Chapter 45
Steve was restless, pacing back and forth in his bedroom. His eyes darted around the room, and every now and then, he would glance at the clock. Shane sat on the couch, his arms crossed, silently watching his friend’s agitated movements. Finally, the tension in the room became too much for him. "Steve, will you calm down? Pacing like this won’t change anything."
Steve stopped abruptly, turning to face Shane. His eyes were filled with worry. "How can I calm down, Shane? It’s been two days since that chemical substance hit that she-wolf, and she’s still suffering! What if we’ve done something irreversible?"
Shane sighed, trying to remain patient. "I understand how you’re feeling, but we have to wait. Doctor Eugene will be here tomorrow. He’ll know what to do. There’s nothing more we can do right now."
"Waiting feels like we’re just letting her die!" Steve ran his fingers through his hair, his voice filled with frustration. "We caused this, Shane! We did this to her. We have to fix it before it’s too late."
"Listen," Shane said firmly, standing up from the couch and placing his hand on Steve’s shoulder. "I know it’s hard, but we need to trust Doctor Eugene. We can’t afford to go into that room without a cure, or we might make things worse. Plus, those werewolves could attack us at any moment."
Steve swallowed hard, his mind racing. He knew Shane was right, but the guilt was eating him alive. Two days ago, the experiment had gone horribly wrong when Hannah and Louis, the subjects, had transformed into werewolves. In a panic, Doctor Eugene and the guards had fled the room, leaving Steve to seal the lab’s doors. But something Steve hadn’t anticipated happened. As Hannah and Louis pounded on the door, trying to escape, a chemical substance from the experiment had spilled on Hannah, causing her to revert to her human form—but also inflicting her with unbearable pain.
Louis had cradled her in his arms as her skin peeled and swelled in strange places. He had screamed at the CCTV camera for help, but no one dared enter the room. Steve had sent footage of the incident to Doctor Eugene immediately, but the doctor had only theories about what was happening. No cure. No solution.
The weight of that memory crushed Steve. He had promised Louis that as soon as Hannah was healed, they would both be released. He had to keep that promise, especially now that he knew Hannah was pregnant.
"I just hope Doctor Eugene calls with good news tomorrow," Steve muttered as he sank into a chair, exhaustion and worry etched into his face.