Chris looked at the two gun barrels pointed at his head, and didn’t move an inch.
Instead, he asked in an icy, calm tone devoid of fear:
“What is the meaning of this?”
“Lee” replied, his eyes fixed on Chris’s neck, his tone dripping with sternness:
“It means we won’t let you torture a teenage boy anymore… Drop your weapon!”
Chris froze in place and tried to turn slowly to see who was speaking behind him.
But as soon as he turned his head a few centimeters, he found the cold metal muzzle of Carter’s gun pressed directly against the tip of his nose!
Carter shouted sharply, winking behind the gun:
“Ah… ah… ah! Don’t even think about it! If you try to do anything, I’ll blow your damn nose off! And if you use those weird hunting moves and manage to get past me, my friend Lee here will blow your head off! You’re trapped, big head, so drop your weapon!”
At that very moment, “Lee” meticulously pulled back the slide of his gun and pointed it at Chris’s forehead from the other side, practically and fatally reinforcing Carter’s point.
Chris gritted his teeth in suppressed anger, the veins on his forehead bulging from sheer rage, but he realized he was in a tactically losing position.
Very slowly, he opened his fingers and let his heavy pistol fall onto the concrete floor.
Before he could react further, Styles quickly stepped forward with a swift motion, bending down to unbuckle the bulky tactical belt around Chris’s waist.
The belt was laden with strange, mysterious weapons, small metal grenades, and terrifying-looking silver-plated steel knives.
Styles shuddered and groaned from the sudden weight of the belt in his hands, but he took two steps back and threw it with all his might, smashing it amidst the debris.
Carter exclaimed with a wide smile, still pointing his gun at Chris’s face:
“Well done, sheriff’s son! I always knew you were a brave and trustworthy boy!”
“Lee” raised his left eyebrow in disbelief, turned his head slightly towards his partner, and said:
“Didn’t you just say he was a spoiled brat that trouble follows wherever he goes, and you didn’t want to be near him?”
Carter’s eyes widened in shock, and he shouted in his own defense:
“What?! Me? I never said that, Lee! Stop lying and making up stories at critical times!”
“Lee” sighed in despair at his partner’s madness, then took another step towards Chris, narrowed his eyes with extreme seriousness, and said:
“Speak now… What happened a moment ago? What do you know about that… vampire and his brother? Why were you torturing Scott? And what is ‘Alpha’?”
Meanwhile, Styles had bent down, pulled Scott’s fallen body away from Chris, propped him against a ruined wall, and sat beside him, tending to his wounds with his hand while listening to the conversation with a mixture of interest and fear.
Chris looked at “Lee” with a sarcastic, cold gaze, then said:
“I know you.”
“Lee” froze in place, the sternness disappearing from his face, replaced by surprise:
“What?”
Chris turned his sharp eyes towards Carter and continued in a mocking tone:
“And I know you too… You two aren’t even police from this city. Detective James Carter from the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD)… and Hong Kong Police Inspector ‘Lee’.”
Chris paused for a moment to gauge the effect of his words, then added:
“You two are responsible for bringing down and thwarting the plans of international organized crime syndicates, rescuing high-level diplomatic figures, and recovering important national treasures and artifacts. You’ve done what no one else could before, and you’re considered among the best in your field… but all of that is useless against the supernatural world.”
Carter and “Lee” froze completely and looked at each other with wide eyes; they hadn’t expected this mysterious hunter to know their secret identities and security history.
As for Styles and Scott, they looked with utter astonishment, renewed admiration, and shock towards Carter and “Lee.” Styles couldn’t believe that these two strange policemen were international heroes in the human world.
Chris continued his sarcasm bitterly and harshly:
“Everything you’ve done and achieved, you’ve done only in the mortal human world… But here in Mystic Hills? You won’t last even a single day before you’re torn to shreds! Look around you! Look at this destroyed building! The roof was ripped open as if it were paper, and the walls crumbled as if they weren’t made of solid concrete! All this destruction was caused by the teenager you’re defending, and by the two who escaped a moment ago!”
Chris gestured with his head towards their guns and continued:
“Your weapons were useless against these monsters, and you tested that yourselves minutes ago. I don’t think I need to explain what would have happened to you and the boys if I hadn’t been around and heard the sounds of fighting and gunshots… Mind your own business, go back to Los Angeles or Hong Kong or wherever the hell you came from, and leave me to finish my work in peace!”
Carter exploded in anger and shouted in his face:
“And what exactly is your work?! Torturing children and shooting teenagers?!”
Chris also shouted with immense rage, the veins on his face bulging severely, asserting his authority:
“My work is hunting these monsters and protecting fools like you!
I am from the ancient Argent family!
And our family has been fighting and hunting these monsters for centuries!
We brought down the terrifying Geovodan monster, and the tyrant Dracula and his vast army of vampires!
Styles took a step back from the shock of the names, as Chris continued with a powerful roar:
“The Geovodan monster alone killed over fifty thousand people in just two years while it was in France! Dracula was a thousand-year-old vampire who built a vast, limitless empire and had followers of thousands of ancient vampires, killing and feeding on hundreds of thousands, even millions, of humans during his existence… but we wiped him and his army from the face of the earth! This is my family’s legacy and my life since childhood!”
Chris pointed his finger at Scott with annoyance:
“And now… there’s a crazy monster on the loose, turning teenagers like Scott into ravenous, deadly beasts for his personal gain! And blood-sucking parasites are spilling innocent blood, displacing families, and even raping women! And you want me to stand by and watch?!”
“Lee” tensed slightly, his face showing an internal struggle between his duty as a law-abiding officer and Chris’s terrifying words, but he held his weapon steady and said:
“We won’t let you kill this boy.”
Chris replied, his eyes glinting with cold defiance:
“We have a code, and we don’t hunt randomly.”
Carter sneered and waved his hand angrily:
“And what is this special Superman family code of yours?!”
Chris replied with extreme coldness:
“We hunt those who hunt us.”
“Scott hasn’t killed anyone!” Styles shouted from behind, his voice choked, gripping his friend’s shoulder.
“He’s not a killer!”
Chris turned to him and cut him off sharply:
“Not yet! He hasn’t killed anyone… yet. But it’s only a matter of time before he tears your own throat out! And all it takes is one command from his ‘Alpha’!”
Scott’s body trembled violently.
He was struggling with all his might, using his supernatural senses to expel the remnants of the metal bullets from his body, gritting his teeth and saying in pain:
“I… I’ll never do it!.. I won’t hurt anyone!”
Chris smiled a dark, sarcastic smile and added nothing.
In the background, Styles’ body suddenly shivered, and a cold chill ran through him as he remembered what had happened yesterday in the locker room… how Scott had completely lost control and tried to tear his own throat out under the influence of his rage and complete loss of control.
Suddenly… the silence of the night was broken by the sound of multiple police car sirens, and their red and blue lights began to reflect off the demolished walls of the building from afar, announcing the approach of the city sheriff’s forces.
Lee kept his gun pointed at Chris and said to Carter and Styles:
“The police are closing in… We need to get out of here immediately before we face an interrogation we can’t explain.”
Carter bent down and helped Styles lift the pained Scott, and they began to move quickly towards the dark back exit of the building.
But before they completely disappeared into the darkness, Chris turned to them, fixing his deadly, terrifying gaze precisely on Scott’s golden eyes, which were beginning to fade, and shouted in a bone-chillingly terrifying tone:
“Scott!… Listen to me carefully and understand what I’m saying… Stay away from my daughter, ‘Allison’! Stay completely away from her and don’t come within an inch of her… or I swear by my family’s lifespan, I will hunt you down and cut your damn body in half without batting an eye!”
Scott didn’t utter a word out of sheer terror.
Carter and “Lee” dragged him at extreme speed, accompanied by Styles, and they all disappeared into the dark embrace of the night, leaving Chris standing alone amidst the wreckage and blood.
The four ran through the dark back corridors until they emerged into a narrow alley, far from the demolished building.
The sounds of police car sirens faded gradually in the background.
They finally stopped to catch their breath.
Carter and “Lee” propped Scott’s body against a pile of old wooden crates.
Scott was breathing heavily, sweat pouring down his face, while the bullet holes in his body began to heal very slowly thanks to his regenerative ability, which made Carter stare at him with wide, shocked eyes.
Carter took another step towards Scott, narrowed his eyes in immense anger, and shouted in disbelief:
“Why… why the hell did you save that sadistic monster?! The man was shoving his hand into your chest minutes ago, checking your bare heartbeat! And the big-headed hunter was about to rid us of him and his evil with that piece of wood! So why did you rush in, ruin the plan, and let him escape?!”
Scott cleared his throat painfully, gripped the edge of the wooden crate, and tried to gather his strength.
Then he looked at Carter with eyes full of exhaustion and said in a sincere, choked tone:
“Because I wasn’t saving Damon, Carter… I was saving Stefan! Stefan begged me… I heard his heartbeat and his faint voice as he was dying in pain and terror for his brother. Damon may be a ruthless, merciless monster, but for Stefan, he’s all he has in this world for centuries. Chris Argent didn’t want justice; he wanted to exterminate Stefan and Damon together. If I let Chris kill Damon before my eyes when I could stop him, I would be no better than the monsters he hunts… I would become a soulless monster!”
Carter immediately interrupted him, waving his hand in the air and shouting with sarcasm and disdain:
“Oh, please! Shut up! Your words are meaningless and just emotional nonsense that no sane person would believe! You’re a stupid boy… very stupid and foolish! You saved a blood-sucking killer because his burnt brother begged you?! Do you think you’re on a talk show fixing family relationships?! This isn’t Dr. Phil, this is a throat-slitting vampire, genius!”
Meanwhile, Styles stood beside Scott, lost in profound silence.
He didn’t say a word, nor did he defend his friend as usual; inside, he trembled with fear and the weight of the bitter truth that Chris Argent had spoken earlier, remembering how Scott had lost control and tried to tear his own throat out yesterday.
Inspector “Lee” took a step forward, placed his hand on Carter’s shoulder to calm him, then turned his entire body towards Scott.
“Lee’s” gaze was a mixture of admiration for the boy’s humanity and stern military seriousness.
He sighed slowly and said in a calm, deep tone:
“Listen to me carefully, Scott… You’re a good boy, and you have a pure and clean heart, which is rare in our world today. But… that move you made back there was incredibly stupid and dangerous.”
“Lee” narrowed his eyes cautiously and continued to warn:
“This creature, Damon… when he recovers and his wounds heal thanks to his brother, he won’t thank you for saving him. He will go back to killing more and more innocent people in this city, and he will put you and Styles at the top of his list… He will kill you too without hesitation. In the world of crime and monsters, the wrong emotion can cost you your life and the lives of those you love.”
Scott swallowed with difficulty, feeling the weight of the words, while Styles remained silent, looking at the ground.
Carter nervously wiped the dust off his jacket, stood up waving his hands hysterically in the air, turned to the two boys, and shouted in a tone mixing horror and astonishment:
“Now, can you two tell me… what exactly is your story?! How did you get yourselves into this damned madness?! I mean… vampires?! And men pulling magic bombs out of their pockets?! And what exactly are you, Scott?! I saw your teeth and your glowing eyes! Are you a cousin of the monster that was trying to kill us a moment ago?!”
Although his features were serious and stern, his tone carried great curiosity and concern:
— Focus, Carter, we need answers, not screaming.
Then he turned to Stiles and Scott and narrowed his eyes.
“The man in the black coat, Chris… he was right about one thing. What happened there has nothing to do with the mortal human world. We need to know the truth now to protect you and to protect ourselves.”
Stiles took a step back, began to rub the back of his neck nervously, and looked left and right as he usually did when panicked, then said quickly and stammeringly:
— Okay… okay, listen… it sounds crazy, I know!
I mean, if someone told me a week ago that I’d be standing in a dark alley with famous international detectives and a werewolf, I would have told him to see a psychiatrist immediately!
But…
Scott…
Scott was bitten in the woods a few days ago in the woods when we were trying to…
Carter interrupted him, placing his hands on his hips and stepping towards Stiles:
— Stop right there!
Bitten?
By what?
A rabid dog?!
Scott replied in a faint, choked voice, clutching his aching ribs:
— No… not a dog, Carter.
It was another werewolf…
I don’t even know his name yet from what Damon and Chris said, because this werewolf is the Alpha.
He is… the monster that made me.
I…
I turn into a monster with claws and fangs every full moon night, and even on normal days when I get a little angry!…
I didn’t want this!
I swear to both of you that I didn’t choose to be like this!
Carter clapped his hands together sarcastically, then looked at the sky and said loudly:
— Oh my God!
A teenager turning into a monster with claws and fangs, brothers moving with the speed of mist and sucking blood, and a madman wanting to cut a teenager in half!
Am I in Mystic Hills or did I fall asleep at the cinema watching a bad movie?!
Lee… please tell me we were gassed in that burning factory and this is all a mass hallucination!
Lee slowly shook his head, looked at Scott’s wounds which had now completely healed, leaving only dried bloodstains, and said in a serious tone:
— It’s not a hallucination, Carter.
We saw the car torn apart with our own eyes, and we saw bullets pierce that man’s body without him dying.
This boy…
(he pointed to Scott)… healed from fatal bullet wounds in less than five minutes.
Our world as we know it… has a very dark side in this town.
Stiles suddenly turned towards Carter and Lee, his face showing admiration and astonishment he had been trying to suppress all along, and said in an impressed tone:
— Wait a minute… was Chris serious?
Are you really Detective Carter and Inspector Lee?!
The ones who took down Hong Kong gangs and protected federal senators and diplomats?
Damn!
This is so cool!
My dad has files about your cases in his office!
How did you end up in this town of death?!
Carter sighed with annoyance, trying to regain his lost prestige.
He adjusted his shirt and said:
— Yes, boy, we are them.
But instead of being in Los Angeles enjoying the sun, women, and huge salaries, Lee brought us here to investigate “animal attacks” from the nineties!
And now our car is wrecked, and my salary has been deducted!
Lee looked deeply at Scott, ignoring Carter’s grumbling, and then asked:
— Scott…
Chris Argent threatened you to stay away from his daughter Allison.
Does she know what you are?
Is her whole family like Chris?
Scott swallowed hard, fear evident in his eyes as he replied:
— Allison doesn’t know anything… she’s innocent.
But her family… the Argents… they’ve been hunters for centuries, as Chris said.
I’ve been trying to date their daughter for a while now, that’s why Chris threatened me… and if I continue to get close to Allison, they won’t hesitate to kill me and everyone who stands in their way.
Carter exclaimed angrily and turned to Lee:
— See, Lee?!
The boy is dating the daughter of a werewolf hunter!
And he’s a werewolf!
This isn’t just bad luck, this is enchanted suicidal stupidity!
Let’s get out of this damn town now!
To hell with Sarah and her money!
I don’t want to be dinner for a big dog or a snack for a stylish vampire!
Lee was silent for a while, looking at the horizon where the comet night threads were starting to approach in two days, then said in a firm and steady voice:
— We can’t leave, Carter.
Carter turned to him in shock and exclaimed:
— What do you mean we can’t?!
Have you lost your little Asian mind?!
Lee replied, placing his hand on his pistol with confidence:
— We are police officers, Carter.
If we leave now, these monsters will continue to tear this town apart, and these boys will die the next time Chris or Damon appear.
We came here to solve an old case, and now it seems we’ve found its roots.
We won’t leave teenagers to face this madness alone.
Stiles and Scott looked at Lee with deep gratitude and relief that dispelled some of their terror.
As for Carter, he looked at his partner for a few seconds, then slapped his forehead with his hand and sighed in despair, saying in a low, resigned voice:
— Damn you, Lee… and damn your conscience.
Always dragging us into trouble.
Fine!
We’ll stay…
But if any freak tries to bite me or suck my blood, I’ll use you as a human shield, is that clear?!
Lee smiled faintly, then turned to Stiles and Scott and said firmly:
And we’ll go back to headquarters to figure out how to justify our disappearance during our patrol to the sheriff.
Stay out of sight… and we’ll contact you soon.
Stiles nodded as he slowly helped Scott to his feet, and they moved towards the alley exit to disappear into the darkness, while Lee and Carter stood watching them, ready to face the terrifying unknown that the darkness of Mystic Hills held.
Stiles and Scott moved away with heavy steps in the darkness of the night, dragging their disappointment and wounds towards the main street where Stiles’ old blue Jeep was parked under the dim light of a streetlamp.
Before they reached it, they saw from afar several sheriff’s police cars surrounding the area, and officers gently escorting Vicki Donovan towards one of the cars to secure her and transport her to the hospital.
She looked pale and terrified, but she was moving safely and alive.
Scott stopped, sighed deeply, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, and said in a tone full of relief:
– At least they managed to save Vicki after all this madness… at least we got something good out of tonight.
Scott waited to hear a sarcastic comment or agreement from his close friend, but Stiles remained completely silent.
He didn’t utter a word, and his breaths came out rapidly and heavily as if he was boiling inside.
Scott turned to him in surprise, narrowing his eyes, and said:
– Stiles?
Suddenly, Stiles released his hand that was supporting Scott, stepped back from him, and with a quick, violent movement that Scott never expected, gathered all his strength and contained anger and punched Scott with immense force that landed directly on his jaw!
Pow!
Scott stumbled backward from the surprise and the force of the blow, falling to the dirty pavement.
His hand automatically reached for his jaw, his eyes wide with absolute stunned shock, and he looked at his friend and shouted in pain and disbelief:
– **Stiles!
What’s wrong with you?!
Are you crazy?!**
Stiles stood over him, his eyes blazing with a blind rage Scott had never seen in him before, his face flushed and the veins in his neck bulging.
Stiles screamed in a choked voice that shook the alley’s foundations:
– **What’s wrong with me?!
What’s wrong with you, for crying out loud?!
You’re acting incredibly intolerably stupid and reckless!
I warned you from the beginning, and I begged you not to go to the party with Allison on the full moon night!
But did you listen to me?!
No!
Of course not!**
Stiles took a ragged breath and continued his shouting, waving his hand hysterically:
– **Then you kept running around like a madman all night in the woods, you got shot at, you were hunted by a family of professional killers, and God knows what else happened to you that night because you can barely remember whether you tore someone’s throat out or not!
And then you cried and promised me… you promised me you’d listen to me from now on…
But guess what?!
You didn’t keep your damn promise!**
Stiles took another step forward, his voice growing louder and harsher:
– You ran like an idiot to face Damon and Stefan Salvatore!
Who are leagues stronger than you, by the way, and were possibly…
I don’t know… centuries older than you with experience and blood?!
Yet you went like a donkey to fight them for that damn Vicki Donovan when I repeatedly told you not to!
And what happened afterwards?!
Damon almost ripped your heart out of your chest!
And Chris Argent found out you’re a werewolf and broke your knees!
Stiles spat on the ground in disgust and continued, trembling:
– And after all this… you saved Damon for reasons only God knows!
Damon who killed about ten people in just one week!
And who tried to rip your heart out of your chest in cold blood!
Yet you saved his life!
So guess what, you idiot?
You’re not only at risk of being killed by hunters now, but also by sadistic killer vampires!
And when Damon recovers… and believe me he will… he’ll come back to rip your rotten heart out again!
Scott endured his physical and emotional pain, and slowly got up, staggering, wiping a small wound that began to bleed at the corner of his lip.
He looked at Stiles with a pleading gaze and said in a broken voice:
– Stiles, listen to me, please…
I explained myself there.
I saved Damon because Stefan begged me to…
I saw the sadness in his eyes.
And Stefan promised me… he promised me he would lock his brother up and never let him hurt anyone again for the rest of his life!
Stiles burst into a sarcastic, sad, and mocking laugh, and clapped his hands loudly like a madman, saying:
– You’re completely foolish, Scott!
Unbelievably idiotic!
How long do you think Stefan will keep Damon locked up?!
Tell me… how long?!
Damon will eventually get out of his prison, whether through Stefan’s weakness or his own strength… he will inevitably get out and wreak havoc!
Why didn’t you let Chris finish his damn job and be done with it?!
All because Stefan shed a couple of tears in front of you?!
I’m sure Stefan himself has killed many people in his life too!
What do you know about these immortal beings?!
Scott sighed deeply, took a step forward, and opened his mouth to try to explain again:
– Stiles, it’s not what you think, I just tried to…
But before he could utter another word, Stiles lunged forward and punched him again, this time on his nose, spat on the ground beside him, and said in a hateful, emotionless tone:
– Keep your damn stupid answer to yourself… because I don’t care anymore!
You’re on your own, Scott.
Scott was completely shocked, frozen in place, tears welling up in his eyes as he raised his hand to wipe the warm blood that began to flow heavily from his nose.
He looked at his lifelong friend and said in a trembling voice:
– What… what do you mean I’m on my own?
Stiles looked at him with eyes as hard as stone and said with deadly coldness:
– You are on your own from now on, Scott.
I have nothing to do with your mess anymore.
I can’t put my life and my family’s life at stake because of your stupid whims and false hero complex, while you clearly don’t care about my opinion or my existence at all!
Scott’s eyes widened with real terror, and he suddenly felt a piercing cold spread through his chest as he realized he was about to lose the only person who supported him.
He took pleading steps towards Stiles and said in a tearful tone:
– Wait…
Stiles, please!
I’m sorry…
I’m really sorry, but I had to…
Before Scott could finish, Stiles stepped forward and shoved him violently with his shoulder, passing him without even looking back.
He walked with quick, angry steps towards the Jeep, opened the door, slammed it shut, then turned the engine, which emitted a loud roar.
Stiles stomped on the gas pedal with all his might, and the Jeep shot off at a crazy speed into the darkness of the night, its tires screeching sharply and terrifyingly on the asphalt, leaving Scott standing alone under the pale street light, wiping his blood and tears, and utterly helpless amidst the chaos he had created with his own hands.