The Boy Next DOOR.

Few minutes back:

Kelvin burst through the front door, his heart racing as he bounded up the stairs toward his room. But just halfway up, Rebecca called out to him from the living room, her voice tinged with worry.

"What's wrong, Kelvin? Is everything alright?" she asked, her brow furrowing with concern.

"No, nothing is alright," he snapped, turning to face her. Rebecca's eyes widened, a sharp gasp escaping her lips as she took in his appearance. His face was ghostly pale, his eyes glowing with an eerie light, far from their usual warmth.

Her gaze dropped to his hands, blood dripping from between his fingers. He'd clenched his fists so tightly in his rage that his nails had cut deep into his palms.

"Oh my God!" she whispered, staggering back in shock. "I-I thought the curse had been lifted. Father, no!"

"That's what I thought too," Kelvin grumbled, his voice thick with pain, the weight of the curse heavier than ever.

"Stop Dave from coming in. He's not safe around me. Please," he pleaded, desperation lacing his words. He could feel the darkness clawing at his control.

"Yes, I will. Go upstairs now," Rebecca urged, her voice trembling as she watched him retreat to his room.

Once inside, Kelvin collapsed to the floor, his knees slamming against the hardwood. His chest heaved as he stared blankly at the ceiling, overwhelmed by a surge of helplessness.

"Why?! WHY!!" he screamed, pounding his fists against the floor. "Just kill me… take my life! End this nightmare. I can't keep killing the people I love!" His voice cracked as tears streamed down his cheeks, bitter and hot.

"I-I thought… I thought maybe this time would be different. That falling in love again was possible, but no… WHY?!!" His anguished cries filled the room, each word tearing at his soul. "Just take my life! This is torture! It's not fair! Please… just end it, once and for all!" His body curled into itself, trembling as he sobbed uncontrollably.

Back to Dave: The present.

Dave sank into his bed the moment he entered his room, confusion gnawing at his mind. He replayed the evening in his head, trying to make sense of what had gone wrong.

"Did I ask the wrong question? Did he get angry because of something I said?" he wondered aloud. "No, it can't be that. I saw him smile when he answered… so what happened?" His frustration built as he raked his fingers through his hair.

He stood and wandered over to the window, staring out at the one across from his room. Since discovering it belonged to Kelvin, they had communicated through it every night. But tonight, it was closed, something that had never happened before.

"It was open this morning," Dave murmured, confused. "I'm sure he just locked it when he rushed home."

"Kelvin… Kelvin, can you hear me?" Dave called out, hoping for an answer. But there was only silence. Normally, Kelvin would have replied instantly.

Frowning, Dave returned to his bed, his eyes fixed on the ceiling. "This is so fucked," he muttered under his breath.

**Back to Kelvin.**

Kelvin lay sprawled on the floor, his body rigid, eyes shut tight as he struggled to suppress the monstrous force clawing its way to the surface. He felt the darkness swirling inside him, more powerful than ever. But for the first time, he had managed to hold it back, just barely.

If he had stayed with Dave a moment longer… he shuddered at the thought of what could have happened.

Suddenly, he heard Dave call his name through the window. As he stirred to respond, a searing pain tore through his chest. It felt as though an unseen force was crushing his heart, squeezing the life out of him. His breath hitched, his face paling even further.

He gasped, trying to breathe, but his lungs wouldn't cooperate. Half of his hair began to grow longer and white, his left fingers elongated grotesquely, and his left fang sharpened into a deadly point. One of his eyes turned crimson, while the other remained its usual shade, but both radiated agony.

He knew what was happening. The witch's curse was reawakening his darker side. If he was going to survive the night, he needed blood—soon.

**In the Upside Down.**

"Is he not going to die?" one of Ravenna's acolytes, the leader of the Upside Down, asked with a smirk.

"He asked for it," Ravenna replied, her laughter reverberating through the room, filled with dark magic and ominous symbols. Through a portal, she watched Kelvin struggle, writhing on the floor. "He refused to kill that fragile little bean, so now he's begging for death. And death I shall grant him," she said, her laughter growing louder, more malevolent.

**Back to Kelvin.**

Kelvin's breathing grew ragged as the curse consumed him. Half of his body began to wrinkle, the skin tightening as though his very blood was being drained from him.

"Just kill me already!" he screamed, his voice hoarse with pain. "This torture is too much!" His entire body felt like it was being scorched from the inside, the pain searing through him like fire.

He thought about giving in, letting death take him. But the agony was unbearable. He needed blood—desperately.

*Blood.*

The word echoed in his mind. Blood. Blood. It was the only thing that could ease the torment.

Staggering to his feet, he stumbled to the door and flung it open, making his way downstairs.

Rebecca, pacing frantically in the living room, froze when she heard his footsteps.

"Kelvin! Kelvin, are you okay?" she called out, rushing toward the stairs. But as soon as she laid eyes on him, her face twisted in horror.

Kelvin's once vibrant appearance was now a shell of its former self. His skin looked deathly pale, and his eyes were glazed over, filled with a bloodthirsty hunger.

"Kelvin..." she whispered, tears welling up in her eyes. "Kelvin, can you hear me?" she asked, her voice shaking. But he didn't respond with words. He growled, low and guttural, a sound thick with predatory menace.

Tears streamed down Rebecca's face as she watched him struggle against the transformation. His body was twisting into its full beastly form, his grunts thickening into growls, his movements jerky and strained. He didn't want to hurt her—she could see it in his eyes—but the beast inside him was taking over, and it was only a matter of time before it broke free.

It begins subtly, with a sudden stillness in the air, as though nature itself is holding its breath. Kelvin, standing at the edge of control, feels the familiar surge of dark energy coursing through his veins. His heart rate spikes, pounding like thunder in his chest, the first signal that the beast within is waking.

His body tenses as if every muscle is being pulled taut. His breathing becomes ragged, the sound of air being forcefully drawn in through clenched teeth fills the space around him. His skin, once warm to the touch, starts to pale, turning a deathly shade, veins darkening as they pulse under the surface. His eyes, glowing with an unearthly light, shift from their usual hue to a deep, blood-red, the irises narrowing into sharp, predatory slits. The change in his gaze signals the merging of his vampiric side with the ferocity of the wolf.

His bones begin to crack and shift, the sickening sounds of joints popping and realigning echo around him. His spine extends, lengthening to accommodate the hulking frame of the beast he is becoming. His limbs stretch unnaturally long, the once humanoid figure now grotesquely distorted. His hands morph into deadly claws, sharp as razors, capable of tearing through flesh and bone with ease. Black fur begins to sprout, coarse and thick, covering his body in a shadowy coat, while his once-human teeth elongate into sharp fangs designed for ripping and tearing.

Kelvin's ears become pointed, his face elongating into a wolf-like snout, his nostrils flaring as the heightened senses of both predator and supernatural being fully come to life. His hearing sharpens to the point where he can hear even the faintest heartbeat in the distance, while his sense of smell picks up the distinct scent of fear in the air. His body swells, muscles bulging under the skin, giving him the strength of ten men, the raw power that makes him both unstoppable and feared by all who encounter him.

As the transformation completes, Kelvin lets out a guttural roar, a mixture of a wolf's howl and a vampire's primal scream. His voice resonates with pain, anger, and hunger, echoing through the night like a harbinger of death. His mind, now teetering on the edge of sanity, struggles to maintain control, as the beast within yearns for violence, for blood.

Rebecca stood still, for if she moves she might die.