Chapter 48 - "I Feel The Bloodlust Overwhelm Me"

Some of the teenagers went into the water, while others just sat around talking, waiting for the time to pass.

After a while, Ethan stood up, walking towards the reserve, to observe nature.

He saw those giant trees that prevented the sun from entering the forest, leaving a haunted atmosphere. Ethan could also hear the sound of small birds singing and flying through the trees.

He took small steps into the forest, not straying far, as he looked at the details of the reserve. Then one of Jacob's friends appeared right behind him.

"What are you doing?" He asked Ethan.

"I'm just looking at the reservation!". Ethan replied, turning to Jacob's friend.

"You're Ethan, right?". He asked.

"Yes, I am. And you're the...?" Ethan asked back.

"I'm Paul. Nice to meet you!". Paul replied, extending his hand toward Ethan, who greeted him. "Sorry about Jacob's rudeness earlier. He's going through puberty, you know!" He added, laughing.

"It's okay! I was like that a few years ago too." Ethan replied with a laugh.

"You just moved in a little while ago?" Paul asked.

"Yes, I did. I moved here with my mom. Not even a month ago, I think." Ethan replied, unassuming.

"For a moment, I thought you were one of the Cullen brothers!". Paul said, laughing.

"What? Why? Do I look like them?" Ethan asked, curious.

"Your eyes... They're different, just like theirs!". Paul replied, staring at Ethan.

"Oh, no! That comes from my dad, but I don't even know him!". Ethan looked away.

"Well, you better not go too far. There are dangerous animals there! The reserve is huge!". Paul said, patting Ethan on the back and walking back over to the others.

It was then that Ethan had an idea. He wasn't ready to face vampires or werewolves, but maybe killing some small animals would help him improve his skills.

So the day passed and Ethan went home.

When he arrived, the day was already dark. He found a note from Enid on the table, just like the other times:

"Hi, Ethan. I'm sorry about earlier today! I don't want us to fight anymore. I bought you a snack and some ice cream for dinner as an apology. I love you very much, son! Love: Mom.

Ethan looked at the note and gave a dull smile. He wasn't upset that they were fighting, but he didn't understand why Enid was hiding his past from him so much.

Ethan hurried up the stairs and headed toward the closet in his room, looking for Umb.

He opened the closet door and, as usual, Umb was sleeping on his stomach, like a lazy cat.

"Good morning, Umb! We have a lot of work today!". Ethan said, picking up the little shadow rabbit with his hands and placing it on the bed.

Umb stretched and opened his mouth, yawning.

Ethan placed the backpack on the bed and began to take out his school supplies and put them in some drawer in his dresser.

He placed a bottle of water inside the backpack, along with some nutritious cereal bars, a kitchen knife, and a blanket.

Umb looked confused and startled at Ethan as he began to put the blanket in the bag.

"It's just in case it doesn't get dark enough! We're not killing anyone... yet." Ethan said, looking at Umb, who was looking at him more frightened.

Ethan put on a pair of black sweatpants, along with a long-sleeved t-shirt and a blouse of the same color. He took black gloves from inside the drawer and a cap. After dressing, he took a pair of scissors and cut two slits in the cap, leaving only his eyes out.

- I can't let anyone recognize me. Now Jacob and the others know who I am! - Ethan thought, putting the cap on his head, looking at himself in the mirror, seeing his yellow eyes stand out even more.

Ethan put Umb in his backpack and picked up his cell phone.

"Mom, it's okay! I'll sleep over at Mike's tonight, okay? Tomorrow we can do something if you want!". Ethan sent it to Enid. She had fought with him and seemed sorry, so it was a great opportunity to ask for something, since she would probably accept it to please him.

Before she could even answer, Ethan ran down the stairs and started toward the forest with Umb.

He started to run. He had sucked up almost no energy that day, but he seemed to be at the same speed as he had been for hours in the dark.

Ethan focused on running between the empty streets, so that no one could notice his presence, and then in a few minutes he was already in the middle of the reserve.

It seemed empty, with no noise other than the birds, and almost completely dark.

Ethan put the backpack on the ground and pulled Umb out, placing him gently in the middle of the bush.

Umb looked around the place, wondering what they were doing there.

"I brought you here because we are going hunting today, Umb! And I know you're not going to kill anyone in that little body, but maybe if I upgrade my skills, you can suck up some of the energy along with me!". Ethan said, looking at Umb.

"Then you just need to stay hidden and when I'm about to kill..." Ethan was saying, while looking at Umb, until he realized that he wouldn't know how Umb could kill any animal. "...Try to bite him, I don't know.".

Umb looked at him with astonishment, as if to say he wouldn't do that, but Ethan shrugged. He knew that Umb would do whatever he told him to do.

Ethan then took the knife from inside his backpack and put his things in the corner of a rock, while pulling Umb close to the things, so that he would be protected and hidden.

"If anything happens, disappear among the shadows! I'll find you!". Ethan said, stroking Umb's head.

Ethan began to walk through the empty forest. With each step he took, it seemed as if the reserve grew darker and darker, and the noise of the birds diminished.

Halfway through, Ethan heard noises coming from a bush near him. He remained static, not moving a muscle so as not to scare off his prey.

After a few seconds, he began to approach slowly, holding the knife in one hand and beginning to build up shadow energy in the other.

Suddenly, a small marmot jumps out from among the leaves and runs away in desperation, realizing Ethan's presence.

Ethan starts running after the groundhog, without getting too close, just enough for it to get desperate. He wanted to practice his aim with the shadow blast balls.

The groundhog then starts to give some loud, desperate cries, as if trying to warn the others about the danger, but this causes Ethan to start feeling the same feeling as when he was running after Alice. He felt pleasure in seeing others in fear. That began to rise into his mind, causing Ethan's eyes to begin to glow brighter and brighter.

The shadow flames on Ethan's hand began to become extremely bright and strong. Ethan quickened his pace and aimed right at the center of the groundhog's head, which was racing through the tree trunks in the woods.

It was then that he threw just one ball, which hit the groundhog precisely in the groundhog's belly.

It fell to the side in agony.

Ethan felt his body heat up and his thirst for blood grows stronger and stronger, as if he were a vampire.

He approached the groundhog, who was lying on the ground, but not dead. He reached out his hand to the groundhog's body, which could not walk. Her body had a burnt hole in it, causing her to scream in despair, and Ethan's eyes glowed brighter.

As Ethan touched the groundhog, he felt a strange energy enter his body. Then the groundhog began to blacken and with each passing second, Ethan caused the groundhog to rot.

He could feel the delicious energy surging up his arm as if he was having a feast at that moment. He had never tasted something so good before, and he wanted more. Ethan's eyes began to turn orange, changing color as his power grew stronger.

The rotting groundhog's body turned to dust, leaving only the bones, and Ethan stopped feeling the pleasurable sensation. He sucked the soul out of that little animal in seconds.

Ethan could stop there and try to evolve other skills, but this seemed to dominate his mind. He looked down at his hands, which were burning with flames of dark fire. That made him let out a mischievous smile.

Then he heard some noises from afar. It was probably another animal, but it was bigger. They were stronger footsteps than before.

Ethan ran towards the place, trying not to scare the animal away.

It was then that he saw, from afar, a deer looking for somewhere to settle down, so it could fall asleep.

Ethan was completely camouflaged in his black clothes in the middle of the dark forest. It was only possible to see his orange eyes shining in the darkness as if he were a cat.

Ethan watched that deer for a few minutes, waiting for the right moment. It was then, for half a second, that the deer turned on its back and Ethan ran toward it.

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