A scream stuck in her throat, her heart hammering a mile a minute as she took an uneven step back. She hit the door, fear digging its claws into her.
"Hollis!" A familiar voice said, calming the anxiety. "It's just me."
She looked towards the voice and relaxed when she saw that it was Stiles. Although her breathing was still ragged, she managed to get it under control. "Stiles." She ran a hand through her hair and threw him a confused look. "What the hell. Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"
"Sorry," he said sheepishly. "I called and texted you but you didn't answer."
"I had my phone on silent." Hollis reached into her bag and pulled her phone out. The screen lit up, showing that Stiles had in fact left several text messages and called half a dozen times within the last twenty minutes. "Is the world ending or something?" She asked with a joke, returning her phone to her bag. Looking up, she noticed the worried expression on his face and the cold hands of fear pulled her in again. "What's going on?"
"I'll explain later," he said, shaking his head. "But we have to go. Now." He ignored her confused look and grabbed onto her hand before he pulled her towards the door.
Hollis walked numbly, thoughts whirling around her mind. What the hell was going on? She wanted answers; to know why he looked so panicked, why he insisted on her leaving at this very moment. Gaining her strength, she stopped mid-walk and pulled her hand away.
"Hollis...." Stiles looked at her, ready to argue but she cut him off.
"I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what's going on."
He sighed and waited a few seconds before he nodded. "There's someone in the school. I think they're trying to kill us."
A laugh escaped her lips but it died down at the serious look he wore. "Are you serious?" She asked, processing the information. She shook her head, unable to wrap her mind around this. "This is...this is crazy. Who is it? Who's 'us'?"
"Scott, Lydia, Allison and Jackson are here, too," Stiles said quickly. "But we need to go, Hollis. Trust me, ok?"
She let out a shaky breath, unsure what to believe. Despite the questions in her mind, she nodded. "Okay. Let's go."
Again, he grabbed onto her hand. They moved towards the door cautiously and, once Stiles signaled that it was safe, they entered the hallway. The stillness was eerie, which only added to the panic inside of her. Her heart thumped with each step, her breath shallow as they moved down the dark and empty hallway. Their footsteps echoed on the tiled floor, reverberating off of the metal lockers.
They walked on in silence. Every second stretched into a minute until Hollis had no idea how much time had passed. In a twisted way, it was fascinating how the school's atmosphere changed. During the day, it was so lively with students milling about, conversations filling the halls and chalk hitting the board. Now, it was completely different. Other than the empty classrooms they passed, the building didn't resemble a school. It felt incomplete. Haunted.
When they rounded a corner, a group of voices reached their ears. Her spirits rose when she caught sight of Lydia, Allison, Scott and even Jackson.
"What are you guys doing here?" Hollis asked when she approached them.
"I got a text message from someone pretending to be Scott," Allison explained. "The message said to meet him at the school so Jackson and Lydia drove me here."
"Pretending? Who would send that?" A sinking feeling hit her as her mind crossed to the possibility that they were lured to the school. She pushed that thought aside and scolded herself for letting her imagination run away.
"I don't know," Scott answered.
Lydia sighed dramatically. "Can we go now?"
Stiles and Scott nodded. Just as they started to move down the hall, an odd rumbling rose above them. Six pairs of eyes looked up at the ceiling.
"Run," Scott said before he pushed them forward.
Their shoes squeaked on the tiles but the sound was engulfed by a crash as something burst out of the ceiling panels. The sound was deafening in the stillness but Hollis didn't look back. The millions of questions that had sat on the tip of her tongue vanished. The only thing she cared about was getting away from whoever was chasing them.
The doors to the cafeteria slammed open, and the six of them rushed in. Her heart beat quickly from the exertion of running and the terror that ran through her. She looked around the room, seeing empty tables waiting to be filled by students.
"Scott, wait-not here-not here," Stiles said but his words hung in the air, already forgotten. Nobody paid attention to what he had said. Everyone was too preoccupied with the situation they were in.
Hollis stood off to the side, getting her breathing under control. Now that they were somewhat secure, she wanted to know what was going on. But before she could form a question in her mind, Scott spoke.
"The vending machine. Help me push it in front of the doors," Scott said.
"What was that? Scott, what was that?" Allison asked, panic laced in her words.
"Seriously, guys, what's going on?" Hollis asked, looking at both Scott and Stiles. But neither of them spoke a word.
"What happened to the ceiling?" Lydia asked curiously.
Hollis turned to look at her, tilting her head. Lydia shrugged and was about to answer when the sound of screeching echoed in the room. All heads turned towards Scott, who struggled with the vending machine.
"Just help me!" He said, aggravated and scared.
Everyone shared a looked before Jackson and Allison went to help. Even with three people pushing, it took a lot of effort to move the machine in front of the door.
Hollis didn't believe it would keep whoever, whatever, it was out, considering how it had crashed through the ceiling tiles just moments before. But she held onto whatever shred of hope she had. That hope was soon ripped from her as Scott's panic increased. It was like a disease, infecting each and every one of them one by one. The fear was almost visible, suffocating and thick in the air around them. Hollis wrapped her arms around herself, her eyes flickering to the door and straining her ears to see if she could pick up on any sounds outside.
"Chairs. Stack the chairs—" Scott said and moved towards the neatly stacked chairs that sat atop the tables.
Lydia, Jackson and Allison went to help, pulling the chairs from the surface and putting them in front of the door. A chair was thrust into her hands, pulling her out of the numb trance she had been in. She moved it towards the door, unsure if it would hold.
"Guys, hold on," Stiles' quiet voice echoed in the room. But, again, no one paid attention as they worked. "Guys, wait a second. Hello."
Hollis place one more chair down and looked towards Stiles, whose voice managed to break her terrified thoughts. "Stiles, what's wrong?"
"Stop standing around and be useful," Jackson growled, loudly placing a chair on the floor.
"Okay, nice work. Beautiful job, everyone. Now what do you think we should do about the twenty foot wall of windows!" He said, motioning towards the windows.
Hollis looked towards it followed by everyone else. She sighed at the sight of it. "Great," she mumbled.
Allison, who stepped towards Scott, interrupted the silence. "Can someone please explain what's going on? I'm freaking out here, and I'd at least like to know why." Her question was left unanswered, just like before.
Hollis exchanged a look with Allison, both desperate for answers. She looked away, her attention turning towards the one person she knew that wouldn't lie to her. "Stiles?"
Stiles looked at her before he said, "Someone killed the janitor."
"What?" Lydia asked, shaking her head.
"Are you sure?" Hollis asked, her voice barely above a whisper. Her blood turned to ice and she shivered. She didn't want to believe it but, then again, she looked around the cafeteria and the situation they were in.
"The janitor's dead," Stiles repeated.
"What's he talking about? Is this a joke?" Allison asked. Her attention was fixed on Scott, as if begging him to tell her differently. But Scott shook his head, confirming what Stiles had said.
"Who killed him?" Jackson spoke up.
"No, no, no," Lydia said, shaking her head. "This was supposed to be over. The mountain lion—"
"Don't you get it? That wasn't a mountain lion!" Jackson interrupted, his voice anything but comforting.
Hollis shook her head and closed her eyes as she took a deep breath. Her crazy theory and disbelief about it being a mountain lion returned stronger than before.
"Who is it? What does he want?" Allison asked. Everyone stayed quiet. No one uttered an answer or a sound. Allison sighed and turned to Scott once more. "What's happening? Scott?"
"I don't know. It's just...if we go out there, he's going to kill us," Scott said, darkening the already fearful mood of the room.
"He? Who is it?" Hollis asked. "Do you know?"
"Derek. It's Derek Hale," Scott said.
It was as if someone had hit pause. Everyone stopped thinking and breathing as the answer lingered in the air.
"Derek killed the janitor?" Jackson broke the silence, a look of doubt on his face.
"You're sure?" Allison asked.
"Why would he kill the janitor? How can it be Derek?" Hollis asked, unable to wrap her mind around the situation. She had felt bad for all that he'd gone through, especially since her dad had known the Hale family well. Doubt filled her. She didn't believe it even if she didn't know Derek well or, rather, at all.
"I saw him," Scott said, as if having just read her thoughts.
"The mountain lion..." Lydia whispered.
"No. Derek killed them," Scott said gravely.
"All of them?" Allison asked.
Scott nodded. "Starting with his own sister."
"And the bus driver?" Hollis asked to which Scott nodded.
"And then the guy in the video store," Scott said.
Hollis looked at Scott and shook her head. "No. I was there," she said. "We," she motioned towards herself, Jackson and Lydia, "were there. Whatever was in the store wasn't him. It can't-"
"It's been Derek the whole time," Scott interrupted. "He's in here with us. And if we don't get out...he's going to kill us, too."
Jackson turned to Stiles, his eyes flashing with anger yet panic. "Call the cops."
"No," Stiles answered.
"What do you mean no?" Jackson asked, fuming.
"I mean no. Want to hear it in Spanish? No. Derek killed three people. We don't know what he's armed with."
"Your dad is armed with an entire Sheriff's Department. Call him," Jackson said, his voice threateningly low.
Stiles stood his ground and shook his head.
"I'm calling," Lydia said with a sigh as she pulled her phone out. The screen lit up her face as she dialed the three numbers and put it to her ear.
"Hold on-Lydia, just wait—" Stiles took a step towards her but before he could get very far, Jackson shoved him back.
"Ok, stop," Hollis intervened. "That's not helping anything, Jackson."
Jackson turned on her, his eyes flashing angrily. "No, it's not," he said, taking a step towards her. "Because we're stuck in a school with a psycho who wants to kills us for some reason and this idiot won't call the cops."
"Guys, shut up," Lydia said, throwing a glare their way. She turned around, motioning for them to stay quiet as she spoke into the phone. "Yes, we're at Beacon Hills High School. We're trapped in here and we need you to..." Lydia paused, her eyes widening in surprise as she looked at everyone. "She hung up on me," she said quietly.
"The police hung up on you?" Allison asked incredulously.
Lydia nodded, still holding the phone near her ear. "She said they got a tip warning them there would be prank calls about a break in at the high school. She said if I called again they would trace it and have me arrested."
"That's insane," Hollis said, unable to process everything. "Call again. Maybe from a different phone."
"They won't trace a cell phone. They'll send a car to your house before they send someone here," Stiles said.
Allison ran her hand through her hair, speechless. "What the... What is this? Why does Derek want to kill us? Why's he killing anyone?" As she looked towards Scott for the answer, everyone followed.
"Why are you looking at me?" Scott questioned, taking a step back from the stares.
"Is he the one who sent her the text?" Lydia asked.
"No-I mean, I don't know," Scott said, shaking his head.
"Well, is he the one who called the police?" Allison asked.
"I don't know!" Scott snapped, an instant look of regret on his face when Allison flinched.
Hollis chewed on her bottom lip and let out a shaky breath.
"Okay, everybody just ease back on the throttle, all right?" Stiles said, taking a step towards Scott. Without another word, he motioned for Scott to follow him and led him over to the kitchen area of the room.
"How do we know that they're not in on this?" Jackson spoke up once they were out of earshot and gestured towards Scott and Stiles. "For all we know, they could have planned this whole thing."
"What? That's crazy," Hollis said and ignored the look Jackson threw her. "They're just as freaked out as we are."
"Or they're good actors," Jackson suggested.
"No, no," Allison said and shook her head. "This...Hollis is right. That can't be true."
"Think about it. They don't want to call the cops. Stiles could have easily told his dad about the prank phone call from us." He looked at the three girls, watching their reaction. "It makes sense."
While Lydia seemed to mull this over, Hollis and Allison looked at each other quizzically. If it had been anyone else, she might have just believed it. But she knew them. She knew Stiles. Crossing her arms, she shook her head to signal that it couldn't be true.
"Fine. Let's just find out." Jackson turned to where Scott stood with Stiles. "Okay, assheads. New plan. Stiles calls his useless dad and tells him to send someone with a gun and decent aim. We good with that?"
A deafening silence filled the already quiet cafeteria. No one spoke as they waited to see what their decision would be.
"He's right," Scott said after a moment. "Tell him the truth if you have to. Just call him."
"I'm not watching my dad get eaten alive," Stiles replied.
"Looks like I was right," Jackson muttered as he threw a look towards Hollis and Allison. He then charged towards Stiles, anger flashing on his face. "That's it. Give me your phone," he said through gritted teeth before he spun Stiles around, trying to reach for the phone in his pocket.
Hollis watched the struggle for a few more seconds but she was unable to stay quiet any longer. All this commotion was surely attracting unwanted attention, which put them all in more danger. "Guys, this isn't helping. All this noise that we're making...whatever is out there can hear us," Hollis said as she closed the distance towards them. But her words clearly didn't stop the struggle before her; it was almost as if they hadn't heard her. She tried to get between them but it impossible, and her presence didn't put a stop to the fight either. "Jackson, stop," Hollis grabbed for Jackson's arm but that only seemed to infuriate him more.
"Back off," Jackson said icily, his eyes deadly as he stared her down.
"No." Hollis stood her ground. "You guys need to cut this out before Derek or whoever's out there figures out where we are."
Jackson only shook his head, not paying her anymore attention.
Hollis looked over her shoulder to where Allison and Lydia stood helplessly. She sighed at the lack of help. The fight before her started to get worse with each second, and she worried that someone would get seriously injured. She took a cautious step towards them then made another grab for Jackson's arm. Her hand closed around his jacket, and she tried to pull him backwards though it was a futile effort. All she managed to get was his attention and anger directed right at her.
Jackson turned on her, staring her down. "Damn it, Hollis, let go." When she continued to hold on, he wrenched his arm free and pushed her in the process.
Hollis stumbled backwards but regained her footing when she bumped into a table.
"Hollis..." Jackson said, realization dawning on his face at his uncalled for action. "I'm sor-" But before he could finish, Stiles' fist collided with his jaw. The sudden impact caused him to fall back and land on the floor.
"You okay?" Stiles asked, rushing towards Hollis. His eyes looked her over, checking for injuries but there were none.
Hollis nodded. "Yeah. I'm okay."
Everyone looked towards Jackson, who was still sprawled on the floor.
"Are you okay, Jackson?" Allison asked, running up to help him.
From where she stood, Hollis noticed the pleased smile on Jackson's face and rolled her eyes in disgust. She knew that he hadn't meant to shove her but it was clear that he wanted to play the victim and did so well. Jackson turned towards everyone, feigning a look of shock and hurt...a look that didn't have Hollis fooled.
Stiles cradled his shaking hand before he reached for his phone. Everyone watched him dial then put the phone to his ear. "Dad? Hey, it's me... and it's your voicemail. Um... I need you to call me back. Like now. Like right now...."
Something slammed against the door. The sound reverberated throughout the room. Stiles trailed off and looked towards the door while the others stared in panic.
"We're at the school-Dad-we're at the school," Stiles said quickly as the door took another hit.
With the impact, the stack of chairs tumbled down and crashed on the floor around them. Everyone slowly backed up, watching in horror as something tried to break into the room.
Lowering his phone, Stiles grabbed onto Hollis's arm then pulled her back and behind him. "We need to go."
The barricade started to fall as more chairs toppled to the ground. With an extreme amount of force, the doors inched open a crack and sent the vending machine to the floor. It shattered, a thunderous noise filling the room.
"Oh God, oh my God," Lydia said as she stared in horror.
They stood in complete shock at the powerful energy that caused the doors to come out of the wall. The metal bent inward, prying the door off its hinges, which already looked deformed in the frame.
"The kitchen. The door out of the kitchen leads to the stairwell," Stiles said, breaking the silence.
"Which only goes up," Scott said.
"Up is better than here," Stiles said as he pulled Hollis towards the other door.
Everyone ran into the stairwell and onto the second floor. It was deadly silent in the hallway, and the darkness only added to the terror that hovered in the air. After running a few steps, they entered the Chemistry room and shut the door quietly as to not draw any attention towards them. Scott moved a chair under the knob just as the stairwell door slammed open, reverberating off the walls. Quietly, they backed up against the wall in hopes of remaining hidden.
Her heart thudded in her chest as the fear took a toll on her. She felt exhausted, physically and mentally while she leaned against the wall. Seconds that felt like hours passed in complete silence. No one dared to utter a peep, let alone breath. In the stillness, the sound of footsteps sounded near the classroom.
Stiles gave her hand squeeze, which seemed to bring her terror down a degree or two. She looked over at him, giving him a small smile although they each wore a panicked expression.
The door suddenly rattled, breath steaming the window of the door as the creature stood on the other side of it. Hollis was sure they were found out, that whatever was out there would enter the room and end them. She tried to keep thoughts like that at bay but it was easier said than done. To everyones surprise, the creature moved on, the footsteps dulling as it walked down the hallway.
Once it was safe to breathe, Scott turned to Jackson. "Jackson, how many people can fit in your car?"
"Five or six if somebody squeezes onto someone's lap," he answered.
"Five? I barely fit into the back," Allison said.
"It doesn't matter," Stiles said. "There's no getting out without drawing attention."
Or alive, Hollis thought negatively. She pushed the thoughts out of her mind, refusing to let them in. Her eyes swept the room, which looked eerie without class in session. Her eyes rested upon a steel door that stood just past the teacher's desk. "What about that?" She asked, motioning towards it.
Scott eyed it and Hollis could almost see the wheels turning in his mind. "It leads to the roof. We could go down the fire escape to the parking lot in seconds," he said, hope filling the room and lessening the dread.
"But that's a dead bolt," Stiles said, pointing at it.
"The janitor has a key," Scott answered quickly.
"You mean his body has it," Stiles retorted.
"I can get it," Scott said confidently. He leaned towards Stiles and whispered something that Hollis couldn't make out.
"Gee, that's an incredibly terrible idea. What else you got?" Stiles said.
"What's a terrible idea?" Hollis looked from one to the other expectantly.
"I'm getting the key," Scott answered.
"Are you serious?" Allison asked, wide-eyed as Hollis said, "That is a terrible idea."
"It's the best plan," Scott stated. "Someone has to get the key if we want to get out of here."
"You can't go out there unarmed," Allison said. Her voice dripped with fear and her eyes held it, too.
"I won't be unarmed," Scott said, his eyes dancing around the room. "I'll have...this," he said, grabbing a pointer from the chalkboard. He gripped it in both hands and turned to them.
"Great. What are you going to do? Poke him to death?" Hollis asked.
"It's better than nothing," Scott said with a shrug.
"There's got to be something else," Stiles said.
Everyone looked around the room, trying to find something for Scott to take with him in case....
"There is," Lydia said and nodded towards a tall glass cabinet that was stocked with chemicals.
"What? Like throw acid on him?" Stiles asked.
Lydia gave him an exasperated look. "No, like a firebomb. In there is everything you need to make a self-igniting Molotov Cocktail."
"Self-igniting..." Stiles trailed off, trying to see if anyone else understood Lydia's sudden knowledge of chemistry.
"Molotov Cocktail," Lydia repeated. She saw the curious expression everyone wore and shrugged. "What? I read it somewhere."
Despite the situation they were in, Hollis smiled. She was happy that Lydia used her brain rather than feigning ignorance like she did half the time.
"Well, we don't have the key to that either," Stiles started but, before the words could leave his mouth, Jackson smashed his foot through the glass.
"Ok, that works," Hollis muttered and stood aside as Lydia dug around for the correct chemicals. She watched in confusion as Lydia mixed a couple bottles together in a glass beaker.
When she poured another bottle into the mixture, she looked towards Jackson. "Hand me the sulfuric acid." Hand outstretched, she waited while he searched the bottles in front of him. His hand lingered over one then the other before he picked one up and handed it to her.
"Think this will work?" Hollis asked, glancing at Stiles.
"I don't know. I hope so," he answered. "But we'll be okay," he told her confidently.
A weak smile tugged at her lips and she nodded, willing herself to believe that.
"How does Lydia know all that?" Stiles asked.
"She's a genius," Hollis answered. She looked at Lydia, feeling proud once again. It always surprised her that she covered it up, as if it was a horrible thing to be smart. "But she dumbs herself down."
Stiles nodded at her words, clearly surprised at the information.
"No. No, this is insane," Allison said, her voice rising with each panicked word. "You can't do this. You can't go out there."
"And we can't sit here waiting for Stiles' dad to check his messages," Scott argued.
With a frown, Hollis watched the interaction between the two. It was a suicide mission but she didn't dare say that aloud...she hated just thinking it for fear of jinxing him. Biting her lower lip, she looked away but couldn't shut out Allison's pleading voice and Scott's determination.
"This is crazy, Stiles," Hollis said with a sigh. "Can he do this? Can he really go up against whatever's out there? He's just one person and maybe someone..."
"He can do this," Stiles said reassuringly. "Besides, it's the only plan we have. It kind of has to work."
Hollis sighed. Her eyes flickered to Scott, who pulled the chair out from under the doorknob.
The door clicked open and with one last look at everyone, Scott stepped out into the hallway. A veil of dread cloaked the room as the door closed. Allison stood with her back to everyone, staring at the door.
"He's gone," she whispered. "He just...he left."
Sighing, Hollis walked over to her and linked her arm with hers. "He'll be ok, Ali." When Allison didn't respond, she continued. "He'll be back with the key in no time, and then we'll be out of here."
Allison nodded numbly.
"Come on, let's go sit," Hollis said and led her to a desk.
Minutes passed by in silence. No one said a word, not even Jackson who would typically have a comment to voice. Hollis mulled everything over as her mind refused to shut down. Rather than focus on getting out alive, she continued to dissect each piece of information she had been given. Those thoughts whirled around her mind, making the facts incomprehensible. She had so many questions, so many doubts but she was afraid to voice them. Not because she would get shut down but because she didn't want to add more stress and paranoia to the situation. Hollis sat on the floor with her back resting against the wall. With her eyes closed and head tilted back, she let those thoughts flow in.
"You ok?" Stiles asked, appearing by her side.
Opening one eye, she looked up at him. "I'm just thinking." She scooted over to make room for him and, when he sat down beside her, continued to talk. "How do you think Scott's doing?"
"I...he's good. Yeah, definitely," Stiles said, nodding. "Nothing to worry about."
"I hope so. Allison's a wreck, and if he doesn't get back soon..." she trailed off.
Stiles reached for her hand and laced his fingers with hers. "He'll be back. And he'll be ok," he told her, giving her hand a squeeze. "What were you thinking about?"
"Just...this," Hollis said, motioning towards the room they were in. She kept her voice low, just above a whisper so as not to attract the attention of Jackson, Lydia and Allison. "What's really going on, Stiles? I mean, I don't believe this whole 'Derek-is-a-serial-killer' story."
He looked away from her stare. "Hollis..." he trailed off, ending his thought. "I-It's...Look, it's complicated."
"Complicated?" Hollis asked. "Of course it's complicated but that's not-"
"Derek is involved. But...remember how you want me to not lie? This is me not lying. I'm just saying I can't tell you everything," Stiles explained. He finally looked at her, his eyes pleading for her to accept this. "I need you to trust me. I'm trying to protect you from –"
"From what?" Hollis asked, her eyes searching his face. "I do trust you, okay? I'm just...confused. I feel like I'm only getting ten percent of the story and everything else is a secret."
He stayed quiet, thinking over his next words carefully. Just when Hollis thought that he wouldn't answer, he spoke. "I'll tell you. I promise but for now...."
"Okay," Hollis said with a nod, a small smile working its way onto her face.
"Okay," Stiles repeated and returned the smile.
Soft voices carried over from where the others sat. Head resting against the wall, Hollis looked over. Bits of Allison's words floated over along with Jackson's surprising words of comfort. She narrowed her eyes at their interaction and caught them holding hands.
Lydia either noticed or pretended not to. Instead, she sat there as if in a trance before she stood up and walked towards the teacher's desk. The clicking of glass bottles rang in the air, unnaturally loud.
"Jackson, you handed me the sulfuric acid, right? It has to be sulfuric acid. It won't ignite if it's not." She glanced over at him, a questioning look on her face.
"I gave you exactly what you asked for. Didn't I?" He said, his voice cold as he stared at her, unblinking. He held her gaze until she looked away.
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm sure you did," Lydia said quietly.
Another silence enveloped the room that was soon broken by a bizarre sound from below.
"What is that?" Hollis asked. She strained her ears trying to hear but she couldn't make out what that sound was.
"No idea," Lydia said, a puzzled look on her face.
Jackson fell to his knees, his face twisted up in pain before he started to scream and his hand went to the back of his neck.
At first glance, Hollis believed that he was faking. He had pretended before and she wouldn't have put it past him. But the more his screams filled the room, she realized that something was wrong. She exchanged a look with Stiles and they stood up just as Allison and Lydia ran towards Jackson to help him up. As abruptly as the screams started, they stopped.
"I'm fine. Seriously, I'm okay," Jackson said, though his face still held a look of pure pain.
"That didn't sound okay at all," Allison said.
"What's on the back of your neck?" Stiles asked.
No sooner had the words left his mouth that Jackson pulled away, hiding whatever he had on his neck.
"You sure?" Hollis asked, stepping towards him. "You sounded like you were in serious pain."
"I said I'm fine," Jackson snapped.
"I doubt it," Lydia said as she stepped towards him. "It's been there for days and he won't tell me what happened."
"As if you actually care," Jackson said.
"Can we not argue for half a second here?" Stiles asked as he stepped between them.
Jackson rolled his eyes as he leaned against the wall.
"Where's Scott? He should be back by now," Allison said.
"He'll be here soon," Hollis reassured her.
"I hope so," Allison said, looking towards the door. A silhouette appeared in the glass and, she took a careful step towards it. "Scott?" She walked towards the door, grabbing hold of the knob. She twisted it but the door wouldn't open. "It's stuck or locked," she said, tugging at it with all her strength.
"What's he doing?" Hollis asked, taking a step towards Allison. She could see the figure move and turn away from the door. Away from the room.
"Where's he going?" Lydia asked, panicked.
"Scott!" Allison cried, her hands pounding on the door. She shouted for him as she tried to get the door open but he never returned.
"Stop, stop!" Lydia cried, her voice carrying over Allison's cries. "Do you hear that? Listen."
Sirens sounded in the distance, coming closer with each second. They ran towards the window and looked out at the parking lot. The flashing red and blue lights of the police cars illuminated the darkness.
Hollis, Lydia, Allison and Jackson stood off to the side while Scott and Stiles went to explain what happened. She watched them talking animatedly, looking over at the four of them every now and then. She hoped that whoever, whatever, was in the school would be found. She still had her doubts about Derek and, in all honesty, she still had no idea what had just occurred. It had been a nightmare, something she wouldn't be able to forget about. But it was something she would be questioning at the same time.
While Lydia and Jackson spoke quietly, Allison stood off by herself. Hollis walked towards her and stayed quiet, letting her presence be known by placing a comforting hand on her arm.
Seconds ticked by before Allison sighed. "How could Scott just leave? He locked us in that room so we wouldn't get out."
"I'm sure he had his reason, Ali," Hollis said.
"Like what?" Allison asked, looking over at her. "Because it didn't look like he was trying to help us. I don't know. Maybe Jackson was right about Scott. What he said before about him...and Stiles."
Hollis shook her head. "Ali, no. He was trying to help. They both were. Scott risked his life for us and—"
"And he locked us in. With absolutely no way out," Allison said with a humorless laugh.
She looked at Allison who looked broken and defeated. "Do you honestly believe that? You know Scott. I'm sure he was just trying to help, and he did what he thought was best."
Allison stayed quiet and crossed her arms. "I don't think I can trust him anymore," she said before she walked away.
Hollis sighed, her eyes following Allison as she walked towards the parking lot. She crossed her arms, wishing for this night to just end. The exhaustion started to take a toll on her and all she wanted was to go home, to sleep and forget that any of this ever happened. It wasn't likely, considering how her brain loved to be active but it was a nice thought all the same. She lost herself to her thoughts, it's ideas weaving in and out of focus.
"Are you ok?" Sheriff Stilinksi asked as he walked towards her, breaking through her thoughts. "Do you need a ride home?"
"I'm ok," Hollis answered with a smile. "My dad's actually picking me up but thanks."
The Sheriff nodded before he stepped past her and spoke to the deputies who stood behind them.
Hollis looked over her shoulder, watching the Sheriff and the deputies talk. Their words weren't audible, which made her wonder what they were saying. Did they find something? Did they even believe them? More than anything, she wanted to know but the truth was always just a bit out of reach for her. She hated being on the outside; having a fraction of the truth frustrated her more than anything because that was when her mind went into overdrive. Rather than produce reasonable answers, the ideas that entered her mind were ridiculous. The truth was out there. Someone had to know what was going on, and she hoped that it wouldn't be too long before she was let in on it.
"That doesn't look good," Stiles spoke up as he stepped towards her. He noticed her confused look and nodded towards Allison and Scott.
A frown appeared on her face at Scott's failed attempt at a conversation with Allison. "It's not," Hollis said with a sigh. "She thinks...I don't even know. That Scott locked us in there on purpose or something. I mean, I get how it looks like that but...." She trailed off with a shrug.
"He was trying to help," Stiles finished. He looked over at her with concern. "Will you be ok? I mean, I know it was pretty crazy tonight and.... Do you need anything?"
Hollis tore her eyes away from Scott and Allison before focusing her attention on Stiles. "I think I'll be ok," she answered. Was that the truth? Probably not, but it was something she hoped for. "But thanks for tonight. You know, for helping me and just being there."
"Yeah, of course," Stiles told her. "I'll always be there for you. I mean, when you need help."
Hollis smiled at his words. Now that her mind wasn't preoccupied with surviving, those confusing feelings slowly crept in and tangled themselves up in her heart. The more she tried to fight it, the deeper they dug into her. She recalled the advice Allison and Lydia had given her just earlier that day. It was hard to believe that both events had happened on the same day, considering how much had taken place since them. She looked over at him as her heart sped up. "Stiles...," she trailed off.
He looked at her expectantly and waited for her to continue.
The words were at the tip of her tongue, and she could feel them slipping out. "I...," she trailed off with a sigh and paused, thinking her words over carefully. Her eyes flickered towards the parking lot. A car pulled in, it's beams illuminating the area in front of it. "My dad's here. I'll talk to you later but, thanks again." It wasn't what she had wanted to say but perhaps now wasn't the time for that conversation.
Stiles looked towards the car then to Hollis. "Get home safe. Call me if you need anything," Stiles told her.
"I will," she told him, giving him one last smile before she walked towards the car.
AN: Here are the two chapters I would've posted last week but couldn't. I hope you loved them! There was definitely a lot more action in these. Please let me know what you think by leaving me a comment (I love to hear your thoughts, opinions, etc!) or simply by hitting that cute little vote button. Thank you for understanding that I couldn't post last week. I'll definitely be posting more frequently and, if for whatever reason I can't, you guys will be the first to know. <3