David was carrying Alvin on his back as they trudged through the dense, shadowed woods. Brock and Brian led the way, their footsteps crunching softly on the undergrowth. The stillness around them was oppressive, the silence broken only by the occasional rustle of leaves in the faint breeze.

Alvin stirred, a dull ache throbbing through his entire body as consciousness slowly returned. His eyes fluttered open, and he groggily became aware of his surroundings. Realizing he was being carried, his instincts kicked in. With a sudden burst of energy, he wriggled free from David's grip, landing awkwardly on the ground with a thud.

Brock and Brian stopped in their tracks, turning back to see Alvin sprawled on the forest floor.

"He woke up already? That was fast," Brock remarked, an eyebrow raised in mild surprise.

Brian smirked, spinning his baseball bat in his hand. "We could always knock him out again. He's weak."

Alvin pushed himself up, wincing as pain shot through his left leg-the very leg that had been mercilessly targeted by his captors. Though he could barely stand, he forced himself into a shaky fighting stance, determined not to show any weakness.

David hesitated, stepping back as Brock tossed him the baseball bat, which he caught with a smirk. The three of them stood in a semi-circle, surrounding Alvin like predators closing in on wounded prey.

Brian twirled his bat lazily, his grin widening. "Are you serious right now? You're really going to try and fight us in that state? I mean, look at you-you can barely stand. You wouldn't even be able to scratch us, let alone hit us. And even if by some miracle you could fight, there are three of us and only one of you. You won't last a minute."

Alvin sighed, steadying himself despite the agony pulsing through his leg. He locked eyes with Brian, his expression calm but resolute.

"You're right," Alvin said, his tone carrying a chilling certainty, "I won't be able to fight for long. So I hope you don't mind if I go straight for the kill."

Brian's mocking grin faltered slightly, taken aback by Alvin's unflinching composure. "You really think you can take us down in your condition?"

Alvin's eyes narrowed, his voice a low, dangerous murmur. "The thing about being desperate, Brian, is that it makes you unpredictable. You see three against one-I see three targets in a row. And believe me, it won't take long for me to finish this."

The smugness on Brian's face faded, replaced by a flicker of uncertainty. Brock and David exchanged uneasy glances, the confidence in their numbers suddenly feeling less assured.

Alvin might have been injured, but there was something in his eyes-a steely resolve-that made them hesitate.

Alvin took a shaky step forward, the pain in his leg almost unbearable, yet he stood tall, his stance unwavering. "If you think I'm done just because I'm hurt, you're sorely mistaken. I've survived worse, and I'm still standing. So come on, let's see if you can keep up."

David stepped forward, gripping his bat tightly, ready to finish Alvin off. The bat arced through the air, but before it could connect, Alvin moved with surprising speed. Summoning every last ounce of strength, he drove a powerful straight jab directly into David's chest.

The impact was brutal and immediate. David's eyes bulged as the breath was knocked out of him. He staggered back, the bat slipping from his grasp as he collapsed to the ground, clutching his chest in agony. His breathing became laboured, each breath a desperate, wheezing gasp.

Alvin stood tall, despite the searing pain in his leg, his gaze cold and unwavering. He watched David struggle on the ground, barely able to move.

"That's one down," Alvin muttered, his voice steady but laced with a quiet menace.

Brock, who had been brimming with confidence just moments before, took an instinctive step back. Alvin's calm, almost clinical approach unnerved him. This wasn't the beaten, broken kid he had expected to face. There was something different about Alvin now-something dangerous.

Trying to mask his growing unease, Brock gripped his bat and sneered.

"You're going to regret that."

Alvin's expression remained unchanged.

"Regret? The only regret here is yours-thinking I was an easy target."

Brock, unwilling to show fear, charged at Alvin with a wild swing aimed at his head. But Alvin was ready. He sidestepped the attack with a quick, fluid motion, letting the bat slice harmlessly through the air where he had just stood. Brock, off-balance from the force of his swing, stumbled forward, and Alvin seized the opportunity.

With a swift, calculated kick to the side of Brock's knee, Alvin sent him crashing to the ground. Brock tried to recover, but Alvin was already there, grabbing him by the collar and yanking him up close. His voice was a low, dangerous whisper. "You picked the wrong fight."

Brock tried to swing his bat again, but Alvin caught his wrist in mid-air, twisting it until Brock was forced to drop the bat. Alvin shoved him hard, sending Brock sprawling onto his back. Brock groaned in pain, struggling to push himself up, but the fight had already drained out of him.

Alvin calmly kicked the bat away, his attention now shifting to Brian, the last man standing. The bravado that had been on Brian's face was gone, replaced by a look of sheer terror. He took a step back, his eyes darting nervously between Alvin and his fallen comrades.

"W-we don't have to do this," Brian stammered, his voice shaky. "We can just leave, okay? No harm done."

Alvin's gaze hardened. "No harm done?" He shook his head slowly, incredulity seeping into his tone.

"You tried to break me. You wanted to beat me down, and now you want to walk away like nothing happened?"

Desperation drove Brian to make one last, frantic move. He rushed at Alvin, bat raised high, hoping to catch him off guard. But Alvin was ready. He sidestepped Brian's charge, letting him stumble past. As Brian turned to face him, Alvin struck with precision-a sharp elbow to Brian's gut that left him doubled over, gasping for air.

Before Brian could recover, Alvin delivered a swift knee to his chin, sending him crashing to the ground. The bat clattered away, useless. Brian lay there, groaning in pain, his body convulsing as he struggled to stay conscious.

Alvin stood over him, breathing heavily but controlled. His gaze swept over the three fallen figures-David still struggling to breathe, Brock writhing in pain, and Brian barely clinging to consciousness. The fight was over, and Alvin had won.

He didn't linger. Straightening up, Alvin ignored the pain in his leg, knowing it was far from healed, but his resolve was stronger than ever.

Alvin took deep, steadying breaths, his chest rising and falling as the adrenaline slowly began to fade. The fight had taken a toll on him, but he wasn't done yet.

Something nagged at the back of his mind-something important. He glanced down at the unconscious forms of David, Brian, and Brock, all sprawled out on the forest floor. Kneeling beside them, he shook each one, trying to rouse them, but they remained unresponsive.

Frustrated, Alvin stood up, pouting as he muttered to himself, "I forgot to ask them why the hell I'm in these woods and where they were taking me."

He let out a sigh, running a hand through his hair. "Guess that'll have to wait."

Suddenly, the sound of rustling bushes caught his attention. Alvin spun around, his senses on high alert. Emerging from the shadows was a figure casually leaning against a tree. As the figure stepped into the dim light, Alvin recognized him-Shoyo. But something was horribly off. Shoyo's once lively eyes were now an eerie shade of red, and his skin had taken on a sickly grey hue.

Alvin tilted his head, trying to make sense of what he was seeing.

"That's, uh... a nice zombie costume, Shoyo. What's up? You doing some fashion show or something?"

Shoyo stepped forward, his grin widening into something twisted and unnatural.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk... You... have no... ideaa... what's... going on..." His voice was distorted, a grotesque parody of the friend Alvin once knew.

Alvin's casual demeanour didn't waver, though his mind was racing. "Yep, you're right, I don't. So, care to fill me in?"

Shoyo's grin grew even more sinister, "But... before that... I'm going to break... your bones..." His words came out as a chilling rasp, each one dripping with malice.

Without warning, Shoyo lunged at Alvin, his hands reaching out to grasp Alvin's neck. But Alvin was quicker. In a flash, he caught Shoyo mid-air, using his momentum against him. With a powerful twist, Alvin hoisted Shoyo above his head, his muscles straining under the weight, and then slammed him down onto the ground.

The impact was bone-shattering, and Shoyo's body bounced off the ground before lying motionless, his twisted grin now replaced by a mask of pain.

Not wasting a second, Alvin straddled Shoyo's chest, pinning him down. His fists rained down on Shoyo's face with unrelenting force, each punch driven by a mix of anger and desperation.

"Deal. But I'll break your bones first," Alvin growled between punches.

Shoyo's face began to bruise under the relentless assault, his expression twisted in agony. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, and finally, through gritted teeth, he managed to croak out, "Stop!"

Alvin paused, his fist hovering in the air. He looked down at Shoyo, his chest heaving from the effort. There were tears in Shoyo's red eyes, the hatred momentarily replaced by something more human.

"Is this how you treat your friends? Can't you just talk to get him back?" Shoyo's voice was weak, but there was a pleading edge to it.

Alvin hesitated, his knuckles still poised to strike. A flicker of guilt passed over his face.

"I... I'm sorry," he muttered, his voice softening as he began to lower his hand.

But the apology was met with a twisted grin from Shoyo, his expression returning to that eerie, malevolent smile. Just as he was about to strike back, Alvin reacted instinctively. His fist flew forward once more, connecting squarely with Shoyo's face, the force of the punch snapping his head back.

Alvin leaned in close, his voice a low, dangerous whisper. "I'm sorry, but I'm not Alex, so I'll use violence."

Something in Alvin's words, or perhaps the sheer force of his will, seemed to cut through the curse gripping Shoyo. The red in his eyes began to fade, and his grey skin slowly regained its natural colour. Shoyo blinked, the ferocity draining from his expression as confusion took its place. His breathing steadied, and he stared up at Alvin with wide, bewildered eyes.

"So... why are you on top of me? And why the hell are we in the woods?" Shoyo asked, his voice shaky and uncertain.

Alvin sighed deeply, the tension slowly leaving his body as he stood up. He extended his hand towards Shoyo, who was still sprawled on the ground, clearly shaken from the recent events. Shoyo hesitated for a moment before taking Alvin's hand. With a wince, he got to his feet, his entire body aching from the ordeal.

"Damn," Shoyo muttered, rubbing his sore chest. "What the hell happened to me?"

Alvin studied him for a moment before asking, "First how much do you remember about what happened today? Do you remember anything at all?"

Shoyo scratched his head, thinking hard.

"Well... I remember the nurse waking me up this morning and asking if I wanted scrambled eggs or pancakes. I said toasts, but they brought me eggs anyway. Rude, right?"

Alvin raised an eyebrow. "That's it?"

Shoyo continued, a grin slowly forming on his face. "Oh, and I tried to flirt with the nurse, but she just rolled her eyes and gave me a shot. I think that's where things started going downhill."

Alvin sighed, but Shoyo wasn't done yet.

"Then, I remember trying to change the channel on the hospital TV, but the remote was busted. So I ended up watching the same soap opera for three hours. I got really invested in whether or not Marissa would find out about the evil twin."

Alvin rubbed his temples, trying to stay patient. "Anything else?"

Shoyo nodded enthusiastically. "Oh, definitely! At one point, I'm pretty sure I challenged the janitor to a wheelchair race. I was zooming ahead and was just about to win until the nurse caught us and shut us down. She was so mad, she practically turned into a speed bump!"

Alvin blinked, utterly baffled. "Is that seriously all you remember?"

Shoyo chuckled. "Oh, and I thought I saw a doctor wearing a clown wig. Turns out, it was just a really bad toupee. But hey, it livened up my day!"

Alvin let out a long sigh, feeling his patience wearing thin. His temper started to simmer beneath the surface as he asked with a hint of frustration, "Anything else?"

Shoyo tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Oh! And I found a penny on the ground. But I couldn't pick it up because my hands felt all weird... It's weird right?"

Alvin sighed again, shaking his head.

"Seriously, Shoyo?"

Shoyo chuckled sheepishly, then his expression grew more serious as he thought harder. After a moment, he shuddered, a chill running down his spine.

"Actually, I do remember something... A skeletal dog showed up in my hospital room this evening. It was just standing there, staring at me. But after that... everything's a blur."

Alvin's expression hardened as he realized what might have happened. Before he could respond, both of them heard distant voices echoing through the woods. The sound was faint but unmistakable, coming from the direction ahead. Alvin immediately started walking towards the source, his posture tense and alert.

Shoyo, still trying to make sense of everything, hurried to follow him.

"Wait, but why are we here? In the woods? And what's going on? Where are we going?"

Alvin didn't slow down, his eyes fixed on the path ahead.

"I don't know either," he admitted. "But we're about to find out. There's a slight chance that Dylan is back somehow."

Shoyo felt another shudder run through him at the mention of Dylan's name. Memories of their last encounter with Dylan flashed in his mind, each one more unsettling than the last. But he forced himself to stay calm, trusting Alvin's judgment. Nodding, Shoyo quickened his pace until he was walking side by side with Alvin, the two of them moving together through the dark, ominous woods.

As they walked, the voices grew louder, the words still indistinct but filled with urgency. The forest seemed to close in around them, the trees casting long, eerie shadows. Alvin's mind raced with possibilities, but he kept his focus on the path, knowing that whatever awaited them, they had to face it head-on.

Shoyo glanced at Alvin, his earlier confusion replaced by a determined resolve. "Whatever happens, Alvin, we'll handle it together."

Alvin gave him a brief nod, a silent agreement passing between them.

"Yeah," he said quietly, still getting used to the word together. "Together."

And with that, they continued onward, ready to confront whatever dangers lay ahead.