This is the last chapter, other than the epilogue that I'll be working on but I don't know when that will get out to you. I've recently had some people unfollow this story so feedback for what I can improve is highly appreciated :) This is a long chapter so thank you to those that have continued to read this, please review your thoughts because I love hearing them! Thank you and enjoy.
We plan it for today, the day after yesterday to seek out Liz and lure her into a trap to kill her. I'm a mixture of nerves and excitement at the same time. The quicker she's dead the quicker life goes back to normal. I can't wait. I was kept in hospital overnight and I forced Stiles to go home and get some proper rest, that's the least he needed for the long day we have planned ahead. In fact, it's more of a long night. Waiting until night fall is always the best way to seek the killer out. At least that's what we find.
I'm on a strict, 'no talking' rule as well from Melissa. If I want to save my voice to kill Liz- which I'm dreading, then I'll need all the power I can get. Who knows how I'm going to manage. So I try to mouth things and hope the pack can lip read because that's how I'm going to have to communicate despite my reluctance.
The past few hours have been an argument on who should actually be coming to help defend the pack and who can make Liz most weak so that I can easily take her out. And how exactly am I going to take her out? In a loud and clear scream, her name. Her full, real name; Elizabeth Brunswick. Thanks to birth certificates and health records we managed to track her name and address, so our plan is to storm up to her house and attempt to kill her. How foolish we'll look to her. A group of young adults that appear to now everything about the world. But maybe we do. Anyway, we've all been arguing over Stiles and Kira coming. Kira because she's heavily pregnant and if anything were to happen to the baby and herself Scott would go insane, as well as the rest of the pack. The problem with Stiles? He's human and Liz is a dangerous witch. Stiles defense, however is proving to be in his favor.
'If Lydia is going and if she's killing the woman then I'm going to be by her side all the way.'
The statement had made my heart warm, but I knew how selfish it would be to allow Stiles, the boy with the bat, to protect me when he can hardly protect himself. But it was Scott's word against mine, him being the alpha and all. Scott see's him as brave and strong and that's what we need for the pack. I told him how would he like it if I made Kira come and fight, he gave me a hard stare; like an owner telling off its puppy.
So the pack that was made up to fight was Scott, Stiles, Derek, Issac, Malia and I. Liam and Hayden protested and even resulted in an argument between Liam and Scott because Liam didn't even feel like part of the pack anymore. So, Scott changed his mind, granted them the opportunity to fight off Liz but Liam denied the offer for both of them, out of stubbornness I suppose. With the addition of Braedon not being able to come and fight, I felt like we were outnumbered. What if Liz has a cult of a dozen witches? We are fucked.
So, we all wait for the time to come to kill Liz. The clock ticking louder than usual seems to remind me that we're running out of time.
"I don't know why you're talking." Stiles sighs softly as I sit in the big arm chair in our lounge and he sprawled out on our sofa. I was telling him about Liam and Hayden, although he'd been there I was trying to tell him how I think they'll still miraculously turn up to defend us anyway, or so I hoped. He was right however, I shouldn't be talking but we still had a few more hours to go and the silence was deafening me. I look at him and roll my eyes making my eyelids flutter, Stiles always used to mock me for it by imitating me, he's only recently stopped. He gets up from his position on the sofa and walks over to me. He rests a hand on either arm of the chair and looms over me, staring at me in a loving way as I stare back. Green meeting brown.
"I don't know why you're coming tonight, and fighting." I remark. He blows out a puff of air, making my hair around my face sway slightly.
"We've been through this..."
"I don't care, Stiles. I don't want you dead as much as you don't want me dead. So why's it any different?" I look away but manage to keep my voice calm and steady, unlike what I'm feeling. On the inside I'm trembling with fear of losing anyone in the pack, especially Stiles.
"This isn't like when we were in high school, I've had training. You and me both actually. I know how to use a gun, I know self defense and I know how to swing a good punch." He reassures me, I nod despite myself. What's a punch going to do to a powerful witch? Make her stumble backward but that's all. Then what will she do to Stiles if he did that in vain to defeat her?
"Just don't get hurt." I tell him because despite it all he's still coming no matter what I say. I look at him then and tilt my head as far as I can. He leans in closer, his breath tickling my cheek and momentarily making me forget that I was dying -even if I don't feel like it- and that we were about to kick a witches ass.
"Right back at you." He murmurs into my mouth as I catch his lips with my own. I reach a hand up to run through his hair as he deepens the kiss, one of his hands pressing on my thigh. It's stupid really that we have all of this in our lives yet we've still managed to have a moment like this: to be intimate with one another. I almost hate us for it. I pull back slightly to just look at him, in case something goes terribly wrong tonight. I could die, so could he.
"Don't think it." He says softly. Of course he'd read my thoughts, he always does. I can't ever keep anything hidden from him long enough, he see's right through me and that'll always be to my disadvantage. I nod and try to look like I have it together, but I think I fail when Stiles scoops me up from the chair, sits in it himself and settles me on top of him so we're a tangled mess of limbs.
"Will this change things? Me killing Liz." I ask him, because it has only just occurred to me that actually, taking the life of another, no matter how evil, might just destroy me. I might be racked with guilt once I've done it, I might not be able to live with myself. I've never killed the enemy before. Except Valack.
"You're too strong for it to change things." He runs his hand up and down my arm, making goose bumps erupt on my skin. The certainty of his words makes me shake so I grip his shirt.
"What if I'm not strong enough?" I look up at him, expecting him to lie but he doesn't hesitate when he answers and that's how I know he isn't lying to me.
"Then I'll be with you every step of the way," He tells me pressing a kiss to my head, I sigh and rest my head against his chest as he wraps his arms tightly around me, protecting me. "Now, stop talking so you can save your voice." I roll my eyes again, and this time he mocks me by doing it back. I allow myself to laugh but obey him after that, suddenly determined to end Liz in the way she deserves.
"Why's Kira here?" I demand, long forgetting my no talking rule until the scream. We huddle at the edge of a road half hour away from the center of Beacon Hills. All the pack is here, except Braedon. Even Liam and Hayden turned up. Kira doesn't stand next to Scott but in between Issac and Malia making me think Scott and her have argued.
"She thought it was necessary she helped. She also thought it necessary she knocked me out and then met me here." Scott states flatly at Kira. I wonder if she's slightly worried for the baby.
"I can defend all of you. I may be pregnant but I'm not useless." She remarks, Scott looks hurt and stressed as he runs a hand across his forehead and sighs deeply. Kira folds her arms over her chest, her elbows now resting on her baby bump. I'm a little awed that she would do that to Scott, I think everyone is.
"Kira, are you being serious?" I ask, bewildered. I couldn't stop myself- she was insane. She looked in my direction and I raised my eyebrows at her, does she realize what she's doing to Scott? This is breaking his soul in half.
"It'll be fine. We're here to help Lydia kill Liz and that's what I'll do." She says defiantly looking around at everyone in the group, I know Kira can be determined and fiercely loyal but this is border line suicidal. I shake my head slightly and look around to meet perplexed faces, I almost laugh when I see Malia, her eyebrows are touching and she has a hand on her hip looking at Kira as if to say 'Have you actually lost your mind?'
"Anyway, what's the plan?" Liam asks, looking at Scott for the first time tonight. He crosses his arms and looks directly at him making the tension grow thick between the two. I try to understand both their reasons for the argument sake, but it isn't really worth fighting over when lives are at stake.
"She doesn't know Lydia's alive, so lets keep it like that for as long as possible. Stiles will knock because she knows him so he can distract her. Me and Derek will go through the back and take her out from behind. When we corner her we give Lydia the signal which will be a text message delivered from Issac. The rest of you are back up, cover every corner of the house and Kira you'll stay with Lydia." Scott informs us, his words and voice clear. He looks at Kira and I can tell by the look in his eyes that he's seeing the night of Allison's death all over. He see's that fate with Kira. That reminds me, I need to tell him what Allison said, if that actually happened.
"I didn't come out her to sit with Lydia while all of you kick ass-" Kira begins but Scott sighs loudly cutting her off.
"I don't give a shit, Kira! You're staying with Lydia a few doors down. End of." His voice raised slightly in anger, Kira bites her lip and nods. Why do I have to be the one stuck with a hormonal, defiant, pregnant lady?
"Are we ready?" Scott asks, he looks around the pack. Scanning all of us with his red irises I can see Stiles fidget nervously which only puts my nerves on edge.
"What if something goes wrong?" Stiles speaks up, I can hear the tremor in his voice so I lace my fingers with him in hope to comfort him. His hand is clammy.
"It won't. How many time have we done something like this? Every time we've come out okay, Lydia can you predict any death?" He asks. I search myself for a promotion, an impending death the way I felt it when Allison died. To my relief, nothing. I shake my head.
"We've got each other, let's keep it that way." I say to all of the pack, then I give Stiles a tight squeeze of his hand and he walks off to Liz's door as everyone else takes their positions. I stand with Kira behind a brush at the end of the street as we await the text message that is my cue to follow everyone inside and scream at Liz. It should be easy.
"You know Scott is only mad at you because he knows what it's like to lose someone you love." I tell Kira quietly, I look at her expecting her to snap at me but she gives me a sad smile.
"I know, but Lydia, if I lost you... I wouldn't be able to live with myself." She tells me softly, I look at her meeting her eyes and suddenly I understand her reason a lot better than I thought I would. Then everything is mayhem. Just in that split second where me and Kira were talking the whole plan seems to fall apart.
Scott and Stiles come running down the road, a look of both panic and confusion crossing their faces. Stiles' legs running faster than his body can take him, keeping up with Scott. His flannel shirt flapping in the wind as if he's a super hero. I almost want to laugh.
"What?" I yell as they near us, I notice Scott holding something, a pillow case the color of a lemon.
"She's not in there... the house looks barely lived in." Stiles says in between his breaths, I put an arm around his waist scared he'll faint from the sudden sprint.
"Everyone is sniffing in there, we'll follow the scent and I promise you Lydia we won't let her get away." Scott tells me, he suddenly sounds scared and not as sure of himself as he was ten minutes ago. Like he's considering that now I might die.
"The five herbs last twelve hours, there's still time." I assure them, but Scott's eyes are full of doubt so I look away from them, scared.
"I think you should smell this," Scott says, he throws the pillow case to me and I catch it. Why would he want a non-werewolf to sniff it? I press the cotton of the case to my nose and breathe in deeply. The stench makes me gag. "What does it smell like to you?"
"Bitter almond," I say outstretching my arm and shoving the pillow case back into Scott's hands, "It's cyanide."
"So does this mean she gives it off naturally? She doesn't actually use cyanide gas or pills." Scott suggests, I nod trying to gather my thought but everything is so muddled right now and my body is trying to fight the cyanide. I can feel the five herbs running through my veins and defending all nasty toxins. But before we can further discuss Derek is jogging toward the four of us.
"I got a good scent, we good to go Mccall?" Derek's breath clouds in the air despite it not being cold.
"Where's the others?" Scott replies, Derek stops a meter away from us, already trying to follow the scent that's been inhaled into his nostrils.
"They're meeting us there." Derek tells him, Scott gives Kira a kiss despite their argument and says something into her ear and briefly places his hand on her ever-growing bump.
But as Scott starts to run away with Derek, I grab him by the arm and pull him to the side deciding now is a good of a time than any to tell him about Allison.
"What is it? Is someone going to die?" He asks, his hands on my arms and his eyes frantically searching mine.
"No, I thought you should know, the night the cyanide took affect I saw Allison," I wait for him to say something but he doesn't. He has a distant look in his eyes. "I don't know if what she told me of how she got into my head was true or if it was purely my imagination or the cyanide but she told me to tell you that she's proud of you, and you should never feel guilty. I don't know if that means anything but-"
He hugs me, like he's giving me a lifeline: a thank you. "You have no idea what that means to me."
"I thought you should know in case I don't make it through." I saw because there really is no sugar coating it. A flash of what could happen if I die, in that other place with Allison and watching over everyone. I shake my head to banish the thought.
"You'll get through this I promise." He says then with a look of knowing he takes off with Derek and Stiles, Kira and I climb into Stiles' jeep following Scott and Derek. I think of all the promises that have been made. The promises to keep me alive Malia telling me she wouldn't let happen to me, Stiles promising I won't die as well as Scott. It's all to overwhelming that these people would risk their lives, when we've come this far and survived this much that they wouldn't hesitate to die for me. I know we've all been loyal to one another, but now when we're adults I thought it would've changed somehow.
We end up driving toward the clearing where Derek's burned down house used to be. His house isn't visible from where we park, I'd say it's somewhere north of here but the pack with the heightened senses look slightly confused as to why no-one is here but us. There is no sign of Liz and that scares me.
"It's at it's peek here, I can't smell anything else." Malia states her nose twitching, she wanders up a slight hill, her boots crunching the branches and leaves beneath her. I almost want to tell her to be quiet in case Liz is here and we've just given up our location. Malia stands there for a while, her face slack and mouth open. Issac joins her, a hand going on her arm to bring her back but then he stops, transfixed.
"What is it?" Hayden asks, her voice a tremor.
"It's Liz." I hear Issac whisper, we all immediately rush up the slope and crowd around one another, hands holding onto arms for leverage. As being the shortest it took me a while to get a vantage point but when I did I was horrified.
I could make Liz out, she was stood in the middle of a satanic symbol that was marked out on the muddy ground by- what looked like -chalk. Fire surrounded her as she carried out some sort of ritual. Smoldering fire ignited the nights darkness and thick gray smoke billowed up into the trees and the stars above.
"Can you hear anything?" I heard Stiles say to someone, I didn't hear a response for a few minutes. We watched with wonder, if Liz was to look over she would see us huddled around one another watching her perform black magic.
"She's speaking another language." I heard Scott say, the smoke was wafting its way over toward us.
"How are we going to-" I begin but before I know it Stiles is pulling me down by my legs, I land hard on my back sending a hot, sharp pain through my back and legs, he covers me as well as he can. Both his arms either side of my head and his jacket cover my face. The earth is cold on my back, but Stiles' breath is warm. Everyone I notice is on the ground, hands over mouths to not be heard breathing. Then I hear the crackling, fizz of a fireball die out on the bark of a tree a meter away from us. She saw us. She has manipulation over fire. Of course. Cyanide, gas, she can fuel it as much as she would like.
"What are we going to do now?" I whisper to Stiles, he looks at me, his eyes shining with adrenaline and fear. He shakes his head, he's about to speak when I put a hand over his mouth as now I hear a set of footsteps approach us. I hold my breath, my other hand squeezing onto his arm tight in fear. His eyes calm me though, We'll be okay. Nothing we can't handle.
"If you thought I didn't know you were coming you were very wrong," The voice that meets my ears is distinctly Liz's. No doubt about that one. "You see the thing about being a witch is that we are able to mind-read. Lydia I saw though your plan the minute you text me that day about meeting."
I look up past through Stiles' jacket and see that she stands, towering above us and she has a stupid grin on her face. I would do anything to rip her throat out. Even better, shatter her skull. Stiles moves off me, too late now she knows I'm alive and did all along.
"Also, the thing is about being a witch is that we are able to control certain minds. The minds of those who aren't supernatural." She continues, at this I stand up, my head swaying slightly. In the light that's burning off of the fire posts, I see her eyes look as sadistic as ever.
"Stiles." I whisper, by now the rest of the pack has stood up, Kira now with her sword out, eyes burning orange. It explains why Stiles didn't believe in me when I thought there was something bad about her. I knew he didn't just give up on me. He was manipulated.
"Ah, she figured it out!" She mocks me, addressing the rest of the pack. Malia is closest to her, and I can calculate her moves and so can Liz if she can mind-read. Malia whips out her claws and pounces for her, fangs on show and she's flying through the air. I almost think she'll succeed in slashing her throat but by a simple flick of Liz's hand Malia flies meters away from us smashing into a tree. Does she realize that I can kill her?
"Can you figure this one out too?" She snarls, her face contorts and suddenly she's fashioning blonde hair and red lipstick. The Marilyn Monroe look alike from Dunsmuir. My heart leaps to my throat.
"It was you," I say, my voice a whisper.
"It was you all along." Stiles finishes me, Liz takes an obnoxious bow.
This time it's Stiles who's foolish enough to come at her, I guess with the mind control and the way she's treating me is enough to send him off without thinking his actions through. I see the gun in the waist band of his jeans, I see him go for it. I try to tell him to stop but can't. He gets a shot in but she's suddenly defecting the bullets and firing them in Stiles' direction. He ducks and leaps away from them skillfully but I see it almost in slow motion the one that enters his leg. I yelp. I run over to where he lay instinctively and cradle him. He's swearing under his breath, the same word over and over. Fuck, fuck, fuck.
"You bitch!" I yell at her, not being able to stop myself. I want to run at her and pull out that fake hair and kill her slowly and painfully. Stiles holds onto my wrist, his breathing heavy but still even thankfully. Scott's by my side before I know it taking away Stiles' pain but before he can take all of it away his hands slam against his temples and he's crying out in pain. I look at him, then to Liz, then to everyone else.
All but me Kira and Stiles have their hands pressed against their ears or heads as if they can hear or feel something that we can't. I stand up leaving my jacket with Stiles so he can apply pressure to his leg. My heart is pumping and I'm running off of no sleep and adrenaline.
"Stop it!" I yell, I know it's useless but I hate seeing my family distressed and hurt. I have no control over this. I look over to see Derek curled in a ball his head between is knees. If it has taken down Derek it must be bad.
"Or what?" She barks. She seems impressed with how easily she has taken us out and I'm scared that she'll take me out in a split second too. If we all go down what happens then?
"Or this-" It's Kira now, her sword posed and her body flying toward Liz. Liz actually looks taken off guard and Kira slashes her neck. Her blood is black and flows fast, like she's hit an artery. Kira looks pleased but again I know what happens next. It happened with Allison's death.
I charge for Kira sensing something bad and cruel to happen especially if she's pregnant. "Kira go." I scream, I run at her and I'm inches away when I see that Liz has gained Kira's sword. Not again. I won't let another friend die because of me. I get there in time, shielding Kira. Her eyes wide with fear. The sword nicks me on the back, I don't feel the blade but I feel the oozing of blood. Okay, 'nick' may of been a slight understatement.
Kira's on the floor and I'm standing up, she's taken all the pack out but surely she must know how I intend to kill her. Think. I want her as weak as possible and now I'm the only one who can achieve that for myself. I scream, not her name but a scream that'll knock her off her feet and she does, coming down hard on her back. I rush over to her and pin my knees on either one of her wrists and I shadow over her. Looking at her face. The face that's killed god knows how many banshees.
"Go ahead. Kill me. I'd love to see you try." She says, spitting blood and phlegm at me, I wipe it away but she only fuels my hatred more.
"Just tell me why you did it. Why did you kill all of those banshees?" I ask, I chance a look to my left where Liam has managed to gain his balance on his feet. No more mind-tricks with the werewolves now I've got her pinned.
"For fun." Is her reply so I don't waste anymore time. I need her dead. I scream as loudly as I can, her name. The rest that follows is disturbing. Her face contorts in pain and slowly changes. Her fair, clear skin turns into a wrinkly, saggy mess with age spots replacing the once glowing cheekbones. Her hair turns from blonde to grey and it shrivels and almost looks like it dies on her head. Her eyes, piercing blue remains the same which is unnerving. Her wrists become weak beneath my knees and her bones become easy to snap. They do. I hear the crunch and feel the pang of the bones springing apart from one another under my knees. Pain, pain, pain. It's like a mantra and it's all I want her to feel.
Then everything shatters.
Her head bursts the way I wanted it to, the crown of her head splitting open and blood flying everywhere. My face, my hair, pooling around her. I watch the life go out of her eyes and it scares me how satisfying it is for a brief moment.
Then I stop screaming, her eye twitches for a final moment then she stills beneath me and I fall off of her, suddenly all my energy zapped. I hit the ground and that's the last thing I remember before blacking out.
"Is it over?" I ask Stiles. I'm in the hospital and I turn to find Stiles in a bed too, his leg propped up from the bullet wound. He looks remarkably better than when I last saw him. And who knows how long ago that was.
He nods, a smile on his face. I look at the ceiling and sigh with relief. It could've been more brutal, but also could've been less. The image of Liz's dying face is imprinted in my eyelids when I shut them, but I decide that that's what I'll have to live with for a long time. Even killing someone that evil won't leave you. It'll take everything you are to destroy a soul.
I almost want to cry with relief that it's over, and hopefully nothing may never happen again.
"It's over." Stiles repeats and it feels like everything inside me has only really just became alive. No more fighting, no more killing.
How beautiful those words are, It's over.