Chapter 9

As soon as Noah turned away from Gemma, he regretted it. She was just trying to help and yet he was lashing out at her for no reason.

The two suddenly heard a rustling in the bushes and they both turned towards the direction of the sound. They were both on guard. They were ready to either fight or flee if what was in the bushes turned out to be a monster.

"Why do the two of you insist on being total idiots?" It was Nicholas and he looked pissed. 

He turned to Noah and spoke in a very arrogant manner. 

"Ever since you came along, Gemma has been acting like her brain was eaten by a dog. You. are. weak." He said with an air of superiority. 

"You'll drag us down. The least you can do is to not cause any problems." Nicholas added.

"That's not fair Nicholas. I asked Noah to accompany me for a stroll. He said yes because he was being nice to me." Gemma immediately said to Nicholas. 

Upon hearing her words Nicholas finally seemed to calm down a bit. He then turned to Gemma and scolded her a bit reluctantly before leading the two to where the rest of the gang were waiting for them.  

After that incident, the group started moving again. Matthew held the map and a compass as he pointed them in the right direction. Gemma and Noah stood beside him and Gemma started asking him questions about the mark. 

Crane felt curious about what they were talking about and also paid attention.  

Matthew was born in the east, the birthplace of all human knowledge. He always seemed to know everything. This was also the reason why he was put in charge of leading them to their destination.

Matthew's eyes and mouth widened in shock when he saw the mark. He quickly controlled his expression and tried to appear as if everything was normal. He refused to meet Noah and Gemma's eyes and wanted very badly to change the topic but the two of them weren't going to let him do that.

After a while, he finally caved in and told them the origin of the mark. The mark was branded in the bloodline of the monsters. 

"The monsters that we see are actually low class monsters he said. 

"The high class monsters are a nightmare. They are very different from the low class monsters. We wouldn't stand a chance against them. It would take them a moment to rip all of them to shreds. They are stronger, faster, more intelligent and can even blend in among humans and breed. Their offsprings with the humans, the hybrids, all have this mark, just like their parents." Mathew continued.

Noah felt the world darken as he heard Matthew's words. He was a monster. he had become the very thing that he had sworn to destroy.

I am a monster. 

I am a monster. 

I am a monster.

I am a monster.

I am a monster. 

I AM A MONSTER! The words continued to ring in his head but Matthew's words pulled him back to reality.

"There's no use hating on yourself for something that you can't control. You didn't kill your sister. You're not a monster so please, don't beat yourself up over this. Be strong." Mathew said as he patted him on the shoulder.  

Crane who had been quiet all along also gave him a word of encouragement and advised him not to tell Nicholas. 

"I mean, Nick is a good guy really, deep down.....really, really, deep down. He has a good heart but he's also a piece of shit." She said.

Gemma chuckled at Crane's comment and the gloomy atmosphere lifted. 

Noah felt the need to be alone to process the news that he had just received. He slowly fell behind the others. Gemma noticed his actions but she knew that he needed some time alone. 

Noah watched the others go ahead as he tried to calm his raging emotions. Just as he managed to calm down a bit, he discovered that the others were no where to be found. It seemed that they had gone far ahead. He was about to speed up in order to catch up with them when he heard a very familiar voice behind him.

"You're wasting your time" the voice said. 

He looked back to see the man—no. The monster that had met him in the forest before. The man's eyes were bright and he looked more savage. His accent was even thicker than before. 

"Why waste your time on food. You have so much potential and you're wasting it on puny humans. The only thing humans are good for is to serve as food. Embrace who you are. Sooner or later, your hunger will make you see my point." The man smiled.

 His fangs looked sharper and there was something that looked like a raw piece of flesh stuck between his sharp teeth. Noah felt sick and angry. 

"I am not like you!" He said. 

The man gave another wide smile. 

"You're one of us. Don't deny what you are. Come with me." His voice sounded hypnotic. 

Something about his voice brought out the animalistic side of Noah that he had been trying to force down. Noah could feel his hunger rising. 

The mark on his neck also felt painfully hot and he could hear the group in the distance. He was suddenly very conscious of their presence. He felt an uncontrollable urge to rush in their direction and tear into their soft flesh. He wanted to see blood. 

Noah licked his lips and nearly salivated at the thought. He caught himself before he could act on this thought. He took deep breaths and forced his savage thoughts away. He tried to think of other things to distract himself. 

By the time that he successfully got his bloodlust under control, the strange man was already gone but Noah could still hear his voice with his thick accent ringing in the air.