Chapter 6: Am I Dreaming?

Liam’s P.O.V

Someone screamed.

Mia’s voice cut through the air. “Stay away from him!”

But he didn’t stop. His eyes locked on me, his pupils shrinking, his whole body trembling like he was fighting something deep inside.

Erick’s voice came out warped, guttural. “Your scent…” He took another step closer. “It’s driving me crazy.”

Mia gasped again, clutching her head. “Liam, get up! You need to get out of here…now!”

I tried to move, but pain shot through my leg. “I can’t,” I hissed, shaking my head. “I can’t even stand.”

“Then crawl!” she shouted, her voice breaking.

The air around us felt different now…heavier, charged with something wild and dangerous. Every breath burned in my chest. Erick’s growl deepened as his hands twitched, claws…actual claws, starting to form.

“Mia!” I cried, my back pressed against the wall. “What the hell is happening?!”

She didn’t answer. Her eyes were locked on him, horrified. “Oh god…” she whispered.

I turned slowly and that’s when I saw it…more of them. The students who’d just been standing and staring… their eyes were changing too. Some red. Some gold. All glowing and all fixed on me.

I blinked hard, my palms scraping against the cold floor as I tried to push myself up. The hallway lights flickered overhead, and for a second, I thought maybe I’d hit my head too hard when I fell. But then…

“Stay down,” a voice snarled above me.

It was the bully. His weight pressed into my ribs as he straddled me suddenly, pinning me down. His face looked wrong…his eyes glowed red, and his teeth… his teeth were sharp. Too sharp.

“What the hell…?” I started, but my words caught in my throat as I looked around.

Other students, dozens of them, were on their knees, their hands clawing at the ground, moving toward me like they were being pulled by something invisible. Their eyes glowed the same eerie red. I froze, my breath coming out in short, choked gasps.

“This isn’t real,” I muttered, shaking my head. “It’s just… I hit my head. I’m dreaming, right?”

Someone hissed. Then another. The sound echoed, wet and animal-like.

“Please…” I tried to scramble back, but the bully’s hand slammed down on my shoulder, holding me there.

He leaned close enough that I could smell the blood on his breath. “You smell… different,” he rasped, saliva glistening on his lips.

“Oh my god,” I whispered, pushing against him. “Get off me!”

He didn’t move. His mouth opened wider, fangs flashing, and I knew he was about to bite me. I shut my eyes, bracing for it…

Then, a snarl tore through the air. Loud. Deep. Not human.

The bully was suddenly ripped off me, crashing into a row of lockers with a metallic clang. I gasped, jerking up to see Elijah standing there…his chest heaving, his eyes dark and burning.

“Elijah?” My voice cracked. “What…what’s happening?”

“Get up,” he said sharply, grabbing my wrist as he hauled me to my feet. His grip was strong, urgent. “We have to move. Now.”

I hesitated, staring at the others…the ones who had been crawling toward me moments ago. They were huddled back now, trembling, avoiding Elijah’s gaze like terrified animals.

“Elijah, what’s wrong with them?”

“Liam, don’t ask questions. Just trust me.”

“But they were…they had fangs!”

“I said move!” he barked, pulling me forward.

I stumbled but followed, my legs shaking beneath me. “I…I don’t understand. I was just walking to class, and then…”

“I know,” Elijah cut in. “This shouldn’t have happened.”

“What does that even mean?” I shouted, yanking my hand free for a second. “You’re acting like you knew this would happen!”

He turned to me, his eyes still glowing faintly. “Because I did.”

“What?”

He didn’t explain. Instead, he grabbed my hand again. “We don’t have time. They’ll come to their senses soon, and when they do, you won’t survive another minute in here.”

We burst through the double doors, into the parking lot. The cold air hit my face like a slap, and I finally realized I was shaking all over.

“Elijah,” I said, my voice breaking. “Tell me what’s going on. Are they…are they vampires or something?”

He didn’t answer right away. He just looked at me, his jaw tight, his expression unreadable.

“Something like that,” he muttered finally. “But right now, you just need to stay with me.”

I stared at him, the reality of what just happened crashing down like a wave. “You saved me. But…from what? What just…happened in there?”

He nodded once. “And I’ll explain later. But if you want to live, Liam, get in the car.”

I looked back toward the school doors. The faint sound of growling still echoed from inside. My stomach twisted. My entire body hurt from earlier, but I was running on an adrenalin high.

“Yeah,” I said quietly, swallowing hard. “Let’s go.”

I didn’t know whatever the hell I just faced, but I wasn’t just going to stand here and wait for those…things, to return for me to find out.

Elijah opened the car door for me, and as I slid inside, I caught one last glimpse of the hallway through the glass…red eyes glowing in the dark, watching us leave.

“What the hell was that?” I blurted as soon as Elijah got in to the car, slamming the door shut. My hands were shaking, my pulse all over the place. Outside, I could still see those things…those creatures, watching us, their eyes gleaming even in the dark. But the weird part? They all stepped back when Elijah passed. Like he owned the damn place.

“Get in the car,” he hissed, not even looking at me, his jaw tight.

“I am in the car!” I snapped, fumbling with the seatbelt. “Mind explaining what that was back there? Because it looked like…”

“Don’t,” he cut me off sharply, his voice like glass. “Just…don’t talk right now.”

The tires screeched as he pulled away, driving out of the parking lot with phenomenal speed. My mind couldn’t catch up with what I’d seen…the shapes, the eyes, the way the air had gone heavy like it was alive.

“Elijah,” I said again, louder this time. “You can’t just expect me to shut up and deal with it after what I went through! What the hell just happened? Who…what were those people? Animals? What…what on earth is going on?”

He didn’t answer. His hands were locked on the steering wheel, knuckles white, his eyes fixed on the road.

“Don’t ignore me!” I said. “I saw them, okay? I’m not crazy. They…”

“They saw you,” he muttered under his breath.

That shut me up. For a second. “What do you mean they saw me? Why would they…what does that even…”

“Liam,” he said, finally glancing at me. His tone had dropped, lower, quieter. “Do you really think that was a hallucination?”

I stared at him, trying to find some kind of joke in his face, but there wasn’t one. “I don’t know!” I said, almost laughing. “Because if it wasn’t, then I’m officially losing my damn mind!”

He exhaled sharply, slamming the brakes. The car swerved a little, making me wince in pain, before he parked at the side of the road. The silence afterward was deafening.

“Elijah,” I started, “what the hell are you doing…”

He turned toward me slowly, and that’s when I saw it. His eyes, those calm, dark eyes I knew…weren’t the same anymore. They glowed. A deep, burning red that didn’t look human at all.

I froze.

“Still think you’re losing your mind?” he asked quietly, his voice rougher, almost distorted.

I opened my mouth, but no sound came out. Just a shaky breath.

“Elijah,” I whispered, pressing myself back against the seat. “What the hell are you?”

He didn’t answer. He just looked at me, eyes burning with that same eerie red glow, the car engine idling low like a heartbeat between us…until his lips pulled back over his teeth, and I saw them.

Fangs.