My Werewolf System - Chapter 1787 The Body in the Dark

Chapter 1787  The Body in the Dark

True to their cold word, the three ancient vampires had decided to leave. There wasn’t much discussion or lingering hesitation among them when the uneasy alliance finally broke apart; there simply wasn’t anything left to say. They turned their backs on the subway entrance and disappeared into the ruined streets.

“Are you absolutely sure that’s going to be okay?” Innu asked, tightening his grip on his weapons as he watched the vampires vanish. “I thought you desperately wanted to track down and deal with Midwak yourself.”

“You’re right. I do,” Gary answered, his voice heavy with exhaustion and duty. “But when we look at the desperate situation right in front of us… I simply can’t leave these innocent people here to die. Besides, Midwak has already had a lot of chances to change his path… and I’m the foolish one that kept giving him those chances.”

Gary looked down the dark stairwell, his eyes in the shadows.

“That’s exactly why I wanted to be the one to finish him off if it came down to it. I feel entirely responsible for what he’s become. But right now, what’s more important is protecting those who can actually be saved.”

Down on the dim subway platform, the terrified civilians had started to frantically pack their scattered belongings, gathering whatever they could carry. Kai had firmly explained to them not to take anything too bulky, as heavy bags would fatally slow them down if they suddenly needed to run from a pack of Gluttons.

Sleeping equipment and heavy blankets could always be scavenged and replaced later, and the larger, fortified shelter they were heading to would likely have extra supplies anyway.

Despite the clear instructions, Kai had to sternly remind a few of the panicking survivors multiple times that they were carrying too many items. He was rapidly losing his patience, growing incredibly frustrated with the entire disorganized ordeal.

“Hey… are we really going to be okay?” one of the older women whispered nervously to her neighbor, clutching a stuffed duffel bag. “Three of those strong fighters just decided to leave us, right? So now there are fewer Altereds here to protect us. Can these young kids really handle those monsters outside by themselves?”

“I’m honestly not sure either,” the man beside her muttered back, his eyes darting toward the stairs. “But is it safer to travel with these guys or stay down here waiting to be eaten? It looks like most people are packing up to move, so we should at least stick with the herd. The larger we are in sheer numbers, the better our odds, right?”

Hearing the escalating chatter and the seeds of paralyzing doubt spreading through the crowd, Kai stepped up onto a concrete bench and clapped his hands loudly, the sharp sound echoing through the station.

“Listen up! We are officially leaving this platform in ten minutes maximum!” Kai shouted, his authoritative voice cutting through the panic. “You can either stubbornly try to gather every single heavy piece of junk that you own and die down here… or you can drop the bags and come with us to live! Make your choice!”

The harsh reality check kicked the stalling group into gear. While the final, frantic preparations were being made, Gary stepped away from the crowd to secure the rest of the perimeter. That’s when he noticed Luzen standing completely still near the edge of the platform, staring intently down into the pitch-black abyss of the subway tunnel.

“What’s going on?” Gary asked, walking over quietly. “Why are you staring down the tracks?”

“There was a distinct scent lingering down there in the dark,” Luzen replied, his voice dropping to a low, serious whisper. “So I went a few yards in to follow it and see what it was. It’s a dead body.”

“Down in the tunnel? Did someone just tragically die from their previous wounds, or maybe starvation or something?” Gary wondered, his brow furrowing.

Luzen slowly shook his head.

“It was incredibly recent; I can tell that much just from the metallic tang in the air. There is a slightly different, stale smell the longer a body stays out,” Luzen explained clinically. “The fact that it’s deliberately placed deep inside a subway tunnel like this… it makes me think that the corpse was intentionally hidden on purpose.”

Gary nodded, and the two of them hopped down off the platform, walking quietly along the rusted tracks to look at the body together. When Gary’s enhanced vision adjusted to the gloom, he could clearly see a deep, fatal cut right across the victim’s neck.

It was an impossibly sharp, clean laceration. It looked exactly like it had been surgically done with a razor-sharp blade.

“This doesn’t look like it was done by one of the mindless Glutton Werewolves. It wouldn’t look this clean and precise if a feral beast had attacked him, right?” Gary asked, a cold knot forming in his stomach. “So… was it done by one of our allies?”

“I definitely have my educated guesses,” Luzen said, his eyes narrowing in the dark. “Didn’t you think it was incredibly strange that Rowa just randomly burst down into this station by himself in the first place? That ancient vampire has never cared about the wellbeing of innocent people, and he should know perfectly well by now that we aren’t going to carelessly set up any type of trap against him.

“What if Rowa used that flimsy excuse to dash down here… just so he could secretly assassinate this specific person in the shadows?”

Before they could theorize any further, the crunch of gravel echoed behind them. One of the male citizens had nervously walked over to the edge of the platform, peering down into the dark tunnel.

“Hey, excuse me,” the man called out hesitantly. “Your blonde friend is asking if you guys are ready to leave. Everyone else is nearly packed up.”

“Quick question for you,” Luzen asked as he turned around, stepping slightly aside so the man could see past him. “Did you happen to know this guy?”

The civilian slowly walked closer, squinting into the dim light. As he did, he could finally see the crumpled, bloody figure they wanted him to look at. Thankfully, the paralyzing shock of seeing dead bodies was long gone for the hardened survivors of Centerfield.

“Ah… wait, isn’t that the ex-Altered Hunter that was staying with us?” the man said, rubbing his chin in confusion. “That’s incredibly strange. I thought he had gone out with the scavenging group hours ago to try and attack the creatures? Did he manage to survive and come back through another entrance down the tunnels? But then… why is he lying dead down here?”

The civilian’s eyes suddenly went wide with fresh terror.

“Don’t tell me… are the creatures already creeping around down here in the tunnels?!”

“No, don’t worry about that. The tunnels are clear,” Gary reassured him quickly, stepping in front of the body to block the man’s view. “And thank you for the information. Let’s just get going. Stay close to the center of the group, and don’t worry… we’ll protect you all.”

The man nodded frantically and jogged back toward the stairs.

Left alone in the dark again, Luzen and Gary looked at each other. They both had the exact same, chilling thought running through their heads.

What the f*ck was really going on?

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