59Chapter 24
I fell to the ground. The transformation began…
I'm tired of being what you want me to be
Feeling so faithless
Lost under the surface…
The first thing I noticed was the wolf's mind leaving my own. It felt so good to have my own mind again…
I don't know what you're expecting of me
Put under the pressure
Of walking in your shoes…
Then I started to loose hair. Fur was sucked up into the skin, leaving me a strange dog-like being with no hair and gigantic muscles.
[Caught in the undertow, just caught in the undertow]
Every step that I take is another mistake to you…
[Caught in the undertow, just caught in the undertow]
I started to shrink. Enlarged muscles were sapped of any enhancement, leaving the normal-sized ones in their place.
I've become so numb
I can't feel you there
Become so tired
So much more aware
It was almost over. My nose started to shrink down, along with my "claws" and fangs.
I'm becoming this
All I want to do
Is be more like me
And be less like you…
Then there was another wave of exhaustion. And suddenly, the skin on my right arm split open! Without the supernatural healing powers, the scratch had to return to its normal healing procedure…
Can't you see that you're smothering me?
Holding too tightly,
Afraid to lose control…
The searing pain made me cry out, and then I fell unconscious.
'Cause everything that you thought I would be
Has fallen apart right in front of you…
[Caught in the undertow, just caught in the undertow]
Every step that I take is
Another mistake to you…
[Caught in the undertow, just caught in the undertow]
And every second I waste
Is more than I can take…
I slept for so long… I don't know how I knew, I just did. I wondered if I'd ever wake up…
And I know
I may end up failing too…
But I know
You were just like me
With someone disappointed in you…
After a long time, I felt water on my face. Someone was trying to wake me up. But it felt so distant…
I've become so numb
I can't feel you there
Become so tired
So much more aware
I'm becoming this
All I want to do
Is be more like me
And be less like you…
"Come on, Adam, wake up! Come on, don't die on us…"
But why? It was so much easier just to lay here…forever…
I've become so numb
I can't feel you there
(Tired of being what you want me to be…)
Some of the water got into my throat. I started coughing.
I've become so numb
I can't feel you there
(Tired of being what you want me to be…)
My eyes opened. We were still in the forest. Jeff and Bryan were kneeling on either side of me. Jeff's hands were wet.
"Adam?" he said, almost disbelievingly.
I coughed again. "Yeah. I'm okay." Both of them gave a sigh of relief. I started to sit up.
My clothes were a complete mess. There were tears where the muscles had stretched the fabric too far. My shoes were gone, leaving me barefoot to walk out of the forest.
But I was human. And that made me very happy.
"Where'd Nate go?" I asked.
"He ran off," Jeff answered, "right after Bryan came. Wanted to take advantage of a distraction."
I didn't think much on it. Jeff and Bryan helped me get up, since I was still exhausted. They helped me walk back to the path.
Where we met Nate—holding the knife.
He doesn't know it's gone, I realized. He still thinks I'm the werewolf.
"Nate—" I started, but he didn't let me talk.
"Get away from me!" he shouted, holding the knife in front of him. "Don't come any closer!"
"Nate," Bryan tried, "he's not—"
"What do you mean, 'He's not the werewolf anymore'? How do you know that's the real Adam?"
"Because," Jeff chipped in, "he—"
"No!" Nate said. "No! You're just trying to defend him! He's probably tricked you into thinking he's not a werewolf anymore, just to stay alive!"
"Nate," Bryan said, starting to walk up to him, "I'm really sorry I have to do this, but…"
Nate shifted his arm towards Bryan, but Bryan grabbed his wrist, twisted it, grabbed the knife, knocked out Nate's legs, and then knocked him out with the handle of the knife.
Jeff and I stared at him, unsure of whether we should be thankful or frightened.
"I took karate a few years ago," Bryan explained. "I still remember some of it."
"Okay…"
I got home safely. The next few days (which were the weekend), I just tried to rest. My arm had to heal, too.
All three of us were just glad it was over. And I was glad I was back. No more having to minds in my head.
But the wolf had left a little memento.
For one obvious thing, I now had a large scar on my right arm. And a slightly different, more subtle thing, as well…
My eyes were now blue, replacing the original hazel.
A/N: Well, it's over! I'm not really happy with this chapter, but I'll see what you guys say. Now I just have to do the epilogue. Sorry about the italics of the last chapter and most definitely this chapter. Hopefully you've been able to distinguish the lyrics from the story. The lyrics are, of course, from "Numb" by Linkin Park.