The End Foreseen

chapter nine

We follow him inside. The air is thick with tension as we stand in the kitchen, waiting for an explanation.

Jerome finally exhales, running a hand through his hair. "I guess I owe you guys an explanation..." He meets our gazes. "I'm a werewolf. And that man outside? He’s part of my pack."

Ana stares at him in shock. "What?"

"Remember that job I mentioned? The one for my dad?" Jerome asks. She nods. "Well, that was it. This man—Darius—is my cousin. He was supposed to be quarantined, but he lost control. I was meant to track him down."

I exhale. "Werewolves..." The word feels strange, but oddly, it makes sense.

Ana steps closer to Jerome, her fingers tightening around his hand. "I'm just glad you're okay. Did you get hurt?" she asks, scanning his blood-streaked body with concern.

He glances down at his body and smiles faintly. "No, baby. It's not my blood. Darius was too far gone to land a hit. When a werewolf loses control, they get stuck between forms—it’s agonizing.”

He puts a hand on Ana's cheek and says, “Are YOU ok?”

Ana nods, eyes glistening as she pulls him into a tight embrace. The weight of the moment is broken by the low rumble of Jerome’s stomach. Ana lets out a small, relieved giggle, and we return to our now-cold pizza. As we eat, Jerome tells us more about Darius and their pack.

Later, Jerome and Ana retreat upstairs for a much-needed shower, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I decide to clean up the dishes, my gaze drifting toward the shed as I contemplate the night’s revelations. Darius is sick, but from what? My mother taught me about medicinal herbs before she was taken away—maybe I can help him. It’s not much, but at least I can try to make him comfortable.

I head upstairs to my room, turning on the light before walking over to the window. I open it, letting the crisp autumn air fill my lungs. My gaze lingers on the shed once more, sympathy washing over me. How much suffering had he endured? I whisper a silent prayer for him, hoping the gods will be merciful. Tomorrow, I’ll see if I can help.

The forest is eerily still. Clouds drift in, swallowing the moon and cloaking the world in darkness. A soft breeze brushes against my face, and in it, I hear a bodiless whisper: I have heard you, child.

A wave of relief and comfort washes over me. My exhaustion is catching up, my limbs growing heavier. I barely manage to drag myself to bed before sleep claims me.

Tonight, I find myself standing beneath a sky churning with fast-moving clouds. They carry an oppressive energy, thick with menace and foreboding. A suffocating darkness presses in around me, and in the surrounding forest, I see them—dozens of glowing eyes watching, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

My body lifts from the ground, rising effortlessly into the air. Above the clouds, a monstrous ship looms, larger than anything I’ve ever seen. Its deck teems with horrors—nightmarish creatures of every shape and form. At the helm stands a tall, wiry man, his long blonde hair whipping wildly in the wind.

Behind the ship, a tsunami towers into the sky, stretching higher than any wave I’ve ever seen. Within it, a serpent’s massive head emerges, its endless body twisting violently, sending shockwaves that make the earth tremble.

The landscape shifts beneath me. Sunlight floods the world as I descend into the heart of Phoenix. My mother and cousin stand beside me, but a terrible fear seizes in my chest. When I turn, I see them—an endless horde of undead surging toward us.

We run. The sky above is filled with spirits, their wails merging into an otherworldly symphony. We’re trapped, caught between two impossible forces. I clutch my family tightly, urging them to trust me as the sun vanishes. Just as doom seems inevitable, a brilliant light erupts around us, engulfing everything in its glow. And then, miraculously, the hordes pass by—completely unaware of our existence.

I wake to a dimly lit room, the cold wind sneaking in through the open window. A raven perches on the sill, its dark eyes meeting mine before it lets out a single, echoing caw and takes flight. Shivering, I cross the room, pulling the window shut before wrapping myself tightly in my blanket.

Outside, thick storm clouds loom over the landscape, reminding me of my dream. Yet, as I take a deep breath, something feels different. I note that I woke up without a splitting headache again. In appreciation, I say a small thank you to the gods.

I run my fingers over my bind rune, feeling a subtle hum of energy beneath my touch. Absent-mindedly, I sit in a seat near the window, listening as the heater kicks on, feeling the warm air blowing into my room. ‘My ability has been coming easier than it has before,’ I think, ’Maybe my reluctance to accept it in the past had something to do with the pain I was enduring.’

‘No matter what the reason, I have to use this to protect the people I love. If I can’t do that, then what’s the point? I need to start keeping track of my visions, ensuring I don’t miss anything crucial.’

Grabbing my phone, I open my notes app and begin typing out every detail I can remember from the past three days.

An alert suddenly pops up—a list of cities to be subjected to a mass quarantine. My stomach tightens as I click on the notification. The announcement states that civilians are prohibited from entering or leaving these locations due to a severe COVID outbreak.