strange frequencies
A feeling of discomfort festered inside of her, her arms wrapped tight around her, hoping to act as a shield against what she was seeing, against the feelings that begged to be let in. Though she couldn't stand the sight, she couldn't draw her eyes away from it. The dead body that was. Josh, Scott had confirmed his name, a junior, and a Chimera. A former Chimera. Now, all he was was a failed experiment of The Dread Doctors. That, and an awful reminder for Kinsey of the crime she had committed.
She had visions of her scrubbing her skin red raw to get the blood off of her. The burning feeling of hurting her skin until it bled, though nobody would be able to tell. Not anymore. By the time she had stepped out of the scalding shower her skin was like new. She only wished that it could work like that for her mind too. That she could heal from the torment she had caused herself in a moment of weakness, of anger and desperation.
In some ways, the body in front of her was similiar to that of Donovan's. The lifeless eyes. Fangs. Blood spewing out of him. She couldn't count how many times she had seen that image since. It, he, was everywhere. In every reflection. In every dream. She hadn't slept in days. Though being a werewolf seemed to cover that too, nobody would ever known from a quick glance that she'd deprived herself of sleep for days now. Perhaps that was what she deserved, to be haunted by it, by her actions. Maybe that would be the thing to stop her from becoming her parents.
She stared at the dead boy in front of her as the lump in her throat continued to swell. While his name didn't bring any sense of familiarity to her, his face did. It was as clear as day, as though it was still happening. She saw him, she told the room, the three boys turning to look at her with a furrowed brow, questioning what she meant. In the hospital, she told them, she saw him laying on a surgical table with The Dread Doctors surrounding him, peeling back his skin. He begged for his life, to not be hurt, and now he lay dead in front of them.
Maybe she could have saved him somehow, she thought. Was that the reason she and Lydia saw it? Was it a plea for their help? She wasn't sure, but if the sight in front of her proved anything, it was that it was too late to save him. We can't let it happen again, she insisted as she looked over the three faces surrounding her, if they found out who the next Chimera was, they had to help, it couldn't end like this again. Another teenager couldn't lose their life because of these creatures.
The three equally uncomfortable boys nodded in agreement, staring at the maroon liquid slowly dripping onto the floor. They had all seen dead bodies before tonight, a lot of them in fact, but it was something about this one that made them sick, something about this felt different. None of them were sure what it was that made this dead body so different from the rest, but they knew it was a feeling they didn't like. Kinsey imagined that it was worse for Stiles and Theo, they had to see it happen, watching as one of The Dread Doctors slashed the Chimera's throat. Unable to try and save him. That was always the worst part. The survivors guilt that hit afterwards.
Or at least that was the story the two boy's decided to go with. A favor to each other. From one killer to a boy pretending to be one.
Stiles was yet to tell Kinsey about the deal that he had made with Theo, or if he would tell her at all. She wouldn't like it, he was sure of that. Telling her that he had covered for her wouldn't be a favor to her, it would be a curse. She would be haunted by the knowledge that Stiles was calling himself a killer, telling the likes of Theo that he had killed Donovan so that her image remained a pure, untouched masterpiece. He only had her best interests at heart, he only ever tried to have them at heart, but somtimes, sometimes things were better left untouched.
Unable to look at him anymore, Kinsey covered up the boy's body, taking a large step back from it as she rewrapped herself up in her own arms in search for comfort again, tighter than the last time, though they failed to provide her with any. Lately, she was incapable of feeling comfort, if she had ever felt it in the first place.
Both she, Theo and Stiles looked at the Alpha on the opposite side of the room, waiting for him to speak, whether it was about Josh, The Dread Doctors, or the other obscenely large elephant in the room. It would come sooner or later, she knew that. It wasn't everyday that a fresh-faced werewolf could shift right on the spot, without any form of evolving, without even learning the werewolf 101. Just like that, she had an ability that some werewolves dreamed of. That some of them would probably kill for. As she had told her sister, she was handed it on a silver platter.
Scott hadn't spoken a word about it since leaving the hospital, though she wasn't sure whether it was due to a lack of time, or simply a lack of words. She imagined that when it processed the Alpha would have some questions to ask her, some that she wasn't sure she would even be able to answer, but amongst them was bound to be the question of why she hadn't told them about it sooner. Even her boyfriend. She expected Stiles to be especially pissed about her keeping the secret. After the mess that they'd been through lately, something like that shouldn't have been so hard for her to share, perhaps it was denial that made her keep it between her and Malia, or perhaps she was sick of having these special things happen to her, none of which she asked for.
When Scott failed to speak, Stiles moved the conversation along, questioning what they planned to do with Josh's body, they couldn't just set the alarm and leave him here, that was how Tracy's body had disappeared. Someone would have to stay here, a task that none of them had jumped to volunteer for. Babysitting a dead body wasn't the most appealing plan for a Saturday night. It was Theo who caved first, he imagined that the three in relationships had much more intriguing plans for the weekend than he did, he was prepared to be the one who sacrificed their sleep with the hopes he would catch the person responsible for the missing bodies.
While she wasn't so eager to volunteer before, Kinsey agreed to help out, suggesting that it may take two sets of eyes to keep watch of Josh's body tonight, and perhaps a better chance of being able to fight off whoever came for the body. While Scott and Theo seemed to agree with the logic of a huntress, Stiles was eager to get them off of the idea, prepared to pull out any excuse to stop the two of them being left alone together for the etnrire night. Especially after what happened at the hospital. Only he hadn't had the chance before Scott's phone chimed, snatching up his slim chances of convincing Kinsey there was something more important for her to be doing.
They all paused as they watched the Alpha's eyes widen at the text message on his screen, Scott double checked it, sure that he must have misread it, but he hadn't. Another one, he said below his breath. Another Chimera.
Stiles rushed over to the wolf's side, reading the text message, muttering a single name aloud as he did so. Hayden. He said it twice, the second time in a questioning tone, unsure he'd heard of a Hayden before. Even so, there was something familiar about the name, as if someone had said it to him recently. And then he looked up to the starstruck Kinsey who knew exactly where it came from. Her. That distorted voice from the hospital monitor had called that name. Whispering it in her ear. Hayden.
Before she knew it Kinsey was stood in Scott's bedroom, hearing the name being called through his bathroom door. Liam had brought her here believing it was the safest place for her after The Dread Doctors had tried to attack her, hijacking her car stereo, telling her that her condition was improving. They could understand why she had locked herself in the bathroom the second that Liam had turned his attention away for more than a second. She was terrified, and rightly so, out of the four of them, three of them were very familiar with the fear that was becoming something that you never intended to be. A monster, in some people's eyes.
They tried to plead with her through the door, insisting they didn't want to hurt her, in fact they wanted the opposite, they wanted to protect her as much as they could. With enough time and manpower, perhaps they could ensure The Dread Doctor's didn't come close to her. When Scott and Stiles' attempts of talking to the girl had failed, all three boys turned to the one person who may just have a chance of getting through to her. Another difficult woman in her time of need. It wasn't like she didn't have an act for it, Kinsey excelled in understanding people's situations, she had a magic touch that none of them truly understood, but were truly grateful for.
Kinsey nodded, without any explanation she knew what they were asking of her as she stood up, walking up to the locked bathroom door. "Hayden?" Kinsey called softly as she tapped the door. "You don't know me, but my name's Kinsey. Can I come in?" She asked with little hope that she would be let in that easily. Of course, all she received was silence. "I'm new to all of this too. And I know how scary it can be to not know what's going on, but we can help you with that if you just let us in." She tried to plead with the girl, the silence in the other room continuing.
"Look, we just need to tell you the truth, Hayden." Scott tried to appeal again. "And that kind of thing usually works better face-to-face." He urged, trying the soft approach too. It was as Kinsey watched the wolf's failed attempt that she realised something. With some people, soft didn't cut it, sometimes, the nice approach wasn't the right one, from what Liam had told them, the girl in the bathroom wasn't a soft girl, she was stubborn with an attitude, especially toward him. It was then that she wondered whether a different approach would provide them with results.
Kinsey moved the Alpha out of the way as she stood against the door again, the boy allowing her free reign, hoping she had a plan. And she did, just not the kind that he expected of her. "Listen, Hayden. Either you unlock the door or I'm going to break it down." Kinsey said in a stern tone, all three boys looking at her with surprise, doubting this would work. "You don't wanna talk? Fine, I can deal with that, but trust me when I say that you need us. Whether you wanna believe me or not, you're going to need our help if you wanna survive." The girl finished, waiting for a reply as the room fell to silence once again.
She looked back at Scott, shrugging, unsure what else they could do, the were-angel took a step back, preparing to kick the door down as she had promised to do. Before her foot left the floor, the lock unlocked, opening, left slightly ajar. Kinsey carefully stepped closer to the door, pushing it open further to reveal the other teenage girl standing inside with a bowed head, staring at that horrifying sight any new werewolf struggles to comprehend- the claws attached to her hands. As she looked up at the four people waiting at the door her eyes were illuminated a golden yellow, a look of fear shining through them. She believed them.
Telluric currents. A topic the three of them never thought they would have to discuss again, yet here they stood, in the school library, looking down at a map of telluric currents for the second time in their lives. It didn't feel so long ago that it had been the first time, an entire year ago. The Alpha amongst them felt more confident in it this time, he understood it more, and this time, he had a plan. If The Dread Doctors didn't like going into Eichen because of the currents, the pack could use that to protect Hayden, using the only other place with convergence as strong as the infamous Eichen House. Here. At the school.
"You want to hide her in the school?" Stiles questioned, both he and his girlfriend looking at the Alpha with raised brows. "For how long?"
"If we have to, all night." The Alpha insisted. Another long night of the pack without sleep. But it was for the good of Beacon Hills and the people who lived here, which meant Kinsey and Stiles were just as determined as him. With the agreement of his best friends, the plan was kicked into gear as Scott explained his elaborate plan further. "Liam convinced Hayden not to say anything to her sister yet. She's working a double tonight, and she thinks Hayden's staying at a friend's."
"But it's just a school though. It's not exactly a fortress." Stiles pointed out, a point that the wolf had already considered. His best friend was a huntress, he had learned to think strategically over the time they had been friends, and he liked to think he had all the bases covered.
"Lydia has an idea for that. Remember how Valack quoted Tesla?"
"Frequency and vibration." Kinsey nodded, she remembered it well. "It was a clue." She realized as the Alpha nodded in agreement. He hadn't said it to her just to sound smart, he was trying to help in his own twisted, disguised way. "So how do we use it?"
"We disrupt their frequency," Scott told them, and they had already figured out a way to do it. Or to at least try. "Parrish took three cellphone jammers from the station. He thinks he can broaden their range of frequency. It's a long shot, but it's the best we've got right now.
As the night sky washed over Beacon Hills the plan was put into motion as Kinsey, Parrish, Lydia, and Malia arrived at the school, putting all of their faith in the signal jammers, hoping that they would do their job, keeping The Dread Doctors far from Hayden. They were placed all around the school; the hallways, the locker room, anywhere that they would provide coverage for Hayden's hiding place. Between the four of them, there was little faith in the cellphone jammers, the three Dread Doctors were creatures like never before, they were scientists, they were smart, they had a lot more running for them than a group of teenagers and Parrish.
Despite the nerves, they tried to remain positive, sticking to the plan that Scott had created. The first part that was. It was only known to a few that there was a second part to the plan, one that wouldn't be a fan favorite. Lydia could tell from the moment she saw Liam helping Hayden what was going on, that he was one of the people who Scott hadn't told about the rest of the plan, she could easily guess another. Of course, she had to confront him about it, asking whether she had rightly assumed that neither Liam nor Kinsey knew about the plan to use Hayden as bait for The Dread Doctors shall Plan A fail. Perhaps her assumptions were right, but Scott wasn't sure there would even be a second part of the plan, or if it would work, all he knew was that for now, they needed to focus on the first part.
Meanwhile, Kinsey and Malia found themselves pacing back and forth down a dark, quiet school hallway, waiting for something to happen, whether it be good or bad. Kinsey played with one of her daggers as she walked, tracing her finger against the blade, it was funny to her now, she had always been told to be careful when holding them, how easily she could hurt herself, that was a novelty that had faded now, she didn't see any reason to be careful with anything anymore. She could heal. In moments any pain would be over with, there was no danger to being a hunter now that she was a werewolf, dying had sucked the fun right out of it, out of many things she used to enjoy as a human.
Even if she did have new weapons to protect herself like the canines she bore or the sharp claws of a werewolf, it had become a habit to equip herself with daggers and guns. As always, she had a second dagger waiting in her boot, a knife strapped to her leg for quick access, and two guns in a holster around her waist. She knew that one day it was a habit she would grow out of, when all of the werewolf fighting was something she was much more used to, the feeling of needing all of her weapons on her body would disappear like everything else she had known.
Kinsey found herself constantly looking back at the double doors at the end of the hall, she kept trying to push it to the back of her mind, but it was impossible not to see herself barging into the school frantically searching for her boyfriend, following the scent of blood and fear that had led her right to him and Donovan. It was harder than she would have ever imagined taking the life of someone else, it was something she always had a feeling she would do, she was a huntress, she assumed that the day would come when it was necessary to kill. But she never knew it would be this horrifying to have that dark cloud lingering over her head.
Malia stared at her sister, watching her every move with narrowed eyes. Something was going on with her lately, she was sure of it. Kinsey was always on edge, she was always paranoid, that was just who she was. But this was more than that, she had been acting differently, stranger than she usually acted. She knew that her sister was adjusting to becoming a werewolf, but it seemed like more than that. Like something was haunting her. It was keeping her up at night, she had spent most nights of the week sitting in the kitchen with a cup of coffee to keep her powering through the remainder of her day, as though sleeping wasn't just wasn't an option. She was quieter. The way she acted was changing by the day. She just couldn't put her finger on what had caused it.
"You still wondering why I haven't said anything to Scott?" Theo questioned the boy sitting next to him in the Jeep, Stiles's eyes still locked onto the watch he had connected to his phone inside of the clinic, staring at the still dead body, waiting for someone to come and take it. The two had barely spoken since their stakeout had begun. Stiles wasn't interested in making conversation, it had never interested him, he was doing this to stop whoever was taking the bodies, and so that his girlfriend didn't have to do it instead. Who knew what could have happened if it was Kinsey in this car with Theo instead of him, the things that might have slipped out?
"Maybe," Stiles admitted, looking at the werewolf through the corner of his eye. That question had crossed his mind a few times, he was sure that if Theo wanted to gain Scott's trust that this would be the perfect way to do it, to show that he wouldn't keep secrets, even when it came to the other members of the pack. Especially not when that secret went against everything Scott stood for.
Theo nodded, he thought so. "You think I've got some kind of ulterior motive?"
"More than likely."
"Would you believe me if I said all I want... All I've ever wanted is for you guys to trust me?" The wolf asked with sincerity in his tone, this time, he even turned to look at the human to speak, a gesture the two of them usually refrained from.
"Nope." Stiles deadpanned.
"So you're here because you're never gonna trust me?" Theo questioned him. Stiles nodded, he couldn't have been more correct. There was nothing that the wolf could do to change it. It didn't matter what Theo did, including almost saving his girlfriend's life, there was something going on with him, there was an ulterior motive, he wasn't who he said he was. He was sure of it, but time would tell. That he was also confident in. "You know who you remind me of?" Theo asked, Stiles told him that he didn't care, but the wolf continued anyway, much to his displeasure. "My sister. She was smarter than everyone too. And a pain in the ass like you. She always looked out for me. The same way you look out for Scott."
Stiles only grew more uncomfortable with the mention of Theo's sister, he had heard about what had happened to her, how she was another name on a long list of tragic deaths that happened in Beacon Hills. He had never done well with talking about death, but like most conversations with Theo, it seemed that this would be one he couldn't escape. Theo explained that he had been the one to find his sister, Tara, she had fallen into a creek, breaking her leg in the process. He teared up as he recalled that night, leaving Stiles to uncomfortably shift in his seat as he listened, it was situations like this where sarcasm wasn't viable. It was one of the coldest nights of the year, the wolf told him, if it wasn't for that, if it wasn't for the hypothermia, the boy couldn't continue his sentence, but Stiles knew what he intended to say. It was what went through everyone's mind in a time of grief, wondering that if something, just one little detail had been different, what would have changed?
"I should have known. I should have looked out for her."
"Why are you telling me this?"
"I'm telling you because even if you don't trust me, and even if you don't like me, I'm still going to be looking out for you."
The silence in the school hallways continued as the two sisters anxiously awaited something, it was a waiting game, they weren't quite sure what they were waiting for, but they knew that they had to be prepared for anything. It could be Parrish walking through those doors. Or Scott, Liam, Lydia, or Hayden walking out of the locker room. Or the most dreaded one, The Dread Doctors. It didn't matter who it was, the two of them were on edge.
Malia had continued watching her sister like a hawk, still trying to figure out what was going on with Kinsey, she had hoped by now that the time alone would cause her sister to cave, that like she usually did she would begin aimlessly rambling until she said exactly what was on her mind. That was just another thing that proved Kinsey wasn't her usual self, she had happily stood in an awkward silence instead of trying to cover it up with pointless conversations. The coyote wanted to keep her mouth shut, giving Kinsey the benefit of the doubt, believing that she would come to her and talk about it herself soon enough. But Malia had never been one for civilized behavior or social norms. It came out before she could even try to stop it.
"Why didn't you tell me about Peter?" She blurted out, taking the other Hale by surprise, Kinsey quickly looked up, no longer tracing her finger against the sharp blade. She was lost for words as she met the prying eyes of Malia who waited for an answer that Kinsey struggled to give. "Lydia told me you went to see Peter. Why didn't you tell me?" She asked again.
Kinsey stammered for words as she tried to think of an explanation. But she struggled. Even now she wasn't sure why she felt the need to see Peter after she died, why in her time of need it was a man who betrayed her that she was inclined to talk to about her problems. "He's my dad, Malia. Our dad. I- I know what he did was wrong, I know that but... He's the only dad I have and I- can't just let go of that. You have Henry, Stiles has his dad, Lydia and Scott have their mom, hell Scott even has his dad sometimes. Who do I have? Nobody. Chris is gone. Derek's gone. Without Peter, I have nobody, Malia." Kinsey said breathlessly, her arms dropping back to her side after she had rambled for perhaps a little too long. "I just needed someone, okay? Someone who wasn't there that night to tell me that they thought it was the best thing to do. That Scott biting me was what was the best and only option. Because it certainly doesn't feel like it."
"Just..." Malia muttered, still speechless, unsure what to say to her sister who clearly just needed someone in a moment of desperation. She had never thought about it the way she had. She had never thought about how Kinsey must have felt to have Kate and Peter as her parents, two of the worst people Malia had ever heard of, and along with that, every other parental figure she had in her life was dead or gone. "Just be careful. He's still Peter."
The hallway returned to the awkward silence as the two girls stayed on opposite sides, refusing to look in each other's direction, neither wanted to continue the conversation any further. Both of them knew nothing would come of it. Even with Malia's warning to be careful the two of them knew that wasn't the last time Kinsey would visit Peter, her feelings were clear, part of her would always have a soft spot for her father, a craving to have a relationship with him no matter who he had hurt in the past, including her.
Kinsey tapped her foot anxiously, watching the door again, praying that someone, even if it was The Dread Doctors, would walk in and save her from standing in the silent hall a second longer. A wish that she had been granted, one way or another. The sound of an engine roaring to life came from outside, startling the two girls who quickly pulled themselves off of the walls, wondering if it was a sign from Parrish that The Dread Doctors had come for Hayden, but it was soon followed by the sound of his tires squealing against the tarmac, speeding off.
Malia questioned where the hell he was going as she began pacing toward the exit, Kinsey ready to head in the opposite direction to alert the four hiding in the locker room but the moment she had turned her back she heard the sound of cracking floor tiles and piercing metal, finalized by the sound of Malia's pained scream as a steel-jaw trap armed with enormous spikes trapped her leg. It was a spine-chilling sound, nothing like Kinsey had ever heard before. Kinsey's turned to look at her sister, watching as the coyote fell backward, another trap closing on her arm, leaving the girl watching in horror, frozen. Malia tried to scream again, before it could escape her throat was impaled, another spike plunging through the floor, striking straight through her throat.
Kinsey screamed her sister's name, about to rush to Malia's aid before a black figure appeared in front of her, materializing from the shadows, pulling out a black ninjato from its chest. Within a split second it was placed deep within the girl's stomach, her own hands wrapping around it, her mouth filling with blood as she coughed, spluttering it into a scarlet red puddle at her feet. Both girls were left motionless on the floor as The Dread Doctors walked straight past them, neither in pain, neither trapped nor injured, the only thing they were victim to were hallucinations.
"You know, I saw his teeth." Theo blurted out, breaking the silence that had grown peaceful, just when Stiles thought the torture was over, it had kickstarted once again as he looked at him with a furrowed brow. "Donovan." He elaborated. "He was a, uh... Wendigo, wasn't he?" He asked, the human boy agreeing, still staring at the camera on his watch. "That's the cannibal one, right?"
"Native American," Stiles told him. "The myth says that if you ate human flesh, your punishment was to turn into a creature that constantly craved it."
"That's a pretty judgemental myth," Theo commented, his stomach turning at the thought.
"Well, I didn't make it up." Stiles sarcastically retorted, hoping to go back to the silence they had established before Theo opened his mouth. Again. For a moment, it did, but then even he found himself struggling to stay quiet. Something about the mention of unfair myths had stirred up an overwhelming feeling inside of him, he never knew he felt so strongly about it until now. "Some people are given a punishment they don't even deserve. Forced to become something that they don't want to be all because of some myth that says that have to be." He rambled as Theo slowly began to catch on to what he was talking about. "Some people deserve to be punished for their entire lives, but some people had no choice and now they are stuck like it."
"Like Kinsey?" Theo asked with a raised brow, Stiles nodded. Like Kinsey. "But isn't she, like, one of the strongest supernatural creatures to ever exist? That's not such a bad punishment, right? I mean, she can predict death, that's pretty cool."
"Imagine seeing your own." Stiles spat out. "She saw it over and over and told nobody about it. And then, when it came down to it, Allison died instead, and she had to feel that. She lives with the guilt that it should have been her that night. How does that sound for a punishment?" The human boy snarled, showing his short temper as Theo quickly closed his mouth, realizing that there were a lot of details he didn't in fact know, especially when it came to Kinsey.
Theo thought about it deeper. The idea of punishment. How everything seemed to have one, if that was the case, they were waiting for their own. The question was, what was the punishment for killing a Chimera?
Spending five hours in a car with Theo Raeken, Stiles quickly replied, the two of them sharing a slight chuckle, amused by his quick wit until the human thought about it more seriously. What was the punishment for killing a Chimera? The punishment that Kinsey would face, and in turn, him, the one who had chosen to cover for her, planned to convince everyone that he had killed Donovan and not her. He knew his punishment. Whether the blood was on his hands or not, the moment Scott found out his punishment would be confirmed. He would lose his best friend. He was going to lose Scott.
The werewolf shook his head, trying to convince the boy that Donovan wasn't worth the guilt he was feeling, and if Scott gave up on him for killing Donovan, then Scott wouldn't be a True Alpha. Stiles countered the argument, telling them that True Alphas might, by their nature, put up with murder. Murder was a strong word, Theo told him, it was a justifiable homicide in his eyes. Stiles was in shock, struggling to comprehend whether Theo was really saying any of this to him, a son of a cop. A sheriff in fact. Theo remained confident in his answer, justifying it with the example of himself, a werewolf's eyes are supposed to change color when they take an innocent life, but he remained with a pair of golden yellow. Not the cold blue the two of them knew murderers had. A color that Stiles knew Kinsey now possessed.
It was self-defense, Theo argued. For him and Stiles. Even if it was considered self-defense or at least defense on behalf of someone else, the color of Kinsey's eyes left Stiles questioning if what affected the color was the guilt that the person felt for killing. They couldn't objectively say one life was less innocent than another, perhaps they turned blue if they felt guilty.
"So it's up to interpretation?" The werewolf questioned, struggling to believe the theory. Stiles shrugged, maybe it was. "Okay. Then here's my interpretation of what happened with you and Donovan. Not guilty." He stated plainly, the boy unable to say anything, it wasn't his statement to argue with. He in fact wasn't guilty at all. "Did you feel bad about it?" He asked, Stiles looked at him with his brows furrowed. "Not now. I mean right then. Right when it happened. What did you think at the moment you knew he was dead and there was no saving him?"
Stiles struggled for words, unsure what to say, how to make it seem as though it was truly him in the situation they were talking about, as though he had truly taken the life of Donovan, and not simply watched it be stolen from him with the bloody claws of his girlfriend. He thought back to that moment. When he had looked down to see Kinsey with her claws impaled deep in his chest. How did that make him feel? How did he feel when Kinsey had looked back at him with glowing blue eyes? He answered honestly, one that he wasn't sure why he felt. In one word- good. It felt good.
With his answer out in the open, the two of them basked in it, staring into the watch, still waiting patiently for the person claiming all of the Chimera's bodies to come for Josh. It was as he stared at the screen that Theo's nose began to switch, the smell of burning lingering under his nostrils. Theo began looking around, catching the attention of the boy beside him who questioned what was going on. A scent, Theo told him. Like smoke. Like something burning. The two both heard a clatter, startling them as Stiles shot forward to look closer at the camera while Theo looked out of his window, seeing nothing but a flaming fist heading toward him, his blood splattering over Stiles's face before Theo was ripped out of the Jeep.
The bright flame died out as Stiles stared at the empty passenger side of the Jeep, too scared to move, so frozen that when the back tires of the Jeep were lifted off of the ground he struggled to react, it was too late before the vehicle was flipped over onto its top, leaving Stiles unconscious, sprawled out of the Jeep. Unable to see the man, the deputy who walked into the clinic. Parrish.
Mason Hewitt rushed into the classroom, finding Scott McCall with his hands gripped around his own neck, as though he was being strangled by something, but nothing was there. He listened to what Liam had once told him. Pain made werewolves human. He found the closest sharp object he could, creating a small slice in the Alpha's hand that soon snapped him out of his trance as he shot up with a scream, looking around the room for his Kitsune girlfriend he had imagined trying to kill him. Mason apologized over and over, insisting that he was just trying to help, that it was the only thing he knew to do in order to get him to snap out of it. Scott didn't focus on the injury Mason had inflicted on him, he continued looking around in confusion, asking what happened, what Mason was even doing here.
"I found another Chimera." Mason blurted out. "His name's Corey."
"Wait." Scott stopped him, coming back to his senses with the word Chimera. Liam and Hayden. The two of them rushed to the locker room, bursting in to find three girls already standing there, in a room containing only them. Liam and Hayden were gone. The Dread Doctors took them.