Running with the Wolves

chapter 15: the woods

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basement in the cabin; following day

Celeste and I spent all night plotting our escape. Well, my escape...

"Celeste, what if they kill you?"

"They won't. I'm their back up plan, in case you fail. If it doesn't work and they can't draw out Scott through you, then they'll use me to draw out Becca. They still need me."

"I don't know. I don't want you to get hurt."

"It'll be fine. Just do what we practiced and run as fast as you can. Right now, we wait."

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I'm going over our plan in my head.

First we wait until everyone leaves to meet Kate and only one is left behind.

After that, Celeste will pretend to attack me, making whoever stayed behind come downstairs. After all, they need me alive.

Then Celeste will attack whoever came downstairs, giving me a chance to escape.

"I probably won't be able to get away myself, but it'll give you the chance to make a run for it."

"If you don't make it out Celeste, we'll come back for you. I promise."

She smiles and nods. I grab a hold of her hand and give it a gentle squeeze. She is so brave.

"Ok, they just left." She whispers to me. "Just gotta wait a little bit longer to make sure they don't come back and that they are far away, ok?"

I nod.

We wait and wait a little bit more.

"Ok." She says. "It's time."

Celeste now has me pinned to the floor, her eyes glowing yellow and her growl ringing in my ears.

"No, leave me alone! Let me go!" I scream.

The door opens and down comes the lone wolf who stayed behind.

"Hey, that's enough!" he demands.

He's coming down the stairs and once he reaches the bottom of them Celeste turns and attacks him, knocking him backwards. Now, she has him pinned on the ground.

I get up and begin to run up the stairs but the lone wolf grabs my foot and pulls me down, causing me to hit my head on one of the stairs. My visions blurs again.

I kick him as hard as I can, and my foot connects with his face. He lets go. I get up and begin my way up the stairs again, my ankle slows me down and the fact that I feel faint isn't helping.

I reach the top of the stairs and look back. Celeste is wrestling with him.

"Celeste!" I yell down to her.

"Run! Go!" she says. And I do.

It hurts me so much to leave her behind. To leave her with them. But if I stay, what she is doing would be all for nothing.

I have to get help.

I rush out of the small cabin and run. I run and run without looking back.

I haven't ate anything besides a few crackers these past couple of days and have barely had anything to drink. My ankle hurts so much. This is all slowing me down and I feel so helpless.

Celeste is so weak from the wolfsbane that she wasn't able to take much, if any, of my pain.

I run until I can't run anymore.

Everything is spinning, my head and my ankle hurt so much and I can't hold myself up anymore.

I collapse.

I'm lying there, in the woods, with no strength to keep going, only my will.

I have to get up. I have to keep going.

But when I try to get up, everything goes black, and I fall.

I'm cold. I've started shivering.

I'm lying there. Tears starting to form in my eyes.

I won't be able to help Celeste like I promised. I won't be able to get back to my family, to my friends.

Suddenly, I hear leaves crack under someones feet, but I don't open my eyes, scared of who or what it might be.

"Veronica?"

I recognize that voice. I slowly turn around and open my eyes.

It's Stiles. It's my brother.

I reach my hand out to him and he runs towards me.

"St-Stiles."

"Oh, god. Veronica, you're freezing."

He takes his jacket off and puts it on me.

"How did y-you find me?" I ask.

"Chris, Chris said he tracked Kate into the woods once, but wasn't able to figure out her exact location. We figured you were being held here somewhere, in the woods. We all spread out and we've been looking for you."

Kate. The pack. The woods. They are all here. Aria's pack and Scott's. She probably already knows they are here. Oh God, she's going to kill them.

I'm filled with panic and dread.

"You have to g-get out of here. All of you. She's gonna know you are all here."

"Ok, but we gotta get you out of here."

"N-no!" I yell at him as I shove him away. "I'll just slow you down. You have to get out of here. Now!"

"Veronica!" my brother counters.

"No, Stiles! Just leave me!"

"No, I'm not leaving you! You're my sister! I'm not gonna leave you here to die, all right!?"

I nod weakly.

He helps me up but I barely have the strength to drag my feet.

"Stiles." I say as everything begins to go black again.

"Hey, Veronica, stay with me, all right?" he says as he picks me up. Stiles is carrying me now.

He carries me for a few minutes and then he tells me he is going to put me down.

We're somehow at his Jeep now and he helps me into the passengers seat.

He gets into the drivers seat and starts the Jeep.

I'm not as cold as before, but I still feel utterly weak.

He's driving now.

"Scott, you need to tell Scott...to get out of the woods.." I manage to say.

He gets his phone and dials Scott's number.

"Scott! I found her!...Yes, I'm taking her to the hospital right now, but they are there, they are all there in the woods. Kate, Aria, the berserkers! You gotta get out of there, now!"

He hangs up and reaches for my hand.

"Hang on Veronica, we're almost there, all right?"

I try to speak, I try to tell him about Celeste, but I can't.

My grip loosens on my brothers hand and everything goes black.