Ouroboros:
Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip.
Obscurity surrounded me from all angles, tendrils of darkness crept through my subconscious and all of my limbs felt as if they were weighed down with the weight of the world. Sounds seemed far away but too close at the same time, as though they were happening right beside me. The surface underneath me was hard and solid, definitely not my bed at home and that made me slightly nervous as I tried to force my eyelids open. Reality seemed out of reach as I searched my recent thoughts for the events leading up to the black space in my memory and the darkness seemed to fade as the light started to sting my eyes.
Chills erupted along my arms as my forced my eyelids open and the first thing I saw was florescent light hanging overhead, dangling from the roof as it flickered between brightness. My vision was blurry as I tried to focus on what I was seeing, trying to make sense of my surroundings but all I could make out was that I was in a basement on some kind. Cold spread over my body as a draft hit my skin, causing goose bumps to erupt over my body and I got the distinct impression that my abdomen was bare except for my bra for some reason.
Pressure encased my wrists as I stretched my fingers experimentally and I turned my head to the side with a frown when I found I could move them. A metal shackle was locked around my wrist, screwed into the table underneath me with bolts and I flexed the opposite hand to the same effect as I turned my head to check if it was strapped in the same manner. A plastic tube was stuck in the crook of my elbow, taped down against my skin so it didn't move and blood fluid flowed through the tube as I followed the length of it with my eyes until it reach a containment vessel set up beside the exam table.
"Sophie…" I heard a familiar voice whisper in distress but I couldn't pinpoint where it was coming from and my lips turned down at the corners as I turned in the opposite direction searchingly until it landed on a prone figure. It took me a moment to recognise Liam's features because of the fog still disorientating my mind and the dim lighting of the basement obstructing his face from my field of vision.
I squinted my eyes in an attempt to focus on him, taking in his appearance as I tried to see if he was injured and my gaze zeroed in on the metal contraption connected to his arm. I opened my mouth to call out to him but my throat was so dry that no noise came out and his unfocused eyes scanned the room until they came to rest on my face. I attempted to offer him a reassuring smile but it came out more of a grimace and his face twisted into one of empathetic pain as he tried to shuffle forward without much luck.
Familiar static associated with the Dread Doctors echoed throughout the basement and I inclined my head towards the sound with an expectant grimace on my lips. The Surgeon came into view without his usual mask on and I gasped aloud at the sight in front of me: pale white skin marred with scar tissue, ink black eyes with no discerning irises, thick black thread stitching together his lips.
Tears sprung to my eyes as I tried to cringe away from him but someone placed a heavy hand on my shoulder to restrain me and I snapped my head around in panic as The Pathologist loomed over me.
"Amalgamation perfected. Experimentation required." The Surgeon claimed in a robotic voice as he cocked his head to the side while he studied me with emotionless black eyes and I felt panic rise inside of me as I struggled against the restrains tying me down.
"No, no, no. Don't... Don't hurt her!" Liam shouted angrily from the other side of the room, the sound of metal clanging as he tried to stand up from the floor and the panic in his voice brought my own struggle to an immediate halt.
Something inside of me snapped at the pain in his voice, something propelled me to strengthen my mind and body to withstand anything it was put through. I knew that Liam would drive himself insane trying to help me if he thought I was in pain, that he would injure himself further trying to escape his confines and I couldn't have that on my conscious.
"It's okay, Liam. It's okay." I reassured him with a shaky smile on my lips as I made eye contact with him across the dank basement and he shook his head violently with tears in his eyes.
I had no idea what was about to happen to me but the word 'experiment' certainly didn't give me a lot of comfort. It was moment like these that time seemed to slow down and it became clear that you should never waste a moment, it might be the last with someone you love. Life was short and there was no leave important words left unsaid.
The small smile on my lips became more genuine as I took in the boy who had stumbled his way into my heart in the small amount of time he had been in my life and I felt tears sting my eyes as I admitted honestly, "I love you. I love you, okay?"
"No, no, no, no. Sophie!" Liam cried in anguish as The Surgeon picked up a large needle from the table beside the exam table and I forced my eyes away from the Beta so that I didn't have to see the agony in his expression.
Fear spread through my veins as I watched the needle being lowered towards my abdomen and I gritted my teeth to hold back a wince at the pain as the sharp point of the needle pierced my skin. My hands clenched into fists as the shaft dug deeper into my stomach just below my ribcage and I recalled that my liver was positioned in that area of my anatomy. It felt like someone was tugging at my insides painfully, ripping apart my liver as I whimpered at the stinging discomfort and I mentally sifted through my knowledge of percutaneous liver biopsies in an effort to distract myself from the agony occurring.
A scalpel appeared in my field of vision from the side and I snapped my head around with wide eyes as The Pathologist lowered the blade to my bicep. I squeezed my eyes shut against the pain as he carved a line deep into my skin and then a sharp stabbing pain occurred in the top ridge of the front of my hipbone.
A scream built in my throat, clawing its way out as I tried to stifle the pain and my cheeks felt wet with tears as I whimpered in agony, trying to ease the pressure building inside of me. The Surgeon inserted a hollow needle through my hipbone, withdrawing a sample of solid bone marrow tissue and I tried to ignore the stinging pain.
My whole body was aching with sharp pains from the incisions and I squeezed my eyes closed so that I didn't have to watch them torture me, my knowledge of medical procedures feeling like a curse. An anguished scream escaped me when the pain became too much for me to handle and I needed to release some of the built up tension, red tinging the back of my eyelids.
My throat felt so raw that I could taste something metallic in my mouth, only adding to the discomfort invading every crevice of my body and it was almost a relief when darkness started to creep upon me.
"Sophie! Come on, wake up!" a familiar voice pleaded faintly in the back of my mind but I couldn't recognise the owner as I grumbled incoherently and tried to move away from the sound so that I could sleep peacefully. "Come on, Sophie, please! Please, wake up."
Something in the voice, the pleading edge to their tone, caused me to frown to myself as I tried to focus on something other than the darkness surrounding me. There was something compelling me towards the voice instead of allowing me to fall further into oblivion and I tried to claw my way back to consciousness so that I could put a face, a name to the voice.
"Please, Sophie, I need you. Please wake up." the same voice cried beseechingly from somewhere closer than before and I immediately registered the identity of the mystery voice as Liam, a warmth spreading through my chest at the realisation. A fierce determination pulsed through me as I fought to wake up so that I could comfort him, so that I could reassure him that I wasn't going anywhere and that the feeling was mutual, that I needed him as well.
It took all of my willpower to force my eyelids open and the bright light stung my eyes, causing me to immediately shut them as they watered excessively. I groaned aloud as pain started to radiate through my limbs, a dull ache compared to some of my previous exploits and the events of the recent past swarmed my mind as I forced myself to open my eyes.
The only thought running through my mind, 'Liam. Hayden. Liam. Hayden. Liam. Hayden' and my breath came out in short pants as I looked around the basement laboratory frantically in search of the younger werewolves.
"Sophie!" Liam called out to me with relief in his voice, drawing my attention to the left as I snapped my head around and I sighed in relief when I saw him lying on the ground in same position as before. A metal device was attached to his forearm with a thick tube was running into his skin, black liquid filling the tubing as it led to a canister lying haphazardly on the ground nearby.
"Liam! Are you okay? Are you hurt?" I asked him in a hoarse voice, dry from lack of use as my eyes flittered over his body in search of injuries and he looked at me incredulously as his eyes flashed with disbelief at the question.
"Me? I'm not the one who was tortured! Are you okay?"
"Yeah, yeah, sweetie, I'm fine. Healing."
"It was really bad, Soph." he whispered in a broken voice as tears filled his eyes, desolation clear on his features and my heart clenched in my chest as I tried to smile reassuringly at him. Whatever I was going to say was to him was interrupted by the sound of metal boots approaching from the other side of the basement. I felt my body tense in anticipation but I quickly composed my expression so that Liam didn't freak out and I closed my eyes momentarily, stifling my fear of what was about to come.
Curiosity burned through me when the sound of footsteps came to a stop but I couldn't feel anyone surrounding me and I opened my eyes in confusion as a frown played on my lips. I immediately cast a look in Liam's direction, making sure he wasn't the one holding the attention of the Dread Doctors but he was staring at something past me with a horrified expression.
Panic rose inside of me as I snapped my head around to the other side and my breath caught in my throat when I saw Hayden lying face down on an operating table, her lifeless eyes staring at me blankly as the Dread Doctors surrounded the exam table.
"Hayden!" I cried out frantically as the urge to protect her swelled in my stomach, tears burning my eyes and I used all of my strength in an attempt to rip my wrists out of the shackles bolting me to the table. Pain shot through my arm but the metal didn't budge an inch, causing me to scream in frustration and grit my teeth as I thrashed around on the table to try and get free.
The Geneticist used an ultraviolet light to examine the exposed skin of Hayden's neck, revealing a faint scale-like pattern glowing blue under the light and I gaped incredulously as I processed the fact that she had Werejaguar DNA.
"Her condition worsens." The Surgeon stated robotically as he picked up a scalpel from a tray and something inside of me snapped as the urge to protect surged through my veins at the sight of her in danger. Blood seeped in between my fingers when the skin broke as I thrashed wildly, using all of my strength to break the metal and I felt tears spilling down my cheeks out of a mixture of pain, frustration and fear.
"No! Leave her alone!"
"Stop! Stop hurting her! Stop hurting her!"
Liam and I both shouted at the same time, our voice mixing together in a symphony of distress and panic for the girl we both cared about. I couldn't help looking over at the Beta when I heard the pain in his voice and I saw his eyes glowing amber, his fangs elongated because his anger had overwhelmed him. I didn't notice The Pathologist lumbering across the room until he was standing right beside Liam and I screamed in horror when The Pathologist kicked him in the head, knocking him unconscious.
An alarm blared loudly from somewhere behind me and I snapped my head in the direction of the noise, my eye wide in panic as I caught sight of the red flashing light on the wall above my head. I frowned in confusion as I watched The Pathologist strolled towards a large liquid-filled cylinder with what looked to be a body inside. My pulse raced in anticipation as he injected a syringe into the container and removed some of the liquid, because I didn't know what it was or what it could be used for.
"No, no, no, no." I mumbled to myself repeatedly with tears streaming down my cheeks as I shook my head rapidly and The Pathologist cocked his head to the side as he studied me intently with sightless black eyes. my eyes locked on the syringe as he raised his hand, my lower lip quivering with fear now that I had no one to be strong in front of and I let out a piercing scream as he injected the unidentified liquid into the side of my neck.
Almost immediately I could feel the liquid flooding through my veins, the concoction spreading and causing my muscle to become numb and immobile. The pain suddenly stopped and was replaced with a paralysing lack of sensation, an effect I had only seen Kanima venom cause. As much as I wanted to scream in protest, to yell expletives, I couldn't move any of my muscles and that caused my heartrate to skyrocket inside the confines of my chest.
Having absolutely no control over my own body was my worst nightmare, one of the most frightening things I could think of happening to me. I could handle physical pain, I could handle emotional pain, I could handle the dark, the unknown, and any other clichéd answer you could give, but losing control of myself…that was unthinkable based solely on the fact that it might eventually happen.
If I gave in to the darkness inside of me, if I allowed the demons in my head out to play, it might be catastrophic for those caught in the crossfire. With my above average intelligence, slightly sadistic personality and mastery over nearly every piece of weaponry and fighting style, not to mention my supernatural abilities, I would be a force to be reckoned with if I ever ended up becoming a Darach.
A whirring sound rang through the basement, drawing me out of my depressing thoughts, and I moved my eyes to the side after I was unable to turn my head. The Pathologist stood over me with an electric drill in his gloved hand and all I wanted to do was scream at him to stop, to move away from him, but my entire body was completely frozen.
The droning of the drill get closer to my temple as I squeezed my eyelids close, unable to watch as trepanation was performed on me and a dull ache erupted on the side of my head as the drill bit cracked my skull.
For a moment I was actually grateful for whatever they had injected me with because I knew it would be so much more painful if they hadn't and I barely realised that I was fading into unconsciousness until everything went completely black.
An acute pain radiated across my cheek as I inhaled sharply, my eyes snapping open in shock and I blinked rapidly as I tried to regulate my breathing while my vision became less blurry. My whole body was aching, my muscles hadn't been able to repair themselves while I was unconscious and I groaned out loud when I tried to move but suddenly there was a weight on my shoulder keeping me down. I snapped my head around in panic but then relaxed when I saw the worried faces of Hayden and Liam leaning over me on their knees, causing me to relax slightly at the sight of them unharmed.
"Oh, thank God." Hayden breathed out in relief as she hung her head and Liam leaned his forehead on my shoulder as he exhaled slowly, his warm breath hitting my bare skin in the process.
"Aw…Were you worried about me?" I asked sarcastically in a hoarse voice as I leaned my head on top of Liam's with a fond smile on my lips and he lifted his head to glare at me without any real malice. My features softened when I noticed the unshed tears in his blue eyes and I immediately regretted being so callous about the situation as I pressed my forehead against his while I whispered reassuringly, "I'm fine, honey. I'm okay."
"Are you sure? You were knocked out for a while." Liam told me quietly as he gripped my hand tightly, his fingers slipping down to rest on the inside of my wrist and I knew he was trying reassure himself that my heart was beating.
"I swear, I'm fine. I'm healing."
"You have blood on the side of your head." Hayden interjected softly as she hesitantly reached up to touch the dried blood on my temple, my brunette hair matted to my skin and I realised that they didn't know everything that happened in that room. I stole a glance down at my abdomen out of curiosity, noticing that I had dried blood coating the majority of my body and I was extremely grateful I was still wearing my jeans and black lace bra.
"Guys, I feel fine. I promise. Now, where the hell are we?" I asked them in an attempt to change the subject as I looked around the dimly lit room we were in and I quirked a questioning eyebrow at the chain link fence blocking the only possible doorway out of the cage. "Where are we?"
"I don't know." Liam murmured under his breath as he stood up from his crouch beside her, his gaze locked on the fence as a mask of determination slipped across his features. Hayden shuffled closer to my side as I wrapped my arm around her in response and we both watched warily as he approached the chain link fence.
"Careful." Hayden warned him anxiously as she frowned at him nervously and I ignored the pain radiating through my body as I tightened my arm around her waist, more concerned about comforting her than my own discomfort.
The Beta offered us a reassuring look over his shoulder as he came to a stop in front of the gate and then turned back around, hesitated briefly before slowly reaching out towards the metal handle. I startled gasp escaped me when Liam's body suddenly started seizing uncomfortably like he was being electrocuted. I gritted my teeth in agony as I tried to use the wall behind me to help me stand but I was in too much pain, my muscles too weak from no usage. Hayden looked torn between staying with me and helping Liam but before she could make a decision, Liam released his hold on the handle and collapsed onto the floor.
"Liam?" I asked frantically in a panicked tone of voice as I tried to rock onto my knees so I could crawl over to him but Hayden pushed me back with little effort and gave me a reprimanding glare.
"Uh! I'm good. I'm good." Liam grumbled from his prone position on the ground, a grimace marring his lips as he pushed himself up on his elbows and his muscles twitched sporadically in a leftover reflex from being electrocuted.
A weird high-pitched giggle echoed from somewhere behind us, causing me to grab onto Hayden's hand protectively and I ignored the pain radiating through my body as I twisted around so that I was in front of the younger girl. Liam quickly scrambled to his feet at the possibility of a threat and steeled his features into an impassive mask as he positioned himself in front of us with his hands clenched into fists at his side.
"Sorry, I probably should've warned you." a male voice said from the darkened corner of the cage and I gritted my teeth through the pain as I pushed myself into a more comfortable position against the wall.
"Who are you?" I asked him in a hard tone as I tried to use the wall behind me to stand up and this time Hayden didn't try to stop me as she kept an arm around my waist for support. A dark haired male teenage crawled out of the shadows, a manic twinkle in his dark eyes and I kept a blank expression on my face even as something in my stomach tugged at the sight of him. It was the same sensation that occurred in the presence of Tracey, Lucas, Theo and Hayden, the compulsion to protect them with every fibre of my being and it unnerved me because I had no idea why.
"My name's Zach. And I think the better question is... What am I?" he asked mockingly as he settled on the ground a few feet away from us with a faint smirk on his lips and Liam sat down on my other side, the one closer to the mysterious stranger. "It's okay. I'm just like you. One of the experiments."
"Only I'm an experiment." Hayden interjected quietly with a trace of bitterness in her voice as she cowered into my side without taking her eyes off of Zach, her features hard as she squeezed my hand for silent support.
"That's true. But doesn't mean you're the only hybrid." he insisted in a firm voice, leaving us no room to argue with him, his face a serious mask of defiance and I couldn't help believing him, or at least believing that he believed what he was saying. Both of the sophomore's looked confused at his words, but my mind was racing with thoughts as I tried to come up with an explanation. Liam was completely human before he was bitten, so he was solely a werewolf and we already knew that Hayden was a Chimera, so that wasn't a mystery to solve. And that only left one out of the three of us…the girl who was part Druid, part werewolf.
"Oh, my god." I breathed out in realisation as my eyes widened in shock at my own stupidity for not coming to the conclusion earlier and suddenly everything that the Dread Doctors said made complete sense to me. 'Subject accomplished', 'Further experimentation required', 'Amalgamation perfected', 'Experimentation required', everything became perfectly clear to me and I hated that it took me so long to figure it out.
I sighed loudly as I leaned my head back against the wall in defeat and I relaxed my body, trying to relieve some of my discomfort as I shifted my position. "It's me. I'm a hybrid. Part Druid, part werewolf. A natural Chimera. That's why they were experimenting on me. They wanted to know how my DNA sustained inside my body without failing."
"You're a Chimera?" Hayden asked in shock as she drew back to look at me with a frown on her lips and I nodded my head in answer with a dumbfounded expression as something akin to understanding shone in her eyes. "That's why I feel so connected to you."
"You feel that too?" I asked her in surprise as I instinctively shifted my body towards her, feeling something lighten in my chest like a heavy weight had been lifted.
"Yeah, from the beginning, that day in History with Tracey, I felt this weird desire to trust you, to…I don't know. Please you? I don't think that's the right word."
"Right. I've felt this urge to protect you. I thought it was just because Liam – "I cut myself off abruptly before I could reveal the boys true feelings, schooling my features so that I didn't cringe guiltily. Liam blushed in embarrassment as he avoided glancing towards Hayden and I noticed that she was also looking in the opposite direction with a flush marring her cheeks. "Anyway, I understand what you were talking about."
Hayden offered me an understanding smile as she linked our fingers together and I returned the gesture as I squeezed her hand affectionately, letting her know silently that we were in this together. I felt Liam shifted awkwardly on my other side and it occurred to me that he might have been feeling a little left out now that we were aware of my connection to Hayden. I extended my free hand in his direction, smiling slightly when he intertwined his fingers with mine and I knew that the three of us were stronger together than apart, together the three of us were our own little unit.
"Hey, maybe you could help me with something. The guys, in the masks... They took something off my back. I don't know what it was, but I can feel part of it still there." Zach interrupted our moment suddenly with a child-like enthusiasm tingeing his voice and I regarded him warily as the younger two looked at me for guidance.
"You want us to look?" I asked him hesitantly as I squeezed both of their hands reassuringly and started to stand up but a sharp pain radiated through my abdomen, causing a cringe to mar my features. Liam instantly reached out to steady me as he pushed me back down on the ground and I glared down at the slowly closing wounds on my abdomen, loathing the fact that I couldn't heal while unconscious.
"Is that okay?"
Liam slowly detangled his fingers from mine as he nodded his head in agreement and my heart clenched nervously as I watched him crawl over to the stranger. Zach grinned manically as he carefully turned around while lifting the hem of his shirt and I gasped out loud at the bloody stumps sticking out of his skin, twitching back and forth like hummingbird wings.
"Um, okay…I don't know how to tell you this, but you've got wings growing out of your back." Liam told him in a slightly disgusted tone with a scowl on his lips as he crawled backwards, looking as though he would be infected if he stayed in such close proximity.
"Really? That's strange." Zach muttered with a frown as he tried to look over his shoulder at the newly discovered appendage and I raised an eyebrow in amusement at the unaffected tone of his voice.
"Sorry?" I attempted to apologise with a slightly confused look on my face and he shrugged noncommittedly as he lowered his shirt back down over his wings. "Is it painful?"
"No, not really. Just uncomfortable."
"Well, I am sorry that you went through that, that you're still going through it."
"Thank you." he said in surprise as he stared at me with wide eyes, like he couldn't believe someone was being polite to him and I wondered how long he had been in seclusion without contact with another human. Hayden tightened her hold on my hand with a wary expression, obviously noticing the way he was staring at me and I offered her a reassuring smile as she scooted closer to my side.
Liam stood up from the ground with a determined expression on his features and I quirked an eyebrow at him in confusion as he slowly approached the electrified fence.
"Honey, I don't think anything has changed in the last ten minutes." I warned him even though I knew he would ignore my words and I winced in anticipation as he reached out to touch the handle. He immediately started seizing as his muscles tensed, the electric current running through his body and I remembered when I had been tied to a chair and electrocuted by a group of hunters. Liam collapsed onto the floor with a groan as his muscles twitched uncontrollably and Hayden crawled over his side with a compassionate frown, careful not to touch him so she wouldn't get shocked.
Zach cackled hysterically as he held onto his stomach and we looked at him scrutinisingly as his laughter slowly died out into chuckles. He wiped some tears from his eyes as he grinned manically in our direction and he lean forward as though he was going to divulge something of the utmost secret, a crazed glint in his eyes as he whispered loudly, "We're not getting out of here."
"You could be a little optimistic." I snapped in annoyance with anger coursing through my veins when I saw Hayden shudder and his expression suddenly sobered as he snapped his eyes up to meet mine.
"It's kinda hard when you watch three people get dragged out of here screaming." He retorted drily in a sarcastic manner as his expression became closed off, blank of all emotion except for the anger burning in his eyes.
"What happened to 'em?" Liam asked nervously as he sat up with a strained groan and Hayden immediately assisted him with a concerned frown on her lips, her fear obviously put on the backburner.
"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 answered solemnly as he pointed to where her shirt had ridden up to expose the incision and she immediately pushed down the material, causing him to shake his head dismissively as he assured her, "Don't worry. Black is okay. It's only really over when you start bleeding other stuff. When it starts turning silver..."
"Mercury." I interjected in the same serious tone of voice as I remembered the silver liquid that spilt from the other Chimera's moments before their deaths, a saddened expression on my features.
"That's when they know you're really a failure." he concluded with a nod of his head, his lips pursed in obvious disapproval and I could only agree with his displeasure over the fact that a group of mad scientists were experimenting and exterminating teenagers.
"How many more failures are there supposed to be?" Liam wondered out loud with a horrified expression as he pulled his knees up to his chest, wrapping his arms around his legs as his eyebrows furrowed.
"Who knows? 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 muttered under her breath as she frowned nervously and I immediately reached out to rest my hand on her arm in an effort to give her some form of comfort. Her eyes snapped around to meet mine, the cold glare fading at the contact and morphing into an affectionate warmth as her lips twitched into a small smile.
The florescent lights overhead started flickering, startling us out of our tense silence and the four all looked around the cage with wide eyes. Hayden placed her hand over mine that still rested on her arm as Liam threaded his fingers through her free hand and I couldn't help feeling proud of him for putting aside his own fright so he could comfort someone else. A loud clicking sound echoed throughout the dingy basement and we all knew exactly what that noise meant, we all knew exactly what was on the other side of the door.
"They're coming." I whispered in a shaky voice, unable to hide my fear of what was to come and I internally scolded myself for being weak in front of Hayden and Liam because I was supposed to be strong so they could worry.
"Oh, God!" Zach exclaimed in a panicked tone of voice, causing me to snap my head around and my eyes widened at the sight of silver liquid dripping from his nose. He raised a shaky hand, timidly touching the mercury with his fingers with his mouth gaping open and I immediately started to push myself off of the wall behind me, ignoring the pain coursing through my body. My muscles ached profusely as I forced myself to crawl towards him, adrenaline numbing the constant agony into a slight discomfort.
I wrapped my arm around his waist tightly, allowing him to lean his weight on me as he stared blankly at his saturated fingertips and he started his body started vibrating, shaking in fright as he realised what it meant. No matter how I felt about him, no matter how little I knew about him, no one deserved what was about it happen to him and if there was nothing I could do to save him, I could be there for him while it happened.
"No, no, no, no." he murmured to himself in horror as the cage door opened and I snapped my head up, my eyes widening when I saw The Pathologist standing in the doorway.
"No!" Liam shouted in protest as he started to stand up from the ground but The Pathologist pushed him back down effortlessly and continued towards the cowering Chimera wrapped in my arms. Zach clung to me as though I was the one thing anchoring him to the ground and I held on to him just as rtightly, a misguided effort to shield him for The Pathologist's line of sight.
The Pathologist ignored my presence as he grabbed onto Zach's arm, nearly ripping it out of the socket as he dragged him out of my reach and I tried desperately to keep my fingers threaded through his as I shouted at the top of my lungs, "Leave him alone!"
"No! No! Stop! Help me! Help me!" Zach cried with tears streaming down his cheeks, silver mercury dripping from his nose so it coated his lips and my chest constricted in agony as the helplessness washed over me. His desperate pleas for help echoed in my ears as he disappeared around the corner and out of my sight, causing me to collapse backwards under the weight of my own self-loathing because I couldn't stop it from happening.
"Oh, my God." I heard Hayden whisper in a horrified tone, immediately snapping me out of my thoughts and I turned around to see Liam wrapping his arms around her in comfort as she cried silent tears. The sight of her tear-streaked cheeks sent a wave of alarm through me and I crawled towards where they were cuddled together near the wall. Liam met my eyes over the top of Hayden's head, unshed tears glistening in his eyes and my heart constricted painfully as he gently transferred the girl into my awaiting arms.
The younger girl cradled in between my legs as she clutched desperately at my arms and I was suddenly very aware of the fact that I was only wearing a bra with my jeans. I rested my chin on top of her head, allowing her to cry into my shoulder and I silently held out one of my hands towards Liam as he threaded his fingers through mine. I knew that he didn't need my smothering comfort at the moment, more used to the inevitable reality of violence in the world we lived in, while Hayden was still considerably innocent.
I murmured nonsense softly into the darkness, a solid presence in a sea of confusion and uncertainty, and I was determined to keep Hayden from spiralling into the abyss, even if that meant just holding her in my arms while she cried. Sometimes the darkness of ended up swallowing you whole if you weren't prepared to deal with the fallout and I didn't want that for her, I didn't want her becoming some twisted version of herself if she didn't have people to remind her exactly who she was.
It didn't help that we all knew the eventuality that she would end up being the next to suffer the consequences of being one of the Dread Doctors experiments.
"I got you, sunshine. You're okay." I mumbled into her brunette hair as we rocked back and forth, unintentionally causing Liam to move along with us but he endured the swaying without complaint.
"Why would they do that? Why would they do this?" Hayden asked quietly through her sobs as I pressed a kiss to the crown of her head and Liam rubbed soothing circles on her back with his free hand.
"I don't know, baby. I don't know." I responded softly as I closed my eyes, tightened my hold on Liam's hand because I knew he could handle the pressure and I felt the need to release some of my frustration, my pain, my hurt, my loss. I brushed the stray hair off of her forehead as I pressed a gentle kiss on her temple and held her closer to my chest as I ignored the aching pain throughout my body, highly aware of my gaping wounds all over my abdomen.
A suspicious look crossed over Liam's features as his blue eyes narrowed in the direction of the electrified door and I immediately tensed in anticipation of an incoming threat, inexplicitly trusting his instincts. I kicked my leg out slightly, nudging his foot to get his attention without drawing Hayden's notice and he glanced towards me as I gestured towards the door with my head. He nodded slightly in answer to the silent question and I focused my supernatural hearing, listening to the thundering footsteps echoing throughout the basement lair.
I stiffened almost unnoticeably as Hayden lifted her head from my shoulder with a frown on her lips, turning her head towards the entrance and the footsteps drew closer as I loosened my arms from around her shoulders. "They're coming back."
Liam stood up from the ground, his features a mask of determination, his blue eyes hard with anger, and his hands clenched into fists at his sides. Hayden quickly followed his lead as she scrambled to her feet, dubious expression on her face that she tried to hide behind a hard façade. I gritted my teeth through the pain as I carefully climbed to my feet next to them and the younger girl allowing me to lean some of my weight on her when I stumbled because of my weakened muscles.
The sophomore's linked their hands together in a show of comfort and solidarity, while Hayden kept an arm around my waist as she helped me stay upright and Liam stepped in front of us slightly as he stood in a protective stance.
The footsteps got closer and closer to where we were hidden, and the three of us got tenser and tenser with the foreboding sense of horror over what was going to happen once they got there. My hand clenched into a fist, my nails digging into my palm hard enough to break the skin and I felt my blood flood with adrenaline as the footsteps approached rapidly.
My eyes widened in surprise when a familiar silhouette appeared from around the corner and Theo froze for a moment when his hazel eyes landed on us but then he was sprinting towards us as he shouted, "Sophie? Liam? Hayden?"
"Theo, wait... Don't!" I shouted in warning, instinctively stepping forward to stop him as he ran straight into the electrified fence and I cried out in empathetic shock as he was thrown backwards by the current. I covered my mouth with one hand, cringing sympathetically as he twitched on the groan and he groaned in pain as I asked him carefully, "Theo? Theo? Theo, you all right?"
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." Theo assured us with a groan as he pushed himself up on his elbows and he climbed to his feet with a grimace, stretching his muscles.
"You think you can get help?"
"I am the help."
There was a tense silence that followed his declaration as his expression hardened in determination, his hazel eyes narrowing as he stepped towards the electrified fence. He huffed out an exhale as he stood with his feet shoulder width apart and swallowed harshly before grabbed the gate with both of his hands. His jaw clenched so harshly that I was concerned his mandible would shatter under the pressure as electricity coursed through body. Theo let out a thunderous growl as he managed to force the gate open, tearing it from the hinges and sending a shower of sparks raining down around where we stood. Liam blocked Hayden and I from the floating sparks, holding his arms over our heads and a screeching sound echoed throughout the cage as he tore it off the rest of the way before tossing it to the side.
"Are you okay?" Theo asked us in concern as he rushed towards us with a worried frown on his lips, his gaze raking over my blood coated body with a thinly veiled anger in their depths. I nodded silently in answer to his question as he took off his coat and settled it around my shoulders, causing me to shudder when I realised how cold I actually was.
"Sophie needs help walking, her wounds haven't healed properly." Liam warned the older boy in a protective tone as he watched Theo wrap an arm around my waist and I grunted in pain as I transferred most of my weight onto him. I felt his gaze burning into my skin as he evaluated the lesions that covered my body and his fingers gently ghosted over the hole that had been drilled into my temple, causing me to cringe away from him discreetly.
"I got you." he assured me softly as he slipped an arm behind my knees and easily lifted me up to cradle me against his chest, my arm instinctively slinking around his neck as I let out a startled yelp. I huffed indignantly but didn't verbally complain because I knew I was still too weak to walk any amount of distance on my own. Liam nodded his head in satisfaction as he kept his fingers threaded through Hayden's and I forced a small tight smile at them as Theo led the way out of the cage with me in his arms.
I released a sigh in defeat as I leaned my head in the crook of his neck, my eyelids starting to feel heavy and a wave of fatigue washed over me as the rhythmic vibrations of Theo's footsteps lulled me into a light dose. I focused on the periodic thudding of his heartbeat as I tried to mentally block out the pain that coursed through me every time I was jostled and I shivered violently when the wind suddenly hit my skin, causing me to cringe into the warmth of the body carrying me.
"Hey, can you get the door for me?" Theo asked someone in a whisper as he tightened his arms around me and then there was the familiar sound of a car door opening. "Alright, here we go, Sophie."
I hummed in the back of my throat as he deposited me into the passenger seat and I felt him brush his lips over my forehead before closing the door, blocking the cold night air from hitting me. My head lulled to the side to rest on the window as I listened to the sound of the people climbing into the backseat and driver's side of the car.
My eyes fluttered open with a frown on my lips as the car started driving down the road and Theo looked over at me in concern from the driver's side, but I just smiled back at him tiredly. The gentle tug in my stomach that made me feel connected to him, didn't seem so foreign now that I knew why it was happening.
"It still hurts?" Liam whispered to Hayden from where they were huddled together in the backseat and I peeked at them in the rear-view mirror, watching as they both studied the wound on the side of her abdomen.
"Everywhere. I'm not healing. Not like it did before. That means I'm a failure, doesn't it?" Hayden asked softly in a shaking voice as she carefully lowered the material of her shirt and I wanted to reassure him, to tell her she was wrong, but I didn't want to intrude on their moment. There was an intense moment of silence as they stared at each other, their lips only inches apart and I watched from the corner of my eye as they slowly eliminated the space between them.
I quickly adverted my gaze to give them some semblance of privacy as I slouched down in my seat and my heart clenched at the reminder of first loves, of the intense passion, of the nervous jitters, of the seeming infatuation. The image of Aiden's smirking face flashed through my mind but I tried to suppress it as I squeezed my eyes closed and fought the urge to cry as tears stung the back of my eyes.
Aiden changed me, falling in love with him changed me forever and no matter how hard I tried, that feeling would never go away. I would always love him, he would always be in my heart, in my thoughts, in my memories, a part of my life forevermore. No matter how much pain and heartache I went through in relation to him, no matter how many tears I shed thinking about him, he would always be my first love. I loved him in a way that you can really only do the first time around. It's the kind of love that doesn't know better and doesn't want to – it's dizzy and foolish and fierce, the kind of love that is really only a onetime thing. Aiden's physical presence in my life may be gone, but he would always be alive in my memories and live for all time in my heart.
I wanted that for Liam and Hayden. I wanted them to experience that rush of emotions, that indescribable feeling of belonging and contentment and happiness coupled with nerve-wracking fear and insecurity.
"It's gone. The pain's gone. How did you do that?" I heard Hayden ask breathlessly in a whisper, her voice no longer strained with pain and I risked a glance back at them through the rear-view mirror when I realised that Liam had taken her pain during the kiss. I held back the urge to 'aw' out loud at the cinematic moment taking place between the two of them because I knew it would ruin the romantic ambiance.
"I don't know." Liam admitted softly as he gazed into her eyes with something close to adoration and I suppressed a grin as I remembered the same besotted expression crossing Scott's features when he spoke about Allison.
"We're here." Theo announced quietly, a little reluctant to break the moment as he sent me a comedic grimace and my lips twitched at the corners as I wrapped his jacket tighter around my body. I glanced out the window at the front of my house with a frown on my lips and I suddenly felt apprehension for what waited for us inside. I knew that the whole pack would be waiting inside for our return, that we would be greeted with hugs and cheers and exclamations of love. I would plaster a smile on my lips and allow them to fawn over me until their hearts were content but all I wanted to do in that moment was shower all of the dried blood off of me and then collapse onto my own bed.
"You okay?" Theo asked softly as he settled a hand on my thigh and I snapped my head towards him as I blinked back into reality. I looked into the backseat but Hayden and Liam were already waiting for us outside the car and I exhaled slowly as I closed my eyes for a moment while I composed myself enough to get out.
"I'll be okay. I'm always okay." I repeated the same thing I had once told Liam with a wane smile on my lips and he regarded me sceptically as I quickly climbed out of the car, grimacing in pain when I moved too fast.
Theo hurriedly followed my lead as he swore under his breath and raced around to wrap an arm around my waist, allowing me to lean into his side so that he supported most of my weight. I offered him a fleeting smile as we slowly made our way up the pathway and we joined the two sophomore's where they waited for us by the front door.
Liam shot me an inquiring look as he placed his hand on the doorknob, silently asking me if I was ready and I nodded once with a reassuring smile plastered on my lips as I steeled myself for the onslaught on the other side of the door. Theo must have sensed my hesitance because he tightened his hold on my waist as Liam opened the door slowly and then slowly led Hayden inside by the hand. I took a deep breath as I followed after them and I was pleasantly surprised that it seemed that Lydia was the only one waiting for us.
The strawberry blonde had pulled Liam into a strangle-like hug, her arms wrapped around his neck tightly and I couldn't help smiling at the disgruntled expression on his face even though I knew he appreciated the sisterly affection. The two of them had bonded over the summer when the three of us had spent time together and both of them had started to regard each other in a sibling-like manner. Besides, the fact was – they were pack, and pack was family. Plain and simple.
"Sophie!" Lydia exclaimed happiness with tears in her eyes as she released the Beta and he glared at a bemused Hayden as the banshee raced across the room towards me. I tensed in anticipation as she wrapped her arms around me tightly and I tried not to hiss in pain as she accidently put pressure on my wounds. "Oh, my god! I was so worried about you! How many times are you going to be kidnapped before we get you a GPS tracker?"
"Hi, Lyds." I mumbled into her strawberry blonde hair, spitting out a stray strand that had gotten in my mouth when she had launched herself at me and she hummed in acknowledgement but didn't say anything else.
"Lydia, let go! You're hurting her." Liam cautioned her pointedly as he gently placed a hand on her shoulder and she gasped loudly as she immediately backed away from me with a horrified expression etched on her face.
"Oh, my god! I am so sorry. I didn't think. Is that your blood? Of course it's your blood. It's on your body. Are you okay? Do you need to sit down? Come sit down!" Lydia urged me in a hurried voice as she tried to direct me towards the couch but I resisted with an amused smile as I realised she sounded incredibly like Stiles when he ranted.
"Lydia, Lydia, honey, I'm okay. Really." I confirmed pointedly when she quirked an eyebrow sceptically with a frown and I placed my hands on her upper arms as I meet her gaze evenly with a small smile. "Really. I'm okay. I just want to take a hot shower and then fall asleep in my nice comfy bed."
The banshee pursed her lips in consideration as she regarded me suspiciously before finally nodding her head short in acceptance and she smiled softly as she wrapped her arm around my waist. "Come on, I'll help you up the stairs to your room."
"You two are staying here tonight. Spare room, understand me?" I ordered the two sophomores who had taken a seat on the couch, my tone leaving no room for argument and they both nodded in agreement with small smiles on their lips. I hobbled towards them to press a kiss to the top of each of their heads and then I turned to face the man who had rescued us, hesitating a moment before wrapping my arms around him tightly as I whispered vulnerably, "Thank you. For saving us."
The only response was for him to tighten his arms around me and I pressed a kiss to his cheek before releasing him with a smile on my lips. Lydia retook her hold on my waist as she helped manoeuvre me towards the stairs and I used the banister from support as we slowly climbed the stairs to second floor. The route to my bedroom was second nature to both of us as we made our way into the room and Lydia shut the door behind us as I cringed in pain while limping towards the bathroom.
"I'm really glad your back, Soph." she declared softly as she leaned against the doorframe behind the two rooms and I shot her a small smile as I carefully stripped off the jacket Theo lent me. "I'm so sorry about all the times I've nearly died. I had no idea how stressful it was to be on the other side."
"Well, it's no picnic on this side either." I countered in a light-hearted tone with a faint smirk as I undid the button of my jeans and she snorted softly in amusement as she pushed herself off of the doorframe.
"I love you." she told me seriously as she looked away with a vulnerable expression on her face and I paused in my movements as moments of the past day flashed through my mind. I squeezed my eyes shut as I tried to vanish the thoughts and I released a shaky breath as I looked up at her with tears in my eyes.
"Will you stay with me tonight?"
"Of course I will. You don't even have to ask, I wasn't planning on going anywhere."
"I love you, Lydia."
"I know. I'll leave you to your shower." She said flippantly with a faint smirk on her lips as she waved a hand dismissively and I returned the smile as I slipped off my jeans and underwear before stepping under the spray of hot water. I heard the bathroom door close behind my best friend as I looked down at the floor and I watched in morbid fascination as the water turned a faint red, the blood tinged water swirling down the drain.
My eyes burned with tears as I finally allowed myself to think about the events of the past day and I covered my mouth with one hand as a sob escaped me, my tears mixing with the water from the showerhead. I always thought the best time to cry was under the shower where no one would ever know I had allowed myself that moment of weakness and no one could see the tear tracked on my cheeks, no one could hear me over the sound of running water.
All the pain and fear that I had been suppressing for Liam and Hayden's sake finally erupted in a tsunami of tears and I clutched my stomach with my free arm as I leaned back against the wall of the shower.
Strength of character wasn't always about how much you could handle before you break, but it was also about how much you could handle after you've been broken and I was starting to think, I was about to crack.
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