chapter forty four
bleeding out

Matt had guided the Scott and Harper out into the reception room, the gun he had stolen from the dead police officer pressed against Scott's back as a warning. The main entrance doors opened and Melissa McCall walked inside, turning her head left as she waited for another police officer to greet her.

The Kanima master pressed his gun futher into Scott's back, causing the werewolf to reluctantly call for his mother's attention. Melissa let out a breath, chuckling as she began to walk in, her eyes not letting landing on her son.

"You scared me," she scoffed, "where is every-"

Harper took note of the shift in Melissa's eyes when she looked up and saw the gun that was being pointed at Scott and Harper. The Hispanic woman froze, her lips parted in shock as her brown eyes clouded over with panic.

There was a heavy silence before Scott finally spoke.

"Mum, just do what he says. He promised he wouldn't hurt you." Scott explained to his mum as calmly as he could, but Harper knew him well enough to know that he was freaking out inside.

She felt like she was going to throw up any moment as Melissa didn't say anything, too shocked and scared to move or speak. Matt tutted from behind the two teenagers, causing them to shift their bodies to look at him.

"He's right." Matt lowered the gun towards Scott's stomach and pulled the trigger.

A loud bang echoed throughout the room, followed by the sound of Melissa screaming. Harper let out a cry as Scott fell down, holding where his shirt was soaked with crimson blood, letting out a loud grunt. Harper felt the blood trickling from her own torso before she felt it.

The pain was so agonising that it stopped her from making a sound. The Empath hesitantly looked down, feeling light headed when she saw the blood that stained her dress. Sweat formed on her forehead as she weakly leaned against the wall, slowly falling down on it beside Scott.

Scott quickly looked up from his wound, his eyebrows furrowing futher when he saw the state that Harper was in. He didn't have time to help her before another wave of pain hit him and he flung his head back, gritting his teeth. Of course Harper could feel everything that he was feeling, and she let out a cry of pain, tears streaming down her face.

"Scott! Stiles! Harper!" She faintly heard Noah Stilinski yell, but it was like a blur to her. "What happened?"

"But I didn't say I wouldn't hurt you." Matt smirked down at Scott before raising his eyebrow at Harper, "what are you, then? Some sort of Empath?"

Melissa mumbled something under her breath as she moved forwards to help the two teenagers, only for Matt to point the gun at Harper furiously.

"Back, back!" He yelled, shaking. "I will shoot her!"

"Mum, mum, stop, mum!" Scott cried at Melissa frantically, grunting when he moved too quickly.

Harper felt it too, but bit down on her lip to stop herself from crying out again. Slowly, she could feel the tissue beginning to heal again, giving her some hope. Soon Scott would be back to normal again, which meant so would she.

Suddenly, there was another bang. Harper felt it straight away this time- right in her shoulder. But it wasn't like when Scott had been shot and she could feel his pain, this was different, because it was her own pain. Harper cried out in agony as Melissa screamed again, the bullet lodged in her shoulder causing her to feel physically sick.

Scott's eyes widened and he moved one hand from his healing stomach to Harper's shoulder, holding it there as Harper let out a dry sob, her entire body filling with panic and agony.

Her mother had been shot twice. Once in the shoulder, and the other one, the one that killed her, was the one in the stomach. Thinking about that made Harper feel worse, like her entire being was on fire and she was crumbling down.

"I said back!" Matt screamed again at the poor woman who was trying to edge closer to the teenagers.

"Scott, Harper." Melissa let out a breath, glancing over at them with tears in her eyes.

"Mum, do it." Scott pleaded, "please, mum."

Matt didn't turn around from where he was pointing the gun at Melissa, but muttered over his shoulder, "get up, McCall. Harper, too."

"Matt?" Noah's voice echoed from somewhere in the station, "Matt, listen to me-"

The blue eyed boy began to freak out, shaking his head frantically and gritting his teeth as he screamed, "shut- shut- shut up! Everybody shut the hell up! Now, get up, or I shoot her next!"

Harper's dainty hands gripped onto the wooden bench beside her for support as she tried to hoist herself up, grunting in pain as she did so. She felt something inside her shift, and she felt like she was going to throw up. Scott was up beside her too, one of his hands on her back and the other holding his wound gently.

Harper physically couldn't pull herself up with a bullet wound in her shoulder and Scott's wound in her stomach, causing Matt to yank her up using the back of her dress. She cried out again as he pushed her forwards so she stumbled into Scott.

Scott slowly guided Harper to where Matt was pointing them to, Melissa following behind, terrified. Harper bit her lip as they passed Stiles and Derek on the floor, Stiles's eyes going frantic when he saw the blood over Harper's stomach and her bare shoulder.

"Hey, hey!" He yelled, "what the hell? Harper- Harps, are you okay?"

Harper was going to reply until she felt the gun pressed back against her head, warning her not to speak. Matt lead them into the same room that Sheriff Stilinski had been handcuffed in, and forced Melissa into the holding cell at the back of the room.

Harper had slid down onto the bench beside Noah, Scott leaning against the wall next to her with his hands on his stomach. The pain in her stomach was nothing compared to the pain in her shoulder, leading her to think that Scott had healed- he was just putting on a show for his mum and Sheriff Stilinski.

The brunette couldn't mask her pain as her shoulder throbbed, blood dripping down her pale arms. Noah shifted in his seat from beside her, using his hand that wasn't handcuffed to the pipe behind them to grab her hand. She squeezed it to relieve some of the pain and he didn't mind, he just watched her worriedly.

"Please," Melissa begged as Matt began to lock up her cell, "they need to see a doctor."

"You think so?" Matt muttered, his face inches away from hers.

Harper made a strangling noise at the back of her throat when the pain intensified, and a sudden burst of anger fled through Sheriff Stilinski. The older man shot up off of the bench, letting go of Harper's hand and pointing his finger at Matt angrily.

"Hey, hey, you listen to me!" Noah yelled furiously, only to be cut off my Scott.

"It's all right." Scott reasoned breathlessly, "I'm okay."

Melissa shook her head, "no, honey you're not okay."

Scott's eyes softened, "it doesn't hurt mum."

"Cause that's the adrenaline, okay?" Melissa explained, black tears from her mascara running down her tan cheeks, "please, let me- let me just take a look at them, okay? I mean, I can help stop the bleeding."

Matt turned to the two teenagers. "They have no idea, do they?" He chuckled, amused.

"Please." Ms McCall pleaded again, "let me just take a quick look-"

"Shut up!" Matt screamed, "lady, if you keep talking, I'm gonna put the next bullet through his head."

Melissa took a step back from the bars, licking her lips nervously as tears continued to fall. She nodded shakily, managing to calm down a little- at least on the outside.

"Back to the front, McCall." Matt grabbed Harper by her uninjured shoulder, steering her up from the bench, "after you."

Scott took one last look at his distressed mother before hesitantly walking back to the room that Jackson had taken Derek and Stiles from to. Matt shoved them both inside, Scott dropping the wounded act as he held onto Harper, who was actually hurt.

"The evidence is gone." Scott tried, "and Harper needs medical assistance right now. She's bleeding to death."

Stiles made an inhuman noise from on the floor as he worriedly looked over at his girlfriend, the urge to strangle Matt overwhelming and not a foreign feeling to him. He was absolutely furious to the point of angry tears burning in his hazel eyes, and if he could he probably would have attempted to finish Matt off.

Maybe it was a good thing he was paralysed, since now he couldn't do anything to get them all killed. But the aching feeling in his chest wasn't going away as he listened to Harper's shallow breathing and watched as Scott pressed his hand against her bleeding shoulder, doing his best to help her.

"Harper-"

Stiles was cut off when Matt pointed his gun at Stiles' head, causing him to stop. They all knew that Matt wasn't bluffing anymore. He had shot two people already, he knew he was going down after this, so why not finish the job?

"Harper," Matt mimicked him before chuckling dryly, "oh my God, Harper." He edged closer to the teenage girl, and before Scott could pull her back, caressed her cheek.

"Harper Jean Verum," he sighed, "every guy's dream girl. Do you remember when I said how I'm not the kind of guy to say, 'if I can't have her, then nobody can'? It's not totally true because, Harper, if I can't have you..." he paused before yelling, "no one can!"

Harper cried out and flinched away from him, Scott gently pulling her backwards a little. Matt took a heavy breaths through his nose before chuckling to himself and shaking his head. The entire room was tense as they waited for their next move, Stiles becoming even more worried for his girlfriend's safety.

"Do you think the evidence mattered that much, huh?" Matt scoffed, "no, no, I- I want the book."

Scott's dark brows furrowed together, "what book?"

"The beastiary!" Matt yelled, "not just a few pages, I want the entire thing."

Harper groaned, "we don't have it." She sucked in a breath when Scott adjusted slightly, his slender fingers brushing straight past her wound when he tried to press down further.

Her brain was going fuzzy, and it was as if she was seeing stars. Instead of Matt Daehler's angry face, she saw burning red flashes, and her knees almost buckled beneath her. She clung onto Scott with her clammy palms, trying not to think about fainting.

Scott nodded in confirmation, "it's Gerard's," he elaborated, "what do you want it for anyway?"

"I need answers."

"Answers to what?" Scott raised his voice, moving close to Matt as he grew angrier.

"To this."

Matt suddenly pulled up his shirt, revealing his pale stomach, however the entire left section of his body was covered in scales and grey skin that appeared to slowly be taking over. Everybody's eyes widened at the sight in front of them, and the scales physically moving was enough to make Harper feel sick again.

"Oh God-" Harper breathed, before suddenly she was introduced to a world of darkness- again.

...

"Harper, you stupid bitch." Lydia scolded as she entered the hospital room, her thin eyebrows furrowed together as she advanced towards the injured brunette, "I can't believe this. You were shot?"

"Right in the shoulder." Harper sighed, unable to even lighten the mood with a joke, "it hurts like a bitch. I'm on so much medication right now I don't know how I'm not going completely loopy."

The strawberry blonde's bottom lip wobbled and tears stung her green eyes as she sat down on the seat right next to Harper's bed. She grabbed Harper's hand and pressed her forehead against it, letting out a sob. Harper's heart broke at the sight, moving her good arm around to brush Lydia's hair out of the way.

"Lydia... I'm okay now. Nobody died." Harper pursed her lips together, "is Allison okay? I heard she turned up after I passed out. Stiles didn't tell me much about what happened and I didn't want to press him."

Lydia sniffled as she pulled her face away from her friend's hand, wiping away the black tears from her creamy toned cheeks. She hesitated before replying.

"Stiles didn't tell you, did he?" Lydia replied, a solemn tone to her voice.

Harper's eyes widened, "tell me what?" Her heart monitor began to quicken a little, "Allison's okay, right? Matt didn't shoot her too?"

"Oh my God, Harper, calm down." The strawberry blonde coaxed, gently pushing her back down onto the bed, "Allison is okay, it's just... When you said that nobody died, that wasn't exactly true."

Harper swallowed thickly, "I know the police officers were killed, Lydia." Tears brimmed in her eyes, "if we had heard them... we could have saved them, Lydia. We could have done something."

Lydia looked at her best friend sympathetically, brushing some of the brown hair out of her face. She grabbed her hand, squeezing it gently. The two remained in a silence for a few seconds, only the odd sniffle coming from one of them as they tried to stop themselves from crying.

"Matt died, too." Lydia whispered, "and the police went through his computer last night. Sheriff Stilinski said they found pictures of you on his laptop, Harper."

"He died?" Harper's eyes were wide, and she wasn't sure how to feel. "Did he kill himself? Did someone else kill him?"

Lydia nodded to the second question, "the police say he drowned."

Harper thought that it was ironic how Matt's biggest fear was water, and that was how he died. She almost felt sorry for him, until she remembered what he had done. He had put her through hours of her biggest fear- dying like her parents or losing her friends. He had shot her. He had killed people- innocent people who made stupid mistakes years ago.

"Are you okay?" Lydia questioned upon noticing the Empath's silence.

"I'm fine." Harper sighed, running a hand down her face, "or at least I will be."

Lydia gave a nod, pursing her lips together. "That's what I like to hear."

-

I hate this chapter but the next one is okay (I think).

also i saw tdc on Friday and it's currently Monday night and I'm still upset over Newt. I LOVED HIM SO MUCH UGH