All That We're Living For
Chapter XI
Ouroboros
_oOo_
"How'd you do that?"
"I don't know."
_oOo_
He stared for a moment, swallowing. His eyes landed on Hayden. She stared back at him, eyes wide.
"Hayden."
Look at me, he wanted to tell her.
Then the Dread Doctors appeared. Two of them headed toward her while another stepped out in front of him, the back of its head revealed to be disfigured and mutilated while the Doctor pulled on its mask, heading toward Hayden.
"No. No. No. Don't . . . Don't hurt her!" he shouted. "Hayden! Hayden!"
He pulled on the tube encasing his forearm to get free, writhing frantically in an attempt to get to Hayden.
He watched in horror as the Dread Doctors began to carve in her back, her blood dripping to the floor. Dear God, why wasn't she screaming? He saw the agonizing fear and pain in her eyes as they continued whatever they were doing to her.
She was paralyzed and she couldn't scream or move and he couldn't help her.
He couldn't help her.
He couldn't -
The Dread Doctors said her name continuously as they performed their surgery but his voice stood out over theirs, growing hoarse with each loud yell.
"HAYDEN!"
He let out a groan, fingers wandering over the black tube embedded into his arm, trying his best to pull it out. It wasn't a needle like he'd originally thought it was. The tube caused him pain whenever he pulled or tugged on it, so it must've been stuck inside of him.
He gave up on trying to free his arm from it, rolling back onto his back as pain streaked through. Liam gritted his teeth together as he turned his head to face Hayden.
The Dread Doctors were still doing their surgery, never stopping to take a break. Her eyes were so dull and lifeless, Liam would've thought she was dead, except for the fact that she occasionally blinked, then Liam breathed a sigh of relief.
Because it meant she was still alive.
For now, Liam knew. But Scott would come. Scott would come and save them.
He promised me.
Hayden hadn't screamed or made a peep since the start of the surgery, her blood dripping out onto the floor underneath her, pooling under the exam table. She had to be in completely agony right now if they hadn't given her anything else beside paralyzation.
Liam wanted to take her pain away for her. He wanted to be in her place so that she wouldn't feel anything they were doing to her.
He wanted them to stop hurting her.
An alarm blared to life, drawing his attention. He noticed a Dread Doctor heading his way. The Pathologist strolled to a large test tube on the left of Liam's side, taking out a syringe and plugging it into a tube.
Liam couldn't make anything out of the water. It was disfigured, mutilated, and it had a hand floating by its body. Maybe another Dread Doctor? His eyes traveled farther up the tube, to where he supposed the head was and shrunk back in surprise. Two eyes were open and alert, a mask covering its nose to help it breathe.
Dear God, was this what they were using his blood for?
To keep this thing alive?
Or was it for something else?
He didn't want to know, because just then, the alarm stopped as the Pathologist removed some of the liquid inside. A coughing fit racked his chest as the Dread Doctor turned, inspecting the syringe while walking back to the exam table.
"Her condition worsens," the Surgeon said to the Geneticist standing beside him.
Hayden's lips parted at the mention of this and this sent a surge of energy spiraling through Liam.
They were not going to kill Hayden. She was not a failure.
"Stop!" he shouted. He pushed himself up, ignoring the pain. "Stop hurting her! Stop hurting her!"
Fury pulsed through him.
He was angry at the Dread Doctors for doing this to Hayden. To the girl he loved.
He was angry that he couldn't do anything about it and he was fucking pissed.
He didn't know why the Dread Doctors were doing this to the both of them, but he wanted it to stop. Before he knew it, he wolfed out. Canines filing in his mouth, eyes shining golden as he let out a defiant and angry growl.
They were going to escape from this place. He was going to tear these fucking Dread Doctors apart one by one until -
The Pathologist stormed toward him and slammed the heavy boot into his face, once again, rendering him unconscious.
_oOo_
When Liam came to, he could see the Pathologist dragging Hayden off of the exam table and dumping her next to Liam before walking away.
She groaned in pain when she landed into her back. Liam crawled to her.
"Hayden?" he breathed out. "Hayden, you okay?"
Hayden's breaths came out in heavy pants as she struggled to say her next words. "It hurts."
His eyes dropped down to her abdomen, to where her fingers clutched at her side, black blood seeping through her fingers. She let out another pained groan.
That was it. Liam couldn't stand it anymore.
"Give me your hand."
Hayden immediately offered her free hand and he grasped it gently, placing the other on top of it, so both of his hands were overlapping hers. "There's something Scott does. He can take away the pain," he explained to her, then stammered as he realization hit him. "I've never done it before, but I can try."
Okay?
She watched him as he closed his eyes and tried to concentrate. The whirring and beeping around him wasn't helping. How was he suppose to do this? It wasn't until he opened his eyes again while Hayden let out another loud grunt of pain that he realized it didn't work.
He couldn't help her. He didn't even - He wanted to scream in disbelief and frustration.
"I'm sorry," he told her sincerely.
"Why are they doing this to us?" she whispered, staring back at him.
"I don't know."
Their hands entwined against each other's as he reached for hers. They were going to need each other if they were ever going to escape from this place.
They were going to make sure that they were going to survive.
And never, in a million years, did Liam think he would be holding onto Hayden Romero's hand for comfort.
Of course, he might've - in due time.
If it hadn't been for his I.E.D. on that fateful day in Sixth Grade, he'd probably be dating her right about now.
It had been all Timothy's fault. He'd been taunting Liam about Hayden, mocking and ridiculing her, saying that she was fat and unattractive. Which wasn't true, Liam had thought. Liam thought she was the most beautiful girl alive. Timothy had kept pestering and pestering until Liam snapped . . . and then eventually screwed everything up.
He had ended up punching her in the nose accidentally. He'd been aiming for Timothy and then - boom. Suddenly, there she was. He had started to apologize when she'd punched him back.
And damn, could she pack a punch.
After that, he swore he would never let another girl come close to him until he fully apologized for his mistake.
_oOo_
Hayden was pulling on the tube that was screwed inside of his arm, trying to pull it out. He could feel it and he let out a pained yell. Hayden gave a grunt as the tube finally became free, black blood spilling out the end.
He gasped, staring at the blood in surprise. So they weren't taking his blood. They were injecting this black stuff into his system for whatever reason.
"Oh! It's all right. I'm sorry, are you okay?" she asked worriedly, leaning toward him as he pressed his hand against the open wound, trying to ignore the intense throbbing.
"It'll heal," he replied, looking at her, giving her a grateful look. "We'll both heal."
They smiled at each other until Liam noticed the Pathologist heading their way.
"Hayden!" he screamed in warning.
It was too late. Black gloves curled over his shoulders, tugging him backward sharply while the Pathologist grabbed Hayden, who shrieked as the Doctor injected a syringe into her neck.
"Hayden!" he cried again. The Surgeon gripped his chin, while a long needle headed toward Liam's eye. "No! No!" His chest rose and fell down heavily, panic running through his body. He screamed as the needle made contact.
"No!"
Pain ripped through his skull. His vision flickered and wavered, becoming darker and darker by the minute until everything faded to silence.
When they awoke, the two found themselves in a completely different room. A chain-link fence barricaded the entrance.
"Hayden?" Liam slurred, seeing the unconscious girl next to him. "Hayden, wake up."
She began to stir when he shook her shoulder, eyes opening. He watched as she lifted up her shirt, seeing her wound looking even worse, black blood pooling around. A whimper escaped her lips. "Where are we?" she asked, looking around.
"I don't know." Liam struggled to his feet, slowly staggering his way in front of the fence.
"Careful," Hayden whispered. His hand touched it and a jolt of electricity buzzed through him as it shocked him, sending him stumbling backward.
A giggle sounded, drawing both of the teenagers' attention. Liam twisted his body around in surprise to see a boy hidden in the shadows.
"Sorry, I probably should've warned you."
Liam sat up carefully, staring into the direction of the boy. "Who are you?"
"My name's Zach," the boy replied, still not budging to move out of the shadows. "And I think the better question is . . . What am I?"
Liam shot a look toward Hayden as the boy continued.
"It's okay. I'm just like you. One of the experiments. Hey, maybe you could help me with something. The guys, in the masks . . ." Zach trailed off as he scooted himself into the light. His leg was entrapped with a chain as he dragged himself toward them. "They took something off my back. I don't know what it was, but I can feel part of it still there."
"You want us to look?" Liam asked, pressing his hand against his arm as he watched the dark-haired boy in front of him.
"Is that okay?"
Hayden met his eyes as he turned his head to look at her. He could see in her eyes that she was uncertain, and to be honest, he was too. Finally, he nodded.
Zach immediately turned around, grunting as he did so with slight difficulty, pulling up the back of his dirty jacket and shirt. Hayden peered closer, then her head recoiled back as she processed what she was seeing. Liam could only stare in horror and with some disgust, his mouth curled.
There, sticking out of Zach's shoulder blades, were two bloody short stumps, obviously the remainder of wings.
Wings that were now gone.
Zach let his shirt fall back down and turned around to face them, desperate to know what was on his back. "Well?"
After a long hesitation, Liam decided to tell him. Hayden chimed in, finishing it for him. Despite how strange Zach might've seemed, if Zach was in fact another Chimera, they were going to need each other if they wanted to escape. They were going to need Zach's help.
For the longest time, Zach didn't say anything after they told him about the stumps on his back. He just sat there, quiet.
Liam was currently surveying the fence in front of him, searching for a weakness. He felt Zach and Hayden watching from behind. He lifted his index finger and slowly reached out to the fence and -
Zap!
A jolt of electricity went through him. Liam hissed and winced from the pain, shaking his hand in protest. "Argh! Ugh . . . "
Zach chuckled while Liam sat back down next to Hayden in defeat. "We're not getting out of here."
Hayden stared at him in disbelief. "You could be a little optimistic," she scolded him.
"It's kinda hard when you watch three people get dragged out of here screaming."
"What happened to them?" Liam asked.
Zach met his eyes. "They were failures. That's all they said. First, you forget. You don't know who you are or what you're doing. Then you get violent. I watched two of them almost kill each other. One of them had a nasty looking cut just like that." Zach inclined his head as he acknowledged Hayden's cut on her side, glancing at it. She pulled down her shirt, glancing at Liam as he turned to Hayden. Liam bit his lip as Zach continued, listening while Hayden stared back at him.
"Don't worry," Zach hurried on after seeing their expressions. "Black is okay. It's only really over when you start bleeding other stuff. When it starts turning silver . . ."
"Mercury," Liam remembered. He recalled the silver substance dripping from Tracey's mouth that morning in Mr. Yukimura's classroom.
"That's when they know you're really a failure."
"How many more failures are there supposed to be?" Liam hissed angrily.
"Who knows?" Zach cut in. "But doesn't it make you wonder what the success is going to look like? I mean, what are we turning into? Something with claws and fangs? Something with wings?"
"Something worse," Hayden murmured.
It seemed like hours had gone by, but in reality, it must've been almost a couple of minutes. Liam and Hayden sat against the wall while Zach returned to his spot in the shadows. Liam sighed heavily. He wanted to find a way out of this place.
If only he could get Zach's help . . .
Liam had been trying to figure out a way that he could convince Zach to help each other escape, but from the looks of it, Zach had already accepted the fact that he was going to die. And that made Liam feel uneasy. He wasn't ready to die. He was pretty sure Hayden didn't want to die. And even Zach himself, even if he wouldn't admit it.
"It's kinda hard when you watch three people get dragged out of here screaming."
Tracy.
Lucas.
But Liam wondered who the third was. He wondered if one of the Pack had already had an encounter with the Chimera.
"Who's the third?" Liam blurted out.
"What?"
"Who's the third?" he repeated. "You said three people got dragged out of here screaming."
Zach was quiet. "His name was Josh, I think. I think he was a senior or something. Look, what are you getting at? You think we're getting out of here?"
"We are. We're getting out of here. And you're going to help us."
Zach snorted. "Look, man. I don't know if you're seeing what I'm seeing, but that fence -" He jabbed a finger toward it, glaring toward the two. "- is the only thing keeping us in. There's no way we're getting out. You want to escape? Fine by me. Go ahead and get yourselves killed."
Silence.
Liam stared at Zach in disbelief. A chittering sound entered their ears. Hayden looked around, confused.
Zach raised his head, listening. Realization seemed to hit him. "They're coming."
Liam frowned, peering closer, noticing silver dripping from Zach's nostril. Zach reached up with one hand and saw the mercury on his fingers.
"Oh, God!" Zach yelled, panic spreading across his features. His eyes widened. Liam turned his head to the fence to where a Dread Doctor appeared. The fence opened.
"No!" Zach screamed as he scrambled backward, trying to avoid the Dread Doctor's grasp. "No, no, no!"
Liam tried to push himself up, but some unseen force was holding him down, preventing him from rising. He tried again, groaning as he pushed himself against the unseen force, only to collapse down, panting heavily. He watched in horror as the Dread Doctor grabbed Zach's hoodie, dragging him away.
"No! No! Stop!"
Hayden also tried her best to rise against the unseen force, to no avail.
"Help me!" Zach pleaded, twisting and turning his body wildly in an attempt to break free. "Help me!" He grabbed hold of the door, clutching the sides, staring at Liam and Hayden. His eyes were filled with fear. "No! No! Wait!"
The Dread Doctor gave one last huge tug, dragging Zach into the mist to where he disappeared from sight.
Only his screams could be heard until they, too, faded away.
"No! Help me!"
Horrified, Liam and Hayden turned to stare at each other as the door clicked shut.
"Oh, God," Hayden whispered. "They just . . ."
Liam sucked in a deep breath. He couldn't get to Zach. He couldn't save him. And now, Zach was probably dead.
Terminated.
Why couldn't he get up? It was like something didn't want them to.
Was that another one of the Dread Doctors' powers? In addition to being able to look like they were warping out of reality and time . . . In addition to probably being able to take or change memories . . .
Could they also have powers too?
Liam gritted his teeth together as pain ripped inside his arm. He leaned his head back against the pipes behind them, trying to focus on healing.
He focused on the sound of Hayden's breathing next to him . . .
Liam raised his head when he realized he could hear the buzzing. Judging from the shifting of Hayden's body, she could hear it also.
"They're coming back." Liam gently wrapped an arm around her, helping her get to her feet. She whimpered and groaned from the pain as she leaned against him for support. Her fingers linked between his and Liam clutched her hand desperately. A million thoughts ran through his mind.
He was never going to get to tell Hayden that he loved her.
He was never going to be able to kiss her.
He was never going to be able to take her pain away.
But Liam knew that he was not going to go without a fight. He would fight the Dread Doctors, distract them in order to allow Hayden to escape, to allow her to find her way out back to the Pack. To tell them where they had been held captive at.
He would -
A figure came into view from the mist, too small to be a Dread Doctor.
"Liam? Hayden?"
Theo jogged toward them, ready to rip the electrified fence open.
"Theo, wait . . ." Liam shouted quickly, holding his arm out. "Don't!"
It was too late. Theo had already grabbed the fence and electricity poured through him, crackling, sending Theo's body flying backward with a pained yell.
"Theo!" Liam stood near the fence, trying to rouse the werewolf up. To help him regain his consciousness. He glanced behind, looking into the mist, hoping that Scott or Mason would appear.
No one did.
He didn't know whether to feel disappointment or relief because all he wanted was for him and Hayden to get out of this horrid place.
Theo finally began to stir, eyes blinking as he sat up, grunting.
"Theo? Theo? Theo, you all right?"
Well, obviously he's not all right! He just got electrocuted!
"Yeah," Theo huffed out. "Yeah, I'm fine."
Liam watched as Theo slowly struggled to his feet. "You think you can get help?" he asked.
"I am the help," Theo replied. Liam was confused, then realization hit him once he realized what Theo was about to do. He quickly turned, returning back to Hayden's side.
Theo hesitated before he reached out and put his hands on the fence. Immediately, electricity shocked and coursed through his body.
Hayden winced at the sight of this and Liam glanced at her.
Sparks popped and flew everywhere as the electricity continued to buzz, Theo grunting as he tried to pull the door open. Theo's features began to change. His eyes changed golden as his teeth filed into points. He let out a loud roar as the door finally slid open, his arms pushing it aside.
"C'mon!"
Liam and Hayden immediately followed after Theo, following him down the tunnels. Hayden lagged behind slowly until Liam scooped her up in his arms and carried her. Theo led them to a blue truck and they all climbed in. The engine started and Theo took off, tires squealing.
No doubt soon that the Dread Doctors would be coming after them again once they realized they were gone. But right now, Liam didn't care. He was happy that he got away with Hayden by his side.
Music played quietly from Theo's speakers as the radio played. Hayden leaned her head against his shoulder as Liam watched as they came to a lone road, evergreen trees filing out on either side.
Hayden jerked her head back, groaning in pain. She lifted up her shirt to inspect it.
"It still hurts?" he asked stupidly. He wanted to smack himself that moment.
"Everywhere," she said, tears filling her eyes as she looked toward him. "I'm not healing. Not like it did before. That means I'm a failure, doesn't it?"
No, you're not a failure.
He wanted to tell her that. Hayden was strong. She would make it through this.
Without hesitation, Liam leaned in and pressed his lips to hers. Her lips were soft against his. It was just suppose to be an innocent little peck, but Liam found himself enjoying it. He wanted more. He took in her bottom lip as she, without hesitation, kissed him back. He drew her pain, taking it into his body before he pulled away, keeping his eyes closed. His neck and body tingled. After a moment, he opened his eyes.
She stared back at him in surprise. "It's gone," she whispered. Her eyes filled with surprise and happiness. "The pain's gone. How did you do that?"
Liam stared back at her for a moment before he replied. "I don't know," he said honestly.
A grateful look crossed her face as she smiled at him genuinely. Their faces were centimeters apart. He could feel the hotness of their breaths falling against each other's skin, hearing their heartbeat finally slow to the same pace. Her hand curled into his and Liam leaned in for another kiss.
Her tongue slipped into his mouth, seemingly eager to take a tour and he let out a breathless moan each time he detached from her lips, only to take her lips into his again. His hand dropped down to her waist and he placed her hand over her wound before drawing her pain into himself. He felt his veins blacken and bulge before numbness overtook his hand. But he didn't care. His hand cupped her cheek bringing her closer to him, her fingers curling over the nape of his neck. He felt himself beginning to melt into Hayden, enjoying the close proximity of their bodies pressing up each other's when an 'Ahem' broke the kiss. Liam and Hayden turned to see Theo standing by the open door to the backseat.
"You guys done?" Theo asked, a knowing look on his face, a smirk etched upon his lips.
Liam helped Hayden out of the backseat of the truck. Theo had apparently brought them to Scott's house. Liam wasn't sure what he was going to say if he saw him. Scott hadn't come like he said he would. They entered through the door. Upon seeing them, Lydia rose from her seat in the McCalls' living room, letting out a sigh of relief.
"Oh, thank God," she breathed out.
Her arms reached out as she stepped closer to Liam. Lydia carefully hugged him, then turned to Hayden, embracing her too. She pulled away and turned to hug Theo. Liam felt slightly guilty about messing up a nice, clean couch but he was tired. He plopped down, pulling Hayden next to him. He grabbed a pillow and placed it on top of his lap, in case Hayden wanted to sleep there - and mostly to cover up his boner when he woke up in the morning. Hayden snuggled up against the crook of his neck and he watched her drift to sleep. Liam shot Theo a grateful look and Theo nodded in acknowledgement.
He felt his eyelids become heavy and he let himself fall asleep, finally feeling safe and secure by the comfort of his friends with Hayden by his side.
This episode, man.
Desert Wolf = wanting to kill Malia (again.) Hmm. Notice she said "again." Was Malia dead the first time and was somehow resurrected? Or did she assume she was dead when the car went off the road and didn't bother to check?
Melissa slapping the Sheriff.
Liam/Hayden feels! The kiss! We got two kisses and I saw they were using tongue! Whoo, go Liam! #PuppyLove
Theo = evil (+ creeper alert) But I thank him for saving our babies even if he did orchestrate this whole thing to gain the Pack's trust. Sneaky little bastard. *whispers* I'm watching you
Zach! No, not the winged-boy! I will miss you. :(
Scott/Kira breakup? Whatever it was, it made me cry. I want Kira to come back! Also, I found a new song I like: Amber Run - I Found.
Parrish taking the body he was guarding. LOL.
Scott telling his mom that he felt hopeless and that everything was his fault. :(
Theo hugging everyone and Scott looking jealous and disappointed in himself. And Malia, her face when she hugged Theo. It's like she realized something and I wanna know what she was thinking.
Everyone is fucked now that Theo knows their weaknesses. Fuck you, Theo.
Also on important notice, Chapter 12 "Lies of Omission" may come later than usual. School starts next week (ON A FRIGGIN' WEDNESDAY! WHA?) and I gotta get up at 5 A.M. to catch the city bus, be at the city bus stop at 6 (usually by 6:05) then wait a hour until 7 for my school bus to come pick me up. I can't believe I'm a senior! Whoo!
Are you ready for your first day (back or to) school or nah?
SibunaGleekR5er: I hope you loved this chapter and the Layden kiss. [I tried my best to make the kiss epic which is hard since I've never been kissed before so I don't know exactly how it feels.] But I fangirled so hard! What were your thoughts? And are you ready for the Scott/Stiles scene about "Not everyone can be True Alphas! Some of us are human!" I'm definitely not.
SPECIAL THANKS TO:
mattmurilo, SnarkyLittleHufflepuff, n9horsesbubbles, vinny-nicole, Fixie13, andreagjervold, MistSpade, BrooklynTeen, TvRomances, Bluegirlassasin6444, CaliGirl17, oscarthedolphin531, Emy Dagger, OlicityWestAllen143, PitMaster115, QueenOfMyPlanet, abbzmay, carolinesalvatore21, cassandra karin, lillypilly01, YMCMBYoungin13, BlackRabbit148, abbzmay, the s33r, WriterGurl11, 99danas, FreeLion, Reader237, amaliesofie, mactraverlive . com, Victoriareddick, allfandomslover, SibunaGleekR5er, BeyondMiracles, Klarolineforever100, sportsgirlKG, thirdlady89, and darklou.