FIVE.

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

"I CAN'T believe this is actually a medical establishment."

Illa honestly can't be sorry for Valack as the Kanima-wolf Chimera, Tracy, holds him in a chokehold against the wall across from Lydia's cell. The rest of Theo's pack must be crowded in the adjacent hall, away from her and Stiles' views. She knows their names from having seen Theo's future – Josh and Corey.

"And what would a pack of Chimeras want with a Banshee?" Valack questions, somehow appearing only mildly inconvenienced at this setback.

"I don't want a Banshee," Theo replies simply. "I'm looking for a Hellhound."

As if he'd summoned it, an animalistic roar sounds from the end of the corridor. Valack turns toward the sound. Theo heads toward its source without fear, only mystification in his aura as he crosses through the adjacent doorway into Stiles' sight.

"You wanted a Hellhound?" Valack questions smugly. "I think you've found one."

Another deafening roar and the sound of the gate being melted down meets Illa's ears, which ring when the molten metal clangs to the cement floor. The smoldering scent of fire makes her nose twitch. She pushes herself to her feet and sticks her head forward so she can see through the gaps in the door.

Corey and Josh return to their pack leader's side and watch, glued to their spots, as Jordan Parrish snarls at them. His entire body is encased in flickering flames. They glow a raging shade of orange that is almost hurtful to look at, dancing around his ashen skin. Even his eyes are aflame as his mass of pointed teeth protrudes from his lips.

Before Illa can sort out the visions in her head and figure out what to do next, the sound of an Alpha's roar causes her and Stiles' heads to snap up. The sound of it brings hope and determination into Illa's veins. They'll fix things– they have to.

Theo rushes into Lydia's cell and drags her out until he's standing in front of the Hellhound again. She's flush up against him with his claws at her throat, the threat clear in his firm stance.

Stiles inches forward as if to make a run toward her, but Illa grabs his wrist and forces him to stay. "Don't."

Parrish gives a threatening growl from deep in his throat. There's almost nothing human in him.

"Back off," Theo warns in a tone of ice and venom.

Tracy unceremoniously drops Valack to the floor, ready to defend herself and her pack if the need arises.

Illa winces at the sound of Theo's claws digging into Lydia's neck while she gasps at the sharp pain. The Chimera shouts more insistently, "I said, back off!"

Stiles is straining against her grip. It must be taking every inch of his strength to keep him hidden in that cell with her. She tries not to dwell on the fact that he trusts her visions so much to do so; she can't afford to grow attached in case things go wrong.

Parrish's flames have subsided. Now, the only sign of them is between the cracks in his charred skin that reveal smoldering embers beneath. It's like he's a living volcano with magma in his veins. All that remains of his deputy uniform are his tattered pants that have burned enough to make them end at his lower thighs.

"Take him," Theo orders to his pack. His claws are still digging firmly into Lydia's skin, but he won't go any deeper without causing serious harm. And Illa knows that he won't risk hurting her. As of right now, Lydia is still valuable to him.

"The guy's on fire!" Corey protests fearfully. His fists clench and unclench in a display of his nerves, shoulders shrugged to hide his shaking. He rocks from foot to foot as the Hellhound continues to advance.

"You'll heal." The first Chimera sounds incredibly impassive. Illa notes that he doesn't volunteer his own services. "Do it!"

Tracy releases a snarl and pounces at the Hellhound. She sinks her claws into his abdomen, but there's no outward reaction to the pain, if he even feels it. Her fingertips begin to curl with smoke as her head snaps up to look him in the eyes. Like she's nothing but a rag doll, he hits her hard enough that she goes flying into the glass window of a cell.

Josh rips an electric pipe from the wall just as Tracy slumps to the floor. With a blue current charging his skin, he slams a hand onto Parrish's shoulder to electrocute him. It doesn't affect him at all.

"Theo, this isn't working!" Josh cries. Parrish knocks the boy off of his feet within the next second.

The sound of a drill whirring causes Illa's attention to snap to where Valack is pushing the device into the back of Theo's thigh. He releases Lydia with a pained yowl, giving the doctor enough time to slam the metal device into his temple and send him crumpling to the cement floor.

"Sorry, Theo," he snarls even though the Chimera can't hear him, "I'm not done with her yet."

He grips the Banshee's shoulders tightly. Parrish picks Josh up by the collar and slams his back onto the cement with a sickening thud. Just then, Corey blinks into view with his arm clutching the Hellhound's.

"Now!" Illa pushes Stiles to his feet so they're standing between Valack and his only means of escape. The doctor's getaway is abruptly brought to a halt when he discovers the two of them in his path. Her eyes catch sight of Theo already recovering, struggling to his feet as he holds a hand to his injured temple.

Corey releases an agonized scream as flames engulf both him and Parrish. The still-burning boy is flung backward almost in slow motion, and Illa realizes with a start that she has two options: push Stiles out of the way, or attempt to save the only chance they have at keeping Lydia safe in the long run.

So she closes her eyes, realizes that this may destroy all the faith Stiles has in her, and steps to the side.

Corey slams into the raven-haired boy with so much force that they're both knocked down with the Chimera landing on top of him. Illa evades Valack's swinging grasp, crouching low and reaching upward to snatch the drill from his hand. She swipes it from his grip. And then, blindly, she flings it at Theo Raeken's head.

She's too late.

Theo has already thrown the broken pipe at Parrish like a javelin, where it sinks into the middle of his chest with a sickening thud of it piercing through flesh and bone. Illa watches, her heart falling into an abyss, as he sinks to his knees and the flames extinguish from his eyes. The drill bounces harmlessly off of the wall beside Theo, who turns and snarls at her.

Her mouth is open in a gape. She'd seen it coming, yet she'd misjudged the time it would take to prevent him from being hurt. And letting Stiles get hit had cost them precious time. If she'd been able to save Parrish, it would have been possible to get one step ahead of Valack.

"Come on," Theo growls as he grabs Illa's arm and hauls her along with her. She's unable to fight back this time, still staring behind her in shock at what her decision had cost her. Her feet scramble to keep up; she's so shocked that she doesn't even have the strength to rip her arm away.

Theo leads her to a locked door. Stiles is banging against it with all of his strength, screaming for Lydia in an agonized voice that makes Illa's heart constrict. She should have pushed Stiles out of the way, should have attacked Valack, should have—

"Let me help!" Theo shouts aggressively as he uses his strength to kick the door down in one fluid motion. Illa finally finds it in her to tear herself from his grasp and chase after Stiles' desperate sprinting after Valack. "You're not gonna find her without me!"

Illa bites back her retort. Not if he has me.

"Stiles!" she calls after the hyperactive boy instead. "Stiles, I thought I could help. Please understand."

Because it's too late for him not to trust her. If he starts turning on her now... there's no hope for Lydia, for Scott, for any of them.

Stiles stops at another open gate, rubbing a hand over his top lip anxiously. He exhales sharply from his mouth and looks at her as she slows to a stop beside him. She doesn't flinch this time when he meets her gaze. She can't.

His eyes search hers as annoyance flickers across his face. And then, begrudgingly, acceptance. He seems to realize that he has no choice but to keep her around even if he's not happy about it.

"Hey!" Theo calls as he appears from around the corner and halts in front of them. "I want her out of here, too."

"You don't care about anyone other than yourself, you self-absorbed, power-hungry piece of shit," Illa sneers at him, staring at his shirt instead of his face.

Theo's head moves with the same motion of his eyes rolling. "I've got her scent. Illa may have locations, but I have exact directions." He pauses, realizing why Stiles hasn't said anything— he still trusts Illa's word. He directs his angered tone toward her. "Look at my face. I'm going to help you, aren't I?"

He grabs her chin, forcing her head up so she's looking directly into his green eyes. Flashes of images sear into her mind, ones that have her trembling in his iron grip. But just as Stiles opens his mouth to say something, she's flung back into reality and uses that momentum to slap Theo hard across the face. He rubs at the reddening spot on his cheek with a cross between a surprised and amused expression that turns his lips upward.

"Piece of shit," she repeats before shoving him through the doorway before her.

She honestly can't say she'll feel sorry for him when his sister drags him into hell.

--

"You might want to close your eyes."

Illa shoots a withering look at Theo. He's standing apprehensively in the doorway of one of the male shower rooms, seemingly very confused as to why Lydia's scent is leading him here. The humidity had hit her as soon as he'd opened the door. Curls of steam waft around her exposed arms. Nudity has long since lost its novelty to her, but she closes her eyes if it'll make him shut up.

Her senses rely on the sound of their footsteps to know where to go. More than once, she feels Stiles' presence beside her, occasionally providing taps on her arms to signal where to go. He seems to have realized by now that she isn't a fan of physical contact.

She cracks an eye open once they stop. On the ground before her is the grated metal of a vent, rusted with age and from the countless rivers of water that have trickled onto it. Anxiety begins to churn her gut.

"It leads to the tunnels, doesn't it?" Theo questions, voice hardly intelligible over the loudness of the running showers behind them.

Stiles nods grimly. "There's miles of them. They could be anywhere by now."

Theo sighs before crouching onto the balls of his feet and sliding his hands through the metal bars of the vent. He pulls, teeth gritting together as the hidden strength within him works in his favor. With a single grunt and a gasp of breath, the cover comes off. He tosses it to the side carelessly before turning to Illa.

"Well?" He jerks his head toward the ladder leading down into the depths below. "You're the Seer– you go first."

The younger girl scowls at him once more before obeying. Her feet, luckily clad with dirty sneakers, balance themselves on the top rung. She uses the floor to support herself as she steps lower and lower until she's steadily climbing down. The slim rungs are wet and freezing cold to the touch, a stark contrast to the humid shower room above. The back of her neck prickles at the change in temperature.

"Nuh-uh," Stiles' voice protests from over her head. "You're next. There's no way in hell I'm letting you out of my sight."

Theo sighs before obediently following Illa down into the vents. She patiently waits for the two of them once she reaches the bottom, anxiously rubbing her arms to rid her body of the everlasting chill.

Her head tilts up to survey her surroundings. The only source of light is the occasional lightbulb every few meters, resulting in an incredibly dark and foreboding atmosphere. Pipes of varying degrees of thickness line both sides of the cement walls. It's impossible to see if anything has any color down here, and she can scarcely see her feet below her. The air reeks of chemicals and various other unpleasant scents that make her cringe.

She tries not to think about the fact that she's technically out of Eichen. That, if she wanted, she could find another way to escape and emerge out into freedom. But would she really be free? No, not in the imprisonment that her own mind keeps her in. She doesn't want to live in a world where people are fearful of her constant screaming.

At least in Eichen, people are used to it.

Once Stiles drops to the floor with a sigh and wipes his damp hands on his jeans, Theo begins leading them down the looming corridors before them. Illa follows hesitantly behind with Stiles trailing last once again. She can't help but feel a prick of guilt; it's probably because he may find it hard to trust either of them.

She feels an undying urge to justify herself, to explain to him the importance of Parrish and why she let him be tackled. Why she allowed Valack to take Lydia away for the meantime. How the Hellhound would end up being something to save his life, and that maybe the Banshee could figure out the Beast's identity before hell is set loose.

But Illa can't. One, because she has to make sure some parts of the future stay on track, and two, because it may inflate Theo's egotistical mind even more if he has a shred of insight.

The Chimera pauses to lean his head against the thickest pipe to his right. He's quiet as he searches for a sound.

"I thought you had her scent," Stiles accuses a bit harshly.

Theo's reply comes reluctantly and almost with dismay. "I lost it."

"So find it again!"

"What do you smell down here, Stiles?" Theo asks sarcastically, still with his head tilted and ears straining for an echo.

"Chemicals and fecal matter," he replies matter-of-factly. "Although I'm pretty sure the fecal matter is you."

Illa rolls her eyes at their bickering. She feels a headache beginning to blossom behind her eyelids from the strain on her eyes it takes to see. She copies Theo's action of leaning her head against the pipe, relishing in the coolness it brings to her somehow flushing skin.

"Yeah, I smell it, too," Theo replies sharply. "It's all I can smell. That's why I'm trying something else, so could you please shut up and let me concentrate?"

Stiles groans in both agitation and impatience, waving Illa along as he begins to walk briskly past him. "C'mon, Illa."

"Hey, you know, you can't depend on a sixteen-year-old girl for everything," the Chimera points out as he straightens up and motions toward the Seer, who's still resting her head against the dust-covered metal. "Look at her– she's exhausted."

Although unsure if Theo's observations are meant to defend or demean her, Illa can't deny that he's right. Fatigue is beginning to creep up into her muscles. The headache beginning to form is likely from a lack of fluids since she's left her cell. And, on top of all that, she's not used to so much running.

Stiles, however, rolls his eyes and continues with his quick pace. "Oh, so now you're concerned about her well-being? Or are you just worried she'll collapse before you're done using her?"

"Listen." Theo's voice is hard, attempting to drill into Stiles' currently narrow mind and get him to see the entire picture. "I'm just asking you to trust me."

The taller boy whirls around with a dubious expression on his pale face. "Trust you? The boy who murdered his own sister when he was nine?"

"Yeah, I was nine years old," Theo argues. "I also believed that a guy in a red suit came down the chimney to deliver presents. So when three people in leather masks showed up and said that my sister wanted me to have her heart, I believed them, too."

"So, then you gutted and killed her," Stiles deadpans, pretending to be impressed. "That's a beautiful story."

"Can everyone please shut the hell up?" Illa exclaims exasperatedly, throwing her hands up and wincing at the pain that shoots to her head from the volume of her own voice. The two boys turn to face her with equally shocked expressions; that's the loudest they've heard her speak thus far. "You two are wasting time arguing about things that nobody cares about. Theo, it's no secret I hate you, and so does Stiles, but if we have one freaking chance at getting Lydia out of this hellhole alive, then–"

She's cut off by a bloodcurdling scream that echoes through the vents, eventually reaching the three of them from all angles. Stiles spins around and holds his breath for the entirety of the four-second-long wail that chills him even more than the temperature does.

"What direction is that?" he demands, switching his gaze between Illa and Theo. When neither of them respond, he presses even more urgently, "Where's it coming from?"

Theo shakes his head in disbelief. "Everywhere."

________

old a/n:

i swear, with every chapter, illa gets a new crew to hang out with for a bit. too bad she hates theo lmao. i actually think her hatred for him is kinda funny though?? maybe it's just me

guUYYYYSSSS the series finale is this sunday and then teen wolf will be over! i'm not ready D:

–kristyn

new a/n:

i wonder how many deputy uniforms parrish burned through and what his excuse was for constantly needing new ones.

also, speaking of parrish, i have a new plot for him in my plot shop titled "cosmic" if anyone wants to check it out!

–kristyn