you want?
Why are you following me?”
“I don’t have time to explain, but you’re in danger.”
Rowan chuckled.
“I think you’ve got it backwards.”
WHOOSH!
Before Wednesday realized what had happened, she felt her body lose its weight, her feet leaving the ground, and she flew back and slammed into a tree.
GRUNT!
“You’re the one who’s in danger,” Rowan spoke.
“What are you doing?” Wednesday asked in confusion.
“Saving everyone from you.” Rowan grunted.
“I have to kill you!”
“The gargoyle, that was you?”
“Yeah!” Rowan smirked.
“It’s always the quiet ones.” Wednesday sighed.
Rowan glanced at his pocket, and a piece of paper floated out, drifting toward Wednesday before unfolding itself.
“Girl in the picture.
That’s you,” Rowan said.
The picture was an old, hand-drawn illustration, depicting a young woman who looked precisely like Wednesday Addams, standing in front of Nevermore Academy while the school burned in roaring flames.
“You want to kill me because of some picture?” Wednesday asked, exasperated.
“My mother drew that picture 25 years ago, when she was a student at Nevermore,” Rowan said.
“Rowan, put me down.” Wednesday looked at him, her eyes wide at how ridiculous the whole situation was.
“No!
My mother said it was my destiny to stop this girl if she ever came to Nevermore, because she will destroy the school and everyone in it.”
ARGH!
Wednesday felt something squeeze her throat, gasping for breath.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Leon appeared behind Rowan, his hand already cocked back, and threw a side punch.
Rowan heard the voice, and with his guard already being up, he instantly focused his power to create a small barrier around himself before the punch landed.
BAM!
A shockwave erupted as Rowan found himself sliding, his feet and energy barely holding together before he finally stopped, falling to his knees.
Wednesday felt the telekinetic grip loosen as she started to fall, before someone caught her in a princess carry.
“You okay?” Leon asked.
“Yeah—” She looked up at him, her eyes widening slightly before she spoke again a few seconds later.
“You can put me down now.”
“Oh — right.” Leon gently set her down, then looked at Rowan.
SNARL!
A snarl echoed through the woods as a massive creature surged forward, grabbing Rowan and slamming him into the ground.
“Rowan!” Wednesday yelled, and before she could say anything more, Leon moved — leaves scattering in a gust of wind — and slammed into the monster with everything he had, sending it tumbling to the ground.
It caught itself on one hand, pushed off the ground, and rose back to its feet.
ROAR!
The creature let out a deafening roar before its eyes landed on Leon.
“Leon, run!” Wednesday yelled from behind him, but he didn’t answer, completely focused on the creature and his numb shoulder.
‘Damn it,’ Leon thought.
‘It’s stronger.’
This was what he feared most.
He had assumed the Hyde would be weaker, considering how it had barely won its fight with Enid from what he remembered from the show, and after using Identify on a couple of werewolves, he’d felt at ease.
[Creature: Werewolf Outcast]
[Abilities: Super Strength: Lv6 | Super Defense: Lv5 | Super Speed: Lv6 | Super Senses: Lv5 | Regeneration: Lv3 | Retractable Claws: Lv3]
The stats he’d seen that day were weaker to his own, and considering the Hyde had barely won that fight, Leon had sighed in relief and put the matter out of his mind, as at best, the Hyde should have stats around his own.
But with his External Abilities, Leon was confident of his victory.
Now, though, looking at the stats appearing in front of him, he was shocked.
[Creature: Hyde Outcast]
[Abilities: Super Strength: Lv12 | Super Defense: Lv11 | Super Speed: Lv10 | Super Senses: Lv10 | Regeneration: Lv5 | Poison Immunity: Lv2]
“Fuck!” Leon muttered under his breath as the Hyde moved at a speed he barely managed to follow.
He saw the ground under it burst, dirt and leaves flying into the air, before it appeared behind him.
BAM!
Leon felt piercing pain and the weight of a truck slammed into him.
He flew and slammed into a tree, bark exploding outward as the impact split the trunk with a deep crack, nearly breaking it in half.
“Leon!” Wednesday ran toward him, helping him up as he glared at the creature.
“Wednesday — run!” Leon groaned out, gently pushing her behind him.
Wednesday looked at the creature as it started toward them, then at Leon standing in front of her.
Before she could say anything, she watched him frown for a second before he breathed in and opened his mouth — but the voice that came out wasn’t his own.
It sounded like Marilyn Thornhill.
“Tyler — go home!”
The voice left Leon’s lips, making the scene eerie and a little uncanny, but what surprised her even more was the confusion that crossed the Hyde’s face as it stood frozen, looking around, before it started retreating.
‘It worked,’ Leon thought, watching the creature retreat and disappear into the woods.
‘Thankfully when Tyler is in his Hyde form, his intelligence is lowered.’
“Leon!” Enid came running toward them, Principal Weems behind her.
She had spotted the blood soaking through the torn clothes on his back.
“What happened?
Are you okay?”
Leon looked at Enid and said nothing, only smiling to calm her down, before his eyes drifted back to the spot where the Hyde had disappeared.
‘Damn it!’
***********
Principal Weems stood with Leon, Wednesday, Enid, and a passed-out Rowan, worriedly eyeing Leon’s back as she spoke with the sheriff.
“Whatever it is, it’s not a student of Nevermore,” she said.
“Whatever it is — it’s an Outcast!” Sheriff Galpin said, jotting notes in his usual arrogant tone.
“An Outcast, maybe,” Weems shot back.
“But not one of ours.”
“And I’m supposed to just believe that?” the sheriff asked.
“Because it was a Hyde!” Leon answered this time, looking Galpin in the eyes.
“You know what that is, right?”
Galpin’s iris grew.
His body stiffened.
“How would I know?” Galpin snapped before turning away.
“We’ll have people search the area for the creature—” he said, already leaving.
“And I might have more questions for you three.”
‘This guy deserves what happened to him,’ Leon thought.
He found the man infuriating — he’d given him the answer, and yet Galpin still behaved exactly the way he had the night he’d found the picture of the Hyde on a camera one of its victims had been carrying.
‘I’m going to kill you and your son sooner or later.’
After they’d dealt with a few more details, Weems looked at the trio.
“Go back to Nevermore.
I have to go with Rowan to the hospital and make sure the Willow Hill Psychiatric staff come to pick him up.”
“Alright,” Leon nodded.
“You sure you’re okay?” Weems asked again.
“I’m fine.”
“Alright — get some rest.”
Leon was about to leave, but he felt a pair of hands land on his shoulders, each holding him in place.
“Show me,” Enid said, approaching him.
“Take your clothes off.”
“What?” Leon was shocked by her forwardness, but after seeing her worried eyes, he sighed and removed his jacket and shirt, revealing his back — a few specks of blood, but no trace of an injury.
“Your healing is impressive,” Wednesday said.
“You’re like the perfect torture subject.”
Leon turned around, looking at Wednesday with an exasperated expression.
Then he saw her eyes drift down slightly, lingering for a couple of seconds before she focused back on his face.
Leon looked down, remembered he was still shirtless, and looked around, about to grab a shirt from his Inventory — before noticing Enid staring too, her eyes shining.
“Behave,” Leon said, grabbing a shirt and pulling it on — catching them off guard for an entirely different reason.
“How did you do that?
Where did it come from?” they asked.
“Magic trick,” Leon answered with a smile, turning to leave — but once more, a pair of hands held him in place.
“We have some questions!”
“What is it?”
“You asked me to get Weems before you went after Wednesday — like you already knew what was about to happen,” Enid said.
“How did you know?”
“I just felt something was wrong,” Leon said with a sigh.
“Wednesday had a vision, and she ran after Rowan with a rare look of worry on her face — so I assumed.”
“How did you change your voice?” Wednesday asked.
“And why did you use Prof.
Thornhill’s voice?
And why did that creature listen to it?
And why did you call it Tyler?”
“Slowly, Wednesday,” Leon smiled.
“The voice is a small trick I know.
And I used her voice because she’s the master of that Hyde.
I said Tyler because that IS Tyler.”
Leon changed his plan.
Seeing how much stronger the Hyde was, he instantly decided to take down Thornhill before anything more happened, especially the awakening of Joseph Crackstone, as Leon didn’t want to find out how much stronger that freak was.
“How did you know that?
And why would Thornhill do that?” Wednesday asked, getting closer to him, her eyes locked on his.
“Her real name is Laurel Gates,” Leon explained.
“The story of her family is a bit complicated — and it’s slightly connected to your father.
I’m not sure about the details; you should investigate those yourself.
But all I know is that she’s vengeful, with a murderous hatred toward Outcasts.”
“Is she related to the murders happening around town recently?” Enid asked, her face pale.
“Yeah,” Leon answered.
“She’s preparing a ritual to awaken her ancestor, Joseph Crackstone — someone so insane, I’m sure even the worst patients in Willow Hill Psychiatric Facility would look sane compared to him.
If that crazy bitch manages to resurrect him, God only knows what might happen to us.”
“Is he strong?” Wednesday asked.
“Stronger than that Hyde?”
“Yes — much stronger.”
***********
Leon, Wednesday, and Enid talked the whole way back to Nevermore, Leon spilling everything he could remember.
He no longer had any plans of letting the plot continue as it should — if it did, he was certain Wednesday wouldn’t just fail to defeat Crackstone, she’d die, along with every Outcast left at Nevermore, before that psychopath moved on to cause more havoc.
After reaching the gates and parking his car, Leon waved the two girls goodbye before he left, heading to his dorm.
Once inside, he locked the door, dropped his bag on the bed, and moved to the window, climbed out and dropped to the grounds below, moving toward Thornhill’s office.
“Hey, Professor.” He greeted her as he stepped inside.
“Mr.
Lockhart.” She smiled at him.
“Did you need me for anything?” She scratched at her ear as she spoke — an oddly specific gesture, like she’d been caught off-guard by something.
“Yes.” Leon stepped closer, his guard up.
He looked into her eyes and activated his Absolute Compulsion.
“Prepare evidence against yourself and Tyler about all of the things you’ve done so far.
Take it to the deputy sheriff first, then make a copy and deliver it to the mayor as well.
Once that’s done, go to Tyler, draw a blood sample from him, and hide the vial under the loose floorboard by the back door of the Gates house — I’ll come collect it myself.
After that, go back, kill Tyler — poison, or whatever you like, I don’t care — and make sure he’s dead before you end your own life.”
Leon looked at her dazed expression and nodded in satisfaction.
His aim was not the sheriff, as that man was merely a normie and could be easily taken care of later, but what he needed was for Thornhill to be arrested, and for Tyler to hopefully die from the nightshade.
“Sorry, Wednesday,” Leon muttered.
“Your murder case adventure is going to be cut short.”
Leon looked at the dazed woman in front of him, then walked out, closing the door behind him.
HMPH!
“That didn’t seem like a Siren Song,” Thornhill muttered under her breath.
“If I hadn’t been recording my experiment when he first came to get the Book of Shadows, and I actually saw the recording, I’d have been done for.” She reached up, pulled a foam earplug from one ear, then did the same with the other.
She walked slowly to the table, grabbed her phone, and made a call.
“Hey.” Tyler’s voice came through.
“Change of plans,” she said.
“He made his move — meet me at the usual place.”
************************************
[AUTHOR’S NOTE]
We are literally only 1 review away from unlocking our official book score!
If you’re enjoying the Homelander template, drop a quick star review right now to help us break the gate and show the score!
🔥 NEW WEEKLY TARGET: