Arrested And Surrounded

Klein snapped the chocolate bar he bought in the convenience store near the school and popped it into his mouth, letting it melt in his tongue. He had been trying to feel his stomach if it would reject the dark chocolate.

At first, it baffled Klein that Calix suggested he might die from chocolate if the scratch from Khalil turned him into a werewolf. Then he remembered that chocolates had theobromine, which was poisonous to canines as they lacked the enzymes in their stomach to digest it.

Werewolves were mythical beings, though, so Klein was unsure if chocolate poisoning would apply to them. Or he was just falling yet again to Calix's weird witchcraft. If it happened to be true, then it meant he's currently being suicidal for ingesting more chocolate. Granted that he will turn into a werewolf because of the scratch.

But what if theobromine was the secret antidote to werewolf shifting all along?

No. It sounded too good to be true. It screamed fallacy!

Honestly, Klein didn't know what to believe in anymore. He was tired of all this bullshit, so he just popped another chocolate piece into his mouth while chaos ensued outside the convenience store where he was currently hanging around.

Klein checked his news feed filled with photos, recorded videos and live streams in different parts of De La Lune University while the commotion was happening. Most of them were blurred, but there were clear footages of a werewolf climbing at the side of the building.

There were several gunshots from the security guards, followed by a monstrous roar from Khalil. With a civil disturbance this huge, in a prestigious school right in front of a train station, it's impossible for the news not to travel to the media giants in Metro Manila.

Klein could already picture the domino effect of this particular event, and it's very likely for Calix to get involved in it. At the wail of police sirens in the distance, a tiny shard of regret prickled at him. He should have stopped him.

There was no point in Calix trying to play the hero. With the involvement of the school security, Klein was sure they had alerted the police or the military. They can apprehend the beast without Calix's interference.

"He's such an idiot," Klein mumbled, putting the last chocolate bits into his mouth. As he sucked the bittersweet candy, it resurfaced to him how Calix's tongue rolled inside his mouth. He blushed. "Fucking idiot."

When he finished the candy, he looked through his live video feeds, watching as authorities in camouflage uniform exited a school building with a silver-haired man, his hands cuffed behind him.

The chair screeched against tiled floor as Klein bolted upright. He received weird looks from the employee and other customers who had taken refuge inside, but he ignored them and went for the door while still watching the live video.

From the convenience store, Klein could see a crowd gathered at the school entrance. Many were students from the university, but there were also curious spectators and passersby, stopping to check what the commotion was all about.

Police were directing people out of the way as Calix was escorted toward the police car, waiting with its doors open. One officer stood at the car door as two others surrounded Calix, restraining him from making any moves to escape.

What was happening? Why did they arrest Calix? And what happened to Khalil?

The live video showed the arrest was done inside the school grounds, so Klein had to rely on his phone to know what was happening. He had no plans to squeeze through the crowd, but he could already deduce the reason for Calix's arrest.

Calix wasn't a student at De La Lune University. He entered the school grounds armed with deadly weapons. Assuming the contents of the metallic brief case he brought with him were guns and explosives, then Calix will surely face jail time as it was prohibited for any non-uniformed personnel to enter an education institution with guns.

Klein would spell out the word 'idiot' in capital letters because that's what Calix was. Although a tiny part of him wanted to scream to the jeering crowd that this idiot had a selfless intention and shouldn't be treated as a criminal.

Well, there's nothing he could do about it. Calix chose this for himself.

Now, if Klein could only find out what happened to the reason for all this mess. Did Calix accomplish what he came here for? Or Khalil was still on the run? It would be a problem for him if he was.

Should he make a run for it? What was his chance of snatching Calix from the police? Less than zero, probably. He might even end up in jail as an accomplice.

Klein shook his head at the crazy thought. It's illogical of him to think about saving someone's ass when he was inadequate to fight trained professionals like the police. He couldn't even defend himself against a werewolf.

But if Khalil was still at large, his fastest way of escape was through Calix. Or his motorcycle.

Klein eyed the two-wheeled vehicle at the edge of the road, then to the heavily congested traffic. He didn't have a driver's licence, but he could drive it. He knew how to drive because of his dad. The problem was, he didn't have a key.

With a sigh, Klein passed by the crowd and went for the train station. There was nothing left for him to do here. Even if he tried, he couldn't help Calix. But he can go back to his old life, eat lots of chocolate, and pray it wouldn't kill him.

Klein reached the street corner of De La Lune University and was about to cross the street, only to stop at the familiar feeling of being watched. He looked back to the crowd in front of the school, to the church to his right, under the elevated railway to his left, then back to the parking lot across from him.

A chill crawl up his spine upon seeing not just one, but several luminous eyes reflecting the light of street lamps and passing vehicles. It didn't take a second for Klein to differentiate them from regular humans. Only creatures with tapetum lucidum can reflect a tiny light in the dark.

Werewolves surrounded him.

And the only person he could rely on was currently handcuffed inside the police car that just passed by him. Klein gripped the strap of his bag as he met Calix's helpless eyes before the car's window slid shut.

Calix...

He needed to help Calix. They needed to help each other out. But how?