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Series 3 Episode 8
"Weakness"
Stumbling into his bunker, Drew felt shattered. He hadn’t slept in what felt like days, and he had no idea what was going on. He couldn’t go home now. His nan would be in danger if he went anywhere near her. It wasn’t worth the risk.
The last thing he remembered was George, and they were hiding from something in Mrs. Johnson’s lab. Something that terrified him to the core. Yet, somehow, he still felt that way now. He was miles from the school, but still felt like something was watching him.
He checked around the bunker, paying close attention to each of his senses. Nothing was in there, and the door was firmly shut. He was definitely alone, so why did he feel so uncomfortable? He remembered seeing Dylan, but where was he now? He wasn’t doing anything to help after all. He felt lost and alone. That said, he was used to fending for himself. He had to arm himself against whatever it was.
Then he noticed it. Lying open on the floor. The Bestiary. He remembered seeing it. Yasmin and Lily had it. They were in the bunker. No matter how hard he tried though, Drew couldn’t remember what happened next. This was concerning him big time. He knew he was dangerous.
While he had some semblance of control though, he had to take action. He grabbed a notepad from one of the shelves and jotted down a message. Dylan would find it, he always did. Then he set off – only one person might know what to do. They were his last hope.
The last thing he remembered was George, and they were hiding from something in Mrs. Johnson’s lab. Something that terrified him to the core. Yet, somehow, he still felt that way now. He was miles from the school, but still felt like something was watching him.
He checked around the bunker, paying close attention to each of his senses. Nothing was in there, and the door was firmly shut. He was definitely alone, so why did he feel so uncomfortable? He remembered seeing Dylan, but where was he now? He wasn’t doing anything to help after all. He felt lost and alone. That said, he was used to fending for himself. He had to arm himself against whatever it was.
Then he noticed it. Lying open on the floor. The Bestiary. He remembered seeing it. Yasmin and Lily had it. They were in the bunker. No matter how hard he tried though, Drew couldn’t remember what happened next. This was concerning him big time. He knew he was dangerous.
While he had some semblance of control though, he had to take action. He grabbed a notepad from one of the shelves and jotted down a message. Dylan would find it, he always did. Then he set off – only one person might know what to do. They were his last hope.
Horrified by what he was seeing, Dylan raced over to help Freddie and Josh. They were being attacked quite brutally by people from their class. Blood was spilling out from Freddie’s nose, and Josh had it trickling from his lip. It was a gruesome sight, and Dylan felt partially responsible. He couldn’t help it – neither of them would be embroiled in this if he hadn’t made a promise to Case. Now all of his recordings, and all of the evidence he had collected, was screwing them over.
“Get your hands off them,” Dylan yelled, pushing his way through the group of cowards watching on. Scott followed, the two of them lunging for one attacker each. Dylan wrestled his guy to the ground, freeing Josh from the pain of his fist.
“Get out of here,” Scott ordered to Freddie and Josh. He was in a similar position to Dylan, the two attackers both trying to wriggle free from their grips. Another lad tried to fight Dylan, but he shoved him backwards, not caring about the amount of force he was exerting.
The crowd fell silent. Their point had been made and Freddie and Josh had escaped.
“Let’s go,” Scott urged. Dylan let go of the lad in front of him and sprinted back to the car. Yasmin slumped out of the entrance, obviously horrified by what had happened. Dylan needed answers, but they weren’t safe.
“We need to get to Drew’s bunker. It’s the safest place,” Yasmin suggested, sliding into the backseat of Jono’s car.
“What about Lily?” Jono worried, starting the engine up.
“She can join us later, she’s not a werewolf so she’ll be safe anyway,” Dylan noted. He was scared to be out in public – not just for himself, but for all of his friends.
Reunited in the Jeep, Scott had handed driving duties back over to Stiles. It was his rightful place, after all. It felt good to be back with his best friends – they had been dealing with the supernatural together from the start, it would have been wrong for this to be any different.
“Do you have any idea which way we’re supposed to be going?” Stiles panicked.
“Nope, just follow Jono’s car,” Scott suggested.
“Not gonna lie Scott, I’ve been to friendlier places,” Stiles commented.
“You saw the article, it’s a response to that,” Scott explained, “And there’s a creature on the loose killing minors too.”
“Business as usual,” Lydia mentioned, “You said Dylan’s an alpha?”
“Yeah, pretty new too. He’s strong-willed but out of his depth,” Scott detailed.
“So, you thought you’d drag us away on a road trip,” Lydia complained. Scott knew she would do all she could to help out. Lydia’s intelligence was their greatest asset, way more valuable than any physical advantage.
“If this spreads further, we’ll all be at risk. If us and Dylan can’t beat it, it almost deserves to win,” Scott considered.
“What’s the plan then?” Stiles optimistically questioned.
“That’s why I called you two. I think we all know I was never the brains behind this operation,” Scott chuckled.
“Keep driving,” Lydia commanded, speaking more vacantly than usual.
“But Jono’s indicating?” Stiles was confused.
“Listen to her. We might be onto something,” Scott recognised that tone of voice. He knew a Lydia premonition when he heard one. Maybe this would help them along their way.
That was a narrow escape. Lily breathed a sigh of relief as soon as she, George and Matty left Mrs. Harding’s office. Thankfully, she totally bought their excuse, and no more questions were asked.
However, it wasn’t all plain sailing. Lily had just seen an old friend disintegrate in front of her, and another friend was at risk of doing the same. The Téras surely wasn’t going to give up, and Matty wasn’t safe forever.
“Get away from me,” Matty reacted as soon as the office door clicked shut.
“Don’t you think we’re past that stage?” George defended, “Taylor’s dead, and you were next.”
“You still are,” Lily added, “You don’t think it’s going to let you go, do you? We’re the only people who can help you. Get over yourself.” It felt good to vent.
Matty didn’t reply; obviously her words had made it through to him.
“Where can we hide, then?” Matty finally said, breaking the awkward silence.
“I think I know,” Lily thought, “But you have to trust us. We’re not the enemy, nor is Dylan.” Matty nodded – a sensible idea. He knew his life depended on it, after all.
Savouring her free period for the day, Mrs. Johnson was marking her sophomore test papers. She struggled to focus, though. Although she tried to maintain a professional teacher/student relationship with Dylan’s pack, it was difficult not to think about getting involved. She was the only staff member who knew the truth about Dylan and his friends, and she had to do something to combat how horrific people were being towards them. Nothing but discrimination, which was never acceptable in her books.
“Mrs. Johnson,” came a voice unexpectedly from the doorway. Mrs. Johnson looked up to see Drew Marsden. Immediately, she reached into her draw for a knife.
“Stand back, I am not afraid to use this,” she threatened. Dylan had notified her of what had happened to Drew, and although it was only targeting minors, she had to be cautious.
“Woah, what the heck? It’s me, Drew,” he defended himself, holding his hands up.
“I’m not scared of a Téras,” she continued. She wasn’t gullible and wasn’t going to fall for a cheap trick.
“I’m not…” Drew sounded confused, “I need help. Please.” He seemed sincere. Mrs. Johnson knew a scam when she heard one, and this didn’t sound much like one.
“So, you can’t remember a thing?” Mrs. Johnson clarified.
“I don’t know. I feel like death, I’ve not slept in days, and I can hardly remember anything. There’s no sign of Dylan or anyone,” Dylan explained.
“They’re up to their eyeballs,” Mrs. Johnson notified, “Why have you come to see me?”
“You know more than Dylan. I trust him but you have experience. You must have heard of the Téras,” Drew begged.
“I only know what the legend says. Nobody’s encountered a Téras before now. It’s unchartered territory,” Mrs. Johnson explained, “But that doesn’t make us hopeless.”
“I don’t think setting it a biology pop quiz will be enough to scare it off,” Drew sighed.
“You’re the one who came here for my help,” Mrs. Johnson scolded. A little gratitude wouldn’t have gone amiss, “We have to pool what we know.” She picked up a whiteboard pen and wrote “Téras,” in the centre of the whiteboard, “Who wants to go first?”
Pushing the bunker door firmly shut behind her, Yasmin was thrilled to be out of harm’s way. Although Josh felt like he had solved their bullying problem, it only seemed to provoke it further. The lad who was targeting them had dragged Josh and Freddie out of the classroom with a few friends that he brought along to help.
Thankfully, Dylan arrived at just the right time, although she had no idea who he or his friends were still. Either way, it would surely spread its way around the school. She could only hope they would be punished.
“Where’s Scott?” Dylan questioned, looking around the bunker.
“Who’s Scott?” Josh wondered.
“Another alpha. He should have been following with Stiles and Lydia,” Dylan detailed.
“Another alpha? Did you not listen to the Téras? That’s exactly what it wants,” Yasmin was baffled. Dylan had walked straight into its trap.
“He’s stronger than me and has been doing this longer. Do any of us really know what we’re up against?” Dylan reasoned.
“He saved my life,” Freddie mentioned, “I’m pretty grateful.”
“I swear he was following behind,” Dylan worried.
“Don’t worry, he’s an adult, he can fend for himself. He’ll find us,,” Jono reassured.
“I hope so, before anyone finds out who he is,” Dylan sighed. Yasmin concurred – it wasn’t safe for any werewolves to be out in public, alpha or no alpha. The door sounded – four loud knocks.
“Don’t make a sound,” Yasmin commanded. She wasn’t repeating the last time the Téras tricked them.
“There are three heartbeats,” Josh noted, paying very close attention to his hearing.
“What if the Téras has Lily and George?” Jono panicked.
“It wouldn’t bring them here,” Dylan corrected. He was spot on. The Téras wouldn’t bring its victims to the only people who could save them.
“It could be Scott, Stiles and Lydia,” Dylan pointed out.
“There’s only one way to find out,” Jono said.
“If we open that door, we’ve gotta be ready,” Yasmin warned, “Not just for the Téras. We might have been followed.”
“Oh, we’re ready,” Freddie added. One after the other, he, Josh and Dylan all primed their claws.
“Let’s do it,” Dylan nodded. On command, Yasmin and Jono heaved at the heavy door. Much to Yasmin’s relief, Lily and George were there, along with another lad from their class. He had dark, wavy, long hair and was exceptionally cute.
“Oh, hey,” Lily was taken aback by how many people were there, “We came to hide out.”
“Join the party,” Jono chucked, throwing his arms around Lily in relief, “Who’s your friend?”
“This is Matty,” George introduced, “He’s at risk from the Téras. We thought we could protect him here.”
“There’s mountain ash around the walls. If the door is shut, there is no way of it breaking through,” Lily added.
Yasmin looked around. Although she knew everyone was safe, she still wasn’t able to rest easy. Hiding away didn’t solve any problems. This was their time to formulate a plan.
Stiles always worried when Lydia had a premonition. She couldn’t help it, but they never led to anything good. It was his protective instinct. He worried about her even when she wasn’t influenced by her inner banshee.
At least he had Scott and himself there for back-up. She could handle herself better than most other people, but everybody was stronger in numbers. Stiles knew he would be nowhere without Scott and Lydia, after all. They were two of the most important people in his life, and he struggled to recall a time before Lydia and he were an item. It was a strange thought to remember his five-year plan to become Lydia’s boyfriend. It took a little longer, but the point remained.
He pulled the car up outside a house. It was unfamiliar to Stiles, much like everything else in Crystalshaw. The town made him feel uneasy so far, almost like whenever hunters roamed through Beacon Hills.
“In here,” Lydia instructed, stepping out of the car and heading to the doorstep.
“I recognise this place,” Scott pointed out. Somehow, his tone of voice didn’t give Stiles much hope.
“Tell me it was a warm, cosy house where nothing bad ever happens,” Stiles tried being optimistic.
“It’s where Chase lives,” Scott identified, “And his sister Emily, who was one of the Téras’ victims.” Stiles now felt even more uncomfortable. He should have known better, considering Lydia’s premonitions always revolved around death. Lydia opened the front door – it wasn’t locked, but luckily nobody seemed to be home, “We can’t go in.”
“It’s not exactly the first place we’ve broken in to,” Stiles reasoned. He knew he had his dad to back up his good character anyway. Scott sighed, giving up. Stiles knew he was the bad influence, and he loved it.
Lydia led the way upstairs, not uttering another word. Stiles followed, while Scott took the rear, keeping a look-out. After all, he was the most equipped to deal with any threats. Especially now Stiles no longer had his trusty baseball bat.
Lydia led them into a bedroom, belonging to Emily. Lydia’s tendency for finding dead bodies didn’t offer Emily many positive prospects. Stiles looked around at the pretty pink bedroom. It looked used and lived-in – there were clothes on the floor and bedsheets that had been slept in.
“Get any scents?” Stiles queried to Scott.
“There’s a few, all of them similar so I guess they’re Emily and her family,” Scott reasoned.
“She’s here,” Lydia stated, confusing Stiles even more. She pointed down to the carpet at a pile of grains, which looked like salt or sugar.
“Is that…?” Scott struggled to finish his sentence.
“Emily, yeah. What’s left of her actual body anyway,” Stiles answered gravely.
Although the bunker was the safest place he knew, Dylan still didn’t feel comfortable. Drew could return to the bunker at any time – it was his safe space, and he truly needed one of those when the Téras wasn’t in charge.
Dylan was relieved that some of Drew still remained inside the Téras, but how could they persuade it to leave him alone? The Téras wanted the strongest possible body, but it would only give Drew up if it found something better. Dylan couldn’t let it take him and Scott. There had to be something preferable to Drew, but they needed to find it first.
“We’ve got to set a trap,” Dylan decided, thinking aloud.
“That thing can disintegrate people with its bare hands, and you think we can trap it?” Lily reasoned.
“It only kills minors. It doesn’t care for anyone over eighteen, and as long as it has Drew, it won’t want a new host that isn’t Dylan and Scott,” Yasmin mentioned.
“Newsflash, we are all minors,” Josh noted.
“Ed isn’t,” Dylan added. He was in-the-know, trustworthy, and well into his forties. He was the perfect helper.
“Do you think he’d agree to this?” Jono wondered.
“I think he’d try to help in any way he could,” Dylan replied as honestly as possible.
“You think we could lure the Téras to a holding cell?” Freddie asked.
“It’s not strong enough,” Jono noted.
“But this is,” Yasmin held up a jar of mountain ash, “Get it into the school and we can trap it.” Dylan nodded – it was their best shot. Now all he needed was for Ed to be on board.
The spider diagram on Mrs. Johnson’s whiteboard was filling up quite nicely. Drew was trying to piece all of the details together, and it was starting to make sense. He and Mrs. Johnson seemed to know a fair amount, having pooled their knowledge. The list included:
Drew had to clarify the last one. He wasn’t easily scared, but the Téras terrified him like nothing else. The fact it was inside him only made things worse. There was no escape from that horrible feeling of dread.
“What now?” Drew queried.
“We use the information to our advantage. Potential weaknesses?” Mrs. Johnson took charge like she was teaching class.
“It hasn’t existed before, so it hasn’t been defeated before either. The element of surprise might work,” Drew suggested.
“Good. It won’t have much knowledge of humans or how the human brain works,” Mrs. Johnson reasoned.
“And it only kills minors. Anyone who isn’t a minor should be okay,” Drew added.
“Which rules out Dylan’s entire pack,” Mrs. Johnson added.
“That guy, Dylan was with him, he was older but not by much,” Drew recalled. He didn’t know how he knew that, but it was in the back of his mind.
“Who was he?” Mrs. Johnson wondered, “Not an alpha, I hope.” Drew said nothing. His silence spoke the loudest, “Okay. Where are they now?”
“How am I meant to know? Aren’t they in school?” Drew queried.
“A fight broke out and they fled. Can you think where they would go?” Mrs. Johnson pressed for answers. Drew tried to think like Dylan. What would he do?
“Somewhere safe, but not for long. Dylan never hides away, he’ll be trying to help,” Drew concluded, “So he’ll be coming here.” Somehow, that didn’t fill him with confidence.
“Okay, we need to think fast the before they end up in danger. It doesn’t know humans, so act a little more human, Drew,” Mrs. Johnson commanded.
“But I’m not human,” Drew reminded.
“You are. You were born human. Trap the wolf and channel Drew. It doesn’t want a human and it doesn’t know the strength of your human self,” Mrs. Johnson encouraged.
“How?” Drew panicked.
“What keeps you human? What stops you from becoming a wild wolf roaming the woods?” Mrs. Johnson continued.
Drew had to think hard – he always said how he hated humanity. It was a weakness when fighting something that had shed its human side.
“My nan,” Drew admitted, “And Dylan and the pack.” They were the people he cared about, even if he didn’t always show it.
“Keep thinking of them,” Mrs. Johnson commanded. Drew closed his eyes, thinking of all the memories he’d had with Dylan, and with his nan, who had dedicated so much effort to raising him. Every tiny moment that he could recall. He let his life replay in his mind. The hugs from nan. The first time he worked alongside Dylan. Jono’s first basketball game. Everything that made him an average human being.
All of a sudden, Drew felt his mind begin to clear as if a fog were lifting. He opened his eyes to see a black cloud of smoke filling the space in front of him, being pushed away.
Immediately, Mrs. Johnson ran to open the door. The cloud was being forced away in that direction, and it wafted out of the room. She slammed the door behind it. Drew felt faint, yet his mind was clearer than it had been in days.
“Is that it?” Drew questioned.
“It needs a new host now, and it won’t waste time,” Mrs. Johnson reasoned. Somehow, this didn’t out Drew’s mind at ease.
Lydia was used to dead bodies. She had seen more than her fair share over the years. It never got an easier either, seeing an innocent life snatched away.
This felt especially cruel though. The poor girl’s body, Emily, was nothing more than a pile of dust. How could a family grieve without a body to provide closure? There was no way of explaining something like that. No way of getting the answers they deserve.
“Dylan said he saw Emily with the Téras when it changed host,” Scott recalled, “How can she have no body?”
“It might be an echo. Obviously the Téras existed in another place before, somewhere without physical forms,” Lydia reasoned. There was no scientific way to prove it, but it made the most logical sense.
“How can you stop an echo?” Scott queried.
“We can stop it manifesting. Like a mental block,” Lydia suggested.
“Isn’t it a little late? I mean, it sorta already exists,” Stiles noted.
“It hasn’t got a body yet. Drew is only temporary,” Lydia reminded.
“Don’t I know it,” Scott sighed. He was understandably frustrated. Lydia wouldn’t feel remotely comfortable if she knew something was after her body, “How can we stop it then?”
“Find it,” Lydia suggested, “And I think I know how.”
She knelt down and reached her hand out to the pile of dust that used to be Emily. She hated what she was about to do, but this was the way to make a connection. The banshee needed this link.
She reached her hand into the dust and let it slip through her fingers like a sand timer. Finding where the echo of Emily was would lead them to the source of the echoes, and the source of the Téras. It had to be done, or she would lose Scott forever.
Walking into the school library, it was pretty dead, much to Dylan’s relief. Nobody was in sight except the librarian, and Ed managed to convince her to leave with no issues. He had agreed surprisingly readily to Dylan’s plan, but that was part of his job as Sheriff after all – protecting his town, and Dylan knew that Crystalshaw had never been more at threat.
Yasmin had laced the perimeter of the library with a trail of mountain ash, and Jono was waiting at the main entrance. Once the Téras was inside, he would close the trail and lock the door. The only person inside would be Ed, who was at no risk due to his age.
Josh and Freddie waited outside the emergency fire exit in case, while Dylan would cover the main entrance. Lily, Yasmin and Jono were on guard to break the mountain ash seal if necessary – they were the only ones who could touch it, even being near it made Dylan’s skin crawl.
The final piece of the puzzle was the bait, namely Matty. The Téras wanted Matty. It was after him already, and there was no way it would stop. However, Dylan was never going to let Matty be in any danger. As soon as the mountain ask circle was complete, Matty would be pulled out by Lily and it would be trapped.
Dylan was worried though. So much could still go wrong. However, it was their only option. Matty stood patiently in the centre of the library, clearly visible from the main doorway. Hiding out of view, Dylan gave him a thumbs-up. He had been thrust into a crazy situation so quickly and was dealing with it rather brilliantly all things considered.
“Something’s coming,” Dylan warned, hearing the pitter-patter of footsteps. He desperately wanted to peep, but he knew he couldn’t – it would give the game away.
Matty stood there shaking, clearly watching somebody approach. Dylan used his nose to help – it was definitely Drew approaching. He knew that scent too well.
Drew’s figure passed through into the library. Dylan nodded to Jono – he left the room before Jono sealed the exit and slammed the door. Drew obviously heard it, as he started banging on the door.
Thankfully, Dylan heard a second door slam – Matty must have successfully escaped through the fire exit as planned. So far so good.
“What are you doing?” Drew yelled out. Dylan hated doing this to him. It was the only way to stop the Téras.
“You’ve got to leave Drew alone,” Dylan heard Ed say.
“What have you done?” Drew yelled in despair.
“It’s for your own good,” Ed replied.
“You don’t understand. I’m not the Téras. It left me,” Drew admitted. Dylan’s heart dropped. If that were true, it meant it was still out there.
Primed in case of a mishap, Lily wasn’t resting. Matty had escaped successfully through the emergency exit and was safe, but for how long, Lily didn’t know. She looked at George, taking care of Matty. It was a sweet sight, almost like father and son even though they were the same age. He had a natural paternal instinct, helped by being Freddie’s guardian undoubtedly.
Lily then remembered – George was eighteen. He had his birthday the previous September, just days after his mum died. Freddie was saved from two years in the foster system. Also, though, this meant he wasn’t a minor either. Though he was a school kid, he was never in danger of the Téras.
“Do you think this will work?” Matty worried.
“I don’t know. I guess we’ll find out soon,” George replied, putting a comforting hand on his knee.
“They’re talking,” Freddie informed, listening in. The emergency exit door was thick – it was understandably difficult to hear any details amongst the murmurs of conversation.
“I hope Ed kicks its ass,” Josh added.
“Ed’s cool but I don’t know how scary he will be to a supernatural creature that exudes fear,” Lily noted. The plan felt optimistic.
Sighing as her impatience grew, Lily turned around. They were sat on the edge of the concrete playground, where students would play soccer and basketball at lunchtime. She saw a shadowed figure on the edge, looking her way, watching them. It looked familiar, but she didn’t know why, she couldn’t make out any details. Either way, it gave her the same terrified feeling as the Téras. How could that be, when it was inside the library?
“Hey!” she called to it. It instantly shuffled away, but she wasn’t going to let it escape. She followed it in the same direction. It moved towards the main entrance of the school, but Lily couldn’t see it anymore. She wasn’t out of luck though – Mrs. Langston on the reception desk would know who went by. Nothing ever got past her.
“Hey, Mrs. L,” Lily casually approached, trying to conceal her flustered state.
“Hello Lily love, how can I help?” Mrs. Langston smiled. Lily wasn’t sure it was possible to be a nicer person than her.
“I was wondering if anyone came through here just now,” Lily made her request seem casual.
“The lad whose sister went missing came through just before you, he’s a sophomore, remind me of his name,” Mrs. Langston revealed. Lily knew exactly what she meant, but somehow it left more questions than it answered.
“Chase,” she replied, before heading back out and yelling behind her, “Thanks!”
It took Dylan no time to open the door to find out if Drew was serious. He knew the Téras was a trickster – it could easily have been trying to fool them again. The mountain ash barrier remained intact, just for safe measures.
“What did you say?” Dylan interrogated.
“I got it out,” Drew answered, “I’m me, I swear.”
“How do we know you’re telling the truth?” Ed worried.
“Do you feel scared?” Drew responded, “Because I don’t, for the first time in ages. It’s gone.”
“But where is it?” Yasmin added worryingly. She had a point – there was no way the Téras would suddenly give up. It would have found a new body, and quickly.
“I don’t know, but you need to let me out of this trap damn fast,” Drew ordered.
“Dylan!” came a voice from down the corridor. Dylan spun round to see Scott running over, with Stiles and Lydia behind him, “We’ve got a lead. This is the source of the Téras.”
He handed over a map, with a normal-looking house circled. Then Dylan realised – he recognised the house.
“This is where…” Dylan was cut off as he was approached from behind, a hand covering his mouth. He looked to his right. Scott was struggling similarly, another hand covering his mouth. The same person’s hand.
“Chase, what are you doing?” Jono identified. Chase? What? How could he have a grip so strong?
“Chase is temporary,” a robotic voice, entirely unlike Chase’s, replied. It wasn’t Chase anymore. Dylan saw a cloud of black smoke appear around him. He was caught, and so was Scott. They just had to figure out their escape, and do it alone.
“Get your hands off them,” Dylan yelled, pushing his way through the group of cowards watching on. Scott followed, the two of them lunging for one attacker each. Dylan wrestled his guy to the ground, freeing Josh from the pain of his fist.
“Get out of here,” Scott ordered to Freddie and Josh. He was in a similar position to Dylan, the two attackers both trying to wriggle free from their grips. Another lad tried to fight Dylan, but he shoved him backwards, not caring about the amount of force he was exerting.
The crowd fell silent. Their point had been made and Freddie and Josh had escaped.
“Let’s go,” Scott urged. Dylan let go of the lad in front of him and sprinted back to the car. Yasmin slumped out of the entrance, obviously horrified by what had happened. Dylan needed answers, but they weren’t safe.
“We need to get to Drew’s bunker. It’s the safest place,” Yasmin suggested, sliding into the backseat of Jono’s car.
“What about Lily?” Jono worried, starting the engine up.
“She can join us later, she’s not a werewolf so she’ll be safe anyway,” Dylan noted. He was scared to be out in public – not just for himself, but for all of his friends.
Reunited in the Jeep, Scott had handed driving duties back over to Stiles. It was his rightful place, after all. It felt good to be back with his best friends – they had been dealing with the supernatural together from the start, it would have been wrong for this to be any different.
“Do you have any idea which way we’re supposed to be going?” Stiles panicked.
“Nope, just follow Jono’s car,” Scott suggested.
“Not gonna lie Scott, I’ve been to friendlier places,” Stiles commented.
“You saw the article, it’s a response to that,” Scott explained, “And there’s a creature on the loose killing minors too.”
“Business as usual,” Lydia mentioned, “You said Dylan’s an alpha?”
“Yeah, pretty new too. He’s strong-willed but out of his depth,” Scott detailed.
“So, you thought you’d drag us away on a road trip,” Lydia complained. Scott knew she would do all she could to help out. Lydia’s intelligence was their greatest asset, way more valuable than any physical advantage.
“If this spreads further, we’ll all be at risk. If us and Dylan can’t beat it, it almost deserves to win,” Scott considered.
“What’s the plan then?” Stiles optimistically questioned.
“That’s why I called you two. I think we all know I was never the brains behind this operation,” Scott chuckled.
“Keep driving,” Lydia commanded, speaking more vacantly than usual.
“But Jono’s indicating?” Stiles was confused.
“Listen to her. We might be onto something,” Scott recognised that tone of voice. He knew a Lydia premonition when he heard one. Maybe this would help them along their way.
That was a narrow escape. Lily breathed a sigh of relief as soon as she, George and Matty left Mrs. Harding’s office. Thankfully, she totally bought their excuse, and no more questions were asked.
However, it wasn’t all plain sailing. Lily had just seen an old friend disintegrate in front of her, and another friend was at risk of doing the same. The Téras surely wasn’t going to give up, and Matty wasn’t safe forever.
“Get away from me,” Matty reacted as soon as the office door clicked shut.
“Don’t you think we’re past that stage?” George defended, “Taylor’s dead, and you were next.”
“You still are,” Lily added, “You don’t think it’s going to let you go, do you? We’re the only people who can help you. Get over yourself.” It felt good to vent.
Matty didn’t reply; obviously her words had made it through to him.
“Where can we hide, then?” Matty finally said, breaking the awkward silence.
“I think I know,” Lily thought, “But you have to trust us. We’re not the enemy, nor is Dylan.” Matty nodded – a sensible idea. He knew his life depended on it, after all.
Savouring her free period for the day, Mrs. Johnson was marking her sophomore test papers. She struggled to focus, though. Although she tried to maintain a professional teacher/student relationship with Dylan’s pack, it was difficult not to think about getting involved. She was the only staff member who knew the truth about Dylan and his friends, and she had to do something to combat how horrific people were being towards them. Nothing but discrimination, which was never acceptable in her books.
“Mrs. Johnson,” came a voice unexpectedly from the doorway. Mrs. Johnson looked up to see Drew Marsden. Immediately, she reached into her draw for a knife.
“Stand back, I am not afraid to use this,” she threatened. Dylan had notified her of what had happened to Drew, and although it was only targeting minors, she had to be cautious.
“Woah, what the heck? It’s me, Drew,” he defended himself, holding his hands up.
“I’m not scared of a Téras,” she continued. She wasn’t gullible and wasn’t going to fall for a cheap trick.
“I’m not…” Drew sounded confused, “I need help. Please.” He seemed sincere. Mrs. Johnson knew a scam when she heard one, and this didn’t sound much like one.
“So, you can’t remember a thing?” Mrs. Johnson clarified.
“I don’t know. I feel like death, I’ve not slept in days, and I can hardly remember anything. There’s no sign of Dylan or anyone,” Dylan explained.
“They’re up to their eyeballs,” Mrs. Johnson notified, “Why have you come to see me?”
“You know more than Dylan. I trust him but you have experience. You must have heard of the Téras,” Drew begged.
“I only know what the legend says. Nobody’s encountered a Téras before now. It’s unchartered territory,” Mrs. Johnson explained, “But that doesn’t make us hopeless.”
“I don’t think setting it a biology pop quiz will be enough to scare it off,” Drew sighed.
“You’re the one who came here for my help,” Mrs. Johnson scolded. A little gratitude wouldn’t have gone amiss, “We have to pool what we know.” She picked up a whiteboard pen and wrote “Téras,” in the centre of the whiteboard, “Who wants to go first?”
Pushing the bunker door firmly shut behind her, Yasmin was thrilled to be out of harm’s way. Although Josh felt like he had solved their bullying problem, it only seemed to provoke it further. The lad who was targeting them had dragged Josh and Freddie out of the classroom with a few friends that he brought along to help.
Thankfully, Dylan arrived at just the right time, although she had no idea who he or his friends were still. Either way, it would surely spread its way around the school. She could only hope they would be punished.
“Where’s Scott?” Dylan questioned, looking around the bunker.
“Who’s Scott?” Josh wondered.
“Another alpha. He should have been following with Stiles and Lydia,” Dylan detailed.
“Another alpha? Did you not listen to the Téras? That’s exactly what it wants,” Yasmin was baffled. Dylan had walked straight into its trap.
“He’s stronger than me and has been doing this longer. Do any of us really know what we’re up against?” Dylan reasoned.
“He saved my life,” Freddie mentioned, “I’m pretty grateful.”
“I swear he was following behind,” Dylan worried.
“Don’t worry, he’s an adult, he can fend for himself. He’ll find us,,” Jono reassured.
“I hope so, before anyone finds out who he is,” Dylan sighed. Yasmin concurred – it wasn’t safe for any werewolves to be out in public, alpha or no alpha. The door sounded – four loud knocks.
“Don’t make a sound,” Yasmin commanded. She wasn’t repeating the last time the Téras tricked them.
“There are three heartbeats,” Josh noted, paying very close attention to his hearing.
“What if the Téras has Lily and George?” Jono panicked.
“It wouldn’t bring them here,” Dylan corrected. He was spot on. The Téras wouldn’t bring its victims to the only people who could save them.
“It could be Scott, Stiles and Lydia,” Dylan pointed out.
“There’s only one way to find out,” Jono said.
“If we open that door, we’ve gotta be ready,” Yasmin warned, “Not just for the Téras. We might have been followed.”
“Oh, we’re ready,” Freddie added. One after the other, he, Josh and Dylan all primed their claws.
“Let’s do it,” Dylan nodded. On command, Yasmin and Jono heaved at the heavy door. Much to Yasmin’s relief, Lily and George were there, along with another lad from their class. He had dark, wavy, long hair and was exceptionally cute.
“Oh, hey,” Lily was taken aback by how many people were there, “We came to hide out.”
“Join the party,” Jono chucked, throwing his arms around Lily in relief, “Who’s your friend?”
“This is Matty,” George introduced, “He’s at risk from the Téras. We thought we could protect him here.”
“There’s mountain ash around the walls. If the door is shut, there is no way of it breaking through,” Lily added.
Yasmin looked around. Although she knew everyone was safe, she still wasn’t able to rest easy. Hiding away didn’t solve any problems. This was their time to formulate a plan.
Stiles always worried when Lydia had a premonition. She couldn’t help it, but they never led to anything good. It was his protective instinct. He worried about her even when she wasn’t influenced by her inner banshee.
At least he had Scott and himself there for back-up. She could handle herself better than most other people, but everybody was stronger in numbers. Stiles knew he would be nowhere without Scott and Lydia, after all. They were two of the most important people in his life, and he struggled to recall a time before Lydia and he were an item. It was a strange thought to remember his five-year plan to become Lydia’s boyfriend. It took a little longer, but the point remained.
He pulled the car up outside a house. It was unfamiliar to Stiles, much like everything else in Crystalshaw. The town made him feel uneasy so far, almost like whenever hunters roamed through Beacon Hills.
“In here,” Lydia instructed, stepping out of the car and heading to the doorstep.
“I recognise this place,” Scott pointed out. Somehow, his tone of voice didn’t give Stiles much hope.
“Tell me it was a warm, cosy house where nothing bad ever happens,” Stiles tried being optimistic.
“It’s where Chase lives,” Scott identified, “And his sister Emily, who was one of the Téras’ victims.” Stiles now felt even more uncomfortable. He should have known better, considering Lydia’s premonitions always revolved around death. Lydia opened the front door – it wasn’t locked, but luckily nobody seemed to be home, “We can’t go in.”
“It’s not exactly the first place we’ve broken in to,” Stiles reasoned. He knew he had his dad to back up his good character anyway. Scott sighed, giving up. Stiles knew he was the bad influence, and he loved it.
Lydia led the way upstairs, not uttering another word. Stiles followed, while Scott took the rear, keeping a look-out. After all, he was the most equipped to deal with any threats. Especially now Stiles no longer had his trusty baseball bat.
Lydia led them into a bedroom, belonging to Emily. Lydia’s tendency for finding dead bodies didn’t offer Emily many positive prospects. Stiles looked around at the pretty pink bedroom. It looked used and lived-in – there were clothes on the floor and bedsheets that had been slept in.
“Get any scents?” Stiles queried to Scott.
“There’s a few, all of them similar so I guess they’re Emily and her family,” Scott reasoned.
“She’s here,” Lydia stated, confusing Stiles even more. She pointed down to the carpet at a pile of grains, which looked like salt or sugar.
“Is that…?” Scott struggled to finish his sentence.
“Emily, yeah. What’s left of her actual body anyway,” Stiles answered gravely.
Although the bunker was the safest place he knew, Dylan still didn’t feel comfortable. Drew could return to the bunker at any time – it was his safe space, and he truly needed one of those when the Téras wasn’t in charge.
Dylan was relieved that some of Drew still remained inside the Téras, but how could they persuade it to leave him alone? The Téras wanted the strongest possible body, but it would only give Drew up if it found something better. Dylan couldn’t let it take him and Scott. There had to be something preferable to Drew, but they needed to find it first.
“We’ve got to set a trap,” Dylan decided, thinking aloud.
“That thing can disintegrate people with its bare hands, and you think we can trap it?” Lily reasoned.
“It only kills minors. It doesn’t care for anyone over eighteen, and as long as it has Drew, it won’t want a new host that isn’t Dylan and Scott,” Yasmin mentioned.
“Newsflash, we are all minors,” Josh noted.
“Ed isn’t,” Dylan added. He was in-the-know, trustworthy, and well into his forties. He was the perfect helper.
“Do you think he’d agree to this?” Jono wondered.
“I think he’d try to help in any way he could,” Dylan replied as honestly as possible.
“You think we could lure the Téras to a holding cell?” Freddie asked.
“It’s not strong enough,” Jono noted.
“But this is,” Yasmin held up a jar of mountain ash, “Get it into the school and we can trap it.” Dylan nodded – it was their best shot. Now all he needed was for Ed to be on board.
The spider diagram on Mrs. Johnson’s whiteboard was filling up quite nicely. Drew was trying to piece all of the details together, and it was starting to make sense. He and Mrs. Johnson seemed to know a fair amount, having pooled their knowledge. The list included:
- Translates as “monster”
- Never existed before
- Uses host body
- Kills minors
- Black-eyed people
- Scary
Drew had to clarify the last one. He wasn’t easily scared, but the Téras terrified him like nothing else. The fact it was inside him only made things worse. There was no escape from that horrible feeling of dread.
“What now?” Drew queried.
“We use the information to our advantage. Potential weaknesses?” Mrs. Johnson took charge like she was teaching class.
“It hasn’t existed before, so it hasn’t been defeated before either. The element of surprise might work,” Drew suggested.
“Good. It won’t have much knowledge of humans or how the human brain works,” Mrs. Johnson reasoned.
“And it only kills minors. Anyone who isn’t a minor should be okay,” Drew added.
“Which rules out Dylan’s entire pack,” Mrs. Johnson added.
“That guy, Dylan was with him, he was older but not by much,” Drew recalled. He didn’t know how he knew that, but it was in the back of his mind.
“Who was he?” Mrs. Johnson wondered, “Not an alpha, I hope.” Drew said nothing. His silence spoke the loudest, “Okay. Where are they now?”
“How am I meant to know? Aren’t they in school?” Drew queried.
“A fight broke out and they fled. Can you think where they would go?” Mrs. Johnson pressed for answers. Drew tried to think like Dylan. What would he do?
“Somewhere safe, but not for long. Dylan never hides away, he’ll be trying to help,” Drew concluded, “So he’ll be coming here.” Somehow, that didn’t fill him with confidence.
“Okay, we need to think fast the before they end up in danger. It doesn’t know humans, so act a little more human, Drew,” Mrs. Johnson commanded.
“But I’m not human,” Drew reminded.
“You are. You were born human. Trap the wolf and channel Drew. It doesn’t want a human and it doesn’t know the strength of your human self,” Mrs. Johnson encouraged.
“How?” Drew panicked.
“What keeps you human? What stops you from becoming a wild wolf roaming the woods?” Mrs. Johnson continued.
Drew had to think hard – he always said how he hated humanity. It was a weakness when fighting something that had shed its human side.
“My nan,” Drew admitted, “And Dylan and the pack.” They were the people he cared about, even if he didn’t always show it.
“Keep thinking of them,” Mrs. Johnson commanded. Drew closed his eyes, thinking of all the memories he’d had with Dylan, and with his nan, who had dedicated so much effort to raising him. Every tiny moment that he could recall. He let his life replay in his mind. The hugs from nan. The first time he worked alongside Dylan. Jono’s first basketball game. Everything that made him an average human being.
All of a sudden, Drew felt his mind begin to clear as if a fog were lifting. He opened his eyes to see a black cloud of smoke filling the space in front of him, being pushed away.
Immediately, Mrs. Johnson ran to open the door. The cloud was being forced away in that direction, and it wafted out of the room. She slammed the door behind it. Drew felt faint, yet his mind was clearer than it had been in days.
“Is that it?” Drew questioned.
“It needs a new host now, and it won’t waste time,” Mrs. Johnson reasoned. Somehow, this didn’t out Drew’s mind at ease.
Lydia was used to dead bodies. She had seen more than her fair share over the years. It never got an easier either, seeing an innocent life snatched away.
This felt especially cruel though. The poor girl’s body, Emily, was nothing more than a pile of dust. How could a family grieve without a body to provide closure? There was no way of explaining something like that. No way of getting the answers they deserve.
“Dylan said he saw Emily with the Téras when it changed host,” Scott recalled, “How can she have no body?”
“It might be an echo. Obviously the Téras existed in another place before, somewhere without physical forms,” Lydia reasoned. There was no scientific way to prove it, but it made the most logical sense.
“How can you stop an echo?” Scott queried.
“We can stop it manifesting. Like a mental block,” Lydia suggested.
“Isn’t it a little late? I mean, it sorta already exists,” Stiles noted.
“It hasn’t got a body yet. Drew is only temporary,” Lydia reminded.
“Don’t I know it,” Scott sighed. He was understandably frustrated. Lydia wouldn’t feel remotely comfortable if she knew something was after her body, “How can we stop it then?”
“Find it,” Lydia suggested, “And I think I know how.”
She knelt down and reached her hand out to the pile of dust that used to be Emily. She hated what she was about to do, but this was the way to make a connection. The banshee needed this link.
She reached her hand into the dust and let it slip through her fingers like a sand timer. Finding where the echo of Emily was would lead them to the source of the echoes, and the source of the Téras. It had to be done, or she would lose Scott forever.
Walking into the school library, it was pretty dead, much to Dylan’s relief. Nobody was in sight except the librarian, and Ed managed to convince her to leave with no issues. He had agreed surprisingly readily to Dylan’s plan, but that was part of his job as Sheriff after all – protecting his town, and Dylan knew that Crystalshaw had never been more at threat.
Yasmin had laced the perimeter of the library with a trail of mountain ash, and Jono was waiting at the main entrance. Once the Téras was inside, he would close the trail and lock the door. The only person inside would be Ed, who was at no risk due to his age.
Josh and Freddie waited outside the emergency fire exit in case, while Dylan would cover the main entrance. Lily, Yasmin and Jono were on guard to break the mountain ash seal if necessary – they were the only ones who could touch it, even being near it made Dylan’s skin crawl.
The final piece of the puzzle was the bait, namely Matty. The Téras wanted Matty. It was after him already, and there was no way it would stop. However, Dylan was never going to let Matty be in any danger. As soon as the mountain ask circle was complete, Matty would be pulled out by Lily and it would be trapped.
Dylan was worried though. So much could still go wrong. However, it was their only option. Matty stood patiently in the centre of the library, clearly visible from the main doorway. Hiding out of view, Dylan gave him a thumbs-up. He had been thrust into a crazy situation so quickly and was dealing with it rather brilliantly all things considered.
“Something’s coming,” Dylan warned, hearing the pitter-patter of footsteps. He desperately wanted to peep, but he knew he couldn’t – it would give the game away.
Matty stood there shaking, clearly watching somebody approach. Dylan used his nose to help – it was definitely Drew approaching. He knew that scent too well.
Drew’s figure passed through into the library. Dylan nodded to Jono – he left the room before Jono sealed the exit and slammed the door. Drew obviously heard it, as he started banging on the door.
Thankfully, Dylan heard a second door slam – Matty must have successfully escaped through the fire exit as planned. So far so good.
“What are you doing?” Drew yelled out. Dylan hated doing this to him. It was the only way to stop the Téras.
“You’ve got to leave Drew alone,” Dylan heard Ed say.
“What have you done?” Drew yelled in despair.
“It’s for your own good,” Ed replied.
“You don’t understand. I’m not the Téras. It left me,” Drew admitted. Dylan’s heart dropped. If that were true, it meant it was still out there.
Primed in case of a mishap, Lily wasn’t resting. Matty had escaped successfully through the emergency exit and was safe, but for how long, Lily didn’t know. She looked at George, taking care of Matty. It was a sweet sight, almost like father and son even though they were the same age. He had a natural paternal instinct, helped by being Freddie’s guardian undoubtedly.
Lily then remembered – George was eighteen. He had his birthday the previous September, just days after his mum died. Freddie was saved from two years in the foster system. Also, though, this meant he wasn’t a minor either. Though he was a school kid, he was never in danger of the Téras.
“Do you think this will work?” Matty worried.
“I don’t know. I guess we’ll find out soon,” George replied, putting a comforting hand on his knee.
“They’re talking,” Freddie informed, listening in. The emergency exit door was thick – it was understandably difficult to hear any details amongst the murmurs of conversation.
“I hope Ed kicks its ass,” Josh added.
“Ed’s cool but I don’t know how scary he will be to a supernatural creature that exudes fear,” Lily noted. The plan felt optimistic.
Sighing as her impatience grew, Lily turned around. They were sat on the edge of the concrete playground, where students would play soccer and basketball at lunchtime. She saw a shadowed figure on the edge, looking her way, watching them. It looked familiar, but she didn’t know why, she couldn’t make out any details. Either way, it gave her the same terrified feeling as the Téras. How could that be, when it was inside the library?
“Hey!” she called to it. It instantly shuffled away, but she wasn’t going to let it escape. She followed it in the same direction. It moved towards the main entrance of the school, but Lily couldn’t see it anymore. She wasn’t out of luck though – Mrs. Langston on the reception desk would know who went by. Nothing ever got past her.
“Hey, Mrs. L,” Lily casually approached, trying to conceal her flustered state.
“Hello Lily love, how can I help?” Mrs. Langston smiled. Lily wasn’t sure it was possible to be a nicer person than her.
“I was wondering if anyone came through here just now,” Lily made her request seem casual.
“The lad whose sister went missing came through just before you, he’s a sophomore, remind me of his name,” Mrs. Langston revealed. Lily knew exactly what she meant, but somehow it left more questions than it answered.
“Chase,” she replied, before heading back out and yelling behind her, “Thanks!”
It took Dylan no time to open the door to find out if Drew was serious. He knew the Téras was a trickster – it could easily have been trying to fool them again. The mountain ash barrier remained intact, just for safe measures.
“What did you say?” Dylan interrogated.
“I got it out,” Drew answered, “I’m me, I swear.”
“How do we know you’re telling the truth?” Ed worried.
“Do you feel scared?” Drew responded, “Because I don’t, for the first time in ages. It’s gone.”
“But where is it?” Yasmin added worryingly. She had a point – there was no way the Téras would suddenly give up. It would have found a new body, and quickly.
“I don’t know, but you need to let me out of this trap damn fast,” Drew ordered.
“Dylan!” came a voice from down the corridor. Dylan spun round to see Scott running over, with Stiles and Lydia behind him, “We’ve got a lead. This is the source of the Téras.”
He handed over a map, with a normal-looking house circled. Then Dylan realised – he recognised the house.
“This is where…” Dylan was cut off as he was approached from behind, a hand covering his mouth. He looked to his right. Scott was struggling similarly, another hand covering his mouth. The same person’s hand.
“Chase, what are you doing?” Jono identified. Chase? What? How could he have a grip so strong?
“Chase is temporary,” a robotic voice, entirely unlike Chase’s, replied. It wasn’t Chase anymore. Dylan saw a cloud of black smoke appear around him. He was caught, and so was Scott. They just had to figure out their escape, and do it alone.
Previous: "Assistance"
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