Jax Feels Uneasy
The words "neural dampening" made Jax look
worried. He started thinking about times when
the few werewolves they saw acted strangely
quiet and just did what they were told. He
used to think that was just how they were. But
now, he wasn't so sure. This made Jax think
hard about what he believed. He started to
see that maybe it wasn't just a "werewolf
problem," but something bigger that could
affect everyone. When we talked, it felt heavy
and tense because of what this could mean.
Things slowed down as we thought about
how this discovery made us feel.
He had always been so sure. He
quickly called the werewolves they met mean
and wild. Now, I saw those easy answers
breaking apart in his mind. He used to laugh
at how they stared blankly and just obeyed the
Enforcers like robots. "That's just how they
are," he'd say, not thinking it could be
something worse.
But what I found made him start to
doubt. I saw it in how his eyebrows went
down and the way he looked far away at the
wolf howls that didn't make him angry
anymore. He was remembering things, I could
tell. Small things he didn't think much of
before.
"They… they never really fought
back, did they?" he said quietly one night,
looking into the fire. His voice was low like he
was talking to himself.
"The ones they controlled? No," I said softly,
watching how he reacted. "They just… did
what they were told."
He shook his head slowly like he
was trying to forget something. "There was
that one… near the old building. We caught
him, and he just… stood there. Like he didn't
even see us."
My heart felt tight. We were so quick to judge
and ready to fight. Did we think their
quietness was just how they were when it
was really them being controlled? That
thought made me feel sick.
Jax was fighting with himself inside.
I could feel it in how tight his shoulders were
and how he didn't look at me. He believed in
things strongly, and this new information
made him think about his own ideas, the
things he had always thought were true.
"Maybe…" he started, then stopped,
like the words were hard to say. He tried
again. "Maybe it wasn't always… their fault."
What he said felt important. It was a small
break in what he was sure of, but it was there.
The easy answers were gone, and now there
was a scary question mark.
When we talked, it felt tense. The
bad feeling of what this could mean made it
hard to say anything. We moved through the
days being more careful. Knowing about
"neural dampening" changed how we saw
everyone we met far away. Was that Enforcer
really in charge, or were they also being
controlled? Was that quiet werewolf just
obeying?
One afternoon, we were looking
around a new place when we saw a small
group of werewolves being moved by two
Enforcers. Jax got tense, his hand going to
the silver arrows on his back. But then he
stopped, the angry sound he usually made not
coming out.
"Look at them," he whispered, his
voice rough with a new understanding.
"They're not… wild. They're just… empty."
The werewolves moved slowly, without
energy. Their eyes were dull and didn't focus
on anything. They didn't want to fight, there
was no life in them. It was a scary thing to
see, much worse than the angry growls we
were used to.
This wasn't just a "werewolf
problem." It was something bigger, something
much more evil. They weren't just controlling
one group; they could control minds. Who
else were they controlling? How much power
did they really have? The suspense made me
feel even more worried.
"We need to know more," Jax said,
his voice strong now, the confusion gone and
replaced by a bad feeling of determination.
"We need to find out what they're doing and
how far it goes."
The way he thought changed a lot. It wasn't
just about keeping ourselves safe anymore. It
was about understanding a danger that could
hurt everyone.
As we kept looking around, we
found a hidden way to send messages. It was
cleverly hidden in some sharp rocks. It made
a low, quiet humming sound.
"What is it?" I asked, my hand ready
on my weapon.
Lyra, always watching, looked at the thing. "It's
sending data. It's coded, but… the signal is
strong."
Jax's eyes got narrow. "Can you get into it?"
Lyra made a soft whirring sound. "I can try.
But it will take time."
Working while it was dark, Lyra
carefully tried to understand the coded
signals. The air felt tense as she worked. The
only sounds were the soft clicks from inside
her and our quiet breathing.
Hours went by slowly. Just as the
sun started to come up, making the sky grey
and pink, Lyra made a soft sound. "I got
something."
A lot of coded data went across her eyes. It
was complicated, much more than the broken
files we found before.
"What does it say?" I asked my voice
tight with waiting.
Lyra started to read it, her quiet voice
sounding urgent. "They are… making the
dampening stronger… making it cover more
area… aiming for… towns…"
The blood in my veins felt cold. They weren't
just controlling a few people. They were
planning something huge that could hurt
everyone.
Then, in the middle of the data, a
name. Clear and easy to hear. "Alpha Thorne."
Jax stood up straighter beside me, his breath
catching in his throat. Alpha Thorne was a
famous person among the werewolves, a
strong leader who always fought the
Enforcers.
"What about him?" Jax asked
quickly, his voice scared and not believing it.
Lyra kept reading. "Subject Alpha Thorne…
showing more resistance… needs… fixing…
and… stronger… stopping."
Jax's face showed a terrible understanding.
They weren't just controlling the weak ones.
They were going after the strongest ones, the
ones who fought back.
Suddenly, a high, sharp noise cut
through the air, getting louder fast. Before we
could move, a beam of energy hit the rocks
near where we were hiding, sending pieces of
stone flying.
"They found us!" Lyra shouted, her
eyes flashing red.
We jumped up, feeling a rush of energy.
Enforcers were coming closer, their weapons
ready. But it wasn't just the Enforcers. With
them, moving in a scary, unnatural way, was
someone I knew, and I felt a jolt of fear.
Taller and stronger than the others,
with eyes that glowed strangely. It was Alpha
Thorne. But the strong, independent spirit he
had was gone, replaced by an empty
obedience. He moved with the others, his
powerful claws out, not to fight, but in a scary,
controlled way.
Jax stared, his face full of horror
and disbelief. "No… it can't be…"
But it was. The strongest of them had been
defeated. And now, he was coming for us.
This was a terrible shock, showing how much
power the enemy had. We weren't just fighting
for ourselves anymore; we were fighting
against the control of a whole group of
people, and their strongest leader had
become their weapon. We couldn't escape,
and the scary truth of their power felt like it
would kill us.