FATED TO THE PROPHECY

CHAPTER THREE

DAMIEN'S POV

I picked up my bag from the hangar on the wall before leaving the house. My heart was racing in anticipation of whatever was going to happen today. I had made up my mind that I was going to be strong, no matter what I was going to face.

I entered my car, turned on the ignition and when I looked out of the window, my eyes turned to the woods. I had a dark feeling about that place and I had successfully avoided it since the werewolf sighting that I had failed to report to the REPUBLIK CITY CONTROL COUNCIL. Tearing my eyes off it, I noticed a figure again.

The werewolf, I believe.

Immediately, I pulled the gear and sped off into the road. If not for my fear of the woods for a long time before now, I would have been using it to get to school because it was just about twenty minutes walk. But I always wanted to be on the safe side and used my pickup truck, burning fuel and sweating in the "air-condition-less" car.

I finally got to school and lectures were already going on. I knew I was going to be late, but my job description didn't add punctuality as a compulsory work ethic, so I went to the basketball court, the doors had been locked, and I knew that Coach Dennis had been there before me.

I took out a sandwich and a disposable cup of coffee I had gotten on my way to school, from my bag. Munching my breakfast, I plugged in my earphones and listened to calm Lo-fi instrumentals. When I was done, my mind went back to the dream.

It really had etched a kind of fear in my heart, but I had sworn to myself that I wasn't going to be a weakling anymore. Even if it meant standing up to Chris and his friends today– at the expense of my body.

It wasn't really my fault that I hadn't been picked by a college. Financially, I wasn't buoyant enough to take such a step, so I had to stay behind to try to make some money myself. Despite the pressure from my classmates back then to take the scholarship exams, I didn't feel I was suited for this, so I sat back and watched them gain admission one after the other. Many of my teammates got scholarships.

"Hey," I heard and turned back to see a student standing behind me. She had shoulder-length blond hair that was tied in a ponytail.

"Hey," I replied.

"The basketball team's junior coach, right?" She asked and I nodded.

"I just wanted to know when the ream would he having a match because the cheerleaders have been rehearsing for weeks now. But we haven't gotten any news of a match," the teenager said and I nodded in realization of the truth. We hadn't had a match since resumption.

"Thank you for the information, I will relay it to Coach Dennis," I said and picked my bag, took out my kicks and my ball. I had to prepare for the rehearsal ahead, keeping a straight face as I trained alone. Playing against invisible opponents, I dribbled around and tossed into the basket, retrieving and going again and again until I grew tired.

Checking my phone, it was already noon. I was really tired. So I went into the changing room, took my bath and came out with the mindset of being stronger.

"I wasn't going to be a weakling anymore," I told myself again as I sat back on the bench. I went through YouTube, watching some video clips, but I had to turn it off immediately I noticed that I was smiling too much. I needed to be strong, and keep a straight face.

Slowly, the guys came in and they were shocked that I refused to fist-bump with any of them. I just nodded at them and continued with my phone– actually doing nothing, just tapping at the screen. I waited for them to change before I stood up and went to the court.

"Join me on the court at ten," I ordered, and they turned to me flabbergasted at the new Coach Damien they were seeing.

"Coach Damien, is everything okay?" One of them asked and others laughed.

"Give me ten push-ups," I ordered with a smile, and he was still staring at me. But when he saw that I wasn't smiling at all, he went over and served his punishment. The feeling of victory crept onto my face, but I tightened my lips before the smile exposed my vulnerability.

"Now, we will be grouping into two different teams and playing against each other. This is going to be a test for a match that myself and Coach Dennis will be setting up very soon," I said coldly and the look on their faces almost tempted me to pump my fist in the air.

*And look who we have here," I heard and I knew who it was, Chris Goodman.

"Chris Badman," I clapped back in dark sarcasm, and his brows furrowed in a mix of rage and surprise. "Shocked?" I asked. He remained silent, as well as his cohorts.

"You shouldn't be shocked. At least, this is what you do to other people. Having a taste of your own medicine shouldn't be this sour in your mouth, don't you think?" I said to him in quick succession and his mouth hung open in shock.

The team was cheering me silently, and I knew that I was cooking of a storm for myself that could result in me being beaten to a pulp, but I was ready to be strong. Seeing Coach Dennis walking in from the door, I continued.

"You know one thing I have learned about bullies? They are the weakest of all," I said. "Picking on the weak is the biggest form of foolery when I hear such a person brag about being strong." I shot mercilessly again.

"Is there anything wrong with you?" I heard myself ask myself, but I had to shut that weak Damien out for now.

"Bunny? What type of name is that? Your parents obviously named you a rabbit." I shot at Bunny who stood at 6'3 and had muscles but he stood limp at my hurting words. I was sure no one was going to ever tell him such, but I just did.

"Rashid Evans? That's the weirdest combination of names I have ever heard. Just like having a monochromatic name. Your name sounds more like Black White," I said and everyone jeered at him, cheering me to go on. But I was already out of gas.

I didn't know where the confidence was coming from. But I had lost it almost for a while, speaking my mind for the first time in my life. I could see Coach Dennis smiling at me, and it pleased me to know that he was at my side.

Shortly after, he ordered the team to a training routine, and when he sat down, I went to him and told him about the plans for a match-up, which he agreed to.

"The cheerleaders should be coming to training too. They rehearse in the court before we train," he said, and I nodded.

"I am proud of you," he said as I stood up to go to the team. I stopped, turned to him, and nodded before leaving.

In fine, we were done with the training and everyone left, not after bidding me farewell, save for Chris, Bunny, and Rashid. When I was alone, clearing everything, I saw them standing at the entrance of the training facility and my self-confidence slowly crumbled. They had the most angry faces I had seen in my short lifetime.

Chris stood in the middle with his hands in his pockets while Bunny and Rashid stood at each side with their hands across their chest and knuckles cracking respectively. They were obviously going to beat me till I passed out, and the straight face gave away for panic.

No one was going to save me. No one would hear my cries now. I had to find a way to escape. But there was only one entrance. I decided to work at the pace of a snail, hoping they would get tired of waiting and leave, but they seemed to be exercising a lot of patience tonight.

Checking my phone, I saw that it was already 10:00 pm and I had to get home. I counted the balls on the rack, and it was complete– not like I expected any of the players to steal them, but anything to keep these bullies waiting.

"I am your coach, and you've got to show some respect," I honestly wanted to scream this to them, but I would get beaten anyway. I had tried it before but it didn't help.

I turned and saw that they were distracted and were not looking my way anymore.

"Coach Dennis will have to lock the entrance again," I told myself and dashed out of the room before they could stop me. Almost immediately, they chased me but one thing I was sure I was better than them at was: running.

I ran as fast as my legs could carry me and got to the parking lot. With my keys in my hands already, I tried opening the door of my truck but I didn't seem to find the keyhole and I could hear them fast approaching me, so it was reasonable that I left and ran for my life.

I continued in my race and saw that Bunny and Rashid had taken alternative routes and were coming from the exit in sight. Without thinking I turned to the only way remaining; the woods.

Running as fast as my legs could carry me, I didn't intend to stop because I didn't think Chris was going to stop until he meted severe punishment on me for making a mockery of him earlier today.

Just as I had gotten into the woods enough to get scared. I stopped.

Werewolf sightings in Republik City?

The same woods I had seen a werewolf?

The newscaster's words began to ring out in my head again. Fear came over me and I couldn't shake off the dreadful feeling that had compassed me. Cold ran through my spine, and I tried shaking off the feeling that threatened to break me.

Even Chris and his minions had stopped chasing me. I believed they had stopped because I didn't hear their footsteps again.

My fear of them had brought me into the dreaded woods, and I was scared already. I couldn't decide if I was told to go back the same way I came or continue till I got home since it was shorter.

"There he is," I heard and turned to see Chris and his friends coming down the steep slope to catch me, and I ran farther into the woods.

Running as fast as I could, all I saw was a blur as a huge figure ran into me, hitting me by the side and tossing me like a piece of rag. I landed a few meters away and my head banged against the trunk of a tree.

"What was that?" I heard Bunny ask.

"It was so fast, I couldn't see anything. It just dashed into Damien," Rashid replied.

"Where is he?" Bunny asked again.

"Let's leave here now, he may have been killed. And if we are found here, that's going to be a problem," Chris said and I saw them run off in the direction they had come from.

Before I fell unconscious, I saw a figure run into the darkness of the woods. A werewolf