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A horrific roar echoed through the halls as Clementine and Mathew ran for their lives. Clementine wasn't sure how many of the professors had transformed to chase them, nor did he know if they had seen his face or not; all he knew was that he needed to get somewhere with a crowd. He'd only ever seen those creatures wandering around at night and in places no students were, so it was obvious the professors wanted to keep the existence of the creatures they were a secret.

          But all the moving and struggling and running was taking its toll on Clementine's body. His head was thumping, his heart was trying to break free of his chest, and his limbs felt as though they might fall off any moment. Each breath he took ensnared his body in pain, he could feel his legs getting weaker, and as he turned into another empty hallway, he felt himself slowing down.

          He couldn't do this anymore—he needed to stop; he needed a break. But if he didn't keep running, he'd become those creatures' next meal. With a desperate frown, he glanced over his shoulder, setting his eyes on the three beasts not far behind. The horned one led the others, its yellow eyes glaring right into Clementine's soul. That was the first creature he'd seen go into the lounge, and soon after, Professor Huxley had emerged. Of course, that made sense, too. Not only was Huxley the bigger, fiercer-looking monster, but he was also the Law Institute's teacher and the other professors' superior. He was the alpha, wasn't he?

          "Where do we go?!" Mavis squeaked.

          "What are those things?!" Mathew panicked.

          "Why did the professors turn into them?!" Mavis cried.

          Clementine didn't know what to tell them. He kept running, staring ahead, longing for the sound of a crowd. But each of his steps was slower than the last, his dizziness was evolving into the feeling that he might pass out, and the dread that still had a tight grip on him grew harder to contain.

          However, when they turned right into another corridor, a door just a few feet away swung open. Clementine didn't think twice about heading inside, pulling Mathew with him. But as he swung around to close the door, the person who had opened it pulled it shut.

          Clementine frowned in anger and confusion. "Sebastien?" he uttered.

          Standing with his back against the door, Sebastien held his index finger over his lips, staring at Clementine with a cautious look on his face, which was paler than usual.

          To silence his stifled breaths, Clementine held his hand over his mouth and waited. The thumping of those creatures' footsteps came closer and closer...and as they passed the door, Clementine tensed up. His eyes jumped to the foggy windows, and as he watched the huge shadows of the creatures race by, he wanted to sigh in relief but didn't want to risk making the slightest sound.

          He set his sights back on Sebastien, watching him as he looked over at the windows. The thumping footsteps faded, his racing heart began to slow, and his tense, fear-ensnared body started to relax.

          "Are you all right?" Sebastien whispered.

          Clementine didn't really know what to say. He was angry, confused, and horrified.... How was he supposed to feel? He'd just discovered the professors were the very monsters stalking the halls at night—they were the creatures eating the dead students. He had so many questions, but as he stood there staring at Sebastien, his mind seemed to go blank as if he'd opened a book and found only blank pages.

          "Mathew!" Mavis squeaked.

          With a frown on his face, Clementine turned to face Mathew. The lanky kid fell to his knees with a pained grunt, gripping the oozing wound on his side.

          Mavis returned to her usual size and kneeled at Mathew's side.

          Clementine hurried to his side, too. There was so much blood, and as Mavis moved Mathew's hand to get a better look, his blood spewed from the wound.

          Mathew grunted painfully, placing his hand back over the three deep slashes the wolf walker had given him.

          "Should we take him to the medical wing?" Mavis panicked. "They'll be able to do something!"

          Clementine shook his head as his heart started racing again. "We can't. I don't think they saw our faces, but if Mathew turns up with an injury from a wolf walker, they might piece it together."

          "Did they see your faces?" Sebastien asked.

          "I don't know," Clementine uttered. "Mavis, check the desk over there," he instructed, seeing that they were actually in one of the biology labs. "There might be a first aid kit."

          She nodded and hurried over to the desk, which she hastily searched through.

          "Just hold on," he told Mathew.

          Sebastien crouched beside Clementine—

          "Where the hell were you?!" he growled, glaring at Sebastien.

          "I had to—"

          "You didn't have to go, Sebastien! You chose to go even though you knew the others were probably watching me, and the second you left, they came for me!"

          A look of guilt lingered in Sebastien's eyes...his bloodshot eyes. "I'm sorry," he uttered shamefully.

          Clementine frowned as something struck him. He wasn't sure whether it was horror or heartbreak—maybe it was both. It took a single moment for him to piece everything together. This wasn't the first time Sebastien had abruptly left when those creatures called and the academy went cold; Sebastien seemed awfully cosy with Professor Huxley, and his eyes looked much like Huxley's had just now and the night he'd tried chasing after Sebastien when he'd left during the middle of their Ravenblood discussion. And that smell...sulphur. He'd smelt it on Sebastien and whenever those creatures were near, too.

          He didn't want it to be true...but he couldn't even try to convince himself he was wrong. It made perfect sense. Sebastien was one of them, wasn't he? He was one of those hound creatures—the smaller one, maybe. If all the others were the professors, it would only make sense that Sebastien, a kid, was the smallest hound. And as he sat there staring into Sebastien's eyes, that feeling of heartbreak worsened. Sebastien had lied to him—he'd told him he had no idea what those creatures were, and now, Clementine found himself questioning whether or not he could trust this guy anymore.

          "Here!" Mavis said, holding out a small medical kit to Clementine.

          Taking his eyes off Sebastien, Clementine took the kit and hastily opened it. "Give him your cardigan," he told Mavis. "Fold it up and rest his head on it."

          Mavis did as she was told.

          Clementine's shaking hand rummaged through the medical kit. The day's revelations had horrified him, upset him, and right now, he wasn't even trying to compose himself. How could he? The boy he'd reluctantly allowed himself to fall for had turned out to be a liar, despite everything he had told Sebastien—despite everything they had gone through together, Sebastien had just made it clear Clementine couldn't trust him. And the professors...they had turned out to be the monsters stalking the halls at night—the monsters that were devouring the dead students' bodies. He wasn't entirely sure how he felt about that, but it sent a cold shiver down his spine.

          He located a needle and suture string; he took a deep breath, trying to keep his hands from trembling so much so he could thread the string through the needle. "Mavis, I need you to clean his wound," he instructed, nodding to a half-empty bottle of wound disinfectant liquid.

          "Can I do anything?" Sebastien asked as Mavis took the bottle.

          Clementine glared over at him. "You've done enough."

          Mathew gritted his teeth and groaned painfully as Mavis poured the liquid over his wound.

          "I'm sorry, Mathew," Mavis cried.

          "Try hold still," Clementine said, and as Mathew nodded, he used his free hand to pinch either side of the gash on his side. Then, he got to work, pushing the needle through Mathew's skin, stitching the wound up.

          He could feel Sebastien's eyes on him, but he didn't want to talk to him right now. He didn't know what he'd say other than calling him a liar and asking him why he'd hidden the truth about what he was and the fact he knew what those creatures were. Right now, Mathew was more important.

          But Sebastien didn't seem to think that. "Clem—"

          "Not now," he snapped, focusing on Mathew's wound.

          "Why did the professors turn into those things?" Mavis asked quietly, her voice trembling. "Why...why did they chase us away?"

          "It...looked like they wanted to kill us," Mathew uttered through his gritted teeth.

          Clementine's frown thickened. "They probably don't want it getting out that they're monsters."

          "What were they doing?" Mavis asked. "Were they investigating those bodies—w-what if they think it was us and not that winged dog thing?! What if we get blamed for everything?"

          "The winged dog is one of them," Clementine uttered, carefully cutting the thread.

          "What even are they?" she asked. "I've never seen anything like that—what if they're some sort of dog-bat?"

          Clementine glanced over at Sebastien. "I don't know...but I'd like to find out." Then, he looked down at Mathew and carefully placed a piece of gauze over his sutured wound. He stuck it in place with some medical tape and made sure it was secure. "There...I think that'll do it."

          Laying there, Mathew nodded. "Thank you, Clementine."

          "Do you have healing abilities?" he asked.

          "I do, but they won't kick in until the wolf walker venom leaves my system."

          "How long does that usually take?"

          "My body will burn it off in a few hours. I think...I just need to rest for now."

          "Okay. We'll get you back to your room."

          "I can stay with you," Mavis offered, looking down at Mathew. "Unless you don't want me to."

          He shook his head. "I would like that."

          "Do you think you're okay to move?" Clementine asked him.

          "I think so."

          Clementine glared over at Sebastien, who had been surprisingly quiet the entire time. "Help me get him up."

          Sebastien nodded, and as Clementine took one of Mathew's arms, Sebastien took the other. He groaned painfully as they helped him to his feet and slowly walked him over to the door.

          "I know a way we can go where there's likely to be no one about," Sebastien said.

          "Fine," Clementine uttered.

          Sebastien pulled the door open and peeked outside...and when he let them know the coast was clear, they left the classroom and began their slow journey towards Mathew's dormitory.

          Clementine glared ahead, trying to focus on keeping an eye out for students or professors. There were so many things he wanted to say to Sebastien—there were so many questions he eagerly wanted to demand answers for, but now wasn't the time. Right now, he needed to put his all into helping Mathew. But once they got him back to his room, he wasn't going to hold back. Sebastien was due a storm, and Clementine was soon to let it loose.

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