⇥check out the trailer above⇤

xxxii. NOTHING TO FEAR

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WHEN CARTER AND Malia made it out of the school, Scott and Theo were already waiting for them next to Theo's truck.

    "Where's Kira and Logan?" Scott asked them as they jogged down the stairs to meet them.

    "Kira's still at the library and Logan's going to meet-up with Liam at Sinema." Carter informed, rushing. She pulled out her phone to make sure that she hadn't missed any calls or texts from Malakai, fear creeping into her bloodstream. She sighed, shoving her phone back into her pocket. "And I haven't heard anything from Malakai since this morning. Why are Stiles and Lydia at the hospital? Does it have something do with what she saw earlier?"

    Scott licked his dry lips. "Lydia's trying to figure out what happened during her surgery. She believes that's when the Dread Doctors did something to her."

    "How long are they gonna be there?"

    "They're just waiting for the power to come back on." Malia said and Carter nodded.

    The ride to the hospital was unbearably silent, the only sound being the hum of the engine. Carter's knee bounced restlessly as stared out the window, trying her hardest to keep her mind from conjuring up the worst possible scenarios. As soon as Carter stepped inside the hospital, a strong feeling of dread consumed her. She really hated that place.

    Once they were standing in the lobby, Scott turned to look at them. "You three split up and look for Stiles and Lydia while I go look for my mom."

    After Scott disappeared down the hallway, the three of them decided who was going to look where. Malia would search the second floor and the ER, Theo would search the third floor and the Operating Room, and that left Carter with the fourth floor. And they all agreed that if they didn't find anything, they would all meet back in the lobby.

    Carter turned in the opposite direction of Malia and Theo, deciding to take the stairs instead of the elevator. Once she made it up to the fourth floor, the stairwell door slammed shut behind her with a curiously final sound. She nodded to herself, looking up and down the big empty hallway. She immediately began checking all the unoccupied rooms and kept her eye out for anyone looking vaguely suspicious—or anyone who had a three-foot Kanima tail.   

    Things were going smoothly and she was able to keep her mind occupied until the overhead lights begun to flicker. Her steps instantly faltered, cautioning her to move slower. "It's so fucking spooky in here," said Carter quietly. And there was something disturbing about being in the seemingly never ending hallway.

    The air was suddenly heavy and silent and still. She continued to move down the hallway, her footsteps echoing hollowly. Stiles. Lydia. You're trying to save your friends from a Chimera, she thought. She tried to shake off her feeling of uneasiness, telling herself that it was ridiculous to feel unsettled when Scott, Malia, and Theo were all within supernatural earshot. For some reason, she suddenly remembered that night in the cemetery, that night when she had sent them all running from something none of them could see.

    Carter's head swirled when the lights flickered and gone down to half power. "Oh, no," Carter said, exasperated. The lights flickered again, went out, and returned dimly once more.

    Well, this was a fine mess. Carter moved to the next room and peered inside. In this light she could see only the outline of the bed and of the television mounted on the wall. There was no sound at all but her own breathing and the sounds she made. She was alone in the huge, dim hallway—

    Someone was watching her.

    Her intuned supernatural instincts made her consciously aware of someone else's presence. Someone was behind her in the dark, watching. She whirled quickly to face the hallway, using her heightened senses to see into the shadows, trying not even to breathe. She was terrified that if she made a sound the thing out there would get her. But she could see nothing, hear nothing.

    The far end of the hallway was simply a featureless gray fog. She was suddenly brought back to the night she died; the same feeling of fear welled up inside her. "No," whispered Carter. She couldn't see it, but she could feel it, like some great shape rearing up to stand over her. She felt their evil, their hatred. "No! Not again."

    Suddenly, her mind was clear. She had to get out of this place, now. There was real danger here. They were out there, they were evil, and they wanted her. And she was all alone. She ran for the stairwell at the other end of the hallway. She could still see nothing. Her hands scrabbled at the door handle, and she cried out in frustration when she realized it was locked.

    "Stop it!" Carter cried out thinly as their presence crept up closer, beginning to envelop her. Tears were trying to force themselves out of her eyes. She felt her thoughts slow down. "Please, stop it." She sobbed out, tears finally being let loose. "I-I can't take it anymore. Please, just leave me alone..." Her voice cracked, hands still gripping the stairwell doorknob.

    Despite herself, she risked a glance back over her shoulder.

    Something moved in the shadows.

    Her scream froze in her throat. Her muscles were frozen, too, held motionless by her terror—and by some nameless force. Helplessly, she watched as the shape in the darkness moved out of the shadows and toward her. Not wanting to see their faces, she squeezed her eyes shut just as the darkness itself seemed to almost come to life and was taking on a form.

    A second later, hands were gripping her shoulders and roughly shaking her. Screams immediately erupted from her throat and she was shoving the person away without ever opening her eyes. "Get off me! Get away from me!" Carter shouted, thrashing in her place.

    "Carter! Carter, open your eyes!"

    Hesitantly, she did and instantly realized that she was no longer surrounded by darkness and the fear had vanished. She glanced up to see Theo standing in front of her, gripping her shoulders with a horrified look on his face. Relief was so sudden and complete that it was painful. She slumped against his chest and heard her own breath sigh out.

    Theo wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her close. He could feel that her body was trembling from whatever she saw and felt during her hallucination. "You're gonna be all right, Car. Whatever you felt wasn't real, okay? They're just trying to mess with you. And I'm sorry if I frightened you even more."

    With her head pressed against Theo's sternum, with his heartbeat thudding in her ears, Carter felt everything slow down. And in spite of herself Carter felt a strangled giggle well up in her throat. Poor Carter. The giggle let loose a few more tears and she pulled away from him and wiped them off, shaking her head. Oh, God, how did things turn out this way? At last the sobs and giggles both abated and Carter felt a wash of tiredness. She leaned back against the locked stairwell door and the two just looked at each other for a while.

    She shook her head again, sniffled and rubbed at her nose. "No. I'm sorry for freaking out like that. It's just that...ever since they came for me—"

    Theo suddenly—and gently—grabbed her face in his hands, forcing her to snap her mouth shut. "Shh. You don't have to say anything about that and it's not your fault."

    Carter couldn't breathe. He was standing so close. Close enough for their chests to touch. She could smell a faint hint of cologne and the leather of his jacket. And his eyes still held hers—she could not look away from them. The connection broke when they heard Stiles scream coming from above them.

    She whipped her head back to the side. She felt as if she'd just pulled herself back from the edge of precipice. For those few minutes, something unbelievable had happened. For those few minutes, she had forgotten Stiles. But now his image filled her mind, and the longing for him was like a physical pain in her body. She swallowed. Her nostrils flared as she breathed hard. She tried to keep her voice steady and dignified.

    "It came from the rooftop." She announced and wrapped her hands around the stairwell doorknob once more, but unlike before, it wasn't locked.

    Somehow, Theo managed to get in front of her and Carter quickly followed after him, trying her best to not trip and fall. The more flights of stairs they ascended, the more her lungs burned but she continued to run, managing to keep up with Theo's incredible pace. Once they hit the very last step and he pushed open the door, another scream landed on her ears.

    Rushing through the door, she managed to trip on the threshold, but caught herself before she hit the ground. There was a Chimera on top of Stiles, trying his hardest to rip his throat out. Carter's eyes flashed, but Theo beat her and pulled the Chimera off of Stiles. Instead getting involved in the fighting, she ran over to Stiles and checked to see if he was okay. He nodded and licked his dry lips.

    "Wait. Something's not right." Carter whispered to herself and that was when the exact same sensation from earlier hit her full force. Her chest felt tight and heavy, and she couldn't breathe.

    "Carter? What's wrong?" Stiles asked as she continued to wheeze while clawing at her throat. "What's happening?"

    "S-Sco-tt," Carter managed to gasp out.

    "Carter!" Theo shouted and she looked over at him, still trying to fight off the Chimera. "Go find Scott! I'll protect Stiles!"

    She felt conflicted; she didn't want to leave Stiles but Scott needed her help. Stiles saw the conflict on her face and made the decision for her. He nodded, encouraging her to go find Scott. She pressed a feather-like kiss on the corner of his mouth before she shifted and pulled away completely.

    And then she was gone.

    Carter stumbled down the now dim corridor, trying to visualize what was around her. Then the world suddenly flickered to brightness and she found herself surrounded by familiar walls. Her relief was so great that she almost cried out. She'd never have thought she would be so glad just to see.

    "Carter! What are you doing up here?"

    Carter whirled around to see Malia stepping out of the elevator. "Malia! Scott's having an asthma attack. We need to find him."

    Malia's eyes widened and the two of them both ran back toward the elevator. Without thinking, Carter pressed a floor number and watched the doors close. She was nervously bouncing on the balls of her feet, whispering for the elevator to go faster. And when the doors finally opened, they were immediately greeted by a Dread Doctor wrapping its hand around Scott's throat.

    The Werecoyote roared in anger and ran toward it. The Dread Doctor tossed Scott to the ground—Carter swallowed her fear and was instantly by Scott's side. While Malia fought with the Dread Doctor, Melissa and Carter worked on getting Scott into the elevator. Once inside, Melissa pulled something out of her pocket.

    "Wait!" Scott wheezed out just before Melissa was about to jab the needle into his thigh. "What is that?"

    "It's a bronchodilator. It'll work." Melissa slammed the needle into his leg and Scott and Carter's lungs immediately cleared. Both of them sucking in large amounts of air. "Malia, come on! Run!"

    The Dread Doctor had Malia by the throat, rearing its arm back but before it could release and bring down a world of hurt onto Malia, she managed to tear its hand off her neck. As she moved back toward the elevator, Melissa reached up and had her hand wavering over the button to close the doors. Once Malia was inside, Melissa slammed her hand against the button and the doors began to close.

    They breathed a sigh of relief, the door creating a barrier between them and the Dread Doctor.

    "We never should have read that book."

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"Do you know him?" Theo asked once Stiles removed the sheet, revealing the now dead Chimera. They all stood around the body in the animal clinic.

    Scott nodded his head sadly. "His name's Josh. He was a junior."

    Carter watched Stiles and Theo closely, knowing that both of them were hiding something. She also knew that Theo was the one that killed Josh, but she didn't want to say anything in front of Scott. Carter has known Stiles for many years and she finds it hard to believe that he somehow magically obtained the ability to rip out someone's throat. She could also smell the nervousness radiating off Theo; surprised that Scott hadn't picked up on it yet.

    Suddenly, an invisible blow came to the brunette's face, catching her off guard enough for her to completely fall to the ground. Immediately, she felt the harsh sting come from the strength that the supernatural creature possessed, but the pain subsided as the taste of iron flooded the inner workings of her mouth.

    "Owwww!" Carter groaned loudly, cupping her hand over her nose as it started to bleed. "Son of a bitch." Carter looked up to see that the three boys were looking down at her with complete and utter confusion. "What the hell just happened?" Stiles questioned, bending down to help get her back on her feet.

    She violently shook her head, trying to shake away the aftershock of getting punch. "Some girl named Hayden just punched Liam in the face. Again." Carter muttered, dabbing at her still bleeding nose. "Anyways, what were we talking about?"

    Scott stepped away from the examination table and sighed. "We were talking about the Dread Doctor that killed Josh. Which one did it? The one with the cane?"

    Stiles covered Josh's body up with the sheet before looking back at Theo.

    "Yeah." Theo answered promptly.

    "What are we going to do with him? We can't just set the alarm and leave. That's how Tracy disappeared." Stiles explained, looking at Scott expectantly.

    Carter rubbed the bridge of her nose, which had started to throb, and swallowed thickly. "All right, someone's gotta stay here with him then and make sure no one comes in to take his body."

    "I'll do it." Theo sighed. "It's not like I had a big Saturday night planned."

    Scott opened his mouth to respond, but was interrupted by his phone buzzing. He pulled it out and read the text, his expression instantly changed as the others looked at him anxiously.

    "Scott, what is it?" Stiles asked.

    "Another on. Another Chimera."

    After Scott figured out where to meet Liam, they got to Scott's house as fast as they could. Which wasn't all that fast because Stiles' jeep is running on 80% duct-tape and 20% pride because Stiles refused to actually take it to a mechanic to get it fixed.

    According to Liam, Hayden locked herself in the bathroom as soon as they arrived. Scott gently knocked on the door. "Hayden? It's Scott. I know that you're scared, but we just...we want to help." When he didn't get a response he turned to Liam. "I can hear her heart beating. She's really freaked out. What happened?"

    Carter slapped her hand down onto Liam's shoulder, still slightly pissed that he let some girl punch him and consequentially her. "Yeah, Liam. Why don't you tell us what happened after you let her punch you in the face?"

    Liam's lips formed a slight pout. "I didn't let her punch me. I just startled her and that was her first reaction."

    "I'd punch you right now if it didn't end up feeling like I punched myself in the face." Carter grumbled and lightly slapped Liam on the back of the head.

    "Okay, Car. I get it and I'm sorry." Liam looked at her with his big blue eyes and she felt her anger fade away. She accepted his apology with a nod and offered him a small smile, which he returned. "Anyways, she was okay when we got here. I went to text you for two seconds and she locked herself in."

    "Why?" Stiles asked.

    Liam shrugged, "I don't know."

    "She's definitely a Chimera?"

    Liam nodded. "She said she heard a voice saying—" he looked eyes with Carter and she immediately knew what he was going to say "—your condition improves."

    "Okay, that's unsettling." Stiles commented dryly.

    Carter swallowed thickly, knowing that the Dread Doctors had definitely been communicating with the girl. Carter honestly couldn't recall all the times she heard the Dread Doctors tell her that her own condition was improving. And she remembered Scott saying something about when the Dread Doctors showed up at the club to kill Lucas, they killed him because his condition was terminal. Just like Tracy's condition.

    Stiles approached the bathroom door. "Hayden, this is Stiles. Your sister works with my dad down at the station. Look, just open the door, okay? You can trust us."

    Scott stepped up after Stiles backed away. "We just need to tell you the truth, Hayden. And that kind of thing usually is better face-to-face. And there is someone out here who is more than willing to punch you if you don't open the door. Listen, either you're gonna unlock the door or I'm gonna have to break it open. It's okay if you don't want to talk, or if you're not ready to believe us. But I just...I gotta know that you're okay in there."

    When they received no immediate response, Scott nodded back toward the three of them, telling them to take a couple of steps back. He readied himself to break down the door but as soon as he prepared to knock it down, the lock clicked. The door slowly creaked open and Scott gently pushed on it with his hand. Hayden was standing in the middle of the bathroom with her eyes glowing a brilliant yellow and her fingernails had morphed into claws.

    She hesitantly looked up at them. "I believe you."

○ ○ ○

    "I can't believe I'm spending another night in this hell-hole."

    Carter chuckled. "Come on, Logan. It's not all that bad. I mean, I gave up studying for an AP Bio quiz for this and you don't hear me complaining."

    Scott had come up with the marvelous idea to hide Hayden from the Dread Doctors in the high school because according to the doctor at Eichen House, the Dread Doctors can't go to a place where there's a strong Telluric Current convergence. And the strongest one—besides Eichen House—just happens to be beneath Beacon Hills High. And apparently, while Carter was vomiting up blood, Valack had given them a clue in the form of a Tesla quote. Frequency and vibration. They were going to use the three cell phone jammers Jordan had taken from the police station to try and disrupt the Dread Doctors frequency.

    Strangely, Stiles volunteered himself to watch Josh's body with Theo. Carter wasn't hesitant on voicing her disagreement, knowing that Stiles already hated Theo's guts, but that didn't stop Stiles from going. She knew that Theo had nothing to do with the bodies getting taken, but Stiles volunteering to spend a night with someone he distrusts more than he distrusts Peter was a little odd.

    The majority of them were in the boys' locker room while Jordan was outside watching the back entrance and Malia was out in the hallway watching the main doors. They blocked the exits and strategically placed the three cell phone jammers in the building that were supposedly going to make it impossible for the Dread Doctors to get into the building. But Carter had some serious doubts. She was the only one who knew what they did to people, the others might think they know, but it pales in comparison when you've actually experienced it like Carter did.

    Logan suddenly noticed that Hayden was staring curiously at herself in the mirror. She shook her head and gripped the sides of the sink tightly.

    "Don't worry, you'll learn to control it." Logan whispered as he approached her and she looked up at his reflection in the mirror.

    "I'm not like Liam, or Scott, or even you and I'm definitely not like Carter. I wasn't bitten by a wolf. I was...someone's science experiment." Hayden said, sounding defeated. "This is so bizarre."

    Logan chuckled. "Yeah, you're definitely nothing like Carter. But you have to understand that Carter was someone's science experiment too and unlike you, see remembers what they did to her."

    At one point during the night, Lydia and Scott disappeared behind a row of lockers, thinking that no one saw them, but Carter did and she decided to listen in.

    "Is it me, or is Liam, Carter, and Logan not aware—"

    Carter was pulled out of the conversation by Liam. "Car, what do you think you're doing?"

    She mindlessly scratched the spot above her left eyebrow. "Uhm, nothing, Liam. I'm not doing anything. Why, what's up?"

    "Carter." Liam said firmly.

    "Hmm?"

    "You can't lie to me." He grinned sitting down on the bench beside her. "You were listening in to Lydia and Scott's conversation. Why?"

    She pondered for a moment, puckering out her lips in thought. "Boredom?" Liam gave her a look, a look that told her he was being serious. "Liam, it doesn't matter why I was doing it, okay? It's none of your concern. Whatever happens, I'll take care of it."

    "Just like you coming back to life and hiding away for over six months wasn't my concern?" Liam sneered, venom seeping off his words. Carter's heart lurched into her throat and the back of her eyes pinched as tears threatened to form almost instantly. She could hear the resentment in his voice for all the pain she caused them—the pain she caused him.

    "L-Liam," her voice cracked and she had to clear her throat before she could continue. "Liam, you know if I could take it all back, I would. You know that, right?"

    Liam couldn't meet her eyes. "I don't know. I don't even know who you are anymore."

    With that, she blinked and he disappeared. In panic, she turned around until she saw Liam standing next to Hayden by the sinks—on the other side of the locker room. What the hell just happened?

    "Guys," Lydia called out to us. "I was just thinking since we can't use our phones, we can't check in on Stiles and Theo."

    "Shit," Carter cursed, rubbing at her stinging eyes.

    "I didn't even think about that." Scott exhaled.

    Logan ran a hand through his hair. "So, what you're saying is that we're standing here waiting for a bunch of creepers wearing masks to show up, but we don't know what Stiles and Theo are waiting for?" He clapped a hand onto Scott's back. "Great plan, Scott."

    "Caterina."

    Carter, like lightning, whirled around at the sound of someone calling her name—granted, she could hardly understand what the voice said—but it was definitely her name and she recognized the voice. It wasn't like the Dread Doctors held her captive for several weeks and never spoke a word to her, she'd recognize their voices anywhere.

    Scott glanced at her questioningly. "What's wrong?"

    "Did you hear that?"

    "Hear what?"

    Carter shook her head. "Nothing, just thought I heard something."

    Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Liam moving away from his spot next to Hayden toward the black duffle bag Scott had brought. Curiously, Carter slowly started making her way to where Liam was standing, peering over his shoulder as he unzipped the bag. She couldn't tell what was inside until he reached in and pulled chains out.

    Liam looked back at Scott with wide eyes. "What were you going to do with these?"

    "Brought them just in case." Scott replied quickly.

    Carter felt Liam's body tense as he spoke. "In case of what?"

    Lydia turned to face them. "In case we had a chance to catch one of them."

    Lydia's words hit Carter's chest like a truck, but she didn't know exactly how she felt. There were so many thoughts and emotions whirling through her, they all kind of just blended together before she had enough time to process them. But there was one feeling that stood out from all the rest: betrayal. Scott and Lydia planned this behind her back—knowing that she hated being left out—she understood not wanting to tell Liam, but they could've at least warned her before they decided to drop a bomb at her feet.

    Carter glanced over at Hayden and the pieces fell together. They were using Hayden as bait and no one likes being the bait.

    "If we can't make the school a fortress, then maybe we can make it a trap." Scott explained, taking a step closer to Liam.

    Liam was gripping the chains tightly in his hands. Carter immediately registered the tension rising between the Alpha and the Beta and decided to put herself in the middle before a fight broke out. The youngest Dunbar tried to take an advancing step toward his Alpha but was stopped when Logan grabbed his shoulder.

    "They're coming for her, does that mean she's the bait?" Liam snapped angrily.

    Lydia stood from her spot on the bench. "Liam, we brought her here to protect her."

    Liam slammed the chains back down into the duffle bag. "And now she's bait."

    "Am I?" Hayden asked softly, her face contorted in worry.

    "No," Scott denied. "No one's bait. But we can't be bodyguards to everyone every night."

    "Then why aren't we talking to Stiles' dad? Why aren't we doing something better than hiding in a school?" Liam fired at the True Alpha angrily.

    "Because we still don't know anything about them or what they want, okay?" Scott explained. "They're winning and we don't even know what the game is."

    Liam took a challenging step forward. "What if they come in here and those things don't work? What if you have an asthma attack again? What are we going to do?"

    "I don't know."

    "This plan sucks!"

    "You got a better one? Kids are dying and she's next!" Scott shouted, pointing a finger at Hayden whose eyes widened in fear. "So, somebody has to do something. Somebody has to save everyone. So somebody's gotta be the bait!"

    The Banshee closed her eyes and let out an even breath. Scott shouldn't have said that, especially not in front of Hayden, but he snapped because Liam had been questioning his ability as a leader—the Beta was pushing all of his buttons.

    Liam sighed and took a step closer to the Alpha. "Scott. Promise me that you'll do everything you can to save her." Scott opened his mouth, but Liam cut him off. "Scott...promise."

    "I'll do everything I can." Scott assured. "I promise."

    "Guys..." Hayden suddenly called. "I think I might need a little help right now. I forgot my pills. I have a bottle in my locker, I can get them but—"

    "I'll get them." Scott cut her off. "What's your combination?"

When Scott left, Lydia volunteered herself to keep watch by the door. That left Carter and Logan of watching off Liam and Hayden. Carter was slowly growing restless and worried the longer Scott was gone. The heat in her chest was spiking, throwing out waves of heat along her arms and she knew that it only meant one thing. Something bad was about to happen. It was hard to keep hold of her uneasiness sitting in the boys' locker room.

    Letting out a shaky breath, Carter looked at Hayden. "Hey, are you okay?"

    Hayden didn't verbally respond, just nodded and moved further into the locker room, out of sight of the door. Carter glances at her watch and realizes that five minutes had passed and Scott and Lydia still haven't returned. She sends a worried glance at Liam and Logan, who seem to both be thinking the same thing. Logan's eyes flicker to his right where Hayden is sitting and Carter nods.

    Carter was the furthest away from the door but she still heard something that caused terror to wash through her. It was the sound of footsteps approaching and it wasn't just one set of footsteps, there were three. "Carter, do you hear that?"

    She swallowed thickly and nodded.

    "They're here, aren't they? They're in the school." Hayden announced, voice quivering.

    Carter subconsciously finds herself moving even further away from the door as Liam and Logan move closer. Even as the brothers called out their friends' names, she knew who was on the other side of that door and it terrified her. Her heart contracted and she felt as if she had been plunged, without warning, into her most dreadful nightmare. It was not only dark but utterly silent; there was nothing to see and nothing to hear...until the door slowly creaked open to reveal the Pathologist.

    "There is nothing to fear, Caterina."

    As she looked at it she felt her stomach clench in fear and her hands grow cold. Suddenly, as the Surgeon and the Geneticist walk in, Logan is in front of Carter, shielding her from them, but they both know it's no use. The Surgeon used his cane to knock the cell phone jammer to the ground and then—eerily—he looked up at them.

    "We are on a frequency you can't possibly imagine."

○ ○ ○

not edited

two chapter updates in one month? what's happening? who am i? i might have binge watched all of season five (a & b) and season six over this past weekend because of the hurricane currently taking place right outside my house, and it strangely inspired me to write. it also gave me more ideas for season six!

as usual, please be sure to let me know what you thought of this chapter! what did you think of the new trailer? i love hearing from you guys!! xxx