CHAPTER TWO: GOLDEN EYES

kept on running till I ran out of breath.The most strange thing I’ve ever seen.The image sticker to the back of my mind.Karl’s face twisted in a monstrous mask,his eyes glowing with feral gold.Every shadow seemed to writhe,Every sound echoed with rasp of his distorted voice.Was this real or I was trapped in some kind of nightmare.

  I came out of the gym and kept on running across campus,the cold night air didn’t help calm down the panic that had its claws on me.I didn’t know where I was going to but I kept running,I needed to get away.Away from all that strange thing I saw,away from Karl and whatever it is in that locker room.

Finally i appeared in front of my dorms,my dorms was my sanctuary. My cluttered space filled with familiar scents old books and stale dates.I slammed the door and put the locks immediately 

and shoved my desk chair against the handle for good measure. Then I rushed to the window, yanking the curtains close,making myself feel safe in my little space.

“Phew safe for now”

I dropped down onto my bed, my body shaking uncontrollably. The adrenaline was starting to wear off slowly,replaced by serious exhaustion and a terrible sense of dread. What did I just see?

My fingers shaking seriously as I reached for my phone,my mind racing.

 “There had to be an explanation for what I have just seen seriously,a rational explanation”. He said speaking to himself.Maybe it was a hallucination, a side effect of stress. Or maybe…maybe it was real.

I typed "werewolves" into my search engine, my heart pounding in my chest. The screen filled with a barrage of websites, ranging from scholarly articles to cartoonish horror stories. I scrolled through looking for live results, feeling a growing sense of unease. Could it be possible? Could werewolves actually exist? I kept searching to find out.

The images from the locker room refused to leave my head,they sticked to my mind,going through every corner: the shifting bones, the tearing skin, the burning gold eyes. No, that couldn't be real. Could it? 

My phone kept  buzzing on the nightstand. I glanced at the screen. It was Karl.

My breath hitched in my throat. I stared at the phone, my fingers moving  around the answer button. I really wanted to ignore it, to pretend the whole thing never happened and go mute and avoid him,But another part…another part of him was drawn to him, curious, compelled to understand and craving to see more.

“Let it ring” 

I heard a soft knock echo’s from the main entrance door inside my room, sending a jolt of fear through my veins. I didn’t move, pretending not to hear anything.

The knocking continued persistently , growing louder, more insistent and irritating."Liam? It's me, Karl. Please, let me in,I can explain.

   His voice was very low, pleading. It sounded…vulnerable. The monster from the locker room was gone, replaced by the familiar, achingly familiar, voice of the guy I had been admiring from afar for months and my heart started melting.

I hesitated, then slowly, cautiously, removed the chair from the door and unlocked the locks. I took a deep breath and opened it.

Karl stood in the hallway, his shoulders slumped, his eyes filled with a mixture of pain and regret of something . He looked…lost. "Can I come in?" he asked softly with a worried face.

   I nodded numbly, stepping aside to let him enter inside. He moved with a hesitant grace, like a wounded animal. The air was filled with  unspoken tension, a strange energy that made the hairs on my arms stand on end.

He didn't meet my gaze, instead staring at the floor. "I…I know what you saw," he spoke in a very low tone , his voice barely a whisper. "And I know it must have been terrifying okay?."

   

   I cleared my throat dry so I could speak up. "What…what was that?" I managed to ask, my voice shaking and worried.

   He sighed, running a hand through his wet hair that had a weird stench. "It's…complicated," he said evasively."It's a condition, a rare medical condition in the family.It causes…changes."

"Changes? That was more than just 'changes,' Karl,why are you speaking like it’s not serious 

I exclaimed, my voice rising in panic. "You turned into…into something else."

He flinched, his eyes flashing with pain. "I know," he said softly. "And I'm so sorry you had to see that for real."

He looked up at me then, his eyes pleading. "Please, Liam, you have to believe me.I beg you.I didn't want this to happen. I didn't want you to see me like that ever."

  He kept on begging and begging.I stared at him, searching his face for any sign of deception. But all I saw was pain,hurta, raw pain that resonated with something inside me. Despite my fear, despite my confusion and unanswered questions. I couldn't deny the connection I felt towards him. It was like a string, invisible but attached to both of our heads , binding us together.

"What kind of condition is this Karl?" I asked, my voice softer now.

 He hesitated, then took a deep breath. "It's a…..genetic thing ," he said slowly. "It runs in my family. It's…difficult to explain."

 "Calm down and talk” I urged, my curiosity overriding my fear.

He looked at me, his eyes filled with a mixture of hope and fear. "It's something I've been trying to control my whole entire life," he said softly. "Something I've been trying to hide from the world."

A shiver ran down my spine. "Hide ?"

Karl's expression changed. “From everybody” he said, he sounded so serious . “You can’t tell anyone about this please, Liam. No one will listen if they see that side of me.They wouldn't believe anybody. And they will…might…want to… to hurt me."

The words sent chills down through my spine,I was in shock .I thought to myself that this wasn’t just about Karl’s personal struggles; it was about something strange,something much more dangerous and something much bigger than us all.

  I felt like I needed to be there or support in the best that I can. “I won’t say anything to anyone” I promised my voice nearly making a whisper.

   He gave me a smile , his gaze softening. “Thank you so much” he said, he was so grateful from his voice I could tell. He turned to leave, then hesitated, glancing back at me. “Just…be careful, Liam. This world….is not what we think it is.Keep your guard up” 

  As he moved towards the walkway to get the door, his sleeve pulled him back unexpectedly , revealing a glimpse of something tattooed on his left arm: a dark,uncommon strange symbol that looked vaguely Celtic, and utterly unsettling and weird.

  What is that,What does it mean and what am i putting myself into?