A week has passed, and eventually the next weekend had arrived. During the week not much had actually happened. The Underdogs seemed to still be in his area, and he was thankful that no new fights were braking out because of it. At the same time Gary was unable to try gain exp because of this.
Still, there wasn’t as much worry on Gary’s mind as there usually would be. For one, he had around three more weeks until the next full moon, then the condition of his mother had also stabilised, and while it hadn’t improved, at least it hadn’t worsened either.
Progress on the business that Kai was planning to implement for the Howlers was going smoothly, and it would be ready to open soon. On top of that, the two of them had made up and cleared their ‘misunderstanding’, bringing them a little closer.
He also hadn’t had a run in with any more White Rose agents or the police force. His stress levels had pretty much been reduced to the level of a normal teenager. Of course, there was still the constant worry of money on his mind. Nevertheless, after he had paid the hospital bill for his mother, he at least wouldn’t have to worry about it for the time being.
In that regard, Kai had assured him that once the business was running they wouldn’t have to rely on those underground fights any more.
Today was a bright and shiny day, and Gary was waiting on his best friend, who he had neglected quite a bit over the last few days. While waiting, he was checking out his system, to see how close he was to getting stronger.
Aside from the money issue, there was one major problem that continued to stay on the back of his mind, and that was Billy. There hadn’t been any reports about him on the news for some time, but he had already killed more than once before. While the Omega wolf appeared to have ‘limited’ himself to only killing people he had a grudge against, there was no telling how long he would stay true to his principles. The more time passed, the higher the chance that more deaths would occur and the stronger he would get.
“I finally made it, but are you sure all of this is necessary?” Tom asked, as he arrived with two shopping bags full of food. At the same time, he had a large backpack on his back as well.
“Yeah, trust me, we’re going to need all of that.” Gary replied, as he picked up his own share of food himself, and his own backpack. The two of them then headed into the forest near the park, yet the green haired teenager had yet to explain what they intended to do today.
The two boys went deep into the forest, as far as they could go. Seeing the place, was causing Tom to flinch every time he heard an animal move. Ever since the night of the full moon, he hadn’t been in a forest. Although the one they were currently in wasn’t the same one that they had been attacked in, it still scared him.
The only reason why he was able to put up with it was because he felt it should be relatively safe during the day.
“Whoa, thank the heavens you’re not a vampire! Otherwise, I’m pretty sure you would have turned to dust from all this sun.”
Gary wasn’t really appreciating his best friend’s jokes right now. He might not be a vampire, but he wasn’t sure whether being a Werewolf was really any better. However, he didn’t say anything. The high schooler knew his best friend long enough, to be aware that this was just his way of coping with things.
“This tree looks like it will do, and I think we’re far enough away now.” Gary said, as he pointed towards one of the large trees with a thick trunk that was nearly the same width as an average person’s height.
“Are you going to finally tell me what we are doing here?” Tom asked, huffing and panting. Unlike Gary, he didn’t exactly have a supply of endless stamina, nor had ‘physically fit’ ever been something anyone had ever used to describe him.
The green haired teenager took out a pair of thick chains, the thickest ones he had been able to purchase. Tom had brought along a similarly effective lock following his best friend’s request, one he had borrowed from his parents’ storage unit.
“I’m going to try turning into my Werewolf Form.” Gary finally revealed. “I know it sounds crazy, but I need to learn how to control it, Tom. If I can learn how to control it, then we might not have to worry about the next full moon. It will also allow me to get rid of the other Omega wolf before he attacks again.”
“Get rid? What do you mean ‘get rid’? Are you saying you plan to kill him, Gary?!” Tom asked, completely baffled. His best friend didn’t answer away, yet his silence spoke volumes.
“Tom… I don’t want to keep lying to you… the truth is I was the one who created him. Outside of school, I got into a fight, and during that fight I bit him. I know that I was the reason that he turned into a Werewolf as well. Do you understand now? … I’m the one responsible for everything he has done! It’s because of me that you guys were in trouble that day! And it’s because of me that people have already died!
“So I have to do whatever I can to stop him. Yes, even if it means, I’ll have to kill him!”
While Tom was happy that Gary had finally decided to be a bit more honest with him, he still felt that there were things he was hiding from him. For one, his best friend hadn’t mentioned anything about his mother ending up at the hospital. Tom had only found out after doing his own research.
Because of this, he had quickly forgiven Gary for doing something so risky like gambling to get money. Fortunately, the other choosing to confide in him, made him hopeful that eventually his best friend would tell him everything.
‘When we’re out of school, Gary, I’ll help you. I’ll create a company of my own, and I’ll use all that money to help you!’ Tom swore to himself.
Aside from the fact that Gary lacked the money to buy everything himself, he had called Tom over because he couldn’t tie himself up on his own. He also couldn’t lock himself, and in case they survived, unlock himself, either.
Having learned from last time, there were far more chains than on the night of the full moon. Tied around the whole tree, then cuffs around his arms that linked to chains with spikes that were hammered deep into the other tree’s nearby. At the end, Gary’s phone had been set up on a tripod of sorts away from him, so everything would be filmed.