A/N: I have no excuse...
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His senses returned slowly. First he heard the echoes of water droplets. He could then smell the moisture and dampness in the air. He tasted something coppery in his mouth and finally he felt the cold, wet, hard ground under him. He slowly blinked, trying to make sense of his surroundings but nothing seemed to come into focus. Wherever he was, it was pitch black. He rose slowly, holding his hands out in front of him, trying to feel for where he was. After a step forwards he was met with a wall that felt like the ground beneath him.
He tried listening more carefully. As his hearing tuned he could make out the sounds of soft breaths coming from his left.
"Hello?" he called out, and ever so quietly he heard someone shift their position.
"Where am I?" he asked. The raspiness of his voice surprised him.
Someone responded but he couldn't make out what they were saying.
"What?"
The voice was strained and weak but managed to get out the words, "help me"
After determining that they're not a treat, he carefully made his way over to him as best he could and stopped once his foot hit something soft.
"Are you Damon?" he asked.
"Yes," he weakly responded.
"I'm Stiles. What happened to you?"
Damon didn't respond.
He tried again, "Do you know where we are or what did this to you?"
He coughed, "no"
As Stiles sighed Damon continued, "they do it one by one. My mom– I saw her."
Stiles frowned in understanding, trying not to think of her own mother, "how many are there?"
"Don't know"
"Did you get a good look at any of them?"
"No, too dark."
Out in the darkness, a creature loomed, unnoticed by the two.
Stiles decided to understand where he was and started walking around while keeping his hand on the wall. It curved and eventually connected with what felt like metal bars. So they were in a cage.
He touched them one by one, trying to figure out where the lock might be when his hand suddenly came into contact with something cold and slimy. Stiles gasped and jumped back.
A hiss sounded from behind the bars as a door creaked. Too shocked to do anything Stiles remained glued to the wall behind him.
He could hear the sounds of wet footsteps approaching.
He wanted to run, or at least to say something. Ask where he is or what they are but he remained frozen.
Sounds of struggled began from where Damon lay.
"Please, no more," he pleaded and called out for Stiles.
Stiles could only listen as the door was shut.
Only after what felt like an hour could he finally peel himself off the wall and gingerly approach the bars. He didn't dare touch them.
As he fully took in the situation he was in the panic began to set in.
What was he going to do? Would he be able to get out of here? He thought of the things they theorized- about how they may be extracting pieces of lungs and how that meant Damon was slowly suffocating.
He paced around the cage.
What were those things? How did they make him see his mom?
He smiled bitterly, "at least I'm not possessed."
He decided that he'd wait for Damon to return and try to learn more from him to figure an escape. He sat with his back to the wall, keeping his hearning focused while trying not to think for his impending doom.
Little did he know, Damon wouldn't come back.
XXXX
Scott returned home as the sky began to darken. He hated to leave Stiles but they knew it'd be too dangerous to go to the pond at night.
Deaton told them as much as he could about the Auraturs– like how they could see in the dark and how they killed their victims but the most vital piece of information was that in order to kill them, they'd have to snap off a piece of their spines and stab them through the heart.
They agreed to regroup tomorrow when the sun was at its highest and the creatures would likely be at their weakest.
His mom pulled him into a hug when he came through the front door. They'd told the Sheriff about what had happened and the news must've reached Melissa.
"Are you okay?" she asked, while stroking his hair.
"I'm fine, it's Stiles I'm worried about," Scott said, without leaving hi smother's embrace.
"Honey I'm sure he'll be okay. You guys have pulled through so much. I know you'll make it through this too."
Scott didn't say anything. Mainly because he didn't know how to respond. He wasn't sure that everything would be okay. He didn't even know if they'd be able to find Stiles. The only thing he knew was that he couldn't lose his best friend.
XXXX
The sheriff didn't want to leave the station that night. He'd drive home to get a drink but his fear of seeing the house empty again overpowered his need so instead he drove to the nearest liquor store.
He didn't bother to regulate how much he was drinking. He didn't want to think about his son's life hanging in the balance.
He fell asleep in the car.