"Dad?"
"Are you alright?" He asked, hurrying over to me. He knelt down, rubbing a hand over my back in comfort.
I pulled my hands away from my stomach again, wincing at the pain. The cuts were deep, but I have the power of the full moon to help me heal faster. It could have been a lot worse. In fact, it should have been a lot worse.
"Yeah," I said, pressing back down on my wounds. I glanced at the weapon in Dad's hand. "I didn't even know you owned a gun,"
He let out a small laugh, lifting up the gun and turning it over in his hand. It was an old metal pistol, nothing fancy like the Argents have. "Emma, we live in a town with werewolves and murderous lizards. You expect me not to have a way to defend myself?"
My face broke into a smile. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders and I leaned into him, moving my legs out from under me so I could sit flat on the ground. Then another question popped into my mind.
"How did you know - ?"
"Emma!" I was cut off by the sound of Stiles calling out my name. He came out from around the other side of the wall. "No one was answering and then I heard gunshots are you o - "
He broke off when he saw me in Dad's arms. His face and shoulders relaxed as he realized that I'm okay. As much as I love it when Stiles holds me, there's something about being wrapped up in my father's arms in this moment.
I decided that I don't even care how he managed to find me or know that I was in trouble. He's my dad, and dads are just supposed to know those things. Him shooting Brittany and scaring her away from me, that was a big step. He finally faced the thing he's been fearing most since Mom and Zoe died.
I think he always knew there was something supernatural about their death, he just didn't want to admit it. The fact that Mom was killed by the thing she loved most was too much for him. It's funny, how it works like that.
He's been my rock for the past four years. When Eric left, when I stopped talking to all of my friends, when I isolated myself from the world, he was still there. All we had was each other. There was no one else left. It would have been so easy for him to push me away, to fold into himself as I had, but he didn't. He knew that he needed me, and that I needed him.
"Dad," I said, reminding myself of earlier events. I pulled my head off his shoulder so I could look at him. "Cora, she's alive,"
He furrowed his eyebrows. "What? Cora Hale?"
I nodded my head.
"But I thought she - "
"The alpha pack locked up her and Boyd for the past three full moons," I said, diving straight in. "They killed Erica too, but now Cora and Boyd are running loose without any control and I don't know what they're gonna do or if they're going to hurt somebody or if they already have,"
"Woah, slow down," said Dad, holding up a hand to stop me. I was out of breath by the end of my rant. "Alpha pack?"
I looked over at Stiles who was standing just a short distance from us with his hands stuffed in his pockets. I sighed and looked back at Dad. I proceeded to explain the events of the past couple of nights. Everything from the suicidal deer to the dead boy we found just about an hour ago. Stiles helped, filling in at parts. Dad was at a loss for words by the time we finished.
He's never really been a big fan of the supernatural, especially once he found out how much it's done to our family. He just lived with it because Mom loved it, and he loved her. Everything that I just told him, that's a big pill to swallow even for someone who's experienced as many supernatural things as he has.
"You know," he started. "You and Eric really need to keep me more up to date with all of this,"
I let out a laugh once I saw the smile creep onto his face. I winced, clutching my stomach. The wounds still haven't quite healed yet. They went pretty deep, and I'm still not at full strength thanks to Peter, so it's no surprise it's taking this long.
A beep sounded from Stiles' phone in his pocket. I perked up as he pulled it out. It could be a message from Eric or Scott that they caught Cora and Boyd and everything is okay. At least, that's what I'm hoping for.
He read through it, looking up when he finished. "It's Melissa," he said. His eyes darted to Dad for a sliver of a moment before coming back to me. He shifted on his feet, continuing, "She wants us at the hospital, something about the body,"
I looked at Dad. He pressed his lips together, gazing between me and Stiles. "Well, what are you waiting for? Go," he said.
Stiles helped me to my feet, Dad getting up as well. I can't believe he's actually going to let me continue on with this. He just witnessed me almost get mauled by a werewolf and is letting me go just like that. Without another moment of hesitation I wrapped my arms around him. I haven't hugged my father in a long time, at least not like this.
"Now go," he said, pulling back and holding me by the shoulders. He kissed the top of my head before dropping his arms to his sides. I smiled at him as he shooed me away with Stiles.
We got into the jeep and I realized I was covered in blood. My grey top was soaked all through the middle and my hands stained red. Stiles fumbled through the back seat, pulling a t-shirt from the floor. I felt bad for getting it dirty, but I couldn't exactly walk into the hospital covered in blood.
I felt my wounds close up as Stiles drove. I lifted my shirt to see nothing but the scar of the bite mark Peter gave me the night of the accident. The only wound that never healed. I tucked my bloody shirt into my pants, buttoning up my jean jacket to hide the stains of red. I was still picking at the blood underneath my fingernails when we arrived at the hospital.
We spotted Melissa leaning over the receptionist desk once we got inside. We approached her as she sifted through a pile of papers in a file. "Hey," said Stiles.
"Hey, over here," said Melissa. She glanced around before grabbing both of us by the arm and walking us down the hallway. "If you two tell anyone I showed you this I swear to god I will kill you painfully and slowly,"
"Why do you wanna show us a body we've already seen?" Stiles asked as we turned a corner.
"Cause you haven't seen everything," she said.
We snuck into the morgue, careful to make sure that no doctors or nurses spotted us. I kept my arms wrapped around my stomach, as if worried that someone could see the blood stained shirt through my jacket. I'd rather not have people asking questions, especially doctors.
Melissa locked the door once we were inside. The room was chilly, having to be kept at a cold temperature to preserve the bodies. I could feel the death looming around me. Maybe it's the lack of sleep getting to my head, but it's like it's physically here, weighing down on me like a thick fog.
I followed Melissa and Stiles over to one of the tables where a body lay underneath a white sheet. I ignored the eerie feeling that crept down my spine. I've never been in a morgue before, so maybe it feels this way for everyone.
Melissa snapped on a pair of gloves before pulling back the top half of the sheet, revealing the head and just down to the shoulders. My mind snapped back to the image of finding him in that chair, soaked in his own blood. At least the doctors had cleaned him up, making it more bearable to look at.
"See this around his neck?" Melissa said, pointing to the thin line of bruising just underneath his chin. "That's a ligature mark that means he was strangled with something like chord, rope,"
"Okay, wait a second," said Stiles. "What kind of werewolf strangles someone?"
"They don't," I said, squinting my eyes as further studied the wound.
Melissa walked around to stand behind his head. "And then there's this," she said. She turned the head, revealing a thick and deep gash just above his ear. Blood was still dripping out of it and onto the metal table.
Stiles winced and drew back, looking away from the head wound. "Oh god what is that? Is that brain matter? Yeah, it's brain matter,"
While Stiles continued to be squeamish at such a gory sight, I began putting it all together. "He was hit in the back of the head,"
Melissa looked up at me, nodding. "Hard enough to kill him," she said. She took a step back, holding her hands out. "In fact any one of these things could have killed him I mean, someone really wanted this poor kid dead,"
"So then this couldn't have been Boyd or Cora," I said. "They would have just ripped him to shreds, not taken the time to beat his head in and strangle him,"
I looked over at Stiles. His eyes were darting around, they way they always do when he's thinking. They paused and glanced from Melissa to me. "So maybe it's not connected, that this is just one murder, a random coincidence,"
"I don't think it was just one," said Melissa with a soft sigh.
"How come?" Stiles asked.
"Because that girl over there," said Melissa, bobbing her head towards another body covered by a white sheet. "She's got the exact same injuries,"
Melissa walked over to the table, Stiles following. My legs felt like lead as I slowly made my way over to stand next to Stiles. I watched with bated breath as Melissa drew back the white sheet. I watched as my worst fear became a reality.
"The doctor said that this one wasn't just strangled. Whoever did it used a garrote, which is a stick that you put through the rope and you just kinda keep twisting,"
I walked backwards, my entire body shaking. My back hit the wall and in that same moment it felt like everything shattered. I put a hand over my mouth to try and stifle my sobs. I squeezed my eyes shut, not being able to bear looking at her body any longer. I don't want to see Heather like this.
"Emma?" Melissa said.
Stiles turned around to see me pushing myself further into the wall. "Emma," he said, coming over to me. He went to grab my hands, but I swatted him away. It felt like someone had punched me in the stomach and I couldn't catch my breath.
"No, no," I mumbled.
"Oh my god, did you know her?" Melissa asked me.
She pulled the sheet back over her face. I was glad for this. It felt like a thousand stabs to the chest seeing her lay there, her skin colorless and her lips cracked and purple. She was always so full of life and energy. Now, time seemed to stand as still as her corpse. Nothing moved, and everything went cold.
I choked on one of my sobs, trying to swallow it down. I nodded my head. Sucking in a deep breath, I wiped away my tears. "We...we were at her party," I said. My throat went so dry it felt like I had swallowed gravel. "It was her birthday,"
My bottom lip quivered as I looked back at the white sheet that covered my childhood friend. My knees buckled underneath me and I had to catch myself against the wall. For a moment I thought I was going to throw up right then and there.
"Her name is Heather,"
"Okay, Stiles," said Melissa. "We need to call your father because she's a witness,"
Melissa's voice went hazy as my mind began to reel. Still letting out raspy breaths, I stood up straight and took a step away from the wall. I looked from Heather's covered body, to the boy laying on the other side of the room with his head and shoulders still exposed. An image of the purity ring he was wearing flashed through my head. I tuned back to Heather, thinking back to our conversation the night of the party, about how we were both going to lose our virginity.
My mind was spinning. It may be far-fetched, but it's the only lead I have right now. Besides, in a town like Beacon Hills, just about anything is possible. Even something as sick and twisted as what I believe may be going on here.
"Has anyone else been through here tonight?" I asked Melissa, swallowing hard. "Any other bodies or even anybody missing?"
Stiles and Melissa both looked at me in confusion. Melissa shook her head. "Uh, no bodies but um..."
"What?" I pressed.
"Two girls," said Melissa. "They brought the first one, Caitlin, in for a drug screening, and then I overheard that her girlfriend, Emily, just disappeared. I mean they were out in the woods and - "
"Nobody's found her yet?" I asked.
"I don't know," she said.
"Emma?"
I ignored Stiles and continued questioning Melissa. I had to get to the bottom of this, see if my theory was even a possibility. "Okay the first one, Caitlin, is she here right now?" My breaths were still raspy and my body still felt numb from the shock of seeing Heather, dead.
"I think so,"
"Where?" I moved to walk out past her, but she stepped in front of me.
"Okay, wait," she said, holding up a finger. "Just wait a minute,"
"I have to talk to her," I said.
If what I think happened out in those woods really did happen, then that makes three. I recalled what Stiles always says about threes. How first is chance, twice is coincidence, and three's a pattern. Three deaths, three virgins, three sacrifices.
"Why?" Melissa asked.
"Emma, what are you talking about?" Stiles asked.
My eyes drifted between the two. I let out a breath, sucking the air back up through my nose. "I think I know what's happening,"
☀
"Would you please explain to me what the hell is going on?" Stiles whispered in my ear as we followed Melissa to Caitlin's room.
I glanced around, making sure that no one would be listening to us. I grabbed him ars and leaned closer so I wouldn't have to say my theory as loud. "Heather and the boy, they're both virgins. This girl that's missing, I bet you she's one too,"
"So that's why you need to talk to Caitlin," he said. "To ask her if they - "
"Yes," I said. I broke him off, feeling weird about those words coming out of his mouth.
He let out a sigh. "And if she is?"
We stopped walking, waiting for Melissa to clear us a way into her room. She popped inside and briefed Caitlin about what we were going to ask her. I faced Stiles, his eyebrows knitted together. I drummed my fingers against my leg. I stared down the hall for a moment before finally looking back at Stiles.
"Then I think we have a bigger problem on our hands than just a pack of alphas,"
Stiles flexed his jaw as Melissa ushered us into the room. She carefully closed the door behind us, making sure no one saw or was watching. I looked at Caitlin, who was laying in the bed with her blanket pulled up to her chest. Her eyes nervously glanced up at me and Stiles.
"Hi, Caitlin," I said softly. "I'm Emma and this is Stiles, we just want to ask you a few questions, okay?"
She nodded her head, picking at her hospital bracelet.
"What were you and your girlfriend - Emily, right?" I said. She nodded again. "What were you two doing in the woods?"
Stiles glanced at me, rubbing a hand over his chin. I made sure to keep my voice light so that she didn't get the impression that I was being too pushy. I need answers from her, and I can't do that if she's too afraid to talk to me.
"We weren't doing anything that bad," she said. "I mean I've camped out there plenty of other times,"
"Okay, but why tonight?" I asked as Melissa moved to stand next to me.
"We wanted to be alone for one night," she said. "Emily lives with her mom and I have three roommates, not exactly romantic settings, you know,"
I could relate with her. Stiles and I can hardly seem to catch a private moment anymore. Even when we do we're always being interrupted. Just one night alone with him, with no friends or parents or supernatural distractions, that sounds pretty good.
I pushed those thoughts to the back of my mind. We have more pressing matters to attend to. "How long have you two been together?" I asked.
"Three months," she said. She still refused to look any of us in the eye.
"You wanted to make it romantic," I said, giving a gentle smile.
Her head fell, but she picked it up quickly. "Yeah, because...um,"
"Because it was your first time," said Stiles. I glanced at him, but he continued to look at her. I could see him adding everything up in his own mind.
Caitlin scrunched up her face, her jaw quivering. She gave the smallest nod, but it was still an answer. "They're gonna find her, right?" She asked, finally looking at us. Her eyes searched mine and I felt an incredible guilt wedge its way into my heart. "Aren't they?"
I hung my head, not knowing what to tell her. I wished I could say yes, that they'd find her stumbling around through the trees within the hour, but I can't do that. I can't lie to her. There's nothing worse than having false hope.
☀
Scott met back up with us in the morgue after finally catching Boyd and Cora in the school. I stood behind Heather's head, the last place I really wanted to be, but I have to show Scott if I'm going to get him to believe me. I just have to not think about the life of the person who is now entirely lifeless.
Stiles and I explained what his mother had told us about how Heather and the boy at the pool died. I showed him the identical would inflictions and how the murderer would have used a garrote to strangle them. I felt numb as I told him all of this.
"So Boyd and Cora may not have killed anyone?" Scott asked as Stiles pulled the sheet back over Heather.
"You're gonna wish they did," I said, blowing a puff of air out my nose. I hugged my elbow and stared at the covered body in front of me.
"Why?" He asked in a worried tone.
I glanced at Stiles, blowing out another breath. This is going to sound absolutely crazy, but I had to come up with something. I needed an answer as to why someone would kill Heather. I don't want her murder to go on unjustified like Mom and Zoe's.
"Well, I'm not entirely sure yet," I began. "But that girl from the woods, Emily, eventually they're gonna find her. She's one of them. Emily, Heather, the guy Lydia found at the pool, all three were virgins. They're all gonna have the same three injuries, strangled, throat slashed, head bashed in,"
I blinked a few times, my eyes beginning to fog up as I thought about finding that kid at the pool. I pictured his wounds on Heather, as fresh as when we saw them. I pushed it away, not wanting to think about her like that.
"It's called a three-fold death," I said. "I read about them in one of my mother's books."
"So if these aren't random killings, then what are they?" Scott asked.
My lip quivered. Heather, the innocent little girl I used to push on the swing set in her backyard when our moms would get together for one of their book clubs. The girl I used to take bubble baths with and play with our moms' make-up even though it always got us in trouble. She shouldn't have had to be a part of this.
"Sacrifices," I said. I looked up at Scott, whose eyes were wide with terror. "Human sacrifices,"
---------------------------------
Thanks so much for reading.
Seven straight updates. I can't decide if this is a good thing or if it shows that I really need a life.
For those of you who watched episode 23, I'm literally sick to my stomach. I won't spoil anything if you haven't seen the episode yet, but if you have and you'd like to discuss it my message inbox is always open!
I was seriously up all night because of it and I had to wake up at 4:45 for a speech tournament today so I got a solid one and a half hours of sleep. To top it off, I accidently grabbed the same foot of two different shoes. It's been a great day.
Thanks again and don't forget to comment, vote, and follow!
GIF not mine.
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox
-Alyssa