Chapter 56

Isaac stayed in the hospital room. It provided the perfect hiding place away from all of the bullshit i.e. near death experiences. Every room down to the very corners held thick stenches of chemicals and death. It toyed with Isaac's gag reflex, but kept Scott from finding him. His stomach lurched.

Every time he closed his eyes he saw her smiling and laughing. The vision was so clear. Her hair was brushed over one shoulder, stopping at her ribcage. Her glasses were perfectly perched on the bridge of her nose. The faraway gaze when she was thinking about better things, normal things. The kind of things that would never come for a girl like her or for him for that matter. Thinking about all of that, it was like she wasn't really gone.

The reports said that she'd been stabbed several times. Scott was so sure that it was the darach. So was Stiles, Danny and Derek. The sheriff wanted to keep it open ended because it was possible that it could be a homicide. Danny didn't know what to think anymore. Deep in his gut, Isaac couldn't believe it was so simple. That somebody just broke in and raided the house. Danny said there had been blood everywhere like she'd put up a fight. If she had put up a fight she wouldn't have had that much trouble with one measly person. Not after the training she'd done most of her life which allowed her to defend herself from much worse dangers. Derek refused to talk about it and Danny started swinging when asked about it.

Screams, eardrum busting and terrified, penetrated his thoughts. He shot up and out of bed, leaving the white sheets wrinkled, and crept toward the door. The lights flickered out in the hall through the slats of the curtains over the door's window. He flung open the door and rushed into the hallway, prepared to meet whatever was out there. Two nurses ran past him crying. He ran the direction that the nurses came from. The lights flickered overhead. Workstations and carts had been flipped, leaving implements scattered everywhere.

Taking on the shift with difficulty, he kept on slow and steady. Trails of blood stretched along the floor like the lines that led to different wards. The lights blacked out with a shattering sound mixed with a whirring sound. The emergency lights didn't come on. He froze, his breathing having grown shallow with fear.

"You're here," he breathed to himself. His eyes widened suddenly, remembering that Melissa was still on duty. "Melissa!"

He took cautious steps, the light thuds being the only sound in the hallway, trying not to bring his panic to the surface. His heart rattled in the small cavity in his chest. She had to be around here somewhere. She wasn't dead.

A trail stopped at the elevator. Its doors dinged, broken as it opened and closed continuously. The metal doors gleamed with something, writing. They closed then open. Isaac squinted.

"A-R," he mumbled. They clamored shut. He touched the doors. The letters were smeared in blood. "Argent."

Isaac took a few uneasy steps backwards.

"Freeze!"

He stiffened, his fingers twitching as he tried to revert back to his natural form. It was Parrish. Shit. The deputy was really getting under everybody's skin.

"Turn around, slowly."

Isaac turned. Parrish had his side arm pointed at him, but lowered it quickly. His shoulders relaxed with an exhale filled of relief that Isaac wasn't some sort of hooligan.

"Isaac, what are you doing here?" he asked.

"I was feeling ill and decided to get checked out." Isaac lied. It was too easy to lie anymore. Words just rolled of his tongue effortlessly and people believed him. That or he didn't care to ask why he was lying. "Have you seen Melissa McCall? Is she outside with the others?"

"We didn't see her, but we might've missed her," Parrish replied. "You need to be out there too."

Parrish looked past Isaac at the stuttering elevator. His eyes narrowed with confusion.

"I have to find her first," Isaac protested.

Parrish shook his head.

"No, this is a crime scene. You need to leave."

Isaac advanced on him quickly and stopped face to face with the deputy.

"You have no idea what is going on," he whispered harshly.

Parrish tensed under the ton of pressure he was shoved under so suddenly. A deep wrath rumbled from his chest in a inhuman.

Isaac's cold glare didn't waver. His fists were clenched so tightly that his fingers had gone numb with a prickly feeling crawling up his arms slowly. Parrish gulped uneasily as Isaac walked around him, the rage not calming.

Scott stopped at the front door, rehearsing why he was home so late. None of it was going to save his hide. Life and death problem or not, mom was going to ground him. Letting out a long exhale, he went inside.

The kitchen light was on but that was it. The only time she was really in the kitchen was to sort out bills and to ground him. They hadn't really had a meal together in there for a while. He couldn't remember the last time. With her night shifts, double shifts, and/or overtime, meals as a family were rare.

"Mom?" he called. "I'm home. I'm sorry I'm late."

The only reply came from the house creaking. He set down his bookbag and gym bag beside the door and made his way to the kitchen. Papers were spread across the table. That wasn't what put Scott in a standstill.

Isaac sat in the chair she usually occupied. He stared at the papers blankly. It looked as if he'd had more of his life drained from him and was struggling to hold on. He'd lost all hope. There was nothing left inside of him. Scott couldn't even guess that he had a soul.

"What are you doing here," Scott asked.

"Your mom's gone, Scott," Isaac replied sullenly.

"What are you talking about?"

"I went to see her."

Scott's face turned a deep shade of red, his eyes emanating a shade similar. He shouted for her again but more ferociously. Isaac flinched.

Scott's heart rattled painfully in his chest. He looked back at Isaac who was already guilt ridden. It wasn't his fault that she was gone. He had no clue. Scott knew that, but it didn't stop him from being pissed off that right under the werewolf's nose she disappeared.

Isaac gulped uneasily, keeping his eyes on the bills on the table. Melissa never let them stress about that kind of stuff. She never gave an inkling of her own troubles. She was always more concerned about other things, normal things: Scott's lacrosse games and his grades. She wanted him to go to college and get whatever amount of normal he could.

Isaac turned to Scott. His icy blues had melted and were filled with a mixture of what Scott could only guess as depression and sorrow which already weighed heavily on him already. The guilt kept piling up. Soon enough, if he wasn't careful, he'd fall right back into a coma. And it would be one that he would more than likely not come out of. He didn't want to be here in this world. Any excuse to punish him would

"I didn't know what was happening," he said.

"What happened?" Scott growled.

"She was just gone." Isaac shook his head. "The elevator doors...there was blood. It spelled out Argent. I think he's next."

Scott released a long breath and leaned against the doorframe. His head hung limply like it only hung there by attachment and not like it was really part of his body. None of his limbs felt like they were actually attached. The control that he thought he had was nothing but a discolored chaos. He kept telling himself that all of this was in control. That they were getting closer to stopping the darach even though they had no idea how. That they weren't scattered and lost. With all the lack of sleep he was having trouble with trusting anyone. He looked over at Isaac again; the sappy puppy hadn't moved in the slightest.

Scott's phone rang. He shuffled it out of his pocket restlessly and answered in similar fashion.

"Hello?"

"Scott, I might have found a way-" Deaton said.

"Look, I'm sorry, but right now isn't a good time," Scott interrupted.

"I know that you are going through a lot right now, but you need to step up as an alpha. Right now I am trying to advise you, so please find Isaac and Cora then meet me at the clinic."

The line went dead before Scott could reply. He wasn't sure he would've had a response. Isaac stood up, no longer slumping, and pushed the chair in like it was precious china. He looked to Scott, awakened from his self-given guilt trip. He gave a small nod.

"If he knows how to get them back, then let's go. We're not losing anybody else," Scott said.

Allison kept her distance while following the boys into the clinic. Isaac glanced at her a few times but she refused to look at either of them. She refused to go with them too, but Derek insisted. She focused on her feet. Scott didn't acknowledge that she was really there either. The strain on their relationship was obvious to everyone. The only couple that seemed to be holding on to each other more than ever was Stiles and Cora.

Deaton was in exam room two. He pressed his fingers to a beagle's abdomen gently. The dog whined, his pleading eyes meeting Isaac's. He looked away, not wanting to share in any more pain. He was numb because of it all. Numb and void. He couldn't remember the last time he really cared about anything.

"He has a kidney stone, so he's in a little bit of pain," Deaton said.

The dog didn't look away from Isaac. His paws moved, reaching out. Isaac ran his hand along the furry creature's back intending comfort but the poor animal only whined. Deaton watched both of them closely.

Allison remained by the door ready to run if she had to. She eyed each of them nervously. Her heart raced, bouncing off the walls of her chest.

"You said you have advice," Scott said. His gaze wandered over the room with no focus.

"I do. I know a way that the darach can be defeated, and you're not going to be happy about it," he said with a heavy heart.

"Is this him?"

A young woman wearing a black leather jacket walked into the room. Scott hadn't caught a scent of her presence when they all arrived. She could easily pass for a teenager; her skin was like that of brown sugar and her face full of confident sass. She looked Scott over closely through skeptically curious eyes. Deaton sighed.

"I told you to wait outside," Deaton told her. His neutral tone didn't falter.

Isaac looked back at the dog. His fingers had settled in its fur. It's lungs expanded with a deep breath. The pained look on its face was annoying, like it wanted all of them to feel sad for his poor kidney. His jaw tightened and he watched as the veins on his hand darkened, crawling up past his wrist while the pain drained from the dog's eyes. Isaac felt the pain ache through his arm, throbbing in sync to his dull heart. The beagle's eyes closed and he drifted off to sleep.

Allison shifted uncomfortably. The tips of her ring daggers pressed into her forearms as they laid underneath her jacket sleeves.

"Look, you asked for my help," she said to Deaton but still looking at Scott. "You're so young."

"Marin," Deaton snapped, making Isaac jump. None of them had heard Deaton heated like that. His forehead pressed together, distressed with her presence.

Marin sighed.

"I'm sorry," she said nonchalantly. She looked at Allison now and took a few steps, putting extra distance between the three of them.

"Anyway," Deaton said. "You remember how I said I had a sister. With all of the trouble that has been taking place of late I thought it was time we reach out to unlikely allies."

"Unlikely?" Isaac scoffed. "You said she couldn't be trusted."

Deaton didn't reply. Whoever he had in mind was leaving him in serious doubt. Scott's eye widened at the realization of who it was he thought of. The alpha pack. The deafly silence of the room made Allison shiver. It was cold as a morgue suddenly. She held herself tighter.

"No."

The deep and harsh rejection made all head turn to Isaac. He was still petting the dog on the exam table. He scratched behind the dog's ears. Its tail wagged happily a few times in response. Putting the pup at ease reminded him of Melanie. She wouldn't force him to take any of her aches. She hated it when he did. What she didn't know was that he loved seeing that look on her face, the one that was a mixture of relief and turned on.

"Isaac, we don't have very many choices right now." Deaton said.

"We do have choices and we all make them. We fell apart and chose sides as if we're at war. We lost friends and family and…loves. And you want others who tried to kill us help us now? We have choices and that isn't one of them. Those assholes won't think twice about mowing us down to get to Scott and Derek."

He walked out of the room with finality. Allison followed him, leaving Scott there with the lone decision. Scott didn't look at Deaton or Marin. Marin didn't take her eyes from him. He leaned back against the wall, slumping like it was a refuge.

"You know that there are no other options," Marin said to Deaton.

Though she was right, she was smug, glad even, that this was what it had come to; the enemy becoming the ally. Deaton's sister or not, there was something off about her. Deaton had never led him astray before. He couldn't be wrong about this.

"We wouldn't even know where to find them," Scott said after a long period of silence.

"Don't be so sure about that," Deaton said, his shoulders sagging.

"If any, and I mean ANY, of my friends are hurt because of this," Scott said low to Marin, "I will end you."

Jordan Parrish looked at the two pictures of the elevator doors again. Each picture was a different angle. The name Argent was written in blood. Isaac Lahey had been utterly horrified.

Melissa McCall was officially missing. The sheriff hadn't been responding to any calls. His eyebrows pinched tightly in frustration. What the hell was happening to this town?

"Parrish."

Parrish looked up from the photos to see Deputy Haigh standing at the end of the desk.

"Have you seen the sheriff?" he asked.

"No," Parrish shook his head, "I've been trying to call him for the last few hours."

Parrish looked back down at the pictures again. Whatever was going on, Chris Argent might know or worse, he was a part of it. No matter the case, he now important.

"Put out an APB for Chris Argent," he said.