SUCCUMB
CHAPTER VII - SCOTT
Although the lights in the kitchen were dim, it still made Scott's eyes sore and made him even more sleepier. So, Scott rubbed the sleepiness off of his eyes as he drank his morning coffee while Isaac kept an eye on him.
After a few sips, Scott narrowed his eyes at Isaac, shaking his head as if something was wrong. "You know, you don't have to keep an eye on me 24/7. I may not be okay right now, but I will be. I'm going to be fine, Isaac." His protests were ignored and Scott just groaned, wishing that he never lost Kira's number in the woods in the first place.
Isaac threw him a sharp and exasperated look. "Scott, you don't have an anchor, you couldn't draw control from anger, and the one thing that kept you in check is lost somewhere in the woods and as much as I want to just kidnap the girl you like just so you won't lose control and shift in broad daylight," Scott shook his head, holding his hand up, not wanting to hear the same sermon Isaac kept repeating to him, over and over again.
Breathing in deep, Scott tried to remember what happened last night. He didn't seem to recall anything, it's like any memory he had of what they did suddenly vanished from his mind. "Listen, I don't know about what happened but maybe it was because I was around her," Allison would, so it seem, remain a touchy subject for a long time.
Isaac's expression changed a bit, softened up and showed guilt and Scott immediately regret saying her name. Somehow, even though he repeatedly made it known that he was okay with him and Allison, Isaac would always shy away from the topic and change it altogether. For the first week after the Nemeton thing, with him dying and whatnot, Scott tried his best to encourage Isaac to go after Allison, telling him that he was over her and that he was okay if she moved on.
But it was there, the scent and chemo-signal that said everything. Isaac couldn't look at Allison the same way, not anymore. So, he didn't push him further. He just left the whole topic behind.
Isaac nodded. "Maybe," but something told Scott that his beta wasn't entirely convinced, that there was a bigger and more complex reason as to why he suddenly had amnesia or why he lost control in the preserve last night. "But I'm not taking any chances with you, not when you're a loose cannon," Scott heard Isaac mutter under his breath, which made him wonder what happened last night that got him so riled up.
Grunting, Scott took a big gulp of his coffee and placed the empty mug inside the sink and grabbed his bag and helmet. "Fine, but don't blame me when you've wasted your entire day watching nothing happen," Scott didn't mean to snap, but he did. He wanted to apologize, but he's sure that Isaac could smell the regret and resign in the air, the chemo-signal that hung around him. But mostly, Scott couldn't find the words to excuse himself.
Sighing, Scott just went out of the kitchen and headed straight for the driveway. Walking across the front lawn, Scott bent down in front of his motorcycle and his fingers searched for his keys behind the hub of the front wheel when he heard a familiar clinking of metal. Turning around, Isaac was holding in his fingers something that glinted in the sunlight. "Looking for these?" he asked innocently as if he just found them on the ground.
Standing up, Scott sighed and raised his hands up in the air as a sign of defeat and surrender. "Fine, you win. I'm sorry. Can I have my keys now?" Isaac shook his head, eyeing the keys to his motorcycle as if it was special or something.
Isaac looked like he was deep in thought, like he was considering his options. "Nah, I think I'll stick with four wheels," Scott raised a brow and when he looked beyond the drive way, he saw his Mom's car. "Melissa took the bus today. Because unlike you, she knew that you're not fine enough to ride your bike and while I did ride Aiden's bike inside school, I don't know shit about it." Walking pass by him, Isaac patted the hood of the black Toyota hatchback. "So yeah, we're taking the car."
Scott heard the finality in Isaac's voice and knew well if he were to argue, he'd get detention for being a few hours late. "Fine," Scott grumbled, heading straight for the passenger seat. Once inside, Scott strapped on the seat belt and continued to glare sharply at his beta who was grinning cheekily.
Pressing his foot on the gas pedal, the car surged forward before making a sharp turn. Soon, they were on the streets and Scott just focused on trying to regain his memories from last night. Opening the window, Scott ignored Isaac's protests. Eventually, his beta just turned off the AC and Scott stared at the newly built residential area, picking up a familiar scent that smelled quite. . .papery?
It reminded him of last night, like every time he would inhale, he'd see bits and pieces of walking through the woods. Scott then shook his head at the thought. Running, he saw it clear and remembered how cold it was that night. I was running, Scott remembered how his clothes clung to his skin and how he lost a shoe when he went cliff jumping, and swimming, apparently.
But it made no sense to Scott, the sudden influx of memories making his head hurt, so he closed the window, eventually letting the scent disappear and he forgot all about it when, in the distance, a cream colored building appeared. A groan would have escaped Scott's lips when he saw a familiar figure getting out of a car. "Kira," he looked at the window and breathed out as she turned to look around the parking lot, following her father, Mr. Yukimura, into the building.
Isaac pulled into a spot and raised a brow at Scott's sudden rejuvenation. "Welcome back to life," Isaac said sarcastically, raising a brow at him before he saw Kira pass through some people. "Ah, I see. Get her, lover boy," Scott ignored his beta and stepped out of the car, smelling that familiar scent that made him remember bits and pieces of last night, giving one hell of a headache as the events played out in his mind.
But Scott walked through the pain, ignoring the sharp pain that made him wince and caught up to Kira. Placing a hand over her shoulder, Kira turned around, her expression showing that she was shocked at first, surprised, but soon changed into something more light. Turning around to face him fully, Kira smiled at him. "Want to walk to class? Kind of owe you that," Scott smiled widely, giving Mr. Yukimura a small wave as he passed by him with his daughter.
Though Kira agreed to walk with him, she kept a bit space between them and embraced her books, holding them close to her chest. "You don't really owe me anything," she said with a shrug, like it was a fact. "And, uhm, shouldn't you be with your friends?" Scott's shoulders slumped, his brows furrowing in confusion when he heard her tone and what she had actually said.
Scott stopped walking and turned to face Kira. "You don't want me around?" he asked softly and suddenly felt unwelcome, but Kira shook her head furiously. Smiling, even, to convince him otherwise.
"No, it's just that, why would you want to be with the new girl when you've got amazing friends?" they continued walking, Scott keeping an eye on her and found himself smiling.
Scott remembered his friends and immediately, memories of their adventures and escapades replayed themselves in his mind. "Yeah, I've got great and awesome friends, but you should, too," Kira's eyes widened for a second before she smiled at him. Scott had this warm feeling rush over him that gave him this energy to be on his toes. It's like, when he's with her, he doesn't feel the side-effects of dying and re-powering the Nemeton.
Then, when they took a turn, Scott noticed that Kira distanced herself from him. Looking around, Scott's eyes landed on a group of girls from the volleyball varsity team. They were obviously gossiping about him and Kira. Scott tilted his head a bit to try and hear what it was they were talking about but then a sharp pain rang in his ear and found out that he couldn't. He shook his head lightly, trying again but failed again, the pain coming back.
But Scott fought off the wince coming up to his face when Kira became silent, almost a few steps ahead of him. "What's wrong?" he asked her, facing her completely as he now stood in front of her.
"Those girls," Scott looked over his shoulder and saw the same girls from the volleyball team looking back at them, waving at him. "They're talking about us." Kira whispered and bent her head low as if she shouldn't be seen. "Why are you spending time with me?" she asked, out of the blue.
The question caught Scott by surprise. "I told you," he said softly, repeating what he said earlier. "I want to be friends with you," a small smile crept up on his face but Kira shook her head as if it didn't matter, that what he had said didn't make sense to her.
They continued walking towards the staircase where there weren't much people. "When I went to class, after lunch with you and your friends, I heard some stuff about you," Kira said, taking her time to slowly make her way up the flight of stairs.
"What? That I was a lanky, asthmatic kid who never made first line before?" Scott joked, and Kira did laugh but it died down, she had a serious expression.
"That you and the girl were together. Allison, she was your girlfriend, right?" Scott nodded, figuring that he shouldn't be surprised considering that when he began dating Allison, he and Stiles technically hunt out with the popular kids of Beacon Hills High School, which consisted mainly consisted of Jackson, Lydia, and Danny. "I've heard them say that you guys were pretty serious and that there was this gunman here and it said that you got involved because you wanted to protect her." There was a small and humorless laugh from her. "They said that you two were pretty serious, that Allison was your epic love."
Scott couldn't deny Allison being his epic love. She's the first girl he's ever loved and Scott knew to himself that Allison would continue to have a part of his heart for a very long time.
Kira walked towards the half-landing, her lips pursed into a thin line. "That kind of love never dies," she muttered, like it was no big deal but Scott heard an underlying tone to it, a particular jump in her heart beat that told him it was a lie. So, he didn't move.
"But it can change," Scott said with a matter-of-fact voice, smiling at her. "I love Allison. Love, not past tense, but some things happened—a lot of things happened—and I guess that we couldn't pick up from where we were supposed to be and we couldn't make it right, so we broke up because if we had stayed together, then we would have both broken ourselves and driven each other away. But now, we've moved on." Scott said, feeling his eyebrow twitch ever so slightly, though he didn't know why.
Kira had this confused expression on her face. "So, what are you saying?" she asked, genuinely lost, confused.
Scott just smiled at her, pointing towards the flight of stairs that leads to the second floor. "That you don't have to worry about being cross with anybody, or being a rebound or something because you won't be," Scott flashed a charming smile at Kira's direction. "You're schedule for first period is Chemistry, right?" Scott saw her reluctantly nod, as if she didn't know if she was supposed to say that to him. "Let me walk you there."
Finally, a smile appeared on Kira's face and Scott felt his chest grow incredibly lighter, a feeling that he's never quite had before. "Am I going to regret this?" she asked teasingly, her finger pointed at some of the people gossiping in the hallway.
Scott found himself remembering a particular conversation with Allison. "Probably," he echoed his younger self back then, giving a half-smile as he continued to walk her towards her class when he noticed a strap hanging by Allison's neck. "What's that?" Scott asked, pointing to the black and red lace that spelled out the brand Canon.
Kira smiled. "Oh, this one?" carrying her books with one hand, Kira lifted a small model of a Canon camera. At first, Scott narrowed his eyes at the small silver device because he was reminded of another photographer who also happened to be, inconveniently, the Kanima master who controlled his friend(?) and lacrosse team co-captain, Jackson Whittemore. "I like to think that I can take artistic shots," Kira said and Scott pointed at the camera.
Scott's hand inched forward in the air, still pointing towards the small camera. "Can I take a look?" Kira nodded, her mood changing entirely, handing her small but still impressive camera to him. It wasn't at all like Matt's DSLR camera, and when Scott booted it up and looked at the stored shots, he could tell that Kira wasn't an obsessive stalker at all. "Woah, these are good!" Scott browsed through the photos, stopping at a shot of a lightning bolt, amazed at the artistic shots that was displayed in the gallery.
Kira blushed, smiling before looking down. "Thanks."
Scott turned he camera to a side and looked at the photograph of the Grand Canyon Kira took at another angle. "So, I've got to ask," Scott started, going to another photograph, this time of the sea, an island that almost looked like it was made through photoshop. "You only do nature photography?" Kira shrugged her shoulder, pointing at a detail of the island that proved that the picture wasn't tampered with in anyway.
Going to another photograph, Scott noticed that most of her shots were of forests and jungles. "Well, now that you've pointed it out, now that I've noticed it, I guess, yeah," Scott smiled at the answer as he finally reached the end of the gallery, returning back to the first photo he's seen. "I mean, how could you not want to preserve them in your memories? Some of these places aren't even around today and I guess that I just want to see places, you know? Places that'll leave an impression." Scott found himself nodding, the image of a small patch of nature that seemed untouched by humanity left a burning hole in his mind.
But then, Scott remembered Stiles, his best friend who liked taking pictures of random people in their school. "Why don't you like to take pictures of people?" Kira had a number of amazing photos, a huge gallery, but Scott didn't find a photograph of a single person, not even her Dad or her Mom, or even herself. "I mean, not a single selfie or a stolen shot of someone," Scott had to admit, Stiles had a funny collection of people in mid-sneeze.
Kira shrugged when Scott handed her back the camera. "Well, selfies are overrated, you know," Scott smiled at that, agreeing wholehearted. "I mean, it's okay and all but. . ." Kira trailed off, trying to find the right word to explain what she was feeling or something when someone took a selfie in front of them. Scott realized it then.
"But when it's compared to traditional photography, there's no question," Kira grinned widely, nodding her head at his comment.
"Exactly," she said, stopping in front of a door. At first, Scott wanted to ask why she had stopped when he looked at his inside the classroom and saw beakers and a tripod. Scott didn't notice that they had already reached the classroom. "I guess this is me," she pointed at the classroom, which had a few students inside already.
Scott nodded slowly, about to walk away and say goodbye when he stopped, taking a step closer towards Kira. "Hey, have you heard of Beacon Hills Preserve?" Kira shook her head and Scott smiled wider at her response. "Well, while a few parts of it's kind of a bit messy, I can show you some awesome sights there later since it's a half-day at school," Scott pointed at the camera and he saw Kira grow excited at the thought.
Although she had this excited look on her face, Kira paused for a while. "Wait, can I bring someone?" the first person who came into Scott's mind was Mr. Yukimura, because it was, after all, a half-day. So, he nodded. "Thanks!"
"So, see you later?" Scott asked hesitantly when Kira nodded, a smile still on her face.
"Definitely." Kira smiled before heading inside the classroom. Scott began walking down the hall, passing by some of the lockers, heading for his classroom when he remembered the scent he picked up earlier on the way to school. Sniffing the air around him discreetly, Scott realized that the source was near him but he couldn't quite exactly pin it down on one location. It was like it was jumping from one place through another.
The vents, Scott thought to himself when his head ached. Must be circulating it.
Eventually, when he reached his classroom, the scent subsided and Scott couldn't smell it anymore. That or I got used to it, Scott thought to himself as he took a seat near Greenberg, who sent a nod at his direction, asking about tomorrow's practice for the lacrosse tournament with Worthington Prep, one of BHHS' many competitors for state championship for the game.
"Alright, last week we discussed the meaning of the phrase 'little did he know', a phrase that esteemed English literature professor, Jules Hilbert, wrote papers about and gave an entire seminar about it. The phrase 'little did he know' as in the title of a current New York Times' bestseller, Little Did He Know by Karen Eiffel." Mr. Fitz then wrote something on the board. "But for this week, we will be studying a symbol. Symbolism and what how word wolfling is used in literature."
Despite feeling lightheaded and dizzy, the word caught Scott's attention and triggered this little vision that came up in his mind. All Scott saw in the vision was darkness. Scott wasn't sure if the darkness that surrounded him happened to be a symbolism of something because, mostly, it was pitch black and he couldn't see a damned thing. But he did feel, Scott could feel his surroundings in the vision.
"In fact, by the amazing relevance of the term wolf or wolfling, an author, Gordon R. Dickson, has published a book with that as the title." Turning his head, Scott saw Greenberg as he took down notes. Trying to get his head back to reality, Scott gripped the edge of his desk but as soon as his fingers touched the desk, he recoiled. It was cold, like it was wet. Like it had rained.
Or took a dip in the lake.
An eerie voice said and Scott whipped around, searching for person who said it. It sounded vaguely familiar that Scott tilted his head to a side, trying to remember who sounded like he had swallowed a sheet of sand paper. 'Wait, he?' Scott asked himself, wondering why and how he knew that the person with the eerie voice was a guy, a male.
Mr. Fitz then wrote something on the board, probably a name or something. "For most parts, how was the book received by the critics?" around him, Scott's classmates raised their hands and Mr. Fitz considered each on of them, settling for the kids in the back. "Jared, no?" Scott remembered the time the team went on the meet, how Jared had puked on the bus. Scott wrinkled his nose in disgust, remembering the scent. "How about you, James?"
The name brought memories as Scott remembered one of his earlier nightmares, the one where he'd tear Stiles to shreds. "For most parts, the book was praised for its colorful exploration into life. The critics—er, the readers—loved that about the book because they appreciated how honest the book's approach was when it came to prejudice," Mr. Fitz was satisfied with the answer James gave but Scott was more focused on the student's name.
James. Jameson.
The name brought out unwanted memories that made his head hurt. In the pain, Scott gripped the edge of his desk even though it felt weird. Laying his head down on the his book, the pain intensifying as the moment seconds passed by. "Hey, man, you okay?" Greenberg, from his side, asked, leaning over from the side and hovered over him, Mr. Fitz's drawling voice came to a stop and approached him.
And after that, after seeing Mr. Fitz trying to get through the seats in front of him, Scott saw the woods, painstakingly familiar from when he was bitten that night he and Stiles sneaked out to go and try to find the body in the woods. But it was different, there was too much noise and he couldn't could feel the wind against his face but he couldn't feel his legs as he ran through the forest, chasing something gray and silver in the forest at night.
Scott couldn't move his body despite knowing he was running. Scott's body didn't protest as it took another step or another jump or having a branch cut him, but he felt the pain. It was like his mind's connection to his body was severed. It was like only his mind could feel the pain and only his body could control itself.
"Mr. McCall, do you need to be sent to the nurse's office?" Mr. Fitz asked, bending down to his knees to try and see him better.
Scott wanted to tell him to move away, for everyone to get away from him because it's always at this point where he loses control. Always at that point when he just wakes up in the dark with his fingers caked in blood. Scott wanted to tell them to get far away from him but he found out that his voice failed him because all that escaped from his lips was a groan and a strangled but sharp inhale of air. In front of him, Mr. Fitz reeked of concern and fear, it was like he was only one second away from sending a student to the nurse when Isaac came tumbling in from the doors.
Lock. Lock. Lock. Lock.
The eerie voice repeated itself in his mind and Scott wanted to yell because the pain growing more intense when Isaac made him sit up but he couldn't. Scott's vision blurred and Isaac's face became this smudged figure. "Inhaler!" there was a ruckus that made all sorts of noise and Scott wanted to just sleep, the pain making him dizzy and disoriented than when he tried to stand up, he would have fallen to the ground if it weren't for Isaac catching him.
Then, everyone was gone and missing. The door was closed and there was water everywhere and it was rising. "Isaac!" Scott breathed out, suddenly regaining his voice. His head hung low to a side and his eyes lids felt heavy as his he grew more dizzy as the seconds passed. "Isaac!" Scott yelled before he felt something go 'whoosh' behind him. Turning around, Scott found nothing but then something sounded in the distance. "Who are you?" Scott yelled, demanding to know who was haunting him.
There was no answer. Only silence and the sound his legs made as he walked through the now knee-deep water.
"Jameson!" Scott yelled, instantly regretting his decision because the sound echoed and his eardrums pounded in protest. His hands flew to his ears, the pain in his head blocking out every sense he should have when he felt someone was in front of him.
Looking up, Scott saw the same faded, olive green military jacket and the bandaged face that had stains of blood seeping through the white gauze. "Wolfling, tell me what I need." Jameson circled around him, making no sound as if there wasn't around them. "It is fear and it will take what you hold dear. Many will die when it's here. What is it?" Scott didn't know the answer because he couldn't think properly, his words leaving him as his vision continued to blur.
"I don't know."
Scott heard his own voice and it sounded pathetic. How resigned it was, how defeated he was. Scott wanted that to change. He's the apex predator and he shouldn't be weak, not when his friends need him to be strong.
"What do I need, wolfling?" Jameson repeated, leaning dangerously close towards him, the metallic scent of blood making Scott weak. "It is fear and it will take what you hold dear. Many will die when I am here. What do I need?" Scott didn't answer, the pain in his head was too much and all he could actually see was patches of light here and there but other than that, there was nothing but darkness.
Scott tried to think of the answer but he couldn't, not when he had too much going on with him. "I don't know," Scott repeated weakly before Jameson slammed his fist into his stomach, causing pain to erupt, making him black out when the sound of books went crashing to the floor.
Scott sat up straight and looked around him, surprised that the water filling up the room is gone. In front if him was Mr. Fitz, his English teacher who had been shaking him awake. The whole classroom was empty. Scott sighed in relief. "It was just a dream," he muttered to himself as his teacher gave him a concerned look.
"Mr. McCall, maybe you should go and visit the nurse's office in your spare time?" Mr. Fitz suggested, bending low to get some of the books Scott knocked out from his desk when he suddenly woke up from his dream. Shaking his head and focusing on the chair in front of him, Scott grabbed his bag and placed his books and his other stuff. Everything was all set, but Scott still had this headache that's literally splitting his mind in half, so when he tried to walk, he almost fell down. "Maybe you should take the next day off, Scott. You don't look so well."
Scott wanted to tell his teacher that he was okay but he couldn't find the words to say it. His head was pounding and his forehead was covered with bullets of sweat. "Yes sir," was all Scott could muster before Mr. Fitz sent him on his way.
Walking towards his second class, the noise the students gave off was too loud and hurt his ears. Wincing while walking, Scott eventually picked up a particular voice. "Hey, Stiles, right?" it was Kira, closing her locker shut. Scott could tell that she had a smile on her face and a bundle of papers in her hand.
"Yeah," Stiles answered. "Wait, is this for me?" Scott heard his best friend ask, taking something from Kira's hands. He could hear Stiles' finger grip the bundle of paper that smelled of a particular scent. Kind of like the scent the paper that had Kira's number written on it. Scott breathed in deep, inhaling the scent again, confirming that Kira probably used some special scented paper. "This is about Bardo!" Scott heard Stiles flip of the pages of the bundle of bond paper. "Where'd you get all of this? Half of this can't even be found on Wikipedia!" Scott could hear the amazement in his best friend's voice.
The subtle noises in the background made out perfectly for Scott, hearing Adidas sneakers squeak against the floor, he knew that Kira shifted her footing and probably went near to Stiles. "My family and I went on a trip to India once and I kind of got hooked on all that spiritual stuff, all of the Indian mythology," Kira hair made a silent whoosh sound and Scott knew that she was making it seem like it wasn't that of a big deal but he could smell the excitement from Stiles, his chemo-signals spelling out like that was the missing puzzle piece.
There was more flipping of pages, Scott could tell. "Woah, this is a cool picture! Is this a statue of Vishnu?" Stiles asked and Scott could imagine his best friend bringing the picture closer to his face, narrowing his eyes.
"Yeah, I took the picture of the statue when we visited a temple," Scott smelled a different chemo-signal that told him of either shock or disbelief from Stiles. Scott shrugged before he continued to walk to his next class, still listening to Kira and Stiles' conversation.
"You're a photographer? Nice! I take photos of people, actually," Then, when Scott took a turn to go to his next class, Elective Geometry with Mrs. Dodds, he heard Stiles' phone ding, a text message most probably. He could smell the shift in his best friend's chemo-signals. "Hey, listen, thanks for this. Really helps a lot, but I have got to go to class now." Stiles hummed and Scott knew that his best friend realized something, or remembered a small detail. "I actually have it with Scott!"
Scott could hear Stiles' sneakers sound on the floor when he was stopped. "Hey, Scott and I are actually going to the preserve, take some pictures. Do you want to come?" Scott's eyes widened as he realized that Kira had invited Stiles. A part of him wanted to turn away and stop listening, he didn't want to hear Stiles rejecting Kira's offer just because he was being avoided.
"Is it okay with you guys? As in you and Scott?" Scott was kind of shocked to hear that question.
"Well, only if you want to come. And I already asked Scott if I could bring someone," Scott smelled a particular chemo-signal from Stiles that he hasn't caught in a long time. Scott thought long and hard before deciding that the last time he had caught that chemo-signal from Stiles was when they were in a cross-country meet for lacrosse. It was just after a fight with Deucalion and the Alpha pack. He wasn't healing and Stiles was working with Lydia and Allison to get him off the bus.
Of course, while Coach made it almost impossible to leave the bus, Stiles managed to have Jared puke. Scott appreciated the thought, how Stiles saved him with quick thinking but it still had hurt his nose.
"Well, if that's the case, has Scott told you about this amazing view near the picnic grounds?" Scott's eyed widened at the reply, half-expecting Stiles to refuse because, after all, his best friend was avoiding him for the past few weeks now. The heavy feeling that hung in his chest grew lighter and a smile found its way to his lips.
So, when Stiles had to leave Kira because he had to get to class, Scott was reminded of the fact that he had to get there, too. Running off in another direction to get his books from his locker, Scott remembered that he had it with Isaac, too. Then, a thought came to him and frowned. Scott remembered his Mom having a conversation with Isaac, how they'd arranged for him to have all classes with his beta but he wasn't there in English.
Running around the school's halls, Scott tried to catch Isaac's scent but ended up wasting most of his free time and had to go to his next class. Fishing his phone out, Scott tried to call his beta but it just kept ringing. In the end, Scott just walked to Economy and sat next to Stiles as Coach repeatedly asked Greenberg. "Hey, man," Stiles muttered to him, handing a small rectangular device. It was a phone and on the screen was a really funny picture of Coach.
For Scott, everything was back to normal. He and Stiles are talking about Friday nights and Mortal Kombat, or probably re-watching the Matrix trilogy, all the while with the occasional teasing that he has a date with Kira. Scott found himself in a great mood all throughout the day and while he did get some close calls—Scott couldn't drive Kira to the preserve because Isaac was still missing—but everything worked out in the end.
And that's what scares Scott the most.
So, as Scott watched as Kira tried to capture the stream in a new angle, he couldn't help but feel paranoid. He didn't know why, but his nightmare kept on badgering in his mind. It was like, for Scott, the nightmare refused to let itself fade away. "Hey, Stiles," Scott went to the spot where his best friend was, munching on a hotdog he brought over. He could smell it in his best friend, how happy he was now. Something must have happened to him.
"Yeah, buddy?" Scott sniffed the air around Stiles and picked on something paper-y. Reminded him of the note with Kira's number that he lost in the woods yesterday.
"I got a question for you. More like a riddle, actually." Stiles nodded, chewing on his mid-day snack.
"Let me have it, then."
Scott turned his head to a side first, thinking that he heard some bushes rustle. "It is fear and it will take what you hold dear. Many will die when it's here. What is it?" Stiles had this deep look on his face, reminding Scott of the time they were researching for a cure for lycantrophy.
"I don't know. What do you need it fo—" Scott held his hand up, his brows furrowing in confusion. His actions effectively shut Stiles up. Scott could smell the heightened fear in Stiles, the chemo-signal that changed so suddenly from relaxed and happy, to being curious, and finally to being scared. "It's nothing, probably just a little animal," Scott dismissed the weird heartbeat he's heard when he saw the worried look on Stiles face when suddenly, Scott heard it.
Kira's pulse jumped, becoming abnormally fast.
Breathing in the air, it smelled of adrenaline and sweat. Scott could smell her fear and he knew that the coyote could sense it, too. "Kira," he breathed out before running into the forest, trying to focus on her heartbeat despite the noise that came up. It sounds like a phone, Scott thought to himself as he slid down a slope, trying to get to the stream as fast as he could when a particular quote—riddle, Scott corrected himself—replayed itself over and over in his mind.
Despite the situation, Scott considered himself to be fairly in control until he smelled something metallic and heard a sharp intake of breath. Kira had gasped from hurt or pain. It was only then when Scott's head began to hurt, even more so painful than when he had this headache from earlier at school during English with Mr. Fitz and Greenberg.
Scott then heard multiple heartbeats, ranging from one that reeked of Adderall, and one that smelled of paper and scents, while the last one had this dirt and forest scent. Flashing his other eyes, Scott followed the sound of the stream and soon enough, he found himself facing the coyote.
Breathing in deep, Scott realized that the coyote was a female and her heartbeat sounded familiar, like he's heard before. From somewhere. "Get away from her," Scott said, growling through gritted teeth, earning himself a snarl from the coyote. Kira's back was pressed against a tree, her arm was bleeding profusely but it was nothing too serious.
It would have been okay. Scott would have ran to Kira, say multiple apologies, but the coyote never backed down. Instead, the coyote taunted him and soon took off. Scott wanted to let it go, to just tend to Kira and let Stiles catch up but it was like he couldn't because he felt this anger rise in him so he ran after he coyote.
When he was near enough, Scott rammed it to the ground, hearing his bones snap in three different places, but that didn't stop him from reaching out for the coyote. But then, she bit him and everything after that was like a blur to him. The few things he remembered was his bleeding hand and Mr. Yukimura aiding his daughter, leading her to the picnic grounds before sending him a small nod. Like a sign of thanks when he heard a small groan.
His head still hurting badly, Scott followed the source of the noise with only one thought in his mind. "Stiles," Scott muttered to himself when he saw his best friend near the stream. He tried catching up to him and the coyote and ended up being the victim in the cross hair of the fight. "No," Scott remembered the last time he saw his best friend like this. It was when Gerard had kidnapped him and tortured him.
Stiles had a few claw marks running deep through his arm. Scott felt guilty, having brought him to the mess. In Stiles' hand was a cellphone with Allison's number on the screen. "She tried to warn us," Stiles explained weakly, shocking Scott. Immediately, he went to Stiles' side and took his hand, taking away the pain his best friend felt. "It's okay," Stiles said, getting drowsy and sleepy whereas Scott vision began to blur and darken as he took the pain away.
"You're going to be fine," Scott said, his throat constricting painfully when he sniffed the air and decided that Stiles was going to be alright. "I'm going to get some help. I'll come back for you." Scott promised, losing his balance as he walked down a familiar trail, leading to the picnic grounds where Mr. Yukimura was tending to Kira's wound. "Stiles," Scott said weakly, holding on to a tree for support as other people began to gather around. "Needs help, call the Sheriff," was all he could say before he went back to the trail to get to Stiles.
But Scott felt something different. "It's so painful," Scott muttered to himself before he fell to a side, rolling down the slope, feeling his chest burn. "Pain. Chaos. Pain," Scott muttered before his vision darkened and an eerie voice filled his ears as a shadow stood in front of him, taking the light away.
"It is fear and it will take what you hold dear. Many will die when I am here." Jameson repeated the riddle before smiling maniacally at him. "Very good wolfling. Thank you for giving me pain and chaos."
That was the last Scott saw of light before he was plunged into the stream and back into the world of shadows and darkness.
Not the best chapter, I have to say.
So, where'd you think Isaac went off to. Also, what do you think happened to Stiles, is he going to be alright after being attacked by our rabid coyote soon to be Malia. And finally, what do you think will happen to Scott? Let me know and leave your thoughts in the review section!