Killer | Derek Hale

PART THREE - VOID STRENGTH

"Scott!"

The boy ran into the living room. He saw the eyes of his pack glued to Stiles' phone in horror. He furrowed his brows and followed their gaze. His best friend connected his phone to his computer, making the video enlarged.

His eyes widened when he saw the video. He moved to stand in the front, getting a full look at the images.

It showed Maia, holding up a bloodied Eric by his neck. She seemed to exert little effort and her body almost seemed relaxed.

Her hands were coated in dark blood. Her shirt had a few rips in it, probably from Eric's attempts to fight her off.

But when she had tracked him down, she barely had to fight. The strength of the nogitsune was more than enough to take him down. This time, he was the one being tortured and broken. The tremble in his body did not go unrecognized.

When he first saw her, he thought that she was making a mistake. But when she spoke so casually, he knew something was off. And with her first strike, he knew it wasn't his sister anymore.

The pack watched as she slowly pressed her claws into his neck. He choked on his blood and struggled to breathe. He scratched at her skin to get her to let go.

She tilted her head and grinned, enjoying his pain.

"You know, I'm quite impressed with how much pain you've caused," she stated, "I can't even begin to tell you the depth of Maia's suffering from you."

She flicked out her claws on the other side. She slowly dug the points of them into his side and slid them downwards. He let out a shout of pain and writhed in her grasp.

"I want to hear you say it."

Her voice switched to a snarl. The tone she used almost sounded like Maia. They were almost convinced that it was actually her.

But then her face twitched back to its evil smirk. A different kind of dangerous gleam shone in her eyes. It was more potent and deadly than the one Maia normally had.

"Say what?" Eric gasped.

She narrowed her eyes, "I want you to beg me to let you live. Beg me to have mercy."

Eric's pride was his downfall. His lips shut and he refused to give her answer. She rolled her eyes and crushed his throat even more.

"What was that?" she asked rhetorically, tapping her ear as a gesture that she didn't hear him.

"I'd rather die than stoop to your level," he spat, "Go to hell."

She sighed tiredly, "You first."

Her clutch tightened around his neck, breaking his bones until it couldn't hold on any longer. His head detached from his body, remaining in her hand as the body fell to the ground.

Blood splattered all over her face and clothes but she seemed unbothered. She casually tossed the head to the side and walked towards the camera.

She leaned down into its frame and smiled.

"You have two hours to give me Roan," she lowered her voice, "Or the next people on my list will be all of you."

She winked and shut off the camera. The recording stopped on Stiles' computer. Derek was the first to react, slamming his fist down on the table.

Everyone jumped at his action, but felt his anger too. Stiles especially since he felt somewhat guilty for no other reason that the initial nogitsune attack was from him.

"That's not Maia anymore, is it?" Lydia asked quietly.

Scott shook his head,

"She's void."

-

The pack tried to come up with a plan at Argent's warehouse. They wanted to make sure Roan was close in case Maia decided to get him on her own.

"Wolfsbane?"

"She'd sense it."

"Mountain ash?"

"If we could trap her in time."

Scott tiredly sighed. He placed his head in his hands and slumped. Kira patted his back in comfort and looked to see if anyone else had other ideas.

"Here's a thought: let's give her Roan," Stiles suggested.

"But isn't that exactly what she wants?"

"Which is why we can use him as bait," he clarified, "She'd be so distracted by trying to kill Roan that she won't even see us."

Argent crossed his arms, "She's too smart for that. And with the nogitsune inside of her, she'd sense a trick from a mile away."

Derek's phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and saw the caller ID.

"It's Maia."

Their eyes widened and all of them stood straighter. Derek was tempted to push the button but Scott tried to stop him. He ignored the boy's instructions and accepted the call, "Maia?"

"Derek, help me."

Her voice was trembling. It was no longer the emotionless tone that she possessed earlier. It was her real, terrified voice.

"Please help me," she whispered, "I don't know where I am and I'm stuck."

Stiles pulled the phone away from Derek, "This is a trick."

"You don't know that," he snapped. He stole the phone back and kept talking to her.

"Can you tell me where you are?"

There was a slight pause and they waited anxiously.

"I'm right behind you."

They all jumped and turned around. Maia was hidden in the shadow of the building. They heard her boots click against the floor as she sauntered closer.

She shut off the call and came into the light, smiling evilly. Her voice returned to its cold tone.

"You guys are so predictable!" she exclaimed, "No wonder it was so easy for her to manipulate you."

She shook her head in disapproval. She came into their full view, inciting fear in their hearts. Their emotion was clear and she reveled in the joy it gave her.

"You said we had two hours," Argent reminded, stepping protectively in front of the kids.

She scoffed at his lame attempt. His movements didn't make her back away.

"I changed my mind," she shrugged.

Liam narrowed his eyes. He noticed that she kept switching between third person and first person.

"Are you Maia or the nogitsune?" he asked.

"A bit of both."

She stepped closer to him. Scott and Argent protectively moved to create a barrier between the two. She smirked as she sensed their fear grow.

"I control her body. But her motivations are all hers," she explained, "They're just a bit more murdery."

She winked towards Stiles and Derek, "You two turned her into a pathetic, mercy giving alpha. You made her weak."

They glared intensely. But their eyes held a small glimpse of guilt.

"I actually should be thanking you. That weakness helped me get into her mind. So now the only person who can kill me is currently sitting in her little mind prison up here," she pointed to her head, "So good luck getting this body back."

Derek grit his teeth in anger. His fists curled and his lips twitched in an involuntary sneer.

She turned her head to look at him. She chuckled at his distress.

"What's the matter Derek? Is this hurting your pathetic heart?"

He shook his head, "We will kill you. Maia will kill you. She's strong."

Her eyes narrowed in amusement,

"No...she's not."

---