Chapter 3 THE MONSTER IN SUIT
Kyomi's POV
My body was completely useless, limp like a ragdoll as Marcus pressed me harder against the cold brick wall. The roughness of the surface scraped against my back through the thin fabric of my tee-shirt. I could hear my own heartbeat thudding in my ears, slow and heavy, the drug making everything feel like I was underwater.
"Look at her, completely out of it," Marcus chuckled, his breath hot against my ear. "Told you the martini would work."
"Marcus, hurry up and get her clothes off already!" Matteo's voice came from somewhere to my left, tinged with impatience. "We don't have all night."
Gregory adjusted the tripod, pointing the camera directly at me. The red recording light blinked a sign that it had started recording. "We want to make sure we get everything, this is going to be our best video yet."
I wanted to scream, to fight, but my arms wouldn't obey me, my legs were dead weight, my mouth wouldn't form words. All I could do was watch through half-lidded eyes as Marcus's hands grabbed the collar of my tee-shirt.
"Such a shame, really," Marcus said, tearing the fabric with a loud rip that echoed in my ears. "You're actually pretty hot under all that... whatever this is." He gestured vaguely at my torn shirt with a wicked grin.
I felt the cool night air as it hit my skin, and more of my clothes were torn away. Gregory let out a low whistle. "Damn, Marcus. You weren't kidding, she's got a body under there after all."
Matteo stepped closer, his phone out, taking pictures of his own. "I'm sending this to the group chat, they're never going to believe we actually got the ice queen from folklore studies."
"Don't send it yet, idiot," Marcus snapped. "We need to make sure the video is perfect first, then we can distribute it however we want."
"Distribute it?" Gregory asked, his voice trembling slightly with excitement. "You mean we're actually going to……"
"Post it everywhere," Marcus confirmed, his hand moving to the waistband of my shorts. "After we've had our fun. Think about it….. Kyomi Wesley, the girl who never parties, never dates, who always looks at everyone like they're beneath her. We'll show everyone what she really is."
His fingers hooked into my shorts, and I felt the fabric begin to slide down my hips. My mind screamed, my heart raced, but my body remained frozen. Silent tears rolled down my cheeks. I couldn't even manage to blink them away.
"Hey!" A voice cut through the air, sharp and commanding. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"
Marcus froze. The three of them turned toward the source of the voice. From my limited view, I saw a tall figure emerge from the shadows, stepping into the dim light of a flickering streetlamp. He was wearing a perfectly tailored black suit, crisp white shirt, and polished shoes. He looked completely out of place for someone attending a frat party.
"Professor Duran?" Matteo's voice cracked with fear. "Sir, this isn't what it looks like."
"Then what exactly is it?" Professor Duran’s voice was deceptively calm, but I could see his jaw tightening, his hands balling into fists at his sides. "Because from where I'm standing, it looks like three of my students are assaulting another student while recording it."
He stepped closer, and I could finally see his face clearly. Professor Duran the enigmatic folklore professor who taught the advanced mythology classes. He was young for a professor, maybe late twenties, with sharp features and dark eyes that seemed to see right through you. He was always impeccably dressed and carried an air of authority that made even the rowdiest students behave. Right now, those dark eyes were blazing with barely contained fury.
"Professor, we were just….. " Gregory started.
"Just what?" Duran interrupted, his voice dropping dangerously low. "Having some fun? Teaching her a lesson?" He stepped forward, and I noticed his movements were unnaturally smooth, almost predatory. "I've seen men like you before, you think power belongs to you, that you can take whatever you want from whoever you want."
"Sir, please, we can explain," Marcus said, releasing my torn shorts and stepping away from me. I slumped against the wall, my body still useless.
Alistair's eyes flickered to me, to my torn clothes and exposed body, to the tears streaming silently down my face. Something shifted in his expression, the rage in his eyes transformed into something darker and terrifying.
"Explain?" He laughed, but there was no humor in it. "I don't think you can explain this away, Marcus but please, try. I'd love to hear it."
Marcus swallowed hard. "She….. she wanted it. She was all over us at the party. She practically begged us to……"
“Don't," Duran cut him off, his voice dropping to a whisper that somehow carried more weight than any shout. "Don't you dare insult both my intelligence and hers by lying. I saw you drag her out here and then tore her clothes off while she couldn't even move."
He took another step closer, and I could see his features shifting in the dim light. His eyes seemed to darken, the pupils expanding until they were almost completely black. His skin took on a pallid hue, veins becoming visible beneath the surface like dark rivers running through marble.
"And now," he continued, his voice no longer entirely human, "I'm going to show you what happens to those who prey on the innocent."
"Professor, please……" Matteo began, backing away.
Professor Duran moved with an impossible speed. One moment he was standing a few feet away, the next he was directly in front of Matteo, his hand wrapped around the young man's throat. Matteo's eyes bulged with terror as Duran lifted him off the ground like he weighed nothing.
"I warned you," Duran hissed, his voice now a guttural snarl that vibrated through the air. "I warned you all at the beginning of the semester, to learn to respect your fellow students and treat others with dignity." His head tilted at an unnatural angle. "You didn't listen."
Matteo tried to scream, but the sound was strangled in his throat as Alistair's mouth opened impossibly wide, revealing elongated canines that gleamed in the dim light. He sank his teeth into Matteo's neck, and the sound that followed was wet and sickening.
I wanted to look away, but my eyes wouldn't close. I watched in horror as Matteo's body convulsed, his skin rapidly losing color, his struggles becoming weaker and weaker until he hung limp in Duran's grasp. With a casual motion, Duran tossed the body aside, where it hit the ground with a dull thud.
Gregory tried to run, but Duran was on him in an instant. "Please! Please, I'll do anything! I'll leave school, I'll disappear, just……."
"You'll disappear whether you want to or not," Duran said calmly, his voice eerily serene as he gripped Gregory's head with both hands.
