CHAPTER 33: THE REAL ALLISON

Allison screamed at the top of her lungs as she fell into the abyss. The Demogorgon’s screeches and snarls also mixed in with her horrified screams. For a second, I thought that was it for her, but then the 300+ pound manhole cover came flying into the air straight at me.

I sidestepped it with ease, then refocused my attention back at the entrance of the tunnel where Allison was now standing. Her eyes were bloodshot as she stared daggers at me. I could feel the killing intent pouring off her in droves.

"Why the hell would you do that? What’s wrong with you?"

"Quit the act. You reek of silver."

Allison stared at me as if she had no idea what I was talking about, but I saw through her facade. But before we could continue with our discussion, the demogorgon leaped out of the tunnel and landed in front of us with a loud crash. A puff of dust kicked up as it landed.

It was right on time, as what I was waiting for arrived. I stared up at the full moon in the sky and felt a surge of energy enveloping me. A steady stream of orange aura enveloped my entire body.

[DING! Full moon effect is being initialized...]

[All your stats have been 2x. This effect will last for eight hours.]

Immediately, spiraling lines of orange tattoos covered my entire body as the black claws on my hand grew even longer. My entire facial features changed, with two pointed ears popping out of my head and a furry black tail emerging between my legs.

This was the first transformation the full moon granted me. Allison stood to the side, unaffected by the full moon, which only confirmed my suspicion. This wasn’t the real Allison.

The demogorgon didn’t even glance in her direction. It kept all its attention on me. To be honest, I was eager to see how I would fare against one of these creatures during a full moon. Now I had my chance. I took a deep breath, which caused a large amount of steam to be exhaled from my mouth.

This time, the demogorgon kept its distance from me, as if sensing something wasn’t quite right. It didn’t charge at me as it did before. But this time, it was my turn to attack first. With just a simple kick of my feet, I propelled through the air and was in front of the demogorgon in a matter of seconds. My first attack ripped through its chest and shattered its ribs.

The beast howled out in pain as I barely missed its heart. Its screams were that of a dying animal and the entire campus became enveloped in a feeling of dread from it. Its killing intent was dark and foul. Something that would make you puke your stomach out. It smelled like sulfur.

The beast tried to retreat, but before it could take a step, my next attack claimed one of its legs. In a frightening display of power, I ripped out its limbs as if it was nothing. I too was astonished by my strength. I was way stronger than the last full moon.

The demogorgon retaliated instantly and slashed at my face. I tilted my head and watched the attack flow past my face, then I kicked it in the stomach, sending it flying several meters back. The beast hit the ground with a loud thud.

For a second, I thought that was the end for the wretched thing, but in the next instant, it began climbing to its feet with black-colored blood pouring out of its wounds. The fake Allison watched it all unfold with wide eyes.

"How could you possibly be this strong?"

I ignored her question and instead focused my attention on the demogorgon, who was now back on its feet. The beast staggered on one leg, screeching with the ferocity of a dying animal. In a last-ditch attempt, the creature attacked, swinging at me with lethal ferocity, but I weaved through its attack seamlessly and planted my claws into its chest.

The demogorgon fell lifelessly as I ripped its heart out of its chest.

[Congratulations, you have slain Level 1 demogorgon.]

[You have ascended to level 9:

+20% Strength

+15% Agility

+15% Stamina

+25% Claw Sharpness

+15% Bite Force]

I stared at the black heart in my hand, still beating slightly. Allison stared at the heart too; she was almost salivating over it. But before she could utter a word, I plunged my fangs into it and devoured it whole. The black blood coming from the heart tasted like acid inside my mouth, but I paid no mind to it as I gulped it down.

[Congratulations, you have consumed the heart of a Level 1 Demogorgon.]

[Your skill Hellfire has been leveled up to Level 2:

Description: User can now convert the life force stolen from others to replenish his own stamina. This skill now siphons 20 HP on non-critical hits.

You have also gained the skill Ethereal Sight:

Description: This skill allows the user to see the life force of anyone they set their gaze on. This life force will be converted into digital numbers which the user can easily understand.]

As soon as I was done consuming the heart, my gaze fell to Allison. With my new skill, I could see her life force flickering in the corner of my peripheral vision: [HP: 120/120]

With the Hellfire skill siphoning 20 HP on non-critical hits, it would only take 6 scratches on her arms or legs to kill her. Noticing my calculating gaze, she instinctively flinched.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"How long do you plan to keep that form? Imitating my sister isn’t enough reason for me to not kill you."

"What are you talking about, Liam? It’s me, your sister, Allison. It’s the full moon, it’s messing with your head. It’s common to feel this way." She approached me but quickly stepped back when she saw my eyes flash orange.

"You’re Ivy, aren’t you? Why did you leave the group to come after me?"

"Ivy? Liam, please, you’re not making any sense. What can I do to convince you?"

"You think I won’t kill you just because you look like my sister? You reek of silver, and there is only one creature that carries that vile scent. You’re a shapeshifter," I said with absolute certainty.

I knew the moment the apocalypse started, supernatural creatures like myself would be popping out of the woodwork.

The girl who now looked like my sister didn’t deny it; instead, she asked:

"What makes you so certain?"

There were several reasons why I knew she wasn’t my sister. The first suspicion I had was back in the tunnel when I referenced the full moon happening soon, and she didn’t understand; even now, she stood unaffected by it. The other reason, and probably the most important one, was when I showed her the spider and she took it from my hand. The real Allison would rather throw herself off a cliff than go near a spider.

Out of all these reasons I had, the one I gave was the simple one.

"As I said, you reek of silver."

It was a well-known fact among werewolves that shapeshifters bore the scent of silver. The only reason the real Allison hadn’t picked up on this girl’s scent was because she was an idiot. Honestly, she deserved a chop over the head for not figuring it out.

Another fact about shapeshifters was that they were our natural predators. The ice attack she used before actually wasn’t ice; it was a crystal. If a werewolf gets hit by it, then it stays in their system, weakening them until they eventually die. It was a sickening process, leaving them covered in blood and their own guts by the time their body finally gave out.

The elders beat it into our skulls how frightening and dangerous these creatures actually were. They drilled it into our minds that we were to kill on sight if we ever smelled a trace of silver on a human being.

The fake Allison stared at me, and then her body began to take on a silvery tint. Her entire body looked as if it was molting, like a spider or a snake shedding its skin. Soon, she took on the image of the girl dressed in all black and a sly smile appeared on her face.

"So, what are you going to do now?"