Supernatural Awakening

Chapter 4: The Brainless Worm

1:00 AM.

The silence in the convenience store was absolute.

Normally, the store had a rhythm. The hum of the slushie machine, the buzz of the lights, the occasional rattle of the door as the wind hit it. But tonight, the world felt muted. Even the rain outside seemed to be falling on a soundproof glass.

Caleb stood behind the counter, staring into the dark. His enhanced senses, usually a burden, were now screaming at him.

Something is wrong.

He could hear... nothing. No stray cats in the alley. No distant sirens. No drunken arguments from the bar down the street. It was as if a dome of silence had been placed over the block.

"Just paranoia," Caleb muttered, wiping down the counter for the tenth time. "You're a vampire-wolf hybrid. Of course you're jumpy."

He looked at the security monitor. The black-and-white feed showed the empty street. Rain slashed across the lens, distorting the image.

Then, he saw it.

On the screen, a figure walked past the store.

They moved with a strange, gliding gait. No bobbing of the head, no natural sway of the hips. Just a smooth, linear slide.

They were holding an umbrella. Even on the monochrome monitor, Caleb could tell it was bright. He looked up, through the plate glass window, and saw the color.

Red. Blood red.

"A red umbrella?" Caleb frowned. "Jenna has a red umbrella."

He leaned closer to the glass. The figure was wearing a long trench coat, collar popped high. They stopped under the streetlight at the corner—the same direction Jenna had walked hours ago.

Caleb focused his eyes. His vision zoomed in, the iris contracting like a camera lens.

The person under the umbrella wasn't moving their arms. They weren't breathing. There was no puff of condensation in the cold air.

And there was no sound.

Thump... Thump...

Caleb heard his own slow heart. But from the street? Nothing. No heartbeat. No pulse. Just the wet slap of rain on pavement.

Memory flashed in his mind. The news report: Twelve missing people. No bodies found.

Then Jenna’s smile. 'Thanks, Caleb. You're a lifesaver.'

Crack!

Thunder shook the building. The lights in the store flickered and died for a second before buzzing back on.

In that flash of darkness, Caleb saw the figure turn. They didn't turn their head; their entire torso rotated like a mannequin. They were facing the direction of the residential block. Jenna’s block.

"No."

Caleb grabbed his phone and dialed Jenna’s number.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

"The subscriber is unavailable or out of coverage area."

"Pick up, pick up, pick up," Caleb hissed.

Silence.

Fear, cold and sharp, spiked in his chest. Logic told him to stay inside. He was a cashier, not a cop. He had powers, sure, but he had never thrown a punch in his life. If that thing out there was a monster, he would likely get slaughtered.

"Safety Bureau number is 999," Caleb recited. "Call them. Lock the door. Hide."

He looked at the phone. He looked at the rain.

If he called the cops, they would take ten minutes. Ten minutes was a lifetime.

"Dammit!"

Caleb slammed the phone onto the counter. He vaulted over the partition, his movements unnaturally fluid. He didn't bother grabbing a coat. He kicked the glass door open, shattering the lock, and sprinted into the storm.

Rooftop of the Helios Building - Overlooking the Street

"Target acquired. The Host is moving toward the residential zone."

"Copy that. Kill team is in position."

On the edge of a skyscraper, the wind whipped violently, but the girl sitting on the gargoyle didn't seem to notice. She was small, wearing a bright pink and blue cyberpunk bomber jacket that seemed to glow in the dark. She swung her legs back and forth over the deadly drop, popping a piece of bubblegum.

This was Jinx. Agent 09 of the Special Group.

She held a tablet in one hand, watching the thermal feed of the street below.

"Oh?" Jinx raised an eyebrow. "Interesting."

"What is it, Ma'am?" a voice crackled in her earpiece.

"The civilian. The kid from the store. He’s chasing it."

Jinx zoomed in on the thermal signature. A glowing red figure was sprinting through the blue rain, moving at speeds that would shame an Olympic sprinter.

"He’s fast," Jinx noted. "Raw speed. No technique. He runs like a panicked deer, but... fast."

"Civilian interference," the voice said. "Should we intercept?"

Jinx flipped through the dossier in her other hand.

Target: Brainless Worm.

Threat: Parasitic Infection.

Difficulty: E-Rank.

"Nah," Jinx smiled, revealing a mischievous dimple. "Let him cook. Scarlett thinks this kid has potential. Let’s see if he’s a diamond in the rough or just another dead body."

"But Ma'am, the target is a Level 3 Parasite. If he engages..."

"If he dies, he dies," Jinx said, standing up on the gargoyle. She pulled a massive, silver Hand Cannon from her holster. "But if he survives? We might have a new recruit."

She blew a massive pink bubble, let it burst, and stepped off the ledge, diving headfirst into the rain-slicked night.