The woods were too quiet now. Not even the wind dared to move.
Then—
A shadow lunged from the trees.
Before either of them could react, the back door of the car was flung open. A man dressed in black shoved his way in, eyes locked on Sam, but the knife in his hand went straight into Tim.
It sank deep into his side—between his ribs.
Tim gasped in shock, a strangled sound tearing from his throat as blood poured instantly from the wound. His body stiffened, then collapsed against the car. Sam screamed, but the man turned to her, eyes cold and deadly.
"I told you to come alone," he hissed, voice sharp like glass.
Tim's head snapped toward Sam.
He had heard it.
The pain in his eyes turned into disbelief, then rage.
"You…" he croaked, clutching his side as blood soaked his fingers. "You… betrayed me?"
His voice dropped into a roar—loud, guttural, monstrous. It didn't sound human. He surged forward, but the man drove the knife into him again—this time higher, near his heart.
Tim screamed so loudly the birds flew out of the trees. His voice broke halfway, and the rest came out as a hoarse whisper. He dropped to his knees.
Sam fumbled with her phone, her hands shaking wildly.
She pressed Alva's name.
"I'm sorry, Alva… please… come to the woods," she cried, voice cracking before the call ended.
The man's eyes narrowed. "Who did you just call?" he growled.
She shook her head fast, refusing to answer.
He raised the knife again. "Tell me, or I swear—"
But he never finished.
Because Tim stood up.
And he wasn't Tim anymore.
With a roar, he slammed the man to the ground and punched him so hard his nose shattered. Then again. And again. His fists were a blur—blood splattering across the car, the grass, his own clothes.
When the man stopped moving, Tim rose slowly. He turned to Sam.
His eyes were glowing.
Not brown anymore. One eye was a blazing red, the other an icy blue.
They weren't eyes of a man—they were the eyes of a monster who'd been betrayed.
He walked toward her, limping, dripping blood, his face pale and twisted with heartbreak.
"How… could you?" he asked, tears mixing with sweat and blood. "How could you do this to me?"
"I-I… I'm sor—Tim, I didn't mean to—"
He suddenly roared and punched the side mirror of the car. The glass exploded, slashing his knuckles. Blood dripped from his hand like water.
Then something changed.
He saw his reflection in the broken mirror. The creature staring back wasn't Tim. It wasn't human.
And it scared him.
He turned toward Sam again, but this time, his stare was blank—cold. Without a word, he reached out and wrapped his hand around her throat.
"Tim!" she gasped, clawing at his hand. "Tim, you're hurting me—please!"
But he couldn't hear her voice anymore. It was like it didn't reach him.
She was no longer Sam.
She was just… the one who betrayed him.
His grip tightened. Her feet left the ground.
Then—shouts.
Voices.
Four men rushed out from the woods, dressed like the first attacker.
Tim turned, snarled like an animal, and threw Sam to the ground. She hit the dirt hard, coughing and crying as she tried to crawl away.
But Tim had already launched himself at the men.
He was faster than any of them expected.
He broke one man's arm with a single twist. The other tried to swing a bat—Tim ducked and slammed his elbow into the guy's throat. Another charged from behind—Tim turned and bit him. Blood poured from the man's shoulder.
It wasn't a fight.
It was a massacre.
When it was over, all four men were on the ground—moaning or unconscious. Tim stood in the middle of them, his chest heaving, his skin glowing faintly with heat.
Sam tried to run.
But Tim turned and caught her by the arm. She screamed, falling to her knees, hands raised.
"Tim… please… please, this isn't you…"
He stared down at her, lips curled back slightly, like he didn't even know who she was anymore.
Then—
"TIM!!" a voice thundered.
It was Cody.
And beside him was Alva, eyes wide with horror.
Cody ran forward, heart pounding. But when he saw Tim's face—those unnatural eyes, the blood dripping from his fingers—he froze.
"Tim…" Sam whispered, tears already running down her cheeks. "No… please…"
Tim turned to Cody, body trembling. His muscles were still flexed. His hands were shaking with rage.
Cody stepped forward slowly, ignoring the blood, ignoring the danger.
"Babe…" Sam said softly. " Please. Whatever this is, it's not you."
But Tim's lips curled again. Without warning, he grabbed Sam and flung her into a tree branch like she was nothing.
She crashed into it with a scream, her body falling limp beside it.
Alva screamed.
Cody's face went pale.
Tim walked toward Cody now, slow but steady.
"Get out of here," Tim said in a voice that was deep and strange, like a hundred voices layered on top of each other.
"Whatever you see tonight… just know, it's a nightmare."cody said to Alva.He didn't move. He stood his ground.
"Tim," he said again. "Look at me."
Tim hesitated. For a second, the rage faltered. His lips parted, as if something—someone—inside him was fighting to come back.
Cody walked closer. "When did you wake up like this?" he asked, gently, even as Tim swung at him.
He dodged.
"I said—WHEN?" Cody shouted again, still not backing down.
"Not long ago…" Tim murmured, his voice cracking.
Cody moved quickly—swift like a trained fighter. He ducked under Tim's next swing and tackled him from behind, pinning him to the ground.
"Alva! look backward" Cody yelled.
But Tim shoved him off, eyes glowing brighter now.
He stood up again.
This time, he wasn't coming for Sam.
He was coming for Cody—the one he loved most.
And Cody knew…
If he didn't stop him now, they would all be lost.