The Shapeshifter | Deleted Chapters

39

"Oooooow!" Feng cried out as she was thrown onto a meat hook with harsh force. She had been caught in one of the halls and had been swarmed down by crows. Luckily it was only her first hook, but Felix had been on twice and Meg once.

She was yet to see their fourth teammate, but after a run in with Meg, she had been told it was indeed the man Mikaela ran into in the forest. Feng tried to block out the searing pain under her clavicle by thinking about the short talk with Meg.

The woman said she learnt the basics about where he came from, but she didn't tell Feng since the Artist came scrambling after them after catching Meg with a dire crow. It was then that the athlete had been hooked.

Four gens had been done so far, meaning the odds were in their favour. If they were lucky, someone would be doing the last gen, one would be looping the killer, and one would be coming to rescue her.

But then a sound she didn't want to hear echoed out, resonating through the hallways and scattering all around her. Meg screamed, indicating she had been knocked down. Feng grimaced as her hope started to dwindle on edge. Someone needed to help her and fast, otherwise their pressure would be diminished.

Like an answer to her prayers, light clicks began to move across the floor or the school, getting louder and louder. It took her a second to realise they were footsteps. She weakly turned her head to the side, eyeing the corner that lead to the stairs with happiness.

But as the smooth fur coat of the animal she had encountered in the forest came to view, her heart skipped a beat. What was it doing here? Oh, no. What if the killer hurt the poor thing?

"Hey- What are you doing here?" Feng said immediately with wide eyes. She started grabbing at the hook and trying to wiggle her way off, but she only succeeded in increasing the Entity's hunger.

The animal looked up at her blankly, then turned to the hook. It jumped up, climbing the odd material until reaching the metallic hook piece. Its jaws bit around it, then hummed at Feng.

She didn't get the message, but by continuing her previous actions, she seemed to succeed in appeasing the animal. As she went to swing forward one final time, the animal pulled back on the hook and she sprang free, landing down on her feet with a gasp. It had worked!

"Thanks, buddy." Feng crouched down to rub the creature's face. The animal flinched a little but rumbled calmly. The woman chuckled, kissing the end of its snout before standing back up and looking into the distance. Meg was still on a hook and the Entity had begun to claw at her as it starved for its meal.

With an exhale, Feng looked back down at her feet, but she found the floor empty. Her head turned to look down the hall, and she could've sworn she saw the faint image of the wolf fading into the distance. She didn't have time to go running after it, otherwise Meg could die. And so, against her feelings, she made her way towards the hook.

Once Meg had been unhooked, Feng quickly healed her up to her prime with a thankful sigh. Unfortunately, in the time that had taken, Felix had been knocked down again and was currently being swallowed up by the Entity's claws.

"Have you seen the new guy?" Meg asked as the two crept through one of the upstairs classrooms. They were in search of a generator, but with how much of a maze the realm could be, they had no clue where to look.

"No. But somehow that wolf got dragged in here with us. I hope the killer doesn't find him..." Feng said in a dejected tone. The idea of the creature being hurt or even killed made her heart drop into her stomach. As two dire crows screeched out, flying through a distant wall, they jumped in their boots.

"That's odd." Meg muttered as she returned to the other woman's words. She had so many questions in contrast to the minimal answers she held. Meg vaulted over a window into the next room before Feng copied. There was a blinking light overhead and the machinery to go with it was in the corner.