Second last chapter! Trigger warning for violence? There's a tough scene in here but keep in mind this is AU so ANYTHING can happen...
I do not own Teen Wolf.
Stiles shivered as he leaned against the cold stone wall.
He didn't know how long he had been there. It was a dark corridor, underground he suspected, and as cold and dank as if it was a sewer canal. But even he could feel the strange atmosphere. Something supernatural was present here. He wasn't sure what, but the hair on the back of his neck was standing at full attention.
He rubbed up and down his arms. If he had known he was going to get kidnapped by Lydia's murderous doppelgänger, he would have at least worn a sweater. T-shirt and jeans weren't really making him feel warm and cozy where he was.
"You feel it, don't you? Even though you're just a human." a familiar, taunting voice came. It was made chillier by the fact that it had Lydia's tone interlaced with it.
She was several feet down the hallway, but Stiles shuffled away from her on instinct.
"What do you want from me? You have a body now. You don't need me anymore."
She was walking slowly towards him, amused, as he rushed down the hall, trying not to look as scared as he felt. He knew exactly how Void thought. He had every right to be terrified. "Ah, but I do. Because I need Lydia to come here. And you and I both know the one person she'll do anything for is you. She'll be here."
"So let's say she figures out, somehow, your cryptic location. What then? What is she going to do for you?" Stiles spat. He was only finding dead ends, gated doorways that didn't open. The only way out was through Void.
He had a feeling Void was well aware of that, but had had more fun watching Stiles figure it out than telling him outright.
Void descended the stairs after him, slowly, knowing he had all the time in the world. He stepped up next to Stiles, Lydia's curls brushing Stiles shoulder as her lips settled next to his ear.
"I want her to scream."
He swallowed, his mind already running races on all of the horrible things he would do to her to get her to scream for him. "I won't let you hurt her."
Void cackled. "Oh right. You're still oblivious. You've poured through the Argent's bestiary and some library books on the supernatural, looking for some relative of a werewolf. But Lydia was a supernatural being long before you came into her life, Stiles. The interaction with the supernatural just kickstarted the banshee in her."
"Banshee?" Stiles said in surprise, his fear forgotten as his curiosity peaked. He bit his lip, trying to remember the few things he knew about the folklore, most of his facts from fictional TV shows.
"The Wailing Woman. Lydia is connected to death—lets out a scream to silence and narrow down the other banshee whispers she hears in her head that indicate what will happen and to who."
"So when you say you want her to scream…. What you really mean is…"
Void grinned. "She will know your death is coming."
Stiles felt a single tear slip down his face. His own feelings aside, it wasn't just Lydia he was worried about. His dad. Scott. It couldn't end like this. His dad couldn't lose his only son.
Void was watching his emotional reaction with disinterest, as if discussing his imminent death was as dry as discussing the weather. "You know, it was fun watching you blame yourself, Stiles. Torturing yourself over the idea that this whole thing was your fault, that I only came to power because of your weakness. Humans, so weak. Fragile little creatures, always looking for someone to blame. You had your eyes on the wrong person. It was Lydia that brought me to life."
"What the hell are you talking about? How could she have? She didn't even live here until recently."
"Oh, so quickly you forget. Well, let me lay it out for you. You may have reignited the power of the Nemeton, but the banshee was drawn to it once she came further into her powers. The werewolf attack ignited her spark, and then what happened next?"
Stiles blanched. At the hospital, when she ran away. Something spooked her, he had thought, and she had never remembered what it was.
Void smiled. "You're guessing right. The Nemeton drew her in, called out to her in its mystical way. But it was more than that. I had been unearthed thanks to the earthquake that nearly erupted the night you all saved your parents. Lydia was drawn in, naked and vulnerable, and it wasn't long before the banshee cries told her stories of the tragedies they had witnessed thanks to the Nemeton. Her powers coming to strength, all the banshee cries suddenly could be heard more clearly than ever, and once she arrived, their volume increased tenfold. She curled up on the stump and was driven mad for days, screaming herself raw to try to silence the noise. One scream managed to break the glass jar my other form was contained in and released me into the night."
Stiles remembered the state they had found her in—unable to remember anything, shaking all over, looking like she had been through a trauma of some sort. She had been missing for days. How had she survived that, someone new to her powers and being put under such stress?
"That's when I knew she was strong." Void said, as if reading his mind. "Her mind had been weakened though, and I needed an in. Between the two of you, it wasn't a hard choice. You, Stiles, with all your mama drama and your inferiority complex compared to your superstar best friend, your inability to feel like you make your father proud… you were the easy choice. I could have chosen someone stronger, someone with supernatural strength, but you didn't disappoint. I had been right—you craved the power more than anyone, and I overran you before long."
"I never wanted that." Stiles growled.
She laughed, almost a schoolgirl giggle, unnaturally chilling. "You forget we shared a mind. I know you enjoyed feeling so powerful, how you ate it up the way I ate up your guilt from such a feeling. That, and your turmoil over blaming yourself for being so weak to let me in in the first place, or agreeing to the sacrifices that put everybody in this town, this world, at risk. But don't worry. Lydia's guilt, now that she remembers who is at fault, is even greater. You and your friends may have dragged me to the surface, but Lydia is the reason everything is happening."
"It's not her fault. She didn't know what she was doing. She was overwhelmed by something she didn't even understand!" Stiles shouted.
Void shrugged. "Does it matter? You've seen my plan, Stiles. You know how this all ends. Even if you won't be alive to see it."
Lydia startled awake, gasping for air as she scrambled to her feet, but before she got far, Scott caught her and held her steady.
"Whoa, whoa. You're okay. You're all right. You're at my house and you're you." he told her soothingly, leading her to sit back down on the couch she had been sleeping on.
"How long have I been asleep?" she asked, closing her eyes as she tried to steady her panicked breaths from before.
"Only an hour or so. Your body has been through a lot; it needs rest, Lydia." Scott reminded her when he saw the look of disdain on her face.
"I can rest after we find Stiles." she said shakily with a sigh, leaning back into the cushions.
Scott crouched in front of her and went to grab her hands reassuringly when blackness travelled up his veins and he inhaled sharply.
"You're in pain." He didn't phrase it as a question, and Lydia felt guilty immediately. Scott was not really someone she felt she'd ever be able to lie to, and it had nothing to do with his supernatural abilities.
"It's just sort of an ache… since the separation. I'm fine." She did her best to hide the tremor in her voice.
"Your skin is like ice." he said, his face full of concern.
"I've just been having trouble getting warm." she dismissed, not looking him in the eye.
She grabbed the blanket hanging off the couch and wrapped it around her as a way of saying 'see? I have it covered.'.
He didn't look all that convinced, so she changed the subject. "Any progress on Stiles?"
Scott grimaced. "Not much. But it's not just finding Stiles. There's no way this won't end with a showdown against Void. And if we go in there unprepared, especially when Void will know we're coming, we're never going to all make it out alive."
"Has Noshiko been any help?"
"Kira is with her now. Texted me not long ago – said her mom's training involves a Japanese board game, so she's not feeling very hopeful, but her mom is adamant about it so she doesn't have much choice."
"Go."
He looked confused. "Go where?"
She couldn't help but giggle a little. "No. Go. The name of the board game. The Japanese game Kira is probably learning. I remember… that's what we played. In… I don't even know the mechanics of that possession, but when you guys found me, that's what we were playing. I mentioned it to Noshiko when I called her, so maybe it's more significant than we thought. Her mom probably has a point."
"But how will it help?"
Lydia shrugged. "It's a kind of strategy game – you can play it in tons of different ways but it really reveals what kind of player you are. Aggressive, passive, orthodox, etc. You work your way around by claiming territories, surrounding your opponents pieces. Tell Kira to pay attention. It might not hurt to see what kind of player Noshiko is. I have a feeling her involvement with stopping him is going to be a lot more ruthless than our plan, and she won't be as concerned with keeping all of us alive as we will be."
Scott pulled out his phone and texted Kira quickly, brow furrowed in concentration as his fingers flew over the keys.
Lydia adjusted herself on the couch, wincing as pain shot through her every nerve ending.
Scott, perceptive and supernatural as he was, was not oblivious. He looked at her in concern as he slipped his phone away.
"Lydia… tell me the truth. How much does it really hurt?"
Her eyes grew wet as she gazed back at him, the words lost in her throat.
Before she could gather the courage, Allison came in the room.
"Hey, you're awake."
Lydia forced a smile as Allison sat down next to her.
"Any luck tracking Stiles?"
Allison shook her head. "I just spoke with the Sheriff. They tried tracking the GPS in his phone but wherever he is it's either off, dead or out of service range. Figured as much considering he wouldn't answer our calls and hadn't tried to contact us. But they're still trying to figure things out. Derek and Isaac are trying to track his scent, but they haven't found anything yet."
"It's getting late. It'll be dark soon."
"How did things go with your dad?"
Allison sighed. "Good. Feel like I now know every weapon there is to have we dug through so many. I'll be sticking with my arrow though—even added some of my handmade arrowhead ones to the group."
There was a knock at the front door.
Scott left the girls alone to answer it, looking confused. They weren't expecting anyone.
"Stay with Lydia." he told Allison, who slid a hand under the couch to grab her bow and quiver in preparation.
It wasn't as if Void being bold and just showing up at the door was that unlikely.
"Uh, hi. Can I help you?" they heard Scott ask.
"I was told to come here." a female voice said.
"Told by who?"
"By the voices."
Lydia was on her feet and moving, Allison grabbing for her arm as she struggled to catch her.
There was a petite girl with short curly hair in the doorway. She smiled at the sight of Lydia. "I'm here for you. I knew it."
Lydia recognized her instantly. "Meredith."
Lydia was startled by the sight of her, but even more by her words before she discovered her. She hadn't known what she was when she was at Eichen House, but if Meredith was hearing voices that led her to Lydia, then maybe they had more in common than the room they shared at the mental institution.
Her Eichen roommate now sat across from her in Scott's living room, her smile shy but clearly happy to be there.
"So Meredith, what are you doing so far from Eichen House?" Lydia asked as politely as she could.
Meredith wasn't really looking at her, focused on her folded hands in her lap, intertwining and undoing her fingers repeatedly.
"Trying to help. I can hear them. They scream."
"Why do they scream?"
"They scream when someone is about to die."
"Are they screaming right now?" Scott inputted.
Meredith nodded.
"How many of them?"
She looked up then. "All of them."
The other three looked at each other uneasily. Lydia swallowed, inhaling a breath to keep herself calm.
"Who is about to die? Is it Stiles?"
"What's a Stiles?" Meredith asked, brow furrowed in confusion.
Scott sighed, rubbing his forehead. Lydia could tell he was thinking he should be joining the others in actively searching for Stiles.
Lydia was determined. If Meredith was a banshee and was listening to voices enough to get her to break out of Eichen, there had to be a reason she had found them. She knew more than she realized. She was their connection; Lydia had to believe it.
She had yet to feel Stiles' death, even though her own anxiety was skyhigh and hard to decipher from her banshee powers in terms of sensation. She did know enough to know the difference.
"You came here to help us, right, Meredith? You're here to help?"
Meredith nodded quickly, face breaking out into a smile. "Yes I want to help."
"Okay, then I need you to concentrate, okay? I need you to try to listen and figure out who is about to die. I need you to block out everything else and try to focus. Try to see where they are. Some sort of indicator of where they are. Can you do that?"
Meredith shook her head, breaking her gaze away from Lydia to look at the floor. "They won't tell me."
"Yes, they will, Meredith. You just need to focus." Lydia said, trying to be encouraging but her stress seeping into her tone.
"Isn't anyone going to get that?"
Allison, Scott and Lydia exchanged glances.
"Get what?"
"The phone." Meredith said, nodding to the phone in Scott's hand.
"OH. Right. My phone. Let me… get that…" Scott said awkwardly, bringing the silent device up to his ear. "Hello? Uh, yes, she's right here. It's for you, Meredith."
Meredith nodded and accepted the phone. She nodded as if listening to someone, then passed it back.
"What did they say?" Lydia asked.
"Coup du foudre." Meredith stated.
"Bolt of lightning? Or love at first sight?" Allison said in confusion. She had been taking French for years thanks to her family's influence.
Scott understood though. "It's a phrase Noshiko taught Rhys back before everything happened. Back at Oak Creek…"
Lydia caught on about in time with him. "You don't think Stiles…"
"It's our best bet." he said seriously.
Lydia grinned. "Meredith, you did it! Thank you!" she exclaimed, pulling the petite girl into a hug.
Meredith seemed alarmed by the gesture and was stiff in her hold, but a small smile appeared when she let go. "I helped?"
"You did! You helped so much!" Lydia said excitedly.
"We should go. Let's call the others from the car." Allison said.
"What about Meredith? It's not safe to bring her where we're going but we can't just leave her here…" Lydia reminded her.
Meredith stood up. "I've done what I came for. I've got more to do elsewhere."
"Okay…" Lydia said slowly, looking at the others, but Meredith left the house like she was on a mission so they let her go.
"Okay, that was really weird, but oddly helpful." Scott admitted.
"Come on. We don't have much time." Allison reminded them, grabbing her keys and leading the way outside.
Scott picked up the phone as he clambered in the passenger seat of Allison's car. "Kira? We need to go where everything started with your mom and the nogitsune. Void has Stiles at Oak Creek." He listened for a minute then nodded. "Meet you there."
Pulling up to the abandoned, crumbling once-concentration camp would have been just a historic marvel, except Lydia immediately doubled over, clutching her head.
"Lydia? Are you okay?" Allison asked worriedly, coming over to her.
"I think we're in the right place." Lydia said through gritted teeth. "A lot of bad things have happened here."
Scott stood in front of them protectively as he spotted Noshiko across the lot. She was coming towards them, looking none-too-pleased.
A motorbike revved its engine as it joined them, and they all turned to see Isaac and Kira had arrived.
Kira leapt off the bike and ran towards her mother. "Mom, you can't do this! Someone is going to get hurt!"
"I was not the one that reawakened the Nemeton!" Noshiko exclaimed with a murderous look towards Allison and Scott. "They were told there would be great consequences. I brought Void into the world in the first place—he is still my demon to bury. Now all of you—turn around and go home!"
"We are here to save Stiles." Scott said.
"Do what you must. Just stay out of my way. And theirs."
The sun had gone down now, and the Oni appeared in clouds of black smoke.
Stiles' shivering had increased and he sunk back against the cold wall anyways, determined to keep his distance from Void.
Lydia's doppelgänger smirked suddenly, as if amused, and let out a long satisfied sigh.
"Finally. They're all here."
Stiles straightened up instantly. "What? My friends?"
Void nodded. "And Noshiko with her army of Oni."
Stiles cocked his head to the side, feeling the unease spread across every vein in his arms, hairs standing up. "They're here to kill you."
As if hearing him, the Oni suddenly appeared in the room surrounding them.
"I know." Lydia's voice said.
The swords aimed directly at her body, glowing eyes focused, they charged.
But Void slipped out a familiar dagger, and right before they hit, snapped it in half.
Stiles saw the mystical smoke sparkle out of the broken middle, and he knew deep in his bones that whatever just happened was all a part of Void's plan.
The Oni stopped just before hitting him and seemed to wait.
They were waiting on his orders. They were under his control.
Stiles couldn't breathe.
Lydia's doppelganger grinned. "And now the fun really begins."
Outside, the group was looking for a way in to the building to look for Stiles when the sudden appearance of the Oni made them stop. Their eyes were focused on the pack, and their sword's directions soon followed.
Noshiko let out a gasp and unfurled her fisted hand. A dying firefly disappeared into smoke.
"What's happening? What does that mean?" Kira asked in a whisper, too afraid to speak louder.
"It means there has been a change in ownership." Lydia's voice called out across the yard, and they saw Void stepping up from a crumbling set of stairs to overlook them all. "They belong to me now."
Noshiko looked furious, but her eyes betrayed her fear, and it hit them all at the same time that this was what she had been afraid of. They had known how to beat the Oni when it was looking for the nogitsune, but now, without a mission besides to kill them, they really would be unstoppable.
The Oni all came at them, and the battle began.
Lydia rushed out of the way, hiding behind a broken wall, as her friends pulled out their weapons and claws to fight.
Void observed as if watching an entertaining theatre production, looking pleased and sickly proud, and Lydia knew she could never let this monster win.
She watched in fear as Kira did some impressive sword tricks, and Isaac was twisting and slashing with his claws. She didn't have anything like that to work with.
She wasn't good with a bow, a sword, and certainly didn't have any supernatural strength or claws to help her out, so she knew the only thing she could do was go rescue Stiles while the other held off the enemies until they could all escape. There was no winning this fight. It was all about simply surviving.
The supernatural ability in her was not helping reassure her that they would all make it out alive. There was a growing pulse beating around her ribcage and somehow she knew it wasn't for Void. It was someone she cared about, someone close to her. And if she was feeling it now, it must be coming soon.
She was feeling so weak, it only worse now that she worried about the oncoming defeat, and one glance at Void told her that he was only getting stronger. She wondered if their statuses were connected, her weakening state assisting in his strengthening one.
Stiles had been missing for hours. No food, no water, nothing to help him survive. It was cold and damp—he could be sick or worse by now. Could he be the one she was losing?
She looked around from her cover spot, finally discovering what looked like an open tunnel. It was a way in—it may not lead where she needed but it was a start.
Before she could go, something grabbed her arm and she nearly screamed. But it was just Scott, looking apologetic for startling her.
"They have it handled for now. Let's get Stiles. Quickly."
Lydia nodded and pointed to the opening she found, the two of them sneaking away.
It was cold and damp, a rat causing Lydia to squeak in surprise when it ran across their path. They were clearly underneath where the building used to be, sewer pipes and other industrial evidence that it was only used for its surface area nowadays. She hoped Stiles had had a tetanus shot recently.
It wasn't until they rounded a corner that they saw a tired looking man trying to reach up to where a barred window was to take a look at what was going on.
Stiles. He was alive.
Lydia couldn't stop herself. She was running. She could see him and he was breathing and looking ghostly pale and she had to reach him. Her feet slammed against the concrete as she closed the distance between them, but the metal gate kept them apart.
Scott followed quickly, using his strength to help rip it off the wall, and Lydia threw herself at Stiles, his arms reaching out as she crashed her body into his.
"Hey." he breathed as a greeting, the tension leaving his body.
"Stiles… god, I thought I might lose you." she told him, not meaning to cry but unable to help herself. His t-shirt was fisted in her hands, his body cold, but he was alive. He was here. It was okay. Her scream wasn't for him.
He was clutching her to him, nosing into her hair as he held her. He let out a sigh of relief, as if he had been checking something.
They broke apart, and Stiles moved to tug Scott to him, the emotions present on his face. Scott nodded, a small smile present, his acceptance of his implied gratitude clear.
"We need to get out of here." Stiles reminded them, coughing a little. He hadn't exactly been living the star treatment. If he got out of the whole thing without pneumonia, he sure was lucky.
They rushed down the hallway, but Lydia suddenly stopped, a hand against her chest as if something painful was throbbing beneath.
"Oh god." she whispered. "No."
"What is it?" Stiles demanded.
Lydia looked to Scott. "Allison."
Stiles and Scott looked to each other before it dawned on them. Scott took off faster than Stiles had ever seen him run, even with his werewolf powers, as he and Lydia followed.
"Stiles…" Lydia said hoarsely, grabbing the wall for support as her knees gave out. "I can't… go on without me."
"I'm not leaving you." Stiles said seriously.
He hooked an arm under hers and pulled her to him, helping guide her out. She was too weak. She couldn't walk even with his assistance. She stumbled and nearly fell to the ground again.
Stiles wrapped her arms around his neck, placing his hands under her thighs and lifting so she was nestled into his front. He tried to hurry to help his friends. Whatever Lydia had sensed, it definitely wasn't good.
They made it to the end of the tunnel, just in time to see Scott catch a falling, bleeding Allison and cradling her.
Stiles was sure it was one of those times he would've let out an animalistic roar, if his whole world hadn't just fallen to the ground.
The Oni backed away, as if they had done what they had hoped to accomplish, and Void smirked in triumph.
But none of them were concerned with them. Everyone's eyes were on the fallen warrior.
Derek must have joined the fight while they were inside, since he was standing next to Isaac, transformed and sweating from exertion.
Stiles weakly passed Lydia off to him, stumbling to get closer to his best friends.
"Allison." Scott was crying. Scott never cried. Dear god, this couldn't be happening.
She was limp in his arms, having difficulty breathing. Her hands were clutching her abdomen.
"I'm okay. Scott, I'm okay. It's just… it's a slash, okay? It's just a wound. They'll get me all stitched up, okay?" she promised, tears in her eyes but her usual sweet smile forced onto her face.
There was a lot of blood, but she was right. She had been sliced with one of the Oni's swords across her stomach, and it was deep and bleeding, but Scott was helping put pressure on it.
But Lydia's scream…
She was unconscious now in Derek's arms, unable to be asked anything let alone let out a banshee scream.
"I love you. I love you, Scott."
"I love you too. I love you so much. Allison, please. Please don't… I need you. God, I need you so much. Don't leave me."
"I'm okay. It's okay." she promised. "You're here. It's perfect. Is Stiles okay? Did you find him?"
He nodded, tears flooding his cheeks. "Yeah, yeah, he's okay."
Stiles pushed closer so she could see him. "Hey, warrior princess, I'm right here. I'm fine." he promised.
She smiled weakly at him, nuzzling closer to Scott.
A truck suddenly pulled up, and Chris Argent jumped out of the driver's seat.
"Get her in here!" he shouted.
Allison closed her eyes, smile stretching, and leaned further into Scott's hold.
"She's losing consciousness. We need an ambulance!"
"No time. Get her in the car. I'll drive her to the hospital."
Scott acquiesced, picking her up with ease, and Stiles followed immediately, Derek with Lydia on his heels.
"Meet us at the hospital!" Scott shouted to Isaac and Kira, who nodded and headed to the bike they took in earlier.
Allison's dad briefed them on how to handle the conversation with the police—it would only have been a couple of them present, the rest just came because they were concerned, and they were to give vague details as much as possible. The scenario was that two masked attackers tried to steal their car and then pulled a knife on her when she fought back. He called Chris first.
"And what do you say when you're stuck?"
"It all happened so fast."
The hours that followed were full of waiting and fearing, exhausting the group. Allison had been rushed into surgery, but she was still alive when they made it despite the blood loss, so they had hope. Deaton had provided Argent with some counteracting herb for the Oni poison which definitely helped their odds.
Kira, Isaac and Derek eventually left, requesting immediate updates as soon as they heard something.
"You two should go home. You look barely human." Scott told Stiles and Lydia.
Lydia was curled up practically in Stiles' lap, her legs across his and her face buried in his neck. Her body was still in a lot of pain, made only worse by her fear for Allison.
Neither of the pair responded.
Scott sighed. "Stiles, you need food and a good night's sleep. You haven't exactly had an easy day either."
"I can't leave until I know she's okay." Stiles argued. "And your mom checked me over and said I was fine."
"Well, actually, she said you were dehydrated and your vitals were borderline acceptable, but that you needed rest and a decent meal." Scott said pointedly.
Stiles understood what Scott was doing. He was taking care of everyone else the way he always did. He was the kind of person, pack leader, that would take the late watch and not wake up the next person until he absolutely had to. He was always going to put others' needs above his own, even if Stiles knew Scott was even more scared than them that Allison wouldn't make it.
As if on cue, Melissa came down the hall. Scott had leapt to his feet before Stiles could even turn his head in her direction.
She smiled. "She's okay. She's going into recovery now. They managed to give her some blood transfusions and she's going to be okay. Okay? She's going to be okay."
Chris Argent let his head fall back against the wall behind him, closing his eyes in relief as he no doubt thanked whatever higher power allowed his daughter to live to fight another day.
Lydia hugged Stiles close, letting a few tears slip out in relief, while Scott hugged his mom.
"You guys should go home. Sleep. It'll be a few hours before she can see anyone. We've got her hooked up to an antibiotic drip to stem off any potential infection and she's going to need a lot of recovery time and low activity for her wound to heal properly."
"We'll make sure she does whatever needs to be done." Scott said immediately.
Melissa laughed. "I don't doubt it. All right you guys, go home. I'll let you know the second I get the all clear on when she can have visitors. Chris, do you want to come with me? We've got some paperwork to fill out."
Argent followed her down the hall, clapping a hand on Scott's shoulder warmly before leaving the three of them.
Scott exhaled in relief. "Let's make a pact to stop spending so much time in hospitals from now on, deal?"
The other two laughed and nodded in agreement as they headed towards the parking lot.
