If You're Going Through Hell
A/N: Hi all! Thank you to Matt, Camille, and kkalphwolf for your comments! It sounds like I made the right choice with Nolan. :D I'm sorry it's taken so long to get this chapter up, I've been out of town for awhile and haven't been able to work on it. For that reason, it's also a little shorter than I would have liked, but I figured something was better than nothing at this point. As always, reviews are appreciated; but, without further ado, here's the next chapter…
Chapter 23: In the Dread of Night
"Scott McCall!" a voice called out from the tunnel ahead of them as the pounding footsteps echoed closer. "You will pay for what you did to me!"
"Belasko again? How did he end up here?" Stiles asked in response, perplexed by the voice.
"Wait? That's the guy we ran into right after I got here, isn't it?" Derek added, glancing briefly at the young man next to him before focusing his attention at the junction in the tunnels ahead of them.
"Yeah. I mean, I didn't kill him or anything, but I wouldn't expect him to be up and ready to fight again so soon after that," Stiles answered, lost in thought.
"We can worry about that later," Scott interjected, regaining his attention. "He's not alone."
"Well, neither are you," Isaac said, taking a step forward to stand alongside his alpha. At that moment Belasko rounded the corner ahead of them, along with three chimeras. They stopped at the end of the tunnel, everyone staring at one another in silence for several moments.
"What are you doing?" Stiles finally said, breaking the reverie that had fallen on them all. "I thought I told you a couple of days ago that this whole 'revenge on Scott's Pack' thing is so totally misguided."
"And I told you," Belasko retorted through gritted teeth, "that I will have my revenge on your precious alpha."
"Revenge for what?" Scott asked, bewildered, "you attacked me, we defeated you, and I let you go. What's there to get revenge for?"
"I will not fail the Doctors again," was Belasko's only response as he began to stalk his way forward. Jackson, Isaac, and Theo immediately stepped forward, taking up defensive stances. Derek and the twins completed a semi-circle of sorts around Scott and Stiles, the latter of whom alone remained unconcerned by this turn of events.
"Don't forget what the Doctors sent us here to do, Bel," a female chimera with red hair said, also stepping forward to place a hand on his shoulder, halting his advance. "Your desire to get even, or that of the others, pales in comparison to the great work They are trying to accomplish. We mustn't do anything that could jeopardize that."
"Any ideas what she's talking about?" Scott whispered, glancing at a few of the others. They all replied with shakes of the head.
"Of course you don't know what I am talking about," she continued in a bored voice, overhearing their whispers across the distance, "your feeble minds could not possibly comprehend the work with which the Dread Doctors are currently occupied. And yet you dare defy them by forcing your way into this - their most sacred and hallowed of operating theaters. It is incumbent upon me to…"
"Oh, shut up and fight us already if that's what you're here to do," Stiles shouted exasperatedly, interrupting her. "Or else get out of our way. We've got places to be, people to see, all that good stuff."
"If it is a fight you seek," she said, narrowing her eyes and grinning maliciously at Stiles, "I shall happily oblige."
There was the briefest of silent moments as the two stared unwaveringly at one another before the tunnel exploded with light and sound. Josh, one of the other chimeras skulking behind Belasko and the female, sent a surge of electricity through the tunnel, overloading all of the lights and causing them to burst into a cascade of sparks and glass before plunging the tunnel into near complete darkness. The wolves all quickly shifted in order to use their supernatural sight to aid in the dark.
"Josh, you don't have to do this," Scott called out to the young, glowing chimera who was now the only source of light in the tunnels. "We can help you!"
"No, Scott, you really can't," Josh replied, as he and Belasko stalked forward, "not when Theo is on your side."
"Josh, I'm so, so sorry for what I did to you, I promise…" Theo began before being cut off.
"I don't care," Josh answered as he dove, claws first, at his former leader and murderer. Theo jumped back, Josh's claws coming within centimeters of snagging him while Belasko mirrored the action at Isaac, who had darted in front of Scott.
The confined tunnel quickly devolved into chaos. Derek rushed to join Theo in countering Josh's wild swings as the chimera drew more electricity from the exploded lightbulbs above their heads. Isaac managed to grab Belasko's wrist to stop the glowing blue talons from sinking into his chest, Scott countering with his own claws and forcing Belasko to take a step back. Ethan and Jackson skirted around those two groups to charge at the one chimera who had thus far not moved – Noah. In the dim light of Josh's electric glow they could see his eyes widen at the sight of two werewolves charging directly for him before, almost as though possessed, his demeanor changed and berserker bones began to protrude above his wrists. He roared as he met the werewolves in battle, swiping fiercely at them with the bones and claws on his hands.
"I guess that leaves you and me to take on loud-mouth there," Stiles said, glancing at Aiden with a humorous glint.
"You know, I liked you better when you were taking everything too seriously," Aiden quipped back, extending his claws and fangs and preparing a defensive stance.
"Don't worry, you'll learn to love the sarcasm, in time," Stiles replied, clapping a hand on the wolf's back, sending him forward a few steps. Aiden growled under his breath at the shove before turning his full attention on the female chimera, who now had long, needle-like talons protruding from each finger as her skin turned a mottled gray color.
"What below the earth are you?" Stiles asked, also turning his attention to their opponent and taking in the ghastly sight.
"You like?" she asked, clicking her tongue several times as she did so. "I'm part werewolf, part *aswang." Her reptilian tongue flicked across werewolf fangs for the briefest of moments before she dove towards the wall, scaling it in an instant and getting lost in the shadows.
"Where'd she go?" Aiden cried out, scanning the area wearily, unable to hear her movements over the sounds of the battles around them. Isaac flew through the air in front of him, having once again narrowly missed being impaled on Belasko's talons. Scott roared furiously at the chimera, charging full speed into him and knocking them both to the ground. Scott's roar was immediately followed by Theo's scream, as Josh momentarily got the upper hand and rammed thousands of bolts of electricity through his body. Derek managed to sever the connection between the two with a flying kick, knocking Josh to the ground and cutting him off from his supply of electricity, but Theo sank to the ground as well, convulsing from the effects of the electricity.
"I'm…fine…" he panted, his breathing harsh and ragged as he struggled to make eye contact with the older werewolf. "Keep…fighting." Derek did as he was told, pouncing on the recovering chimera and taking advantage of his current state. The two were quickly engaged in an all-out brawl, trading punches and darting in-and-out amongst the rest of the battles raging around them.
At the end of the hall, Ethan, Jackson, and Noah were engaged in the most frenzied of these battles. Both wolves were fast, darting and weaving around their foe with unbridled agility. But Noah easily countered their movements with a strength that far surpassed his slender frame. Their fight, shrouded in darkness, was exceedingly difficult to follow, both wolves relying heavily on their senses of smell and hearing, as well as their trust for one another. They remained evenly matched, until Ethan heard his brother scream out in pain.
"Aiden!" Ethan shouted, momentarily distracted and turning to look down the tunnel. In that split second, Noah's bone claws caught him, piercing through his chest and sending him flying into the wall, where he crumpled to a heap.
"No!" Jackson cried out, switching from wolf to kanima claws and tail, swiping wildly at the berserker hybrid with venom dripping everywhere. Noah stepped back, out of the path of the venom, before redoubling his attack on his enemy while Ethan remained slumped over, unmoving.
Aiden was oblivious to all of this. He had scoured the walls around him fruitlessly looking for the female chimera when she suddenly, and silently, dropped on top of him from a position hidden on the ceiling. She sunk her talons into his shoulder, causing him to cry out in pain and collapse to his knees while her long, prehensile tongue clicked against her fangs, darting out to flick along his cheek. She moved to swipe the talons of her free hand across his throat, but she was interrupted by Stiles.
"Don't worry, I got you, buddy," he said gruffly as he shifted into demon form and grabbed the chimera by the neck, yanking her off of the wolf and out of harms way.
"So, what Bel said is true," she grunted, the ever-present clicking noise in her speech making her difficult to understand. "You really can shapeshift into a demon. The Doctors will be most-pleased to hear this."
"And why is that?" Stiles asked, drawing her in closely to stare directly in her face.
"That is no concern of yours…yet," she said icily, the barest hint of a grin glinting across her ashen features in the flicker of Josh's electric luminescence. She scraped her talons along Demon-Stiles' arm, drawing blood and causing him to release her from his vice-like grip. Glancing around the tunnel, she saw that the Pack, while injured, were quickly gaining the upper hand on her chimera allies. Theo had recovered from his electric shock and come at Josh with a vengeance, he and Derek rapidly overpowering the young boy and driving him into a corner. Belasko was still on the ground, being pummeled by Isaac and Scott. Noah alone seemed to be holding his own, his growls echoing down the tunnel as he struck again and again at Kanima-Jackson while Ethan remained unconscious along the wall nearby. "It's time to regroup," she called out, jabbing her talons into Isaac's back and pulling him off of Belasko long enough for the chimera to free himself and regain his footing. Josh turned and ran the moment the words were out of her mouth, grabbing Noah along the way and dragging the berserker behind him. "No arguments," she said warningly as she pulled Belasko behind her, darting after Josh.
"Are we going to go after them?" Theo asked, uncertainly.
"No, not yet. Is everyone ok?" Scott replied, glancing around and squinting in the darkness for his friends.
"Yeah, but those talons are ridiculous," Stiles answered, shifting back to human form and rubbing his uninjured hand along the deep cuts on his arm. Derek, Isaac, and Aiden quickly confirmed they were alright as well. They turned as one down the hall to hear Jackson calling out frantically.
"Ethan? Ethan? Come on, you gotta wake up, you gotta be ok. Don't leave me, please, come on, Ethan…" Jackson stuttered out as he cradled his unconscious mate carefully in his arms.
"Ethan!" Aiden yelled, storming down the hall and crumpling next to the two of them in an instant. "no, no, no, no, no, not again, not like this!" The rest quickly joined them, gathering in a semi-circle around their fallen friend.
-o-
"So, how does it feel, being alive again? For that matter, what did it feel like to be dead?" Melissa asked. The group of living packmates had formed a tightknit circle near the center of the clearing to enjoy their meal together. Melissa gazed back and forth between Mason, Corey, Nolan, Brett, and Lori from her position next to Lydia, waiting for one of them to respond.
"I don't really know how to describe it," Brett finally answered. "Dying was…I don't know. It was like falling asleep, or being knocked unconsciousness, except you don't really wake up afterwards; you just sort of become aware that you are in another place."
"Limbo world was so different from here," Lori continued. "And a lot of it is kind of hazy now, because of where we were."
"Where you were? What do you mean? Weren't you all just in Limbo?" Melissa asked.
"Not exactly," Lori explained, "I mean, we were in Limbo. But Brett and I were taken to this area where the demons try to brainwash you into serving them. So, it's hard to tell what was real and what wasn't. So much of it feels like a dream."
"More like a nightmare," Corey interjected, gaining a few curious glances in the process. "Sorry, it's just…I've died and come back to life twice, and none of it has been that great of an experience."
"Well…not all of it has been bad. Right?" Mason asked, a bit of a suggestive tone to his voice bringing a blush to Corey's cheeks.
"No, not all of it has been bad," he replied, leaning in to give his boyfriend a quick kiss.
"Well, I guess some things haven't changed then," Brett said with a cough, drawing their attention back to the group.
"I think the biggest thing," Nolan added, going back to the original question, "is that being dead forces you to change your perspective on life. I don't really know how to explain it, just that…I can't take it for granted anymore, you know? I died. I lost my life. It all ended. Now that I've been given it back, I know I need to make the most of it. I don't want to waste it because it could happen again at any time."
"That's…a lot to process," Melissa said after a few moments of silence. "I can't imagine what you all have been going through, and to have to face it at such a young age. All I can say is I'm proud of you guys, all of you." There were several embarrassed murmurs of "thank you's" from the various teens present. They lapsed back into silence as they continued their meal, each lost in their own thoughts about life and death.
"So, what is our next step?" Mason asked the group at large as they all finished eating. "I feel like a bit of a sitting duck here in this clearing, even with the protective barrier around us."
"I don't think it's safe to leave, though," Corey replied. "After what we did to get Nolan's backpack and bring it back here, anything we try is definitely gonna attract the hunters' attention. We're safer if we just lay low for awhile."
"Safer, maybe," Brett interjected, "but that's not a guarantee. Like Mason said, we're blind here. We don't know what's going on out there or who's coming, and we won't until it's too late. I think we need to go on the offensive and take down some of these hunters before their numbers grow too big for us to handle."
"They already have," Corey retorted with exasperation, "there's way too many of them for us to take on by ourselves now. At least if we stay here, we have the advantage of the barrier warning us and giving us time to hide."
"But what good is that?" Lori asked, "if all we're going to do is hide, we might as well have all stayed dead. We have to do something."
"Exactly," Brett added, "we need to try to clear out the woods as much as possible so that when Scott and the rest of the Pack get here, we can go retake the city."
"And how are you going to do that? We have no idea what's even been going on in the city," Mason replied.
"Then perhaps that needs to be our first step," Nolan interjected, tone much calmer than the others. "The reality is that we don't know enough about what's been going on since we've been gone. We need information."
"So what are you suggesting? That we send spies into the town? I know its been awhile, but I'm sure the hunters will recognize any of you guys from a mile away," Melissa said skeptically.
"Not if we can stay invisible the whole time," Nolan replied cautiously, looking at Corey with hopeful eyes.
"What? No. No way! Mason and I almost got caught sneaking into that toolshed. There were bullets flying everywhere, they had scanners that picked us up and an electric fence that almost trapped us. It's probably way worse in the town. It's too dangerous," Corey said, crossing his arms over his chest and turning away from the others slightly.
"But you're our only chance at getting more info," Brett added, "you have to do this."
"I don't have to do anything. Not if it means risking dying all over again," Corey answered with finality before jumping to his feet and storming off to sit by himself inside the tent.
"I don't get it. Mason, why won't your boyfriend help us?" Brett asked.
"It's not that he doesn't want to help," Mason replied, getting to his feet as well in order to follow after Corey. "It's just…he's been through a lot, and he's tired of being hurt. You can understand that, can't you?"
"Yeah, I guess. It's just…that comes with the territory when you are part of the supernatural world. Pain is unavoidable," Brett said.
"Maybe. But I think we've all had more than our fair share," Mason finished before walking away to talk with his boyfriend.
"So, now what do we do?" Lori asked.
"Nolan has the right idea," Lydia answered as she stared off, looking lost in thought once more. "Everyone has been dead or in hiding for so long. It's been almost two years since any of us had regular contact with the outside world and for the past six months it's just been me and Derek out here in the woods alone. We don't know what the world has turned into or what we might have to face out there. We are going to have to get more information before the rest of the Pack returns if we want any chance at a life and a future beyond hiding here in the Preserve."
"I agree with you. The reality is that we can't stay in this clearing forever," Melissa continued. "We've got enough supplies for a week or two; maybe a little more if we go out hunting or fishing and do our best to ration what we have. But this clearing isn't big enough to sustain the seven of us here indefinitely. And if we add another dozen people, or more…well, there's just no way that's gonna work. We will have to move out eventually."
"But, if Corey refuses to help, how do we do it? Like you said, everyone thinks we're dead, but that won't stop them from recognizing us if we just start walking through town," Nolan replied.
"Well then, we'll just have to convince Corey to help out, whether he wants to or not," Brett said with finality. They all turned as one to look at the makeshift tent where they could just make out the sounds of Mason and Corey talking softly.
-o-
"Ethan? Come on Ethan, you gotta be ok!" Jackson called out frantically, shaking his mate slightly by the shoulders in desperation.
"Jackssss?" Ethan slurred, his eyes opening slightly as he struggled to focus on the man in front of him.
"Ethan! Thank God you're ok," Jackson shouted, a grin plastered to his face as he dragged his half-conscious mate into a fierce hug, quickly followed by Aiden wrapping them both up in his own strong embrace.
"It's ok Jacks," Ethan said groggily, "you can be the cop this time. I've been a bad boy."
"What!" Aiden cried out, instantly pulling away to level a glare at Jackson, who had turned beet red.
"Ethan, be quiet!" Jackson shouted back, turning to hide his blush while Stiles and Isaac both collapsed to the ground in laughter behind them. Scott, Theo, and Derek did their best to remained composed, but struggled.
"You and I are going to have to have a long talk when we get back to the world of the living," Aiden said, glancing back and forth between Ethan and Jackson.
"Why? Are you that curious about what kind of games Jackson and I play?" Ethan retorted, having regained his senses as he awoke fully.
"Guys, guys, guys!" Scott interjected before they could go any further. "Maybe now isn't the best time to be having this conversation. We need to go after the chimeras and rescue Hayden, and then get out of here and back to our search."
"Scott's right," Derek said, grimacing slightly as a sharp pain shot across his temple for a moment. He took a deep breath, waiting for the pain to dissipate before continuing. "Our time is limited. If we mess around too much now, we could end up not being able to reach everyone."
"Sorry," Ethan and Aiden said in perfect unison, sharing a look with one another before rising to their feet and joining the rest. Jackson followed suit, still doing his best to hide his red-tinged skin.
"Are you ok to continue on?" Scott asked, taking a long look at Ethan's wounds.
"I'm fine, it's already mostly healed," Ethan replied, raising his shirt to confirm his words were true.
"Well then," Theo said, eyes wandering down the tunnel, "I guess that means it's time to go to the lair."
"Why do I get the feeling that isn't going to be nearly as much fun as it sounds," Stiles asked with a hiccup, regaining his composure from his place sprawled on the ground behind the rest.
"Because it's not," Theo answered. "Obviously, I have no idea what it looks like now, here in Limbo, but the set-up the Dread Doctors had when they were working on the chimera experiments was quite extensive. What you guys saw was only a small piece of it when they were closing in on the end of their experiments."
"Can you get us in without getting caught?" Isaac asked, making eye contact with the chimera as he rose to his feet.
"Maybe," Theo replied, pausing to think for a moment. "If the tunnels here are laid out the same way they were in the real world, I might have an idea."
"Lead the way," Scott said, following as Theo turned to walk down the tunnel in the opposite direction. The rest fell in step behind them, Stiles nudging Jackson in the side and leaning in to whisper something in his ear that made him blush yet again while the twins seemed locked in a silent conversation of glares, eye rolls, and hand gestures. Isaac watched in amusement while Derek stared on in bemusement until they rounded a corner and began walking down a tunnel shrouded in absolute darkness.
"There's another entrance just up here," Theo whispered to the others behind him. "I used to be the only one to use it. We'll see if that's still true."
"Somehow I don't think it is," Stiles whispered back as a low growl echoed down the hall from in front of them.
"Everyone, get ready for round two," Scott called out, stepping forward to lead the way around the corner.
"We're with you," Isaac called out just before a terrifying screech tore through the air around them.
*This is the chimera Melissa discovers already dead in her kitchen with Kira's sword sticking out of her chest. To the best of my knowledge, we're never told anything about her, and all we see of her is her red hair, bloody body, and long talons for fingernails. I decided to make her part aswang, basing her appearance and attributes on the one found in the show Grimm. Incidentally, I highly recommend Grimm, and have debated about eventually writing a story set in that universe (after I finish this one and the Les Mis one that I've put on hold).