The Hunter McCall

Chapter 41: Following the Clues

"This property belongs to me and the charges were dropped. Although, I'm not exactly sure who's responsible for that..." Chris says, arguing with Deputy Parrish over his weapon. 

I sigh as the sheriff and I walk over. "I am." The sheriff announces us, leaning towards Parrish. "I'll take care of this, Parrish."

"Sheriff, I'm not kidding. This thing's a few watts away from being a lightsaber." Parrish states. I look over to see Derek glance at Chris distastefully. 

"I said I'll take care of it." The sheriff says forcefully, taking the 'lightsaber'.

"We need to talk to you." I whisper to the hunter and werewolf. The sheriff and I lead them to the sheriff's office. 

"The specialist I saw in LA told me the same thing that every doctor says when he's trying to avoid a lawsuit." The sheriff starts. "'We can't say for sure.' And then I spoke with Melissa and Lizzie." He turns to me and I pick up where he left off.

I take out two brain scans from a folder. "These are brain scans. Mrs. Stilinski's, Claudia's and Stiles'." I hand them the scans to look at. "We knew that they looked similar. But those are the same. Exactly the same."

"I'm guessing this isn't possible?" Derek asks.

"Not even remotely." I answer. 

"So the trickster is still playing tricks." Chris concludes. 

"But why this trick?" Derek leans over the desk, looking at the scans.

"When I was in the army, an officer told me, 'If you want to defeat your enemy, you don't take away their courage. You take away their hope.'" The sheriff says. 

"The same thing is true for hunting. Most hunters start out on a revenge fantasy. If they lose the will to fight off a monster, they're as good as dead." I agree.

"You two don't look like people who give up on hope easily." Chris observes. 

"But Stiles might." The sheriff hints. "If this thing inside him, if it's using his mother's disease as some sort of physiological trick, than this isn't just a fight for his body--"

"It's also a fight for his mind." I finish.

"You know he has left people severely injured." Chris states.

"And others severely dead." Derek cocks his head, earning a tight glare from me. 

"That's why I need the three of you." The sheriff declares. "I need people who are experienced in this kind of thing. I need you to help me stop him." 

"And by stop him, you mean trap him." Chris clarifies. The sheriff hesitantly gives the 'lightsaber' back to Chris. Chris grabs it, and takes it back, the sheriff and  him having a staring contest. 

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"This is everything non-lethal I could find." Allison shakes her head, showing us the table full of weapons. We stopped by my house to pick up some extra weapons and Bobby, but we have no idea what we are up against. 

"Take all of it." Chris demands. 

"What's the plan here?" The sheriff asks as Allison and I bag the weapons. 

"Our best shot right now is for Derek to try to pick up Stiles' scent at Eichen House. Especially if he went through something stressful there."

"Should all six of us be going to the same place?" Bobby asks skeptically.