Liam sat silently, legs crossed. He was cold but not overly much and for the first time, he felt that something about being a werewolf benefited him. He suspected that he'd be much colder if he wasn't one. But then, if he wasn't a werewolf he'd probably still be sleeping soundly in his warm bed at home instead of shivering in an electrified cage in some cold, damp building.
So much for finding a bright spot.
His eyes followed Scott as the older boy paced around the perimeter of their shared space. Scott's eyes never left the shadows outside of their cell as he walked back and forth and Liam mused that if he had never known that Scott was a werewolf, he would still clearly see the predator in him now. He wondered if he would be perceived the same way some day.
Scott had been pacing and watching in that manner for hours, seemingly tireless. Liam had sat, and paced, and sat some more. He'd even fallen asleep, curled up on the gritty floor when sleepiness and boredom had become persistent. He'd awakened to see Scott still stalking from corner to corner, peering out into the shadows as if to dare whoever might be shrouded to come forward and face him.
"Do you see anything out there?" Liam finally asked. They'd scarcely spoken since their short conversation when Scott first woke. Liam had been uncharacteristically low key and, he admitted reluctantly to himself, broody. Scott had been understandably preoccupied, almost obsessed with his repetitive pacing, and Liam had given him his space.
Scott had paused to inhale, searching for a scent, and at Liam's voice, he looked over his shoulder at the other boy. He gave a beckoning jerk of his head and said "C'mere."
Liam stood and stepped forward a few paces to stand next to Scott. He tensed when Scott put a hand on his shoulder but immediately relaxed, not liking how jumpy and tense he was. Scott pointed beyond into the gloom, careful not to let his hand get too close to the electrically charged bars.
"What do you see?" Scott asked.
Liam let his eyes wander for a moment then shrugged. "Shadows, shapes, darkness."
"Look closer," Scott insisted. "you can see better if you let yourself. Focus your sight. Let the wolf see."
Liam glanced at Scott uncertainly and his feet shifted, unsure. He was still learning to control the wolf inside with sad results, and he was not only doubtful that he could accomplish something as pinpointed as controlling one sense, but he was worried that he might lose control of it and shift. He didn't exactly have a good track record with control of any sort.
Scott nodded encouragingly and Liam turned his gaze back to the darkness.
"If I shift..."
"I'm here," Scott assured confidently. "There's no one here for you to hurt and I can handle it."
Liam was calmed by Scott's assurance but memories of his IED rages, those feelings that surged up within him that even he couldn't control, bombarded his mind. Most worryingly, though, was the never-ending guilt that he couldn't let go of.
No number of apologies could erase the things he said and did during his IED rages. The sincerest remorse couldn't erase the fear and worry in his mother's eyes and the disappointment furrowing his stepfather's brow for the unthinking words and rash acts that manifested because he couldn't control himself. Becoming a werewolf had amplified his lack of control, not helped it. In the couple months since Scott's bite, Liam could do nothing about the change forced upon him by the moon each month other than endure it in chains, but he lived in fear of the smallest slip causing a landslide that he wouldn't be able to hold back.
Scott moved behind Liam and his other hand landed on Liam's other shoulder. For support or restraint, Liam was not sure. "You can do it. It's easier than you think it is, but if you're worried that letting go a little bit will cause a shift, I can make you turn back."
"You can?"
"I'm your alpha." It seemed Scott believed the statement needed no explanation.
This was news. This was something that would be further explored later, Liam decided, when less pressing matters were a concern. Liam still had many questions about his new state. Some of his questions had been answered and some hadn't been. Yet. Some, apparently, had never been asked. Liam hadn't even considered wondering how Scott's place as his alpha would relate to him. Somehow in the process of mining for answers from Scott and Stiles about himself and his new nature, Liam had not considered asking about Scott. He knew Scott's bite was what had caused the change, and he knew that meant that Scott was his alpha. That had been the extent of his curiosity concerning Scott when Liam was preoccupied with wondering what was happening to himself, until recently. That was because, until recently, they'd had bigger things to worry about.
All that was for later, though. While he didn't know the specifics about what being an alpha meant, Liam trusted Scott. Lately, he'd come to the realization that he admired him, too, though he'd never openly admit it. He looked up to Scott and that had kind of sneaked up on Liam. And now Scott had asked him to do something that was very similar to the things he'd coached Liam in while trying to teach him what were apparently werewolf basics as if this was any routine day of training. Training that he'd be less than excellent at, to date.
Liam closed his eyes and took a deep steadying breath, then opened them. He let his eyes move from one dark corner to another. Eyes, eyes, eyes, he chanted to himself. How does one focus on one sense that is usually involuntary? he wondered, not for the first time, but just as the thought formed, the shapes in the darkness jumped into being.
Things that had been shrouded in shadows or completely unseen were now distinct objects that he could make out against the blackness. It was still dark; his enhanced eyesight could not provide light that wasn't already there. The dark had seemed thick before, but now the shadows slid away from anything with solid definition to let Liam see what lay beneath.
"I see...machines?" he suggested uncertainly. Not because he couldn't see them well enough, but because they were unfamiliar to him. He didn't know what they were or what functions they might provide.
He felt Scott's nod. "What else?"
Liam glanced around, this time seeing the building as a whole rather than vague and shadowy shapes. "Cages!" he said, surprised. "More cages, like this one. But I don't think anyone is in them," he added. Some of them were far enough away to challenge even his increased vision and he squinted in an attempt to see. At the far end of the building, he barely detected what looked like a large loading ramp descending out of large open doors. Their captors must have had a lot of faith in their seclusion and that the electric barrier would keep them contained.
He wasn't sure whether he was disappointed that they were alone in their predicament or glad to know that it wasn't currently happening to anyone else.
"Good," Scott said, and Liam was surprised at the how pleased he felt at Scott's praise. "Now tell me what you smell?"
This was easier and Liam was ready, more confident than he had been moments before. It seemed that deliberately enhancing his senses did not tempt a loss of control. He raised his head a little, nose in the air, and repeated his inner mantra of concentration. Nose, nose, nose.
"Well?" Scott prodded.
"Dust, mold," Liam answered quickly, the most prominent odors making themselves known. "Also...oil?"
"Yeah," Scott confirmed. "Probably machine oil for whatever ran this place. What else? Concentrate harder."
Liam noted something in Scott's voice that incurred a glance behind him at the older boy. Scott was waiting expectantly, waiting for something specific, something that Scott knew was there but that Liam had not found yet.
Liam turned back to the room and closed his eyes. He inhaled deeply once, getting nothing more than he had before. He glanced at Scott once again then raised his head a bit and inhaled deeper; his eyes flew open. "People! And...something strange, something that kind of smells like you. Other werewolves?"
Scott smiled and nodded his head. "Yes. There have been other people here, and other werewolves. It's faint, and slightly stale, which is why it wasn't easy for you to get right off. They're old scents, nothing too fresh. Days, at least, or more. But every now and then I get a scent that seems fresher, current."
Liam's eyes widened. "Like there's something else here?" he asked in a hushed tone, worried. "Hiding out there?" As had happened much too often recently, his mind conjured fleeting images of some of the other-worldly things he'd seen. Particularly the Berserkers, which was his own personal nightmare.
"No," Scott shook his head and Liam expelled a relieved breath. The last thing he needed now was something hiding in the dark. "Like there's someone here somewhere," Scott explained, "but not very close, and the wind is bringing it. Just whenever it blows the right way, I get a scent from that bay door or those windows." Scott's hands fell from Liam's shoulders and the alpha stepped up to stand next to Liam. He gestured to the high windows near the ceiling as he did so. Every pane was broken out of them but Liam couldn't detect much from that direction. He supposed that was the kind of skill one gained after being a werewolf for a while. Or maybe it was exclusive to Alphas. He'd have to ask Scott sometime, but not now. They had other things to worry about.
"What do you think they want with us?" It was supposed to sound casual but his fear betrayed him. The question came out sounding thin, the words quavery. He looked down quickly at Scott's searching look.
"We're gonna be okay, Liam. I promise."
"Yeah," Liam said quickly, not wanting Scott to focus too much on him and his fear. He forced bravery into his words. "I know."
"I don't know why we're here, and I'm sure we'll find out at some point. But we're going to get out of here."
Liam nodded, not trusting his voice, and it wasn't just because his mouth was dry and cottony. Something about Scott's kindness, the concern in his voice, the sincerity in his promise, had feelings welling up that he'd been stuffing down all night. He was scared. He was afraid of why someone had wanted him badly enough to steal him from his bedroom, he was afraid that they hadn't kept their promise about not harming his family. He was cold and hungry. He really had to pee.
When Liam was in junior high he and Mason had become addicted to those movies where the superhero or the good guys rescued the damsel who, usually, had been abducted and hidden away somewhere waiting for rescue.
Those movies never showed the hostage getting thirsty or having to pee.
"I wish we had a bathroom," he muttered. He refused to think of himself as a damsel, no matter how much distress he was in. Having to pee was a perfectly normal and manly thing.
"Over there," Scott pointed to one corner of their cell, obviously having heard Liam's complaint.
"A bucket?" Liam asked disbelievingly.
Scott shrugged. "I don't know if that's what it's supposed to be for but it was empty and it's here."
"Was empty?"
Another shrug, this time with an embarrassed smile. "I had to go, too. You were asleep."
Liam looked at the bucket doubtfully and heaved a sigh.
"I'll turn around," Scott offered. "So you can have some privacy." He did just that, turning his back and staring out into the factory as he had before.
Liam heaved another sigh as he approached the bucket. At least Scott had gone first, lessening Liam's own embarrassment a little.
"Hey, Liam?" Scott called to him, back still turned.
"Yeah?"
Scott paused, then said "Just be careful. You know...don't, um...well, the bars are electrified. Aim carefully, okay?"
"Oh, God," Liam muttered, his face flushing. To his relief, Scott said nothing else.
Liam was suddenly grateful it wasn't Stiles he was stuck with. Or, God forbid one of the girls. No way could he pee in a bucket five feet away from one of the girls. Just the thought made him falter mid-stream in imagined stage fright.
Liam was just finishing his business when Scott said "Looks like we're about to find out why we're here. We've got company."
