| CHAPTER TWO, Hero Complex |
"They're here," the Sherriff said. Stiles' dad was retired now, but like an ex-President, that's just what he's known as.
That warning, however, was the kick Scott needed to recover. Immediately, his leadership-alpha-qualities kicked in and he was up on his feet. He rushed over to the door and listened carefully, his ear flush against the door like a suction cup. "I hear them," he said. "We gotta' move. Now." He looked at Isaac. "Take the fire escape in the bedroom. Get everyone to the cars." He looked at Allison and David. "You two stay with me. We're gonna' hold 'em off for as long as possible." He looked back at Isaac. "Go."
"Lemme' stay behind, too," Reid said.
Scott nodded, looking at his mother. "I love you. Stay close to Isaac." He kissed her cheek and the Sherriff took her with him, following Stiles, Gage, and Isaac; the rear was followed by Tyler and Cooper, Danny leaning on his shoulders.
Not long after the group made it through the bedroom window, screams began to fill the upper floor of the apartment. And then when the screams no longer bellowed, the horrific noises of the so-called zombies took their place. The hissing and growling and deathly exhales. Soon it was upon the door. Masses pounding on the sliding slab of steel. The noises getting louder.
"I can feel them," David said, looking at Scott next to him. "They're angry. Raging."
"They're out of control," Scott said, transforming as the door began to move sideways, the lock breaking off in one motion. Scott roared at them, his two betas following suit, each of them totally wolfed out. The zombies charged the three werewolves, and Scott soon discovered that the fight was going to be much harder than anticipated: there were at least three dozen zombies now circling around them. Well…three dozen in falling.
The three of them were moving as fast as their heightened bodies allowed them, dodging deadened fingernails, bite attempts, and even lunges; Reid was mostly stationary, performing some sort of kata with his magic, sending them into other zombies or into the walls. They found it easiest to rip open their throats…as deep as they could sink their claws in seemed to work best…because hitting them anywhere else really didn't do much. They just got back up. Slashes to the face. Slashes to the chest. They just kept going, like pain—if they even felt it—was completely secondary.
"Allison…move towards the bedroom!" Scott called out as the four of them tangoed backwards, trying to position themselves for escape.
When they managed to get into the bedroom, Scott and David killed two more just outside of it before Reid forced the door closed. "Go!" he yelled, holding the door with some sort of telekinesis.
Scott nodded and the three werewolves hustled out the window and made their way down the fire escape. Suddenly, the apartment bedroom exploded and a flaming zombie fell passed them, crashing into the pavement below. Scott looked up and saw Reid falling, too. When he peered over the rail, expecting him to crash like the zombie, Reid only landed on his two feet and stood up like nothing had happened.
When Scott made it down, Isaac and Stiles pulled up with their cars. The four superhumans piled into them and they sped off, dusting more zombies that were coming up behind them. "Head to the Argents' complex," Scott directed Isaac.
"What for?" he replied.
"We're not just gonna' leave them," Scott said.
"They can take care of themselves, Scott," Isaac argued. "They might even be gone already."
"We might need their help. We should stick together."
"Just do as he fucking says," Allison said from behind Isaac. Isaac glared back at her but resigned. The two cars soon found themselves weaving in and out of stationary cars, hitting several zombies along the way, ones that hadn't stuck with the masses or were left behind.
They pulled up to the Argents' complex and they found Chris Argent keeping watch while Allison secured some metal boxes into the back; he was armed with some custom assault weapon. "Scott?" he said when they pulled up and Scott hopped out of the car; the Sherriff and Stiles did as well from his jeep.
"We should stick together," the alpha began, "help each other out."
"What he means to say," the Sherriff added, "is that the more guns the better."
Allison looked at Scott for a moment and then continued throwing the boxes into the back, some of them suitcases as well. And then Lydia appeared, of all people. She was quickly dragging two smaller suitcases behind her and she stopped for a second when she saw Scott and Stiles.
"I thought you were in Boston?" Stiles asked first.
"I was visiting Allison for the week," she said, looking at them with that face.
Allison grabbed the suitcases and she turned to her dad. "All set," she said, looking from him, to Lydia, then finally at Scott again. She looked away and got in the car, not saying a word to him; she hadn't since he and Isaac moved in together.
"Where're you headed?" Scott asked Chris.
"Camp Greenhorn; I have a buddy stationed there."
"Camp Greenhorn…Camp Greenhorn…" Scott kept repeating, thinking. "That goes by Wolfton Heights, right?" Chris Argent nodded, looking confused. "Derek's there."
"I know you've never let the whole 'save everyone' thing go," Stiles began, "but inter-city heroism is not something we should be exploring right now. Especially since there's hordes of zombies chasing after us left and right." Scott frowned at him. "Besides, Derek can take care of himself."
"I'm not worried about Derek," Scott corrected. "I'm worried about Deaton."
"Who can also take care of himself…since he's Derek's emissary."
"He's right Scott," the Sherriff stepped in. "We can't rescue everybody."
"Fine," Scott resigned. "When we get to Wolfton, you guys can go on ahead. The pack's stopping to make sure they got out."
Stiles rolled his eyes and sighed. "Scott, as your emissary, I'm telling you you're being a dumbass."
"Stay with your dad. And my mom. Keep her safe." Scott turned and opened the front passenger door. "Mom, go with the Stilinskis. They'll keep you safe. Reid, you might wanna' go with them too since Tyler's with them."
"Are we splitting up?" Isaac asked.
"We will be. We have to make sure Derek got out."
"Scott—" Isaac began to argue, about to make the same points as the Stilinskis.
"I want to make sure Deaton's okay. You know how important he is to me."
Isaac dropped it. Melissa and Reid got out of the car and Melissa hugged and kissed her son. Reid walked over to where Tyler sat in Stiles' jeep, quietly talking to him. He kissed Tyler and turned to Scott. "I'm gonna' stick with the pack, Scott," he announced. "Better have one of…us…with each party."
Scott nodded and turned back to his mother. "They'll keep you safe."
"Be careful," she said and took Gage's place, who, before taking Melissa's in Isaac's car, kissed Stiles.
"Cooper," Scott said into Stiles' jeep, "look after Danny." The largest of the werewolves nodded from the middle seat of Stiles' jeep and peered back at Danny, who was barely conscious in the back of the jeep.
"Scott," Chris began, "you should just stick with us."
Scott looked at Chris and a made a face telling Chris that the advice had been noted but he was still going through with it.
"Dude, don't do this," Stiles said, just the two of them standing there as the rest filed into the cars.
"We'll catch up with you. I promise. When you get to the base, make sure they know we're coming."
Stiles nodded and they hugged it out before Stiles returned to the driver's seat of his jeep, Scott to the passenger's of Isaac's BMW. All the cars started, the now three-car convoy took off, headed southeast toward Wolfton Heights and Camp Greenhorn.
Author's Note: Since Beacon Hills could either be placed just outside of San Francisco or on top of Inskip, California, I've decided to make this clear for this fiction. According to the wiki, Beacon Hills has a 925 area code, placing Beacon Hills in Alameda or Contra Costa County—near San Francisco. For WWZ, I'm placing Beacon Hills in Contra Costa County on the north side of Mount Diablo State Park since, geographically, that coincides best with the canon.
That said, I've introduced two new fictional places of my own: Wolfton Heights and Camp Greenhorn. Wolfton Heights, a city slightly smaller than Beacon Hills, will be located on the south side of Kaweah Lake. Camp Greenhorn, a marine base, will be just north of Kernville, CA, inside the Greenhorn Mountains.
And, as a reminder, here are the visualizers for the McCall Pack extras:
Allison Clare: Sophia Myles; Erica-like addition to the pack and David's older sister
David Clare: Max Irons; Isaac-like addition to the pack and Allison's younger brother
Gage Rains: Spencer Locke (with red hair); Erica-like addition to the pack and Stiles' girlfriend
Cooper Standen: Alexander Ludwig (as he is in his April'12 photoshoot); Boyd-like addition to the pack