Olivia's POV:

"Are you sure you have the right vials?" I worriedly ask.

"Only an idiot wouldn't have grabbed a vial labeled 'emergency blood' on it." Theo's voice rang from Scott's phone. "Of course, I have the right ones, genius. Your dad will be doing cartwheels as soon as he drinks this stuff."

Scott snatched his phone back from my hand. "Just buy us more time. Wherever Liam and the others are, get them out of there."

"Am I buying you time to come up with a plan, or to get help?"

"Both." He sternly stated before hanging up the call and walking over to help Malia set down the metal cover to the backdoor.

"Liv?" I turn and meet Allison's look of concern. "Can we talk?"

I wince, remembering how I left the complex without telling her. "Look, I know I shouldn't have left like that and made you worry. I wanted you to rest and--"

"No, no. I'm not mad about that. I mean, I was a little confused but we can talk about that later." She gently cut in, guiding me to sit down in the waiting room chairs. "Lydia saw something in her premonition and...I'm worried that it might come true."

I tilt my head to the side in confusion. "What was it about?"

"...us." She paused and my eyes soften. "Lydia saw everyone else turn to stone except for us but...you were engulfed in flames. Almost as if you couldn't control what you were doing and from the way, Lydia explained it, I had to put you down with some sort of golden arrow."

My heart sinks in discomfort. "Like the one that I saw in the armory." I whisper and her eyes slightly widen.

"What are we going to do?" She rasped as she frantically shook her head. "I-I can't lose you again. I won't. Not after finally getting a chance to get out of here."

"Hey, listen to me." I whisper, grabbing onto her hands to squeeze them. "I'm not letting a premonition stop me from moving into our apartment to live the rest of our lives together, okay? It won't happen."

"Olivia--"

"Guys," We look away from each other and see Lydia enter the room to walk towards the entrance. "Scott needs you guys to be there before we give Stiles and Derek the rundown."

We walk back into the exam room just as Lydia flipped the animal clinic sign on the door from 'OPEN' to 'CLOSED' and gather where everyone else stood around the metal exam table.

"So, literally day one of my internship," Stiles began to explain. "and up comes this slide about this guy they've been chasing in the woods in North Carolina."

Malia frowned in confusion as her eyes landed on Derek. "I thought you were in South America?"

He grimly nodded. "I was. The bodies of the wolves I told you about? They blamed me."

"So, I learn that the FBI has cornered this feral, mass-murdering unsub--"

"I found a group of Hunters gathering in a meeting place. I was trying to get information." Derek raised his voice in annoyance, cutting Stiles off from his sentence.

Stiles rolled his eyes. "Yeah, well, the FBI found out about it, too, and they were planning a SWAT assault to take him down, dead or alive." He emphasized, taking note of our surprised expressions in which he awkwardly cleared his throat. "And, as we all know, though, with Derek, it's preferably dead."

Derek shrugged, acknowledging some truth to his words. "Preferably."

"So, I convinced them to take me on the field op."

"You convinced the FBI to bring an intern onto an extremely dangerous field operation?" Lydia incredulously asked.

"A spazzy-sarcastic guy like you managed to do that?" I snort, shaking my head with disbelief.

"I'm surprised he didn't convince them he could lead it." Derek sarcastically added.

"I tried...didn't work." Stiles muttered before he shook his head. "Anyway, long story short, I basically had to—you know, save his life. It was literally out of a movie! I dragged him out of the smoking building, carrying him in my arms, since he was bleeding out a lot and--"

"That's not how it happened." Derek cut in.

"Yeah, I may have left out a detail," Stiles's gaze flickered to some of our unamused expressions but Scott and Malia seemed impressed by it. "but that's the gist of it. That's the essential essence of it."

"You couldn't walk."

"I was limping!"

Derek sighed. "You couldn't walk and I know that because I was carrying you. You passed out when you saw your toe."

Allison scrunched her nose in disgust. "Your toe?"

"They shot my toe! You wanna see it?" Stiles scoffed in offense but Derek looked at us with an expression that practically says 'you see what I had to deal with?' "My toe was caught in the crossfire! It was obliterated!"

Lydia rolled her eyes with a sigh. "Okay, forget your toe."

"Obliterated." He quietly muttered.

"Anyway, back to the topic at hand. We're not just dealing with the hunters." Allison spoke up, redirecting the conversation. "We've got another problem...it's called the Anuk-ite."

"It can get into your head, it can make you see things." Scott added.

"What does it look like?" Stiles questioned.

I shrug. "I barely caught a glimpse of it having a scarred head but Lydia pulled me out of there."

"It used to look like two ordinary people...but, somehow, they merged." She replied. "All we know is it's made of two faces. One human, the other supernatural."

"It's a shapeshifter, just like us." Scott gestured to himself, Malia, and Derek. "But it knows what you're afraid of. What you fear most."

Malia scoffed. "And now it can kill you just by looking at you."

Stiles frowned. "Okay, so you're telling me that we've gotta go up against this thing blind? And face our deepest fear?"

"Yeah." Scott nodded before he paused in concern. "Why, what do you fear most?"

"Blindness."

Derek's eyes narrow in confusion. "Becoming blind?"

"Yeah, terrified of it. Always have been." Stiles shrugged, taking note of our blank stares. "This just seems to be a situation of unfortunate overlap."

"Remind me again how you made it to the FBI?" I question which earned a glare from the boy.

"Allison, you, Lydia, and Stiles need to find your dad." Scott instructed in a serious tone. "Get to the armory and rescue Jackson and Cora."

"I don't think we have time to wait for him." Lydia spoke up. "I've gotten through those doors once anyway, I can do it again."

"She's right. I know the general idea of where to go." Allison reassured. "Besides, it'll give me the chance to double-check something."

"I'll go with you. It wouldn't surprise me if Gerard doubled the firepower so it'll be a good backup." I say but Scott shook his head.

"No, you're coming with us. You trained enough with Deucalion so we need enough fighters to face this thing."

"Can we slow it down just for one second to make sure I'm grasping this?" Stiles spoke up. "So, we're actually talking about doing this? We're gonna do exactly what Gerard wants us to? Is that right?"

Scott nodded. "I think that if we stop the Anuk-ite, we stop it all."

"Stopping this thing can stop Gerard and the hunters?" Derek questioned.

"Not all of them are hunters." Allison answered. "They're just ordinary people acting out of fear and Gerard and Monroe are using that to their advantage to manipulate them into doing what they want."

"Monroe's not gonna change, but I think that we can reach the others." Scott nodded. "Most of them."

"Well, fear's pretty motivating," Derek shrugged, crossing his arms over his chest. "especially when it leads to anger."

"And I think that if we can take out the fear, we can take out the fight in them, too. They're afraid of us, but they don't have to be. They just have to change their minds."

"We have to change their minds." I corrected, grazing my bandaged abdomen still in the process of healing. "Or else we lose."

"Okay, we can face the Anuk-ite." Malia waved her hands to gesture to Scott, Derek, and I. "We can try to fight it blind. We can try to face our fears. But, we still need to know how to catch it."

"We will figure that out. We always do." Scott reassured.

"Well, it's nice to see that someone hasn't lost their optimism." Derek spoke up with an amused look.

Scott weakly smiled. "Not yet."

"I have." Stiles chimed in as he stared off to the side, earning a small smack from Allison. "Ow!"

"We will buy you time, Scott." Lydia, who had also been glaring at Stiles, says before turning to Scott. "Who knows? Maybe Jackson or Cora has the answer."

"Maybe your dad will come back with one." I suggest, briefly meeting Allison's eyes to see her concern.

"You three," Scott looked to Malia, Derek, and I. "you're with me. And we need Peter. Anyone who can help stop this thing, or slow it down."

"Where we headed?" Malia curiously asked.

"The high school."

Derek raised a brow. "That's where we're gonna find this thing?"

"No...it'll find us."

➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵

Malia is the first to pull open the double doors with Derek, Scott, and I following close behind but she immediately skidded to a stop.

My eyes widen in horror at the sight of Peter petrified into stone. As much as I wasn't too much of a fan of him for what he did to me, he didn't deserve this.

"He's not dead." Malia swallowed as she anxiously circled him. "He can't be."

"He has a heartbeat, but it's faint" Derek's brows creased into concentration until he looked behind the hallway. "And we're not alone."

Scott took a step closer to Peter's statue as he eyed it up and down before they widen in realization.

"What are you thinking?" I curiously ask.

"I think I know how to catch it."

Allison's POV:

As Stiles and Lydia kept their backs pressed against the wall, I discreetly peek around the corner and see several armed hunters in front of the door.

"Safe to assume they're holding them in there." I whisper, detaching the electrified bo staffs from my belt. "Ready Lydia?"

"I'm sorry, what?" Stiles blinked in disbelief, moving Lydia away from the corner. "I thought the plan was to cause a commotion so we wouldn't become swiss cheese! They'll kill her as soon as they see her."

"We'll become swiss cheese if we don't do anything." Lydia emphasized. "Now cover your ears."

"I don't agree with this plan." Stiles tried to grab her arm but she stepped around him in time to walk out into the hallway.

We cover our ears as Lydia stuck her hands out, releasing an ear-piercing scream which sent the gunfire of bullets and most of the hunters backward.

I follow close behind and shove the electrified baton against the hunter rushing at Lydia which sends him sprawling to the ground. He tries to stand to his feet but I slam my heel against his head, knocking him unconscious.

Once everything became quiet, Stiles kicked down the door and we were immediately met with Jackson, who had blood splatters across his forehead and clothes, unlocking the cuffs around Cora's bloodied wrists.

There was a large bruise on her cheekbone along with smears of blood across her clothes but thankfully nothing too life-threatening.

Compared to who they looked like before, it was clear they grew up from the last time I saw them. They didn't look like teenagers anymore.

"Allison? Stiles?" Jackson asked with shock laced in his tone.

"Jackson?" Stiles spoke up first.

"Jackson?" Lydia panted from behind and I turn, seeing as she let out heavy breaths before her expression broke into an excited smile.

"Already covered that." Stiles gestured to him with an awkward cough but he steps out of the doorway as Lydia sprinted through the open door with a squeal.

"Oh my god! It's you! It's really you!" She sighed in relief before jumping into his arms to hug him tightly. "I can't believe it's you."

"Okay...all right. That's nice." Stiles placed his hands on his hips with jealousy practically written across his expression. "Okay, not too close. Watch the hands."

"I can't believe you guys were dumb enough to save us." Cora weakly rasped as she rubbed her wrists.

"I'll take that as a Hale's way of saying thanks." I amusedly say, attaching my bo staff back to my belt. "Besides, you and I both know Olivia would go through hell and back to save the people she loves."

Her eyes soften. "How is she doing by the way? As soon as her little sister said something about her needing support or whatever, we came as soon as we could." She gestured around us with a scoff. "Clearly, it backfired since the next thing you know, we're trapped with the London lovebirds."

I furrow my brows in confusion. "Wait, who's we?"

"Isaac? Who else?"

"Okay! All right," Stiles raised his voice, pulling Jackson and Lydia apart before patting his shoulder. "let's just break that up."

Jackson looks behind Lydia with an awestruck expression as he gestured behind her to the bloodied and unconscious hunters. "You did that?"

Lydia looked back at the hunters with a smile. "I did that."

"I kicked down the door." Stiles smugly interjected and Lydia pats him on his arm with a proud smile. "Now that we've all contributed, you wanna get the hell out of here, huh?"

I quickly shook my head. "We need to find Isaac."

"And Ethan." Jackson added as he pushed past us with Cora following close behind.

"Ethan?" Lydia tilted her head to the side as the three of us followed behind as well. "What's Ethan doing here?"

Jackson paused in his steps before turning to face us with an awkward look. "He's with me."

I furrow my brows in confusion. "He's with you?"

"Yes. Me."

"Ethan?" Stiles chimed in.

"Yes. Ethan."

"And...you...?" Lydia slowly trailed.

"Ethan?" I question. "The same Ethan Steiner that left in the middle of our junior year?"

"Yeah."

Cora scoffed as her eyes met mine. "I literally said London lovebirds a minute ago, remember?"

My eyes widen, finally piecing together the insinuations and sharing a look with Stiles and Lydia. "Oh."

"Oh, my god." Lydia softly chuckled. "I thought you'd never figure it out."

Jackson lightly laughs at her words before he shook his head. "Can we go find them now?"

"Yeah--oh, hang on." Stiles was cut off by his cellphone ringing loudly in his pocket, causing him to scramble to take it out before he pressed it against his ear. "Yeah, we are. Leaving momentarily, though...okay yeah. Bye."

"What did he want?" I ask.

"We need to get something first before we leave." He says before walking over to the sliding steel door to the trophy room and I follow close behind. "Scott thinks it will capture the Anuk-ite."

On the worktable rested the golden arrow and immediately I snatch it from the stand. "Now Gerard doesn't have the advantage against Olivia."

I stash the arrow inside my quiver bag before I turn to Stiles, seeing as he grabbed the jar that was next to the other displays. "Mountain ash?"

"Don't ask me but Scott said it was urgent to bring it to the school." Stiles muttered, shoving the jar in his pocket. "Are you coming with or are you staying back with Lydia?"

I shake my head. "I have her car keys so I need to stay back with her. We'll meet you at the school so get it to Scott."

Phoebe's POV:

"I think us being here was planned." I whisper, showing Liam the failed calls I tried to make to call Olivia. "Can't be a coincidence for the power to be off."

"I was going to say the same but I really didn't want to jinx it." Liam muttered as he peeked through the double door windows. "Do you have any of your weapons on you?"

"I shake my head with a sigh. "I left my purse in my dad's room since I didn't think--"

Suddenly, Liam shoved me to the ground just as a bullet flies over our heads, causing my eyes to widen. With incredible speed, Liam lunges toward the man in the far right bed before he could get another shot to hit either of us.

They wrestle for the gun until it flies out of their hands and coincidentally enough, slides close to my foot. Liam harshly chucks him through the double doors, leaving the mad to skid across the hall unconscious.

Liam snatches the gun from the floor and hurriedly helps me to stand on my feet. "It's not safe in here anymore, we have to go." He urged, gesturing for me to step out in the hallway.

"I can't leave my dad here!" I scold but just as we step into the hall, the sounds of more guns cocking back cause us to freeze.

"Wait," I turn, meeting the smug look on Gabe's expression as he stood behind two other hunters aiming assault rifles at us. "Let me do it." He instructed, adjusting his grip on his shotgun-style assault rifle.

"What floor is your dad on?" Liam whispered as he moved to protectively stand in front of me but I tug on his arm to slowly back away to the elevator behind us.

"First floor."

"Go ahead, Liam. Run." Gabe emphasized. "It'll be more fun that way."

My back finally connected with the elevator doors but I didn't dare to move an inch to press the button because they'd unleash their gunfire.

However, the elevator doors ping and I nearly stumble backward as it opened but a pair of hands grab onto mine and Liam's shoulders before harshly yanking us inside.

Bullets instantly fly just as the figure forces us to lean against walls out of the hunters' and Gabe's sight, allowing the doors to shut by themselves.

I frantically glance behind but to my surprise, meet Theo's frazzled expression. "Theo?"

"What are you doing here?" Liam panted, watching as Theo yanked off the beanie from his head.

"I was just asking myself the same thing." He dryly chuckled before his eyes landed on mine. "Hope you remember our score of whoever saved each other's asses the most."

"I don't know if we're jinxing ourselves by keeping count." I mutter as I look over at the bullet-dented elevator door, feeling my stomach churn in discomfort. "Especially since it's in the middle of a war."