Chapter 11: The past has a neck of repeating itself
If you expect the world to be fair with you just because you are fair, you're fooling yourself.
That's like expecting the lion not to eat you because you didn't eat him.
~John Spence~
...
''There he is.'' She whispered, looking as Scott is lead out into the prison yard. He looks bad. Blood and bruising covering various parts of his body. Crawling closer through the wooded area she gets halted by a strong arm gripping hers.
Peter holds her arm in a vice grip, ''You can't, it's suicide.'' He hisses.
''We have too,'' Growling she pulls herself out of his grip and makes a sprint forward but gets tackled by him. ''Let. Me. Go!''
''Malia, look.'' Kira says, putting a hand on her friends shoulder. ''He's listening.''
She looks down the hill and makes eye contact with him as the guards tug him push him to walk forward. She speeds up, continuing her way down the hill, stumbling over the uneven ground and getting cut by sharp branches.
''I'm coming.'' She smiles, relieved. Tears forming in the corners of her eyes. They did it, they'd found him. Alive.
But he responds by shakes his head, the message clear; telling her to stay put. Her eyebrows scrunch up, freezing in place. Her lip starts to tremble, tears burning her eyes, ''I am.'' She breaths out, voice breaking.
She takes another step when his voice weakly rings through the area, ''Don't.'' she could pretend she didn't hear him, could pretend he was talking to the guards instead of her. Resolved she takes another step when he speaks again, softer than the first time but just as weak like he hadn't used it for a long time, ''Lia, stop. Please.''
An unnatural silence fills the air as they make him kneel on the ground, in the dirt. Like the entire world was holding their breath, frozen in place just as she was. Even the animals in the woods seemed to have gone silent.
A military man walks out in front of him, face devoid of any emotion. ''Scott McCall, True Alpha, Leader of the resistance. You have been sentenced to death in accordance with Monroe's law.''
Scott ignores the man before him instead looking his wife in the eyes after being apart for such a long time, trying to convey all the things left unsaid. How his heart swelled at seeing her again, how much he'd missed her, how much he loved her and how sorry he was.
Prison guards, military personnel, hunters and other prisoners watch the proceedings with bated breath. Camera crews broadcast it live, worldwide.
''Any last words?''
Scott turns his face to the man before him, ''Not for you.''
The man leading in charge nods at two other man holding guns, ''One in the heart and one in the head.''
Glowing red eyes turn to look at his wife one last time before turning forward, facing the camera crew in doing so. With a weak, hoarse voice he speaks conveying strength few could at their own execution, ''We protect those, who cannot protect themselves.''
Two shots ring through the air. Scotts eyes fade from a bright red to a soft brown, his body falling to the ground with a resounding thud.
The silence is broken by sorrowful howls. Cries that can be heard a world over, howls of strangers join the mournful song, sung for their fallen compatriot. Thunder and lightning fill the air as rain pours from the heavens. She stands there frozen, unable to breath let alone cry.
Gasping for air she jumps up, tipping the table over in the process causing a loud crash. Alerting the other occupants of the clinic that she has awakened.
She tries to fight off the pain that swirls through her body, willing herself to get up off the ground with dry eyes and a clear mind.
When she looks up she sees a woman standing in the door opening. It takes her a second to recognize her as the tears blur her vision. Talia doesn't comment on her disheveled state or rapid heartrate. She only walks up to her, handing her a thick sweater before backing away again. Careful not to turn her back on omega.
She quickly throws the sweater on, not taking her eyes off of the Hale alpha. This woman, in some strange and complicated way was her aunt, her family. She wonders if she is truly like Derek described and Peter grumbled about. A woman of immense wisdom, love and power or if maybe they had immortalized only her good qualities.
''Ah Miss Stitch, glad to see that you're awake. Would you like some water?'' Deaton asks, walking past Talia glass already in hand.
Licking her dry lips she nods, ''Yeah, thanks. Call me Malia, no one calls me Miss Stitch.'' Standing up she takes the offered drink, not so discretely sniffing it for possible druiedy things.
''It's just water, Malia.'' Deaton reassures.
''And some questions.'' Talia adds, watching her with hawk-like precision.
Swallowing the water slowly she looks around, ''Where's Deucalion?''
''He had some business to attend to. Not to worry he'll be back in a few hours.'' Talia answers cryptically.
''Business…'' She blinks. Looking up she suddenly notices how bright it is outside. ''He went to meet Gerard didn't he?'' she asks, heartrate picking up again.
Talia looks confused as to how she'd now that. ''Yes,'' She says slowly, ''he left a few minutes ago.''
''We-'' She says breathing heavily as Lydia's voice rings through her head, ''We need to go there, now!''
''We're not going anywhere.'' Talia says, blocking her attempt to leave the clinic. Eyes glowing a violent red, claws elongating, a show of force.
''I don't have time for this!'' She growls, grabbing one of Talia's claws she plunges the Alpha's nails in the back of her neck.
''We meet face-to-face with Gerard, find out what he wants and then we stop all this before it gets any worse.'' Scott argues.
Lydia opposes the idea straight away, ''Last time Gerard was at a peace meeting was with Deucalion, he blinded him and then killed everybody else, including his own men!''
''I'll go. We know he's not going to kill me.'' Chris offers.
''You sure about that?'' Malia asks doubt lacing her question.
Chris simply shrugs, ''Not really.''
Pulling them out, Talia looks at her with wide and confused eyes trying to understand what she's just seen. Deaton looks at Talia in question.
''Can we go now?'' Malia presses desperately.
Talia looks back at Deaton, ''Call Juliana Argent, tell her to go the distillery as soon as possible.''
''She won't go there without a good reason.'' Deaton says.
''Tell her one of her hunters is breaking their code.'' Talia says before sprinting after Malia who's already running out of the clinic. She gets in her car and races to catch up to Malia, ''Get in! The car is faster.''
Jumping in, Malia leans back, shame filling her. How could she screw up this bad, what if they're too late? What if she just squandered her time sleeping and let the world fall into ruin once more. Letting history repeat itself all over again…
''What you did was very dangerous.'' Talia says, breaking her out of her denigrating train of thought.
''Yeah well, danger is kind of part of the deal in our world isn't it?'' She dismisses. Had Gerard killed his men yet? Deucalion's beta's? Had Deucalion lost his eye sight already?
Another car suddenly joins theirs on the quiet road they are racing down. Then two more follow, one filled with hunters the other occupied by Peter, Clara and two other men. Turning to Talia she sees no reaction to it. Focusing her hearing she hears a familiar voice in the first car that joined them, it's less gruffy but it's the same voice nonetheless.
…
''Mom, I don't think this is a good idea. For all we know it could be a trap.'' Chris argues, following the Hale car at backbreaking speed.
''I don't believe it is, emissary's don't do a packs dirty work, Alan wouldn't have had a part in it if this was a set up. Besides we brought back up like you wanted didn't we?'' Juliana tells her son calmly, gesturing vaguely at the SUV behind them.
…
''Why'd you call the hunters to join?'' She's planning on ripping Gerard limb from limb. And she doubts that this ages Chris would be onboard with that plan.
Keeping her eyes on the road as they close in on the distillery, ''Simple, Juliana Argent is a woman of her word and she abides by their code. If someone breaks the rules of the game, they're punished according to the code. That goes for both werewolves and hunters. If he broke the code or was planning to do so then he'll be punished and not a hunter would help him or avenge his death.''
''So… your making sure the kill is sanctioned by his family?''
''Not just his family, the whole hunter community. It'll sent a message to everyone.'' She finishes parking the car with screeching tires.
Malia is already out of the car and in the distillery before the car even came to a full stop. Running in she holds her breath against the gas.
''One of the earliest weapons used by mankind. I'd love to hear your opinion about it.'' Gerard explains smugly.
She sees him but he is yet to see her as he turned towards his own men, men who wanted peace, choking on the gas he released moments earlier. Her first instinct is to go for the kill but that would be too quick, too peaceful. And for what she has in mind she needs time and she can only hold her breath for so long. So instead she runs to the handle, turning it until the gas stops coming out, which takes surprisingly long resulting in her also breathing in the toxic gas.
''And what do we have here? A little stow away. Bad timing young lady.'' Gerard smirks turning to her, the other people in the building still down on the ground gasping for air.
He walks up to her with his spiky medieval bat as she fights to stay upright, coughing as the gas enters her lungs.
''Don't-'' Deucalion gasps from the ground, still effected by the poisonous gas. ''Don't do this. I had a vision, a vision of peace!''
Smirking at Deucalion's weakened state he responds, ''A little shortsighted, wouldn't you say?'' And with that he strikes Malia with his medieval bat, raking the bat along her newly stitched-up back. Growling she falls to the ground, the gas thankfully having dissipated by then.
''I certainly would.'' Juliana's voice cuts through the air like a knife, erasing Gerard's smirk in seconds. ''What do you think you're doing Gerard?''
Turning to his dying wife he answers coldly, ''What's necessary.'' Raising his bat into the air, ready to strike again.
The sound of a gunshot echoes off the walls, freezing everyone in place. Taking her chance Malia jumps up and plunges her claw into the back of Gerard's neck. Eyes glowing a vibrant blue as Gerard sinks to his knees, fading into her memories.
A young hunter rushes to Gerard and Malia, intending to remove her claw from his neck. ''Don't touch them!'' Juliana orders, halting the inexperienced hunter in his tracks.
''What is she doing?'' Clara asks as she helps Deucalion off of the ground.
…
''What is this? What did you do to me?'' Gerard demands as he stands in Beacon Hills square surrounded by bodies.
Malia circles him, ''What do you mean? This was your dream. A world where the supernatural's are hunted down and killed regardless of their morals, lives, age or innocence. This is the world you helped create, aren't you proud?''
A sneer forming on her face, ''Perhaps you would like to hear the songs of your people?''
The bodies seem to go in reverse as if rewinding a movie. When they reanimate they appear to be normal everyday people, shopping, on their way to work, meeting up with friends. But then a boy no older than fifteen bumps his way through the crowd, hiding trying to claw something out of his arm. That's when the first explosion occurs sending people in the blast radius flying and those who aren't, running and screaming in fear.
A group of men, enter the scene, ''Whatever you do, do not let him escape.'' One of them grunts out.
People run for their lives, the smell of burning human flesh fills the air as smoke obscures the peoples sight. In their haste to escape from the violence the people still able to run do so trampling those who are not. Trampling daughters, brothers, mothers, grandfathers, everyone in their way.
''Casualties of war'' Gerard smirks, unaffected other people's pain.
''Mmm, I thought you'd say that. After all cowards like you always die first, unable to sympathize with those who have to suffer the consequences of their actions.'' Malia says, holding her anger back. ''How about getting the full experience?''
The square disappears, turning into an arena. Hundreds of spectators in the bleachers above them.
''What is this?'' Gerard asks, eyes darting around wildly as the crowd above cheers.
Smirking Malia turns to him, ''The full experience of course. See, hunting got boring about five years into the war, killing and imprisoning us got tedious to them. So they found other ways to entertain themselves, using us. And now you get to enjoy it too.''
The sound of growling alerts them that someone else had entered the arena. ''Would you look at that? Your first opponent, the reigning champion Isabella herself.''
Gerard reaches for his gun before realizing it isn't there. He steps back as Isabella closes the distance between the two. Fear tainting the air as Gerard realizes the severity of the situation.
Malia muses out loud as he starts to run for his life, ''You know, it took me hours to defeat her and even then I almost died as a result of the fight. Pity we met this way, in another life we might've been friends. A world without you in it.''
Isabella attacks him, slashing his chest, sending him stumbling backwards. Gerard runs the other direction, Isabella hot on his tail. She tackles him and in one fell swipe rips out his throat. Gurgling he lays there as the crowds cheering increases.
Malia walks into his view, ''Only later, after my escape did I uncover her reason for fighting so fiercely. If she won she got to live of course but if she lost then she'd die knowing her daughter would be sent into the arena next. And unlike you, she actually cared about her children.''
The arena slowly changed into a concrete floor, some type of basement filled with cages. Gerard grasping his throat with wide eyes as it is suddenly fully intact again.
''Up next we have a very rare treat for you all, a real life banshee.'' A big man exclaims in a salesman's voice, ''A harbinger of death, bid now and you may buy the honor of making her scream however you please.''
Gerard's eyes widen as he realizes he's who the man is referring to. Turning to Malia with panicked eyes, ''GET ME OUT OF HERE.''
Fighting to keep a cruel smile on her face even as the memory of the real event makes her want to crumble to pieces, she responds devoid of any emotion. ''Don't worry, the buyer was a woman.''
People start bidding and eventually a woman wins the bidding war. Bringing Gerard to another room, the guards tie him down to a screwed down chair where the buyer circles him with a crazed filled smile on her face.
''Don't worry my pretty bird, I'll make you sing again.'' The buyer bends down, standing face to face with him, showing off eyes that scream crazy.
She then takes out a hammer, ''One little birdie flew away one day.'' She says as she slams the hammer down on his hand.
''Two little birdies got carried away.'' She whispers excitedly, slamming the hammer against his shin. Her face gleaming with delight when Gerard screams in pain, ''Yes! birdie sing some more for me.''
This goes on for hours only stopping when the buyer loses interest because her 'bridie' has stopped responding.
''It's no fair my toys always break so quick.'' She pouts, leaving the torture chamber. Her voice echoing of the walls, ''I want one that heals next time, a wolfie. The birdies are too fragile.''
The basement slowly changes into a quiet house. Malia tip toes through it as flames lick at her heels, dragging Gerard behind her, the smell of his burning skin a welcome addition to his screams and pleas. He succumbs to his wounds much sooner than she wants, forcing her to change the scene again.
The streets of Beacon Hills are abandoned, streets littered with debris and broken down cars. Public buildings, roads, houses all fallen into ruin. Few houses still stand, most having been reduced to mere rubble or burned out shells of their former selves. Not unlike it's people in that account. Beacon Hills was nothing special though, by the time the war drew to its end, most towns and cities were left like this. Ghost towns. Fitting really, for a world filled with ghosts.
''You know Gerard, you were the start of it all, you set the wheels in motion. But do you want to know the funny part? The kicker of it all?'' She smiles tauntingly, leaning closer to his ear. ''No one even remembered you. You were-'' she continues mocking his own statement from earlier, ''just another casualty of war.''
She laughs hollowly, anger finally entering the forefront surpassing the grief. ''You loaded the gun by blinding Deucalion. And Kate, your daughter, she pulled the trigger when she burned the Hale family alive.''
Shaking her head she doesn't give him a chance to speak, anger lacing her every word. ''You know my husband once told you that if you lied and it got people hurt, then he'd come back for you to take away more than just your pain.''
She clenches her jaw as the tears fall unbidden, ''Well Gerard, I'm a few years early but I'll be honoring my husband's promise.''
…
''It's been hours. Does it usually take this long?'' Clara asks as they sit in the distillery. The number of heartbeats in and around the distillery grew as the hours ticked by.
The alpha's standing a little ways off with Juliana and Victoria Argent, discussing what they should do next. Gerard had broken the code and the consequences were clear. However the hunters wanted to deal with him according to the code themselves, at least if their word was anything to go by. Gerard was still their family after all. Could they even trust that they'd follow through on their promises of punishment, should they even entertain the thought after what he'd attempted to do.
Peter looks at the naïve teenage beta, shaking his head. ''Usually? Nothing is usual about this. It's extremely dangerous, that's why only alpha's should be able to do it…''
''But she's not-''
James enters the distillery cutting the younger beta off. ''That's not what's important,'' He says, cutting off their discussion. ''A beta, even an omega could do it. It carries great risks for both the participants but it has been done before.''
''Then what is important? Because I'm finding it all rather boring. Sitting here doing nothing, while we could easily slit his throat right now. Not like he doesn't deserve it.'' Marco spits out, standing in the corner.
Letting out a derisive laugh, he smiles coldly, ''So eager to go for the kill, without thinking I bet. Let's say you rip out his throat right now. Have you thought about the consequences of that action?''
Marco scoffs, ''We have the right. He tried to kill our alpha!''
''I didn't ask about your rights, now did I?'' James answers coldly, this particular beta had always given him a bad feel. Young, dumb and eager to kill. A dangerous combination for a werewolf, especially a bitten one.
''The she wolf will die along with my father.'' Chris says, leaning against the wall.
Marco turns to him smirking, ''So? She's an omega and not even a wolf at that. Besides it's not like she'll be missed by anyone.''
A single growl wipes his smugness and macho attitude away. Talia passes him coldly, walking up to Malia and Gerard's seemingly frozen bodies, Deucalion, Juliana and Victoria in tow.
''What is she doing to him?'' Victoria asks, disgust leaking into her voice. Her hatred for the supernatural born on the same night she met Chris. Her father got bitten by what he'd then assumed was a stray dog, two days later he turned into a werewolf, killing both her mother and younger sister. She'd only barely escaped the same fate because Chris and Gerard had come in, blasting the beast that was once her father into to smithereens.
Juliana turns to Talia and Deucalion in question, ''I would like to know that as well. Do you know what she's doing?''
Sighing Talia closes her eyes before turning to Juliana, ''I couldn't say for certain. Depending on her skill level she could be searching through his mind for something. She could be taking a memory or-'' she pauses suddenly.
''Or?'' Victoria spurs on, lips pursed in annoyance.
Eyebrows raised in surprise Talia continues, ''Or, she could be showing him her memories.''
Scratching his head Peter interrupts them. No one ever accused him of knowing his place. ''And why would she do that?'' He asks, disbelieve coloring his face.
''Maybe he's the one that hurt her.'' Clara mutters, eyebrows drawn together in deep thought.
Marco snorts at his packmates musings, ''If that were the case why didn't she just kill him then?''
''Riveting conversation.'' Victoria drawls, rolling her eyes. Gaining a growl from one of the Hale beta's.
Talia and Deucalion make meaningful eye contact, turning to Juliana who seems to be contemplating the same. All three sensing that the atmosphere is turning hostile among their subordinates. Tensions rising as the sun started to fall.
Nodding Juliana sends Victoria and the other hunters home. Deucalion and Talia round up their beta's with the same intend. Keeping only one person by their side each: Chris, Dean and James.
They wait until the others have truly left the premises and vicinity. Going as far as checking the surroundings before heading back inside the distillery.
Reentering Talia's nose scrunches up, ''You smell that?''
''He smells as if he's in pain...'' Deucalion nods, eyebrows shooting into the air as he sniffs the air near them. ''A lot of it.''
''What about her?'' Chris asks, observing the unknown she-wolf.
Dean closes his eyes, focusing on her chemo signals. He inhales deeply, frowning as he exhales. ''Pain as well but different from his.''
''Indeed their pain is entirely different.'' Deucalion affirms.
Sighing Chris raises his eyes to meet Deucalion's, ''I'm almost afraid to ask but how is it different?''
''If I had to describe it I'd say Gerard smells of hurt, injury. While Malia smells of anguish and grief. Though there is plenty of anger simmering around both of them.''
''Malia.'' Juliana repeats, letting the name roll over her tong. Gaining the others attention.
Surprise coloring her face Talia turns to the huntress, ''You know her.''
Seeing all eyes upon her she shakes her head in denial, ''Not really, I met her two days ago in the grocery store.''
''She's the woman who helped you when those hooligans almost knocked you to the ground.'' Chris exclaims as the realization dawns on him.
Nodding Juliana observes the young woman before her more closely, blue eyes signifying a killer of the innocent. Scars proof of her own suffering. Her actions that day were simple but rooted in instinct, her first instinct was to help an old woman instead of going after the teens in a rage. That says something.
''She needs to let him go soon,'' James says as blood starts to drip from both of their noses.
…
Withering on the ground Gerard plans his revenge. He doesn't care about her sob story, will he change something as a result of this revelation? Of course. After all what use is a future without supernatural's if he, his family and the Argent name disappear into nothingness. The Argent name should be praised into the heavens, cemented on buildings, they're name should be written into the history books after all they'd done.
''You know I didn't realize the magnitude of hatred before or even during most of the war. I thought I did, was convinced of it actually. I sure hated a lot of people and a lot of people hated me but it wasn't until the atomic bombs dropped that I understood true hatred.'' Malia explains as Gerard's body spasmed on the forest ground.
Around them the few people around start crumbling to the ground, blisters forming on their bodies, bodies spasming from the pain just like Gerard's.
''It was like nothing but hate was left in the world, everything else, everyone else had perished.'' Wiping her tears away she turned to face Gerard again.
The scene changed again. Suddenly they were back in the distillery, though seeing as they were completely alone it wasn't over yet. Getting on his knees he addresses the she-wolf, ''I'm truly sorry this happened-''
She clenched her jaw, his voice, his insincere apology grating her nerves . Snarling she interrupts him, grabbing him by his neck. ''No you're not!'' Sliding her claw into the back of his neck once again.
…
Breaking apart, Gerard drops to the ground as Malia stumbles backwards. The people surrounding the two jump back. Malia not one for wasting time jumps for Gerard, a mere foot away she gets halted by the sound of a gun cocking.
''Don't move!'' Chris demands, pointing his Glock at her.
Eyes darting between Gerard and Chris she weights the risks versus the rewards. Tilting her head, she threatens him, ''Don't bring a gun to a knife fight Chris. The average human can travel twenty-one feet within 1,5 seconds, how fast do you think you could pull that trigger? Faster than I could get to you?''
Grabbing her sons gun, Juliana lowers it, ''He broke the code.'' Sadness leaking into her voice, ''Let her do what's necessary.''
Recognizing the old woman from the grocery store she nods at her. ''An old crow never forgets a favor.''
Gerard narrows his eyes on her as she speaks one of his wife's idioms, confusion and betrayal coloring his face.
She sees Gerard getting up in the corner of her eye, still dazed from his little trip in her mind. She advances on him when he suddenly pulls out a gun. A flurry of movement happens behind her at the sight of the gun as she reaches to claw out his throat.
A shot echoes through the building, a bullet enters a skull and a body drops to the ground.