Chapter 57

"Isaac," Allison called tersely, following him across the dark parking lot. "Would you slow down?"

Isaac stopped at the car and spun to face her, his hands stuffed in his pockets, making his shoulders scrunch up. He wasn't restless or upset. It was worse than that. It was like he was watching every friend he had walk straight into the cemetery to dig their own six foot deep hole and they weren't putting up at fight. It made him angry as hell.

"What?" he snapped. "What the hell do you want? Do you want me to follow Scott into this horrible trap?"

Allison huffed and tossed her head back annoyed.

"If it helps us find Lydia, Stiles and Melissa? Then yes." She turned away, stomping a few steps then spun back around. "That's what you do, you know? You take that chance of sacrificing yourself for those you care about even if the plan is completely stupid."

"It's not just stupid. Do you think that Miss Blake-the darach-whatever the hell she is, didn't take Lydia and Stiles, thinking we wouldn't come unhinged?" Isaac hissed. "It's been a week. They could be dead for all we know."

He shook his head with disbelief. She couldn't be serious, not after everything that has happened. There have been enough sacrifices. Enough had to be enough after this point. What was the use of trying anymore?

Isaac's shoulders slumped with the weight of grief. It was so heavy and he felt so numb. Anger and sorrow were the only things he could feel when he mustered them.

"He needs you. He needs us. We can't leave him alone in this," Allison said in a soft, pleading voice.

Stiles's fingers throbbed. They were plump and red from trying to work a bobby pin through the key hole. The last two broke. He swore under his breath as the bobby pin snapped.

"Move," Lydia said, pushing him aside.

She pulled out her last two bobby pins from her hair and let out a long breath. The knots plaguing her body from shaking so much felt like mini tumors and were causing Charlie horses. She bent the metal so the pin was in the shape of an 'L'. Stiles grumbled to himself as he licked the wounds of his fingers.

His upper lip reared up in discomfort as the screaming of inmates came through the vent again.

"I'm about to go insane," he snapped angrily. He wrung his fingers through his hair.

Lydia's eyes narrowed on the barely visible keyhole, ignoring his comment. Her stomach growled. She was so hungry and couldn't remember the last time she had closed her eyes. Her hands shook as she worked the lock. It clicked and she could feel the pieces moving inside it.

Trying to focus, she clenched her jaw. Her throat itched and ached all scratchy from the dampness. She tried breathing through her nose but it only hurt the deep hollow of her throat worse.

"Lydia, can you get it or not," Stiles asked, obviously short on patience. It was the last bobby pin.

She jumped at the sudden sharpness of his voice.

"I nearly have it," she snarled.

Which was true. She could feel the small niche. She pressed her finger against the small piece of metal more, causing it to cut her fingers. The bobby pin bent as she twisted it. She held her breath in shaky anticipation.

The lock clicked and both of them looked at one another in surprise. The small door creaked sharply, opening. Lydia's hands shook as she relaxed from the tension filled pressure that had surged through her moments before.

Stiles looked from her to the door and back, unsure if he could believe his eyes. Gulping back a bubble of air, he took her by the hand and ducked out through the door and ran. His legs cramped with stiffness as they sprang through the endless darkness. The surrounding screams increased in volume, reaching out and attacking them. Lydia squeezed his hand tightly as her bare, blistered feet slapped loudly on the ground behind him.

Stiles's eyes had adjusted to the dark by now. He still couldn't see very well, but he could make out enough not to run into the walls. The hallway turned right up ahead.

"Come on!" he shouted, pulling Lydia who was falling behind. She whimpered.

Rearing around the corner, they both skidded to a stop. Stiles put his arm out in front of Lydia, guarding her. She screamed, not out of force, silencing all the other screams. Her eyes watered as her airways cut themselves off in panic.

A dark figure, revealed herself as Jennifer Blake stood before them.

"Where do you think you're going?" She said, grinning sadistically.

Stiles's fists clenched tightly. Staying one more second in this place, he'd actually rent a room out. One way or another, they were getting out.

"We're checking out, crazy bitch," Stiles snarled. His eyes burned with hatred. Lydia held his arm tightly. He thought it was because she was afraid. She did it to keep him from attacking the ugly monster.

Cora held her arm to her side as her shoulder throbbed viciously. She awoke from the turn-over with it being dislocated. She put it back and it made a gross crunch. The kind of crunch that grinded painfully, but only for a minute, thank God. More so, the sheriff was gone. Nothing but his badge was left amongst broken glass. One of the tips of the shiny golden star was bent. She got out of there quickly before anyone came across the vehicle.

Getting back to the dark loft, she dropped the badge on the coffee table. The loud clank made her heart jolt unpleasantly.

"Derek!" she called. "Derek, get out here!"

A dark mass stalked from the bedroom. Derek bore a groggy look, barely acknowledging the cut up mess she was. She was still shaking shimmering diamonds of glass that made themselves known by cutting her from her body. She shook her head with disbelief. He was like a drunk drowning himself to get out of his sorrows…except he didn't drink and couldn't if desired to.

"Derek, it sucks that she's gone, but right now I need your help." Cora said brashly.

He didn't respond. She turned and grabbed the badge, holding it tightly. The well worn trophy of a hardworking man made her feel sick and incompetent.

"Stiles and Lydia have been missing for a week. Now, sheriff Stilinski is missing," she growled. She squeezed the badge and then chucked it at her scruffy brother.

He caught the metal piece effortlessly. The crooked metal pressed into his palm gently. He looked back up at her, his head crooking to the side.

"What am I supposed to do?" His tone matched the bland look on his face.

Cora huffed. Her cheeks warmed with a fiery fury.

"They're your friends too!" she shouted.

Like the days before, it was like talking to a wall. Everything said just bounced off of him. He quit living.

"I think we should leave," he said after a few moments silence.

"Leave? Leave Beacon Hills?"

Derek opened his mouth and knowing what he'd say, she waltzed across the room and punched him. He opened his mouth to speak again. His tongue was tinged red. Cora punched him again. Her hand, though small, brought down wrath that had been bubbling up for a long time.

"You are not an alpha. An alpha wouldn't stand by like this! An alpha wouldn't run away!" she cried.

"I see now why Isaac's allegiance changed."

The loft door opened, breaking the conversation. Cora caught the strong smell of anger as it nearly matched her own. Danny. His sullen footsteps stopped and his eyes narrowed on both of them.

"We need to work together to get this son of a bitch," she said. "Mourn later like the rest of us or at least put it away."

She looked over her shoulder at Danny. His entire wall shattered and it was apparent that loneliness had seeped in, shadowing him.

"I-" he started, "I didn't have very many close friends. The one I did have moved to London because of all this. Then another died because of all this. No more."

They both looked to Derek who still stood still. He touched his lips, wiping away the small bit of blood. The split in his lip already healed. He didn't say anything, making Cora huff.

"Well?" she snapped.

Derek's eyes glowed, the red in them growing more vibrant. His nose flared and suddenly the anger that had festered within Danny and Cora now took over Derek.

"This ends now," he seethed.

"Good," Danny said, "because the real reason I came over was because Scott called me."

Shortly after deciding that Cora would go to L.A. to watch Scott's back and Danny's offer to find Isaac, Derek headed to the clinic.

Mourn later. It was something to work on, Derek thought.

Isaac walked between the shadow covered graves. The trees rustled in the light breeze as if acknowledging his return to this sorrowful place. Slowly, the dark enveloped him until he was near the back of the cemetery. The moon was struggling to peek through clouds.

He crouched and sat on the back of his heels. A few leaves had settled on top of Melanie's grave stone. Grass was starting to sprout from the dirt.

He didn't know what to say. Nothing he said would bring her back. Words wouldn't fix the hole that was swallowing him.

"It was a short forever after all," he mumbled.

His phone buzzed from his back pocket. He pulled it out and pressed the end button.

"Wow that was rude."

Danny came up beside Isaac as he tucked his phone away. He looked down at the grave and brushed the leaves away.

"Scott, Cora and Chris are going to L.A. Derek, Allison and I are staying behind to look for Stiles and Lydia. Are you coming?"

"You're going for the alpha pack?" Isaac asked.

Danny nodded.

Isaac's brow furrowed. So they were going to the alpha pack after all. The alpha pack was going to kill them all.

"Scott said that we'll deal with them later. The whole 'one problem at a time' spiel," Danny replied.

Isaac's gaze moved past the stone as a sudden thought occurred to him. He hadn't thought about it much at all, leaving that is. After graduation, he could go wherever he wanted. He'd always wanted to backpack around Europe, though he didn't think he'd be doing it alone.

Just like he separated from Derek, he could do the same to Scott. He could go omega. It wasn't a particularly good idea but one nonetheless. He didn't have to be a part of anyone's pack and he could do whatever the fuck he wanted.

"I'm going with them. I want that bitch torn apart. After this, after graduation, I'm gone," Isaac said.

He looked down at his palm. A small, silver ring sat in the center and indented a halo into his skin. The band was simple with small diamonds that were evenly spaced around the band. She would've hated anything overly extravagant. On the inside of the band, letters protruded outward. It was new to have this. The letters would press into her finger, imprinting the words into the skin.

The band read: older & wiser.

He placed the ring on top of the gravestone, finally able to rid himself of its hateful reminder.

Derek met Deaton at the animal clinic. They talked in the main office. Derek stood in the doorway. Deaton turned his head and smiled at him. Allison gave him a quick glance then looked back down at the notebook in his hands. She returned from the parking lot after Isaac ran off. Since then Scott left and she stayed. Everything was in disarray. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat, tensing up.

"You've been missed," Deaton said with a light smile to the Hale.

Derek gave a nod in response, but remained null.

"Any ideas yet?" Derek asked.

I've been going through Stiles's notes. His writing is a whole different language," Allison spoke up shyly.

"We were discussing the lunar eclipse the night he was kidnapped," Deaton said.

Derek pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. It was shocking that anyone would kidnap the moron. As it turned out he wasn't actually a moron. He was now too smart just like Melanie.

"Let's focus on getting Stiles and Lydia back first. They can decipher this-" Derek walked over to Allison, looking down at the ugly penmanship on the notebook. Coffee the paper, blurring lines and ink too. His tired eyes widened appalled. "You really can't read this. Jesus, find him and then we'll teach him how to write."

"Derek, we need to focus on the darach. The lunar eclipse is only a week away." Deaton interjected.

So much time had passed already? It didn't matter. None of this mattered if all of this effort was lost with that idiot. Stiles wasn't dead, not yet. Maybe it was a gut feeling or intuition or some feeling, but he wasn't dead. Derek couldn't remember when he'd accepted him into the pack. He was just there like a tick that dug under your skin, sucking away your life and always being there when you just wish he'd just go away.

"No," Derek growled. "Scott and the others are taking care of that. We focus on them."

"Wow, I didn't know you cared so much."

Derek spun around at hearing the all too familiar smartass tone.

Lydia stood with Stiles's arm around the back of her neck, helping him stand. His eyes stared at the three of them lazily as he barely remained conscious from exhaustion. They both squinted tightly and blinked, pained by the lamp light in the room.

"We have a problem," Lydia said. Her legs shook as she struggled to keep Stiles up. His thigh had a gash running up the side of it. Their clothes had tears and were smeared with dirt. Lydia had left lightly bloody footprints in her wake.

"Get Stiles into the exam room," Deaton sighed with his natural calm.

"Where's Scott?" Stiles rasped as Derek helped him onto the metal table. "Have to tell him."

"Tell him what?" Derek asked as Deaton began to clean the open wound on Stiles bicep.

"I know who the darach is after. We're just in the middle. It's not us. It's Kali." Stiles said.

Deaton paused and looked at Derek who stood there unmoved by Stiles's discovery.

"Wait, alpha pack Kali?" Allison said.

"That's the one," Lydia chimed in, grunting. "Jennifer was Kali's advisor. 'Was' is the key word here."

Allison helped Lydia by moving to Stiles's other side to hold up his bruised body.

"Kali disposed of Jennifer just as the alpha pack tried to do with you," Deaton said to Derek. Derek crossed his arms over his chest. The look on his face grew more serious if that was even possible. "This is not good."

"No shit," Stiles said, "We're in the middle of a seriously ugly revenge scheme. So again, where's Scott?"

Allison looked to Derek. Panic widened her eyes and made her shutter a breath.