A/N: Sorry about the wait. I was getting ready to go to Comicon before, and now that I'm back, I'm planning to continue. HOWEVER, I'll be going a two-and-a-half week trip to Michigan to visit my grandmother (a total nerd like me). Sadly, she lives in the middle of nowhere, and Wifi isn't a thing in the middle of the sticks. So I won't be able to update.

There may be a possibility to do that if I go to her work and update there. There's your hope…

Chapter Five: Under Stress

They had managed to find a house in the middle of the woods, much like the old Hale mansion, but this one was much smaller, and the windows and door was already boarded up for them. Derek easily kicked the door open and lead the way in.

And now they sat in a circle, a small fire made from matches Lydia found in her pocket.

Stiles sat in the far corner, his eyes drooping and his knees curled up tight to his chest. He shivered and shifted every once in a while, practically forcing Derek to look over and check on him. However, Stiles refused to make eye contact.

"We should move tomorrow morning. This place is too close to the highway." Lydia announced, placing her pen down on the folded up map from her car. Malia nodded. "Yeah sure."

Kira, however, paced back and forth. She turned to Derek. "I asked you before where Scott was. You didn't answer. I'm asking you again. Where's Scott?" she asked, holding her breath slightly. Derek licked his lips with anxiety.

"He was bitten, and he cleared a path for me and Stiles. I don't know if he's alive or dead."

"But he was bitten…" Kira whispered, turning her head away. She wandered over to one of the windows and gazed out the small crack between the boards. "He was bitten…" she repeated, her voice trembling. "…he's…dead…"

Stiles jumped to his feet. "You don't know that! Besides, it's not your fault…"

"Stiles," Derek began, slowly standing. "it's not your fault, either." he faked a small smile, trying to make him even slightly happier, but it only made him feel worse. Stiles stomped forward to Derek and shoved past him. Before anyone knew what he was doing, he was already halfway out the door.

Both Malia and Derek ran after him, while Kira and Lydia stayed inside. Lydia bolted for the door, her hands on either side of the doorway. "We'll look for him!" Derek called. "Close the door and keep it shut! We'll bring him back!" And with that, he ran into the forest followed by Malia.

The two didn't get far before they heard zombies, their dragging footsteps and annoying moans of death. Malia glanced up, and back to Derek. "Can they climb trees?" she asked.

"Let's test that theory." he said confidently, before the two began to scale up a tree, the branches low enough to climb with ease. Soon enough, they could see hoards of them coming from many directions. At this point, they would reach their "safe house" within a few minutes.

"We have to find him, now!" Derek ordered. Malia crawled across the branches and pulled herself to another tree. "Then let's go." she signaled him to come forward. Derek followed right behind her.

Not even a minute of climbing through the trees passed when they spotted Stiles, walking slowly with his hands in his pockets. He kicked a rather large stone and it rolled across dead leaves and hard ground.

Derek instantly dropped from the trees and in front of him, making him scream slightly out of surprise. He jumped back, then rolled his eyes. "What the hell do you want?" he barked. Derek covered his mouth and looked up at Malia. "Get Lydia and Kira out of there. We'll meet you at the highway."

As Malia disappeared into the trees, Derek forcefully grabbed Stiles' wrist and he pulled him forward. Stiles tripped over a few stray branches and random roots, but eventually the two made it to the highway with no trouble.

"What do you want?" Stiles asked again, this time his voice tired and depressed. He looked up at Derek with glossy eyes, as if he was about to cry. "I killed my mom, my dad and my best friend. You're all better off without me."

"No, we're not." Derek gently wrapped his hands around Stiles shoulders. "We need you." he whispered. Stiles, however, just shook his head. Losing his cool composure, Derek pulled Stiles into a tight hug, his heart sinking as he heard his breath hitch and his light sobs. "I kill everyone I meet." he continued. "You need to go."

His hands said otherwise as his fingers curled around the fabric of Derek's shirt, keeping the two close together. Derek ran his hand through Stiles' soft, spiky hair and continued to hold him. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Lydia, Kira and Malia watching from a distance.

A/N: I'll most likely update tomorrow or the next day. I'll try to get in as much as possible before I go to Michigan. But think of it like this. When I get back, I'll have probably written a whole bunch of chapters for this, and I'll upload them like rapid fire!