Not Alone

By Almost Heaven

Rating K

Disclaimer: Don't own anything here. Just borrowing for a wee bit. Volunteers happily accepted though. Takers? (chirp chirp) Such is my life.

Isaac was trapped. He could feel the cold steel of the freezer all around him. Then the lid crashed down and it was dark. He pounded on the lid and screamed I'm sorry but he could hear his father wrap the chains around the rusty container. But then he was somewhere else. The storage closet at school. Allison was in front of him and she was terrified. He hurt her! He grabbed her arm and raised his hand to slash. This was where Scott was supposed to pull him away. Not this time though. This time he slashed downward. This time her blood sprayed across his face and smelled of copper.

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Melissa McCall woke to the sounds of someone crying out. Pulling on her bathrobe and slippers she rushed out into the hallway. She could see Scott doing the same so that left one other option. She reached the door before her son and hurried inside to the bed within. Isaac was curled in the fetal position and shaking. Without a thought to her own safety, the nurse gently put her hand on his shoulder. Scott reached out as though to stop her.

Isaac flinched at the touch but looked up to see it was Scott's mother and not his father. He tried to sit up and say he was okay but he wasn't. He put his arms around her and sobbed like a little boy. She hugged him back and whispered quiet little reassurances. Scott stepped back, not sure what to do. His friend was hurting, had been for some time but he didn't talk about it. Today must have really shaken him up with the twins barricading him in that janitor's closet. Scott started to leave.

"Please, don't go." Isaac said. He had unfolded himself from Melissa's embrace and was sitting on the edge of the bed beside her. "I'm sorry to be such a bother. Maybe I should find somewhere else to stay." He wasn't looking at either of them. He stared at the floor with red-rimmed eyes.

Scott walked over and knelt down in front of him. Mrs. McCall reached out and took his hand and squeezed it.

"You are not going anywhere young man. I said you could stay here as long as you liked and I meant it. No arguments." She said as she released his hand. "Now since it is four in the morning I doubt anyone is going back to sleep. So I'm going to make some pancakes." She smiled at them both and left, but not without giving Scott a significant look. The "talk to him" look.

"You okay, Isaac?" Scott said as he moved over to take his mother's place on the edge of the bed.

Isaac rubbed a hand across the back of his neck. He looked over at Scott, his expression bewildered.

"Your mother is one tough cookie, you know that?" he said.

"You have no idea." Scott said, putting a hand on Isaac's shoulder, shaking it slightly. "You know you're not responsible for what happened that day, right?" he asked.

Isaac couldn't seem to look him in the eye. "I could have killed her. I lost it and the wolf took over. I would have if you hadn't stopped me."

"No! No you would not have. It's not in you to be a killer. She never blamed you either, ya know." Scott said, shaking Isaac slightly again.

Isaac nodded and slowly got to his feet. Scott followed suit. Together to the two boys left the room.

"Now you get to experience my mom's cooking."

"Sounds good."

"Not really."

The End