Chapter eight: The Search

That night, Stiles started sleepwalking again. I'd managed to stop him in the hallway this time, but he wasn't snapping out of it. He was just staring blankly ahead.

"Okay," I whispered, "I'm not sure if this will work, but I'm not having you walk out onto the street at night." I let my claws come out, and moved to put them into his arm. I only wanted to knock him out so I could drag him back upstairs, but my hand had not even made it halfway when Stiles grabbed my wrist at lightning speed. I looked up to see him looking at me, but it was like there was no recognition in his eyes, just a coldness.

"Stiles, are you awa-" His grip tightened as he twisted my hand, and in one swift motion he plunged my claws into my own stomach. An immediate numbness started to spread from my torso, and my knees buckled. Stiles pulled out my arm and let go, taking away the last thing keeping me upright. Black spots started filling my vision as I felt myself fall to the floor. The last thing I saw was Stiles stepping over my body.

When I came to, I was sitting in the bed, with Lydia next to me, holding my hand. Aiden, Isaac and Scott were there too, all looking worried.

"We found you in the hallway," Lydia said, "what happened?"

I winced as I tried to sit upright. I looked down at my shirt to see it soaked with blood. "Tried to stop Stiles from leaving. He caught me by surprise, pushed my claws into my stomach."

"I'll kill him," Isaac said, earning a glare from Scott. "What? He's clearly gone insane."

I shook my head. "It's the nogitsune, it has to be. His movements were so fast and strong… I don't think he was sleepwalking at all." I leaned forward and let myself fully shift, wings coming out. I could feel the wounds starting to heal immediately. "How did you guys even know to come here?"

"He called me," Scott said, "he says that he is trapped in an industrial basement of sorts. His leg was wounded, and-" he hesitated, "he said there was something else with him."

"Lydia heard voices through a radio." Aiden added. "Don't ask."

I managed to smile at Lydia. "That's impressive. Good jo- what the fuck?" Behind her was a pair of scissors sticking out of the mattress, with at least a dozen red strings attached to it, all leading to different points on the wall, different newspaper articles and pictures. "I- you know what? Problem for later. Have you contacted the sheriff yet?"

"We promised Stiles not to. I'm going to call Allison and Derek."

Lydia scoffed. "So everybody but the cops? You might've promised him, but I didn't."

I nodded. "We need all the help we can get, even if he's by foot."

"His jeep is also gone." Isaac said.

"Great." I stood up, slowly, to test if I actually had regained feeling in my legs. "Then we need to get our asses moving. Lydia, have you heard anything else?" She shook her head. "Okay, try triggering noises. Listen to radio static, rummage through Stiles' stuff, see if anything happens. If you need to scream, scream."

"Are you sure you're okay?" Isaac asked. "You still look like death."

"Thanks, but I'm fine. I'll at least postpone dying until we find Stiles… if it is still Stiles."

~o~

Tracking the jeep and his scent led us to the roof of the hospital, but it was a dead end. All we knew was that he was within walking distance of the hospital, as his jeep was dead. Derek had shown up, but Allison was unreachable. An hour of time wasted, and we had nothing. Worst of all, the temperature was starting to drop to the 20's.

A text message came through on my phone. It was from Lydia. "He's at Eichen House."

He wasn't at Eichen house. We barged in, checked the basement, but Stiles wasn't there. I did spot something else though: the mirrored letter 5 on the wall, what we now knew to be the Japanese Kanji symbol for "self".

I tapped Lydia on the shoulder, just as everyone was leaving. "Look." I pointed at the wall, where the symbol seemed to have been scratched in. "Maybe he isn't here… but something tells me you weren't completely wrong."

We walked back upstairs and joined the others, who were all staring at the sheriff having a phone call. "They found him," he said as he hung up "Agent McCall and Melissa, they found him. They're headed for the hospital."

I handed my car keys to Lydia. "I'll be faster if I fly. No traffic lights and such."

She nodded and took the keys, but then grabbed my hand. "Do you really think he's been possessed this whole time?"

"Maybe. The oni did come for a reason, and we've learned it's not Kira. And I don't think the spirit is in control all of the time. Which means Stiles is fighting back." Tears started filling my eyes. "I don't know if we should tell him, though. If the nogitsune knows that we know…" I shook my head, and Lydia pulled me into a quick hug.

She stepped back. "Go," she whispered.

I arrived at the hospital just as Melissa and agent McCall were bringing in Stiles. I had to land in an unlit part of the parking lot, so I had to sprint to the entrance to catch up with them.

"He's okay?" I asked Melissa, watching as agent McCall carried him into one of the rooms.

"He's hypothermic." That response didn't bring much comfort.

"Where was he?"

"Near Malia's den. He mentioned on the phone with Scott that there was a smell making his eyes water. Rafael was part of the team that sprayed the den to ward off other animals."

"So he was sleeping when he called Scott?" I asked. Melissa nodded. "Can I see him?" I saw her hesitate. "Please?"

"You have until the doctor gets here."

"Thank you." I hurried over to the room, just as agent McCall stepped out. I decided to thank him later, and stepped into the room. The bed was put in a half-upright position, with Stiles under the covers.

"Hey," I said softly as I made my way over. His eyes darted around for a second before landing on me. His eyes were red and sunken in, his face as white as a sheet.

"Hey," he said, his voice hollow.

"I might have to start handcuffing you to the bed," I said, not sure what else to say. He clearly wasn't okay, no point in asking.

"What's happening to me, Lora?" he asked, tears welling up in his eyes. "I don't- I don't understand what is happening."

I reached over and pulled him into a hug, hoping that he wouldn't see my own tears. He was cold as ice. "I… I'm not sure. We'll figure it out though."

"I swear, I was trapped in a basement. There was a bear trap on my leg." I could feel him gripping tightly at my shirt as his voice turned into a whisper. "There was someone there…"

"I know," I whispered, "I know."

Behind us, the door opened. "Ma'am, could you please leave the room?" A male voice said.

I let go, but Stiles was still holding on tight. "Come on, the doctor needs to have a look at you."

He let out a whimper, and I could feel him shake his head. "No, no."

"Please, Stiles." But he wouldn't let go. The doctor decided that it was best to put him under. Thankfully it only took a few seconds for the sedative to work, and his grip on me loosened. Melissa had stepped into the room as well, and was now gently leading me out. In the hallway, the others were waiting.

I quickly wiped the tears from my eyes. "He's hypothermic, but he was awake. They had to sedate him." I went to sit down next to Lydia, who put her hand on mine.

Melissa opened the door and called in Stiles' dad a few minutes later. Five more agonising minutes later, they stepped back out again. "He's still asleep, but he is fine. They're keeping him here for observation."

"You've got about six hours until school starts again, so I suggest you go home and get some sleep," Melissa said. We all got up and started gathering our things, but I stayed behind as the others made their way to the parking lot.

"I think I know what's wrong with Stiles," I told the sheriff and Melissa, who both frowned at me. "I think it's the nogitsune. After the nemeton, he had a nightmare where he said 'don't let them in', and soon after he had a dream where everybody asked him 'when is a door not a door'. Deaton thinks that Stiles, Allison and Scott opened a door in their minds when they were… sacrificed. And now there's the oni, looking for somebody who isn't themselves but possessed by a nogitsune, and they seem to be focussing on our pack." The two parents eyed each other for a moment, a sad look in their eyes. I felt like they weren't taking me seriously. "It all adds up, what else could it be?"

Melissa hesitated for a moment. "Has Stiles ever told you what happened to his mother?"

I nodded. "Frontotemporal dementia."

"But did he ever explain her symptoms?" I was silent, as I couldn't recall that. Melissa looked at Stiles' dad, who nodded. "Insomnia, rash decision making, night terrors… hallucinations."

My heart sank to my chest. "No, no that's not… you don't actually think."

"It is one of the few forms of dementia that can affect teenagers," Melissa said, "And it is heritable."

"But the nogitsune-"

"Maybe you're looking for a problem that you're more familiar with, for which you think you can find a solution," the sheriff's voice was gentle, but it still felt like a slap to the face. I felt anger welling up inside of me.

"Well maybe the two of you are doing the exact same thing." With that, I walked away.