Chapter 63

The day came and it would be night soon. Derek kept calm to an unimaginable level without giving away his sister's whereabouts and activities. Jennifer kept herself attached to him literally. A few times she tried to flirt and seduce him, but instead she nearly strangled him when he didn't take any interest in her. Danny came into the loft at that point in and was able to help fend her off. Derek threw her into a wall, cracking the asphalt. Danny refused to leave afterward. His eyes were bloodshot. He stood in a shadow covered corner of the wide open room with a baseball bat in his hands. It wasn't the best weapon choice but it was all that was available and Stiles had left it behind months ago. Tensions were high and sleep was low for everyone.

"Go." Derek said into his phone before hanging up.

Jennifer paced across the room in front of him, watching out the window.

"It's going to be beautiful night."

"I still don't understand how I will be useful. I'm going to be powerless just like them," Derek said, referring to the lunar eclipse.

"You're going to replace my sacrifices." Jennifer smiled maliciously, taking pleasure in the sickly shade of white Derek's face turned suddenly.

"The hell he will," Danny cut in angrily.

Derek looked to Danny a little taken aback by his outburst. He forgot he was still there. He looked back to Jennifer.

"You are in fact an amazing alpha, Derek. Even as your pack crumbled to the ground and left you all alone, you defend them. They blame you for recent transgressions and want to see you dead, yet you still help them. There is no truer guardian than the one that doesn't give up," she said. "I have to be honest, I thought you were giving up, but you really came through in the end. It's almost honorable."

The room shifted in color as the last bit of sunshine descended behind the horizon of buildings. Purplish haze stretched over the cool concrete floor. The moon would rise in an hour and thirteen minutes. And hour after that, the lunar eclipse would

Jennifer had already contacted Scott, telling him where they would meet. The place was outside of town at an abandoned lumber warehouse. She made the same offer to him as well about freeing his mother and the others. Derek knew that he wasn't going to believe it, not if the alpha pack was coming with him and he knew all about that from Cora. That was why she had her own mission and she was on it right now. Being out of harm's way was a bonus.

"Don't think you can turn on me when we arrive," Jennifer said, cutting through his thoughts that were just about that. "If you do, they die immediately."

Derek still said nothing. She was right about one thing. He was determined to protect all of them even though they wanted him dead. His forehead creased, pinching the space between his dark eyebrows.

"Derek," Danny said with hope lingering in his eyes.

Derek looked up at him and puffed out a short, quiet laugh with a smile. He here because of her. He looked tired and worn down. The muscle definition of his shoulders and arms had grown, probably because working out was all he could to not think about all that had happened.

"After all of this is over? Go to college. Go find Ethan. Go far away and don't come back," Derek said. "That's an order. I won't put you in danger anymore."

He knew Danny would listen. He wasn't a werewolf under his control, but he was in his pack. So he got the order that Derek gave the others. Danny's face slackened and Derek wondered if he was going to vomit. Then he frowned angrily that he would order that, knowing that he would alone.

Danny licked his lips, and looked down at his hands in his lap.

"Fine." The sharp word unexpectedly stung Derek.

"You have to admit, he's kind adorable when he's all protective, right Danny?" Jennifer said coyly. She tilted her head to the side with an innocent girl's face.

"Fuck off," Danny spat.

Isaac slipped on his black leather jacket. It had been a long time since the last time he'd worn it. It surprised him that Melissa had kept it since he'd moved out. He stomach grumbled hungrily.

"I could really go for Mexican," he grumbled to himself.

"Hey." Scott leaned in the doorway.

Isaac nodded and took one last look at himself in the mirror before heading downstairs with Scott. Allison was on the phone arguing with Lydia. She tried to keep her voice in a hush but it rose and she would try to hush down again.

"Allison is going to meet us there," Scott said.

"Is that safe," Isaac asked.

"I trust her," Scott said, watching her.

He eyes softened with concern. He wasn't certain at all, but Isaac didn't say anything.

"Where's Stiles?"

The usual strain of annoying input with a side of sarcasm had been lacking quite a bit in the last few days. Stiles hadn't come by at all since the fire. Danny hadn't been heard from either. Scott was uncertain about their whereabouts too.

"We can't worry about that. I'm just hoping he doesn't have plan," Scott said as they left the house.

"We all know how well those go," Isaac added.

"Exactly."

"Go." Derek said and then hung up.

"Go." Cora said to Stiles.

Stiles flew backwards out of the driveway. Cora held the rooftop, keeping herself from flying around in the vehicle. Cora pulled the list from her pocket. The sheriff and the others were at one of these places. First on the list was a mausoleum. It was in the cemetery on the other side of town, not the small one that Isaac tended.

The mausoleum was a massive maze of marble. The two split up, but there was no sign of life. There were a lot of dead flowers at the grave plaques. A good majority didn't even have any. It was saddening that it had been so long since these people had visitors. If tonight didn't work out just right, they would be joining them.

The next place was the oldest church in town. The bells were ringing, cuing the hour. Their deep and haunting sound reached across town. The two dashed up the cascade of stairs to the green, medieval style doors. Stiles shook them, but that did magically unlock them. He huffed and kicked it.

"Stiles, we are running out of time," Cora said. Her voice shook unevenly. She stared up at the moon uneasily. Her muscles tightened as the change became more alluring and irresistible. She suppressed a groan and her spine popped close to the small of her back.

Cora looked around for anybody close by. Stiles yanked on the door rings harder. He was now doing it completely frustrated. Cora pushed him aside. He shook his head, giving her a deranged look.

"What gives?"

Cora didn't respond. She barely heard him as she tried to focus. Her eyes glowed golden and breaths became shallower. She looked down at her hands. The veins over the top of her hands ballooned and her claws extended. She growled. Stiles's feet scratched against the bit of gravel as he backed away. Her skin got warmer a whoosh of waves. Cora tried to retract her claws not wanting to fully change. Slowly, they returned to chipped away nails that were bitten down to the skin.

She threw the entire left side of her body against the door with as much werewolf strength as she could muster without changing fully. The wood creaked and moaned, opening just a sliver.

"Really?" She whined out of breath. "All of that and a creak..."

Stiles pecked her on the lips then took her hand and ran inside.

"This church has a tomb underneath it. We should look there." He said as they walked down the aisle of the main room

Cora shivered at seeing the large cross with Jesus on it. The statue stared down at them from his cross ready to smite them. With how the shadows struck his face, making him look angry and vengeful. She wanted out of there as quickly as possible.

"Cora! Over here," Stiles called.

His heartbeat pounded erratically, thrumming in her ears like a clock ticking down not only to the deaths of the ones they were searching for but for themselves. She ran from the altar room, down the hall, and dashing through what looked like a hole in the stone wall. The black iron-wrought gate was already open. Stiles's was already down the hallway. She could see the spotlight of his flashlight bouncing left and right.

"Cora!" he called.

She ran faster. Her legs didn't burn, but thrived on the sudden burst in speed. She longed to change and release all of the burdened stress. She was behind Stiles instantly and nearly trampling over his heels.

The hallway stopped in a large room. Cobwebs were everywhere. The layout was similar to the mausoleum. There was a tomb in the center and the room opened up in a T-shape. Orange light of a street light streamed in through a small window up near the parking lot. It was all that lit up the musk-filled tomb. Stiles waved his hand in front of his face, resisting a dusty cough that was working its way out.

Cora pushed the stone top of the tomb aside. The corner broke of as it landed with a loud crash, taking off a part of the intricate flowers that were carved into it. Stiles stared at her with a mixture of awe and ardor. Nothing but an old corpse with a daddy long leg crawling across its face lay inside. Cora huffed and moved quickly to look down both ways at the very end of the room.

Pushing two other lids from their tombs, shattering them in the process, she felt her frustration rise higher rather than release from the aggressive outlet. They weren't here either.

"Stiles," she growled.

"We have time," he insisted as they ran out of the church.

"My brother is risking his life for you pathetic idiots and I'm stuck doing this!" she shouted. She turned and slammed her fist against the side of his jeep. The impact left a dent above his rear tire.

Stiles looked at the ground helplessly and guilt ridden.

"We're not like you," he said quietly. "We don't have all of the abilities you have, but it's not our fault. None of this is either of our faults."

Her face loosened from its ingrained glare directed at the dent she'd made. He took her face into his hands.

"We have to hurry. We find them, and then we help the others and this whole feud ends…maybe."

Cora nodded and got in the jeep. Stiles looked at the dent and whined then got in and sped out of the lot. Hopefully there'd be no bad karma for breaking into the church. They didn't do any grave robbing, not that there was anything worth taking.

They stopped by the cross country trail next. The tree that was supposed to be some sort of landmark was somewhere.

"You don't know where it is?" Cora screeched.

"There wasn't a lot of research on it!" Stiles replied. "I only guessed the last two places for obvious reasons. They were creepy and really freaking old. This tree is really freaking old and mysterious. Can't you sniff it out or something?"

Cora swatted him upside the head making him hiss.

"Do I look like Scooby Doo?" she snapped.

He scowled, rubbing the sore spot that would soon be a goose egg.

"Let's run the trail. You go ahead. You're faster," he said.

Cora looked down at her leather combat boots unhappy that they were about to get really muddy. She burst into a sprint. Her hair whipped behind her and the dead weight of leaves flew up behind her. They settled too quickly for Stiles to follow.

She kept his scent though, so he wasn't too far away. Her heart beat hard against her chest as the dark night enveloped her more. She could see perfectly. She didn't fear the change. She craved it. Changing into a werewolf wasn't a curse or some part of you that you had to fear. It was an evolution that moved beyond fear. The change was a freedom. As a regular human, one couldn't achieve such strength, speed and other abilities, like seeing in the dark and healing a little faster than the norm. It was a gift that one learned to live with.

Cora skidded along the dry leaves, coming to a stop. Her nose tickled with a new smell; one that was very familiar. She turned and ran from the path. She felt like little red riding hood straying from her destination, but she was the wolf. The scent increased. It was the sheriff.

A large stump that was more than ten feet in diameter with thick roots that was woven into the ground wasn't far off. This was the really old tree Stiles was talking about. She could sense its power. The tree was gone but not its roots. She ran around it but didn't see how three adults could be there. And they were here. Their scent was all over the remnants of this tree. There wasn't an opening.

She ran her fingers through her hair and searched around her. There had to be some weird lever or rope. She walked around the stump again and watched for anything that stuck out.

"Help!"

Cora spun around. The feminine voice came from inside of the stump.

"Help us!"

It was Melissa.

"Melissa!" Cora shouted.

She pounded her small fists on the uneven surface of the stump. Her hands slid down the small slope of the trunk. This was impossible. She jerked her hand back suddenly at feeling a strange bumpiness. Looking down, she saw the fivefold Celtic knot that linked the place to the darach. She ripped her claws across the symbol. The roots recoiled backwards like snakes, opening up to wooden stairs that descended to a dusty room where all three parents were tied up. Chris smelt of blood. His forehead was bleeding.

Random things littered the small room: a blue, metal gasoline can, a chair with one broken leg and a picture frame for example. Roots poked out from the earthy walls. Melissa and Chris were wriggling in their binding ropes.

As Cora made her way to them, the ground began to shake.

Scott pushed himself off the hood of Allison's car at hearing the rustling of footsteps coming from the woods. Deucalion stepped out of the shadows but remained at the edge and leaned against a tree trunk. Kali slunk elegantly beside him. Her footsteps were lighter. Her bare feet were smooth and clean, though her toe nails were sharp just like the claws on her hands. She eyed each of them through red and narrow eyes.

Scott glanced back at Allison and Isaac. Isaac hadn't moved from his lax position. His back was to them and he stared up to the sky in a sort of daze. The striking color of his eyes glowed a stunning deep blue. It was the full moon. Scott had been feeling the effects too.

Allison had her arms crossed over her chest both to keep herself warm and to keep the ring daggers that were tucked away up her sleeve hidden. A few light curls that had fallen from her ponytail hung around her face. She looked between Scott and Deucalion.

"It seems all is in order, yes?"

Scott nodded once.

Deucalion turned his head up. The sky turned a shade of pink and grew darker.

"Wow, Scott."

All but Isaac turned to see Jennifer approach them with Danny and Derek in tow. Isaac's shoulders tensed, but he kept his hand stuffed in his pockets.

"I see you have made my life so much easier," Jennifer continued.

"Derek?" Scott said.

He looked completely mortified.

"You're working with her!?" he exclaimed.

Isaac turned but still kept his strange calm. His neutral expression gave away that he expected something like this to happen. Derek hadn't been around, hadn't been speaking to any of them, but he had let his duties as an alpha go.

"I did what I had to do," Derek said.

He wasn't angry or trying to defend himself on the subject. The ground turned red as Moses turning the Nile into blood. The lunar eclipse.

"Now!" Derek shouted.

Danny ducked down and backtracked several feet as Derek grabbed Jennifer and threw her to the ground. Danny came back with glimmering blades in his hands. They were Melanie's sais. He rose one up high over her chest and brought it downward, bellowing at the same time. All of it happened so fast that Scott didn't have time to react. None of them did. Deucalion stayed in his relaxed position, listening to the futile attack.

Jennifer rolled out of the way and the sai cut into the earth. He raised the one in his o her hand, but she kicked him backwards. Derek grabbed her around the throat. She grabbed his forearm and pulled herself out of his strangling hold. She twisted his arm sharply. He yelled out in agony. The bone broke in two places

Scott took the cue and swooped in, kicking her. His ankle burst in sudden burning agony. With a simple shove with her hand, Jennifer sent Scott flying backwards into Isaac. Derek held his arm to his chest, groaning. The lunar eclipse kept his bones from healing. Jennifer glared at Deucalion. He and Kali stepped out into the red moonlight. It wouldn't be long before it was over. Scott was a distraction for him to wait and then destroy her.

"You took my life!" Jennifer screamed.

She stood up. Dirt caked her black skinny jeans and jacket.

"And we're going to make sure you don't come back this time," Kali retorted with a roar.

With her palms facing the ground, Jennifer's eyes shook and thick roots burst up through the ground. They pierced Kali's body, going all the way through her flesh. Her body gave out and she hung lifelessly impaled. Scott and Isaac stared up in horror. Blood dripped down the roots. After a minute they started to sink back down into the ground. Kali disappeared with them.

"Well," Jennifer said out of breath. She looked back at Derek who cradled his broken arm. "You were never going to give me your power were you?"

She didn't wait for him to respond.

"No matter. I still have the final sacrifices. It'll be complete before the lunar eclipse ends and I'm going to destroy you." She snarled at Deucalion. "And then, I'm going to kill them."

The ground started to shake. The shrill sound of Allison's car alarm went off.

Dirt fell from the crack in the ceiling and beams over Cora's head. She blinked rapidly, trying to keep it out of her eyes. A loud crack came from overhead. Cora pushed Chris to the side as the ceiling overhead came crashing down. The beam he had been leaning against broke and the entire ceiling caved in. Cora caught the board above them. Her palms burned and itched as splinters punctured the soft skin. Her biceps ached and she shook, struggling to keep the entire place. Without her abilities, it was near impossible. The weight was more than she could bear. Her knees buckled and she fell to her knees.

Melissa screamed. The ground continued to rattle. Stiles, where are you, Cora thought. She trembled.

"Cora, keep it up," the sheriff said.

He wrangled with his bindings just like the others but like them, he wasn't getting free. Cora wasn't ready to fail, not after coming so far. She grunted. Pellets of sweat slid down her temples.

With a clunk, a metal baseball bat kept the rest of the wooden structure from burying them by sliding in and propping the beam up. Cora's chest heaved with deep, painful breaths. Her arms fell to her side. They were nearly dead. Stiles knelt beside her out of breath and held her up.

"I forgot my…bat. Then I…couldn't...find you," he said between gulps of air. "Aren't you glad I brought it?"

He looked at Cora with a goofy grin. She growled and punched him in the shoulder.

"OW!" he hollered.

"Hey!"

Both teens turned.

"Can you wait until after we're out of this death trap before beating my son?" Sheriff Stilinski said.

The two of them untied the sheriff, Melissa and Chris. They made it up to the surface.

"Call Danny. We have to tell them that we found them," Stiles said.

"Ahhhh!" Melissa screamed.

A root had come to the surface and wrapped around her calf, trying to pull her in the ground.

"Help!"

Cora let go of Chris and slid across the ground, grabbing her by her wrists.

"Stiles!" she yelled.

Stiles eyed the ground and stepped carefully. The sheriff grabbed for his holster then remembered that his gun was taken just like Chris's knives had been. Stiles looked upward to the canopies as a gust of wind swept down around them. Trees swung one way and then another.

"We have to get out of here!" Chris's shouted.

"That's kind of difficult when we're being sucked into the ground!" Cora shouted.

Sheriff Stilinksi wrapped his arms around Cora's waist and pulled hard.

"Get Chris out of here," he grunted to Stiles.

"But-"

"Go!"

Danny sat up on his elbows. His head throbbed and his vision was double. He groaned dully and stood up. He watched as Allison threw her daggers at Jennifer. They were easily deflected and she was tossed aside. Her arm bled; blood trickled down her elbow. She didn't stop. Determined, she got up and followed Isaac's lead and tried for another attack.

The screech of Danny's cell phone made him jump. He fumbled it and ran to Derek's side. It was a text from Stiles.

"Derek, they're all okay," Danny said.

Jennifer spun around.

"They won't be for long."

Danny cowered at the sound of her voice. It was deeper and echoed like she was possessed. He looked up. The red of the moon was starting to fade. Just a couple more minutes if they could last that long.

Leaves spun in a vortex off the ground, whirling around Jennifer.

"I believe this is the moment where I step in," Deucalion said.

He sighed with a look of boredom.

"The moon will be visible soon. Jennifer, let this be over," Deucalion said.

He stepped out into the clearing, blocking her direct view of Scott.

"It is," she hissed.

She ran at him. She swung her fist, making contact with his jaw. Deucalion's walking stick fell from his hands and he stumbled sideways. Scott looked up at the night sky. He could feel his strength returning. He clenched his fists and moved to attack her. Isaac was faster. He flew past Scott and sank his teeth into the woman's arm.

Jennifer backhanded him. Isaac shook his head. Dirt shook from his hair like dust. Jennifer turned on him.

"You're a pain in my ass," she snapped.

Under the glow of the moonlight, she could see the distinct redness from her slap. Deucalion recovered quickly. Isaac scrambled backwards like a crab. Deucalion's eyes glowed horrifyingly red. The color seeped past the edges of his sunglasses. He ripped them off and threw them aside. Jennifer looked up and then back at him. The eclipse was over. She staggered backwards. Panic filled her eyes. Deucalion stopped her quickly, grabbing the back of her neck. He shoved her forward. She fought futilely in his hold. His claws were sunken into her throat.

Deucalion bit into her neck viciously. Blood, blacker than oil, gushed from the wound. The alpha roared and threw her. She hit a thick tree trunk and fell to the ground.

Deucalion picked up his walking stick and then brushed the patches of dirt off his pants.

"This affair is finished," he said. "Let her bleed to death."

He turned to Scott who was rubbing the back of his sore neck.

"I will see you soon."

It wasn't a friendly statement but one that was matter of fact.

The pale of the full moon enveloped everyone as they struggled to recover. Isaac stared at Jennifer. She coughed and held her throat, trying to stop the bleeding.

"It's over," he breathed.

"Not quite."

Deucalion paused by the disturbed dirt of where Kali was pulled under. The earth was wet and dark red. Danny helped Derek stand. Derek hissed and groaned as he shifted his broken arm back into place. He flexed his finger. Pains still shot up his arm but it wasn't as bad as before.

He watched Allison cradle Scott in her arms. Isaac stared at Deucalion's feet mortified. The red dirt shifted. Fingers poked through the ground, grabbing and breaking the earth. A hand then arm came out next. Isaac scooted backwards. The hand reached out desperately but nobody moved to help it.

Danny stared as Derek backed away like frightened cats. He could feel the alpha tug on him, pulling him backwards too, but he couldn't take his eyes from the dirty, bloody arm that struggled to crawl out of its grave. The scene had him flashing back to every zombie movie he'd ever seen. The two turned and ran.

Another hand burst from the ground and yanked fistfuls of grass up as it crawled. It was Kali. Covered in blood, she looked around at the others.

"Kali," Deucalion greeted with a neutral nod.

"God, that hurt," she growled.

She lay on the ground. Deucalion made no attempt to help her. He waited. Her chest stuttered as she sucked in deep breaths. To Scott, she looked as if she were overcoming an asthma attack. Splotches of blood spotted the parts of her body where she had been ran through with those roots. Her eyes were a deadly shade of red just like Deucalion's had been moments before.

The two of them disappeared into the woods moments later and without a word.

Isaac stared after them angrily, thinking about Deucalion's words-not quite. Isaac believed him. He wasn't going to let them go. It was too easy.

The stars glittered overhead like they did every night. They were unaffected by the world's troubles. They just stayed in one place, changing or dying. Maybe that was the only thing that people had in common with stars. They changed and died. They certainly were beautiful to look at though.

Isaac's eyes watered. For Melanie, it was over. The whole avenging idea that kept him alive was fulfilled and he didn't feel as bad as before, but the pain was still there and it still hurt like hell to breathe. Looking up with the smallest bit of relief, he felt like he could survive at the very least. She'd want that. He could imagine her coming up with some witty tagline for this. The wicked bitch was dead. That's what she would say and it would be feisty.

"Isaac," Scott said, pulling him out of his head. Isaac snapped his head back down from its lull up at the stars. Scott was holding Allison's hand. She held is tightly. She was scared, but Scott didn't see it. Like Isaac, he had a look of relief. "Let's go home."