Drowner: Becoming Defekt

Kai

If earlier I felt like I'd been tossed into a cement mixer, now I feel like I've been crushed under its wheels.

"Ugh," I groan, clutching my chest. The pain is sharp, unrelenting, clawing at every nerve. My entire body aches, like every inch of me has been cracked open and stitched back together wrong. What the hell happened? Did getting hit by that giant hurt this much?

"Hey, you okay?" a voice asks, unfamiliar but calm.

I force my eyes open and sit up, every motion a protest from my battered body. My gaze lands on the speaker: a man crouched beside me. His long blonde hair falls loosely, partially hiding sharp, angular features. Behind him stand the girl and the giant—the same one who floored me.

"Careful, they're—" I start, but my voice falters as he raises a hand, cutting me off.

"Defekts?" he says with an almost casual tone. "I'm one too." Electricity crackles in his palm, a glowing, unmistakable show of power.

"Jesus Christ!" I exclaim, crawling backward, panic overriding the pain.

"You don't remember what just happened?" he asks, concern flickering in his green eyes.

"Of course he doesn't," the giant mutters, earning an elbow to the ribs from the girl.

"Fucking monsters!" I shout, my voice raw, shaking with fury and fear. If I'm going to die here, I might as well say what's on my mind.

The giant narrows his eyes and steps forward, his massive frame radiating menace. "If I'm a monster, what does that make you, huh?" he growls, his voice low and venomous.

What the hell is he talking about?

Ignoring the screaming protests from my body, I push myself to my feet. Every step toward him is agony, but anger keeps me upright.

"You're just like us, you hypocritical bastard!" the giant roars, his voice rumbling like thunder.

"I am nothing like you!" I snap, my own voice rising to match his. Fury blinds me as I lurch forward.

Before I can close the gap, the blonde man steps between us, his hands up, his expression calm but firm. "Hey, relax. Both of you."

"Relax?" I hiss, glaring at him.

"I suggest you look at this before saying another word," a small voice cuts in from the open warehouse doors.

My head whips toward the sound. A kid stands there—no older than ten, maybe twelve. He's clutching a phone in his hands. His face, though young and unassuming, bears a striking resemblance to the blonde man. They must be related.

"Ethan, stay back!" the girl shouts, panic flashing across her face.

The boy ignores her and sprints toward me.

"Touch him," the blonde man warns, his voice dropping to a deadly calm, "and you'll wish you were dead."

The kid reaches me unharmed and thrusts the phone into my hands. His hands are trembling. "Here," he says, his voice quiet but steady. "Watch this."

I hesitate, but something in his wide-eyed stare forces me to comply. My thumb hovers over the screen before pressing play.

The video starts.

And then I see it.

It's me. Last night. Fighting two drowners. But not just fighting—destroying them. My movements are too fast, too precise, too inhuman.

This… this can't be real.

The phone slips from my hands, hitting the ground with a hollow clatter.

"No," I whisper, my voice barely audible. I take a shaky step back, then another. My chest tightens, my breathing ragged.

They're right. I'm a monster.

"You can join us," the blonde man says, his voice calm but oddly hopeful. "We can help you. Teach you how to control it."

I shake my head, panic spiraling into every corner of my mind. "No. No, I can't."

He tilts his head, studying me. "Think about it. But don't wait too long."

"I—" The words catch in my throat. "I'll think about it." Even I can hear the lie in my voice.

The man narrows his eyes but doesn't push further. He lets me go.

As I turn to leave, the giant makes a move, his hand reaching for me. The girl grabs his arm, holding him back yet again.

I don't look back.

The heavy doors of the warehouse close behind me, and I start running. My legs ache, my lungs burn, but I don't stop.

I run, the night swallowing me whole, and I don't dare look back.