"Put her on the table. Careful!"
"Is she gonna be okay?"
"I don't know."
"Please, tell me she's going to be okay!"
Marlow whimpered, her eyes opening slowly. There was a bright light shining onto her face. Deaton was leaning over her, putting a gauze pat onto her stomach. She slightly turned her face to see the other person in the room. Mason stood next to her, a worried glance on his face.
"Hey there, Marlow." Deaton greeted softly. "Don't worry. I'll fix you."
She groaned out as another bolt of pain shot through her. "Marlow!" Mason yelled out, grabbing her hand.
"She will be fine, Mason. You need to get to Eichen House right away."
"I can't-"
Marlow squeezed his hand. "Go. Help them save Lydia." she croaked out.
He sighed but nodded. "Call me when she's doing better," he told Deaton. Then his hand slipped out of hers and he was gone.
Marlow breathed out as Deaton got to work on her wound. She was supposed to help her friends save Lydia. They needed all the manpower they could get. Her thoughts were racing, making up tons of ways everything could go south. She wanted to just get up and help them. Just make a run for it. But before she knew it, the gentle sounds of Deaton using his equipment on her wounds faded away as she passed out.
Riley faded into the Closed Unit of Eichen House. She watched as her uncle picked Corey up by his neck, engulfing him in flames. He tossed the boy away from him and he flew right at her. "Riley!" Stiles yelled.
The young girl jumped out of the way before Corey could take her down. Instead, he crashed into Stiles and the two boys fell to the floor. A stranger held a girl in his arms. She looked catatonic. Riley could only assume that it was Lydia.
She turned around, watching as Theo got up off the floor and picked up a steel rod. "No!" she yelled out as he threw it at her uncle. It pierced him through the chest and he fell to his knees. Riley roared out loud. Raising her hands, she watched as Theo flew away against the metal gate, hitting the floor with a thud.
Lydia and the man were gone. Riley could hear Stiles yelling for her. She dashed over to her uncle. He stared at her vacantly. She pulled the rod out of his chest and tossed it aside. It hit the floor with a clank. "Jordan, please. Get up," she said. "Uncle Jordan!" she yelled, trying to snap him out of his daze.
He gasped, shaking his head. "Riley? Where did you come from?"
"I left Malia and Kira in the electrical room. Now come one, you need to get out of here." She put his arm over her shoulder, helping him up off the floor.
Parrish held onto her but his grip went loose as he looked at the hallway. Stiles and Theo were gone. Corey, Tracy, and Josh lay unconscious on the floor. Corey was burnt badly. "Help them. I'll find my way out of here."
Riley watched as her uncle fled the unit. She turned around with a sigh. Marlow had warned her to steer clear of Tracy, so she left the girl alone. Instead, she walked over to Josh and kneeled next to him. Riley had no time to be gentle. The plan was already failing, so she raised her hand and slapped Josh across the face. "Wake up, sleeping beauty!"
Josh opened his eyes slowly. It was taking Riley everything not to grab the kid and toss him around the hallway. He and his Pack had ruined everything. "Get your ass up!" She got up. Josh got to his feet. Riley pointed at Corey. The other boy was whimpering on the floor, surely in pain from the third-degree burns all across his body.
"My friends, Malia and Kira, are in the electrical room on the first floor. Right behind the front desk. Get him there and let them take his pain. He'll start healing afterward." she instructed.
Josh narrowed his eyes at her but dashed to Corey's side anyway. He picked his friend up, steadying him. Corey's face twisted in pain. "Where are you going?" Josh asked.
"I have some wolves I need to check in with," she replied.
She closed her eyes, trying to locate Scott and Liam's whereabouts. In a flash, she was out of the Closed Unit and on another floor. She came face-to-face with Liam. He jumped back. "Dear God!" he yelled out. He put his hand over his heart. "What are you doing here? I thought you were downstairs with Kira and Malia. How did you even get in here?"
"Calm your ass down!" Riley yelled, grabbing Liam by the shoulders. "Kira and Malia can handle themselves. And I faded in."
Liam's eyebrows shot up. "Oh, so we could have just used you to get Lydia out of here."
"Probably, yeah!" Riley turned around in the room, trying to get a feel for her surroundings. She jumped back as she watched Scott, his claws buried inside a stranger's neck. "What the hell?!" she yelled out, turning back to Liam.
He opened his mouth to answer, lazily throwing up his hand. "Yeah, he's like, in her brain right now. Which is why we need to make sure no one comes in here. If he gets interrupted, Meredith could get seriously hurt. Or die."
Riley looked over at Scott and Meredith, then sighed. She nodded. "Alright."
The two fell silent. It was odd to be in the same room as Liam for Riley. Marlow had pretty much cried on her shoulder the first night they got back to Beacon Hills, telling her how much of a mistake she'd made when she broke up with Liam. And while Riley understood that Marlow did break up with Liam and not the other way around.
But the fact that he didn't even bother fighting for their relationship irked her. Liam turned to her, a questioning expression passing his face. Then the realization came. "You don't exactly like me, do you?"
Riley scrunched up her nose. She didn't want to get in a fight. Not while they were stuck in a house of horrors, in a room where their Alpha werewolf friend was running around in someone's memories. She took a deep breath. "I don't like the way you treated Marlow."
Liam turned to her. "Do I need to remind everyone that she dumped me?"
"Do we need to remind you that she 'dumped' you because she saw how you were thirsting over Hayden?" she countered, keeping her gaze fixed on the hallway. She could feel him still staring, so she turned her head to face him. There was a certain look of sorrow on his face. Maybe even regret. She sighed. "Look, I know Marlow didn't exactly handle this situation in the best way either. But you have to understand her. This was her first real relationship."
"Mine too."
Riley smiled at him faintly. She grabbed his arm, squeezing it reassuringly. "Thought so," she said. She hadn't seen Marlow for a decade but even then she knew her best friend had always been awkward regarding boys. "But Marlow has never been the lovey-dovey type of person. She expects everyone to leave her, even if it seems as though there is no way that'll happen."
Liam closed his eyes and sighed. "So, no, I don't hate you or anything. I'm sure you're a great person. But I do hate the decision you made."
There was a buzzing sound, cutting the duo's conversation short. Liam's eyes widened. He quietly pulled the door open and poked his head out. He turned back to Riley, closing the door. "Orderlies," he whispered. Riley's face scrunched in anger. "What do we do?"
Riley clenched her fists. They had to keep Scott and Meredith safe no matter what. She looked at Liam confidently. "We fight."
Liam nodded earnestly. The orderlies walked into view. Their eyes widened as they rushed towards the door. One orderly pulled open the door and Liam shoved him into the other, making them fall against the wall and to the floor. Riley jumped out of the room. Liam closed the door forcefully and broke off the card reader.
Riley heard him roar behind her. She hadn't fought in years, especially not grown men while trying to save a friend from an asylum. But she had to pull it together. She raised her chin. Jutting out her arms, she beckoned them towards her with a wave. "Come at me!"
She jumped forward, a roar escaping her lips as the younger orderly ran at her. She raised her fist, clocking him in the face. He stumbled back. Riley raised her hand and sent him flying against the wall, knocking the man out. She turned to Liam, a victorious smile crossing her lips. He mirrored her expression.
Riley's smile faltered as the door opened once more and a bigger orderly walked through it. A much bigger orderly. She pointed behind Liam to where he walked towards them. He narrowed his eyes and turned around. This was one they'd have to take on together. "Oh, sh..."
"Shucks!"
Marlow's eyes fluttered open. She sat up with a start. "Careful," Deaton warned her softly. She sat at the edge of the table, a groan escaping her lips. "How are you feeling?" he turned around to her on his swivel stool, having been hunched over his desk previously.
Marlow grabbed the bottom hem of her shirt and pulled it up to inspect her stomach. The wound had healed mostly. She breathed out in pain. "Like a giant ass branch lodged itself into my body a few hours ago."
Deaton let out a little chuckle. "That's to be expected," he said. "And other than that?"
"Better." she pulled her phone out of her pocket, checking for any news. There were messages from Mason. He was freaking out. She could tell even without having him anxiously ramble at her. "I need to get to Eichen House."
She jumped off the table, nearly falling back into it as another flash of pain shot through her body. Her face twisted in pain and she clutched her stomach. Deaton rushed to her side. "No, you need to lay back down," he told her. "Remember, if it weren't for your werecoyote powers, you'd most likely be dead right now."
Marlow sighed but climbed onto the table again. Even if it was just because she felt like she was going to faint any second. She lay down again and stared up at Deaton. Riley hadn't gotten the chance to share any new revelations with Marlow yet and she was curious. "So, what do you know about Riley's situation?"
Deaton sighed pulled the stool over. He sat down on it and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "I do not know why everyone forgot about Riley. And I don't know why I remember. Trust me, I was just as shocked when I found out."
"It still makes no sense though. How does an entire town just forget about a person?"
Deaton shrugged. "There are a few ways. Mainly, and this is what I told Riley, her mom possibly casting a spell on everyone before she died."
"That makes even less sense somehow."
"I guess so."
Marlow sighed. "I just need everyone to be okay." she rubbed her forehead with her palm. "How can I just lay here and do nothing?"
"You're not doing nothing. You have done so much to help already. And right now you need to get better. Your friends will understand."
Marlow bit her lip. She knew they would. But she didn't even know if they knew yet. Maybe they thought she was bailing. She could only hope that Lydia would be okay and that the mission wouldn't fail.
Riley put her hands on her knees, bending over and panting as she tried not to throw up. The door to Meredith's cell opened and Scott looked at the guard in the doorway. "Oh!" Liam said as the man fell to the floor. Scott's eyes widened as he looked at Riley and Liam. "Is he out?"
Scott looked at the unconscious orderly. "Yeah."
Liam gave him a thumbs-up. "Okay," he said. He fainted right after.
Riley straightened out, pumping her fists in the air. "We did it!"
"We need to go right now! Do you know where your uncle is?" Scott asked Riley as he woke Liam up. Liam jolted awake. He sat up with a start and Scott pulled him up.
Riley had no idea what Scott had found out from Meredith but there must have been something. She grabbed the boys by their arms and closed her eyes, focusing on her uncle. "Brace yourselves," she warned. In less than a second, they were gone.
The boys were hunched over when Riley opened her eyes again. "Oh my God!" Liam gasped.
"I know," Riley assured him.
Scott rushed past them to where Parrish lay on the floor. He was unconscious and Riley knew she should have gone with her uncle. Riley and Liam kneeled next to Parrish, propping him up against the wall. "Parrish? Parrish. Parrish. Parrish, hey. Can you hear me?" Scott asked him.
Parrish's eyes shot open, his eyes darted to each kid in front of him. "How did I get here?"
"You tell me. I told you to find a way out of here, not take a nap in the stairwell." Riley said.
"I wasn't taking a nap!" Parrish told her. Riley waved him off.
"Parrish, listen." Scott chimed in. "Eichen's in lockdown. There's no way for us to get out unless Plan B works."
"Plan B? What's Plan B?"
Riley turned to Scott. "I thought I was Plan B?"
"Well, no, you're more like Plan C," Scott told her. Riley narrowed her eyes at him, tilting her head as she tried to figure out what the hell his plan was.
"Don't worry about it. Right now, we need you to find Lydia." Scott instructed.
"Me?"
"Actually, not completely you. We kind of need the other you." Liam told him.
"The Hellhound," Scott added.
Parrish shot Riley a look of uncertainty. Riley gave him a reassuring nod. "It's your time to shine, fireman."
Parrish nodded and got up. Riley clapped her hands together, ready to get whatever Scott wanted to start started. "Alright, how do we trigger your inner Hellhound?" She looked around at her friends. Everyone shrugged. She sighed. She raised her finger, pulling a lighter from her pocket. "How about we light you up?" Parrish's eyes widened as Riley pushed down on the lighter.
Marlow was on the phone with Mason. Her feet dangled over the table as she thought about ways to help him. "Marls, listen, I'm stumped. There's a damn wall and I don't know what to do!" Marlow scratched the side of her head with a sigh.
She heard Mason gasp over the phone. "What is it?"
Mason didn't answer. Instead, she heard his car door open and then shut. "I'm gonna ram the wall."
"Mason, no!"
She heard his seat buckle click. Marlow jumped off the table. She couldn't let Mason kill himself to shut off the power to Eichen House. She couldn't let him get hurt. It was the one thing she was scared about when she revealed the truth. "Okay, here we go. Gonna ram the wall. Gonna ram it with my car. Just smash through it."
"Mason, stop what you're doing right now! You're gonna hurt yourself." Marlow insisted.
Mason kept rambling on and Marlow needed to stop him. She dashed towards the back door. Deaton was barely able to hold her back in time. "Take out the power. And save my friends. Here we go. All right. Just ram it and destroy my beautiful car that my parents bought me on my birthday, but I'ma save my friends. Here we go. Ram the wall. All right."
"What the hell are you doing?" Marlow suddenly heard Hayden yell.
"Oh, thank God. Can we use your car?" Mason asked her.
Marlow halted. "Mason, what's going on?!"
"Don't worry, Marls. Hayden is here. I think we got it from here. I'll see you later. Get better!"
He hung up the phone. Marlow stared at her phone, eyes narrowed. She turned to Deaton. "I need to go. They need me!"
Deaton grabbed her by the shoulders, leading her back to his work station. "They have got it covered. You can help me get Lydia's cure ready."
Marlow sighed but followed him nonetheless. Without her car, she would never make it to Eichen in time anyways. She could only do her part and hope Lydia would make it out.
Riley, Scott, and Liam followed Parrish down the corridor to the mountain ash-ridden doorway. He was back in his Hellhound state and Riley was still fascinated with it. "Parrish?" Scott asked as the Deputy kept walking towards the gate.
"How's he going to get through the mountain ash?" Liam asked.
Parrish kept walking, just straight ahead through the gate. A blue ring of fire engulfed him as he walked through it and down the hallway. The kids followed him. Scott put his hand towards the open gateway. He touched it with no problem. Riley raised her eyebrows. "He's burning it right out of the walls."
Riley watched as her uncle rounded the corner, jaw-dropping open. "Awesome."
"Let's go!" Scott instructed.
The trio dashed after Parrish through the building, down into the tunnels. Riley wasn't even sure if they were going the right way. Most things were still confusing to her. But she had to trust that the Hellhound knew were to find the Banshee.
Finally, when the trio was fully caught-up with Parrish, he tossed Stiles their way so that he could embrace Lydia. Scott caught his best friend in his arms before he fell to the floor as Lydia's deadly scream was shielded by Parrish.
Liam put his arms around Riley, shielding her from the oncoming rubble. The kids watched as Parrish carried Lydia through the smoke. "Where to?" he asked.
"This way," Scott replied, nodding over his shoulder. "Come on."
The group started running towards the gate. Riley hoped that Mason was able to stop the lockdown in time. "There's a gate up ahead," Liam told Scott.
"What about Mason?" Scott asked.
"He's on it. Trust me."
Riley turned her head to see if Lydia was still okay. She was very much intent on getting her out before it got too dangerous. Though something about Eichen House seriously dampened her powers.
"Liam, slow down," Scott warned as they barreled towards the gate.
"Liam, wait!" Stiles yelled.
Liam ran up ahead. Arriving at the gate, he grabbed each side, pulling it open with ease. He turned to the others, a smile crossing his face. "I told you."
They ran towards the manhole. Everyone got out just as Malia and Kira arrived in Stiles' Jeep. "Can you stand?" Parrish asked Lydia. She nodded, though Riley could tell the girl was still in pain.
Malia and Kira got out of the car. "Is she okay?" Malia asked worriedly.
"No, we need to go. Give me the keys. We gotta get her to the clinic." Scott replied. Malia handed him the car keys just as Parrish suddenly stumbled against the hood of the Jeep, three giant slashes on his back.
Riley's eyes widened. She turned around to see Tracy holding on to Lydia. "Sorry, but she's coming with me."
"Oh, you bitch!" Riley yelled.
"Okay. Tracy, just wait. You don't know what's about to happen." Scott warned.
"I'm taking her. That's what's happening. And none of are you going to do a thing..." Riley was about to jump in and strike Tracy down when Natalie knocked her out with a shocking-baton instead.
Tracy fell to the floor and Lydia fell into Stiles' arms. "Could somebody please get my daughter out of this hellhole?" Natalie asked.
Riley nodded. "Yeah, I've had it," she said. "Stiles, move!" she ordered, grabbing Lydia. "Meet you at the clinic!"
"Wait!" Scott yelled but Riley had already closed her eyes.
The girls arrived at the clinic. "Oh, God!" Marlow gasped as she saw the two stand there.
"Girls, get her on the table!" Deaton instructed.
Marlow and Riley put Lydia on the table. Marlow grabbed the girl's hand as Lydia groaned in pain. "It's gonna be okay, Lyds! You're going to be okay!" she assured her.
"Hold her," Deaton demanded.
Lydia screamed again. The room shook and Marlow's heart began to race. "You need to do something, Doctor D!" Riley yelled as the girls steadied Lydia on the table.
"I will. But right now, I need you to keep her still." Deaton prepared the mistletoe syringe.
Marlow strengthened her grip on Lydia's shoulder. Lydia groaned again. "Steady," Deaton said. He walked up to the table, holding the syringe up to the side of Lydia's head. He squeezed down on the applicator and applied the paste.
Riley cringed at the scene. She had never gotten used to the sight of gore and probably would never be. Lydia sat up, letting out another scream that shattered the windows. Marlow, Riley, and Deatong braced themselves as glass shards flew their way.
Marlow caught her breath, looking down at Lydia. The girl was out cold. Marlow's eyes widened. She hadn't thought about Lydia possibly dying. Her heart skipped a beat as she lightly shook Lydia. "Lyds? Lydia!"
"Come on, girl, wake up. You can do it." Riley said. Her hand grazed the Banshee's head. "I believe in you. I don't know you that well yet but I do," she whispered. Deaton's eyes widened as a ray of light emerged from Riley's hand.
Lydia gasped, her body lifting off the table as the hole in her head disappeared. She opened her eyes. Marlow sighed in relief. "Oh thank God!" she engulfed her friend in a hug.
Riley looked down on her hand, eyes wide open. She looked over at Lydia. The hole in her head was gone. "What the hell just happened?"
She looked at Deaton. "Your powers are expanding," he told her. She stared at her hands once more.
The door to the clinic was thrown open. "Guys?!" Scott yelled as he, Stiles and Natalie came running in. They halted, seeing Lydia in Marlow's arms.
Marlow smiled at them, giving them a thumbs-up. "You did it," she assured him. The girls pulled apart. Lydia smiled at her mother. "Mom?"
Natalie laughed joyously. She ran forward, wrapping her daughter in a hug. "Oh, honey."
"They saved my life, Mom. They saved me." Lydia said, looking at her friends.
Marlow, Riley, Scott, Stiles, and Deaton looked eyes. Riley raised her hand. Deaton chuckled and the two high-fived. "Marlow, where the hell have you been anyways?" Scott asked.
"I was a little pre-occupied." Marlow opened her jacket, revealing her bloody shirt. The wound had healed but she still felt as though a truck had hit her.
Stiles' eyes widened as he looked at his sister. "What happened? Are you okay?" he asked worriedly.
Marlow waved her hand. "I'm fine," she assured him. Stiles gave her a look. She sighed. "Car accident. Giant branch shot through my stomach. Mason and Doctor D saved me. Thank them."
Stiles' eyes seemed to widen even more and Marlow pulled him into a hug, assuring him she was fine. "No, but seriously, thank them," she said again. They pulled apart. Stiles shot her an amused look. "Seriously, I would be dead if it wasn't for Mason using 'find my phone'." she turned to her friends. "Also, I am pretty sure someone cut my breaks."
Riley raised her finger. "I wouldn't be surprised if Tracy did that to stop you from helping."
Marlow growled. "Well, she's lucky we got Lydia back or else she would not be in walking condition right now," she said. "Also," she added. "Could someone help me get my car out of the woods?"
A light wave of laughter went around the room. Marlow was more than happy. Lydia was back, everyone was okay, herself included, and now their biggest worry was finding out who the Beast was and how to stop them.
