I'm human | Liam Dunbar

*6*

"What happened?" i asked.

"Listen, Kate attacked the truck transporting Athena. Your dad and Scott's dad were attacked, they're fine, they're in the hospital but Addie-" Derek piped up, trailing off at the end.

"What?" i whispered.

"Athena didn't make it, Kate killed her."  Scott breathed, and i could feel my face pale.

"She's dead?" i whispered, looking over to Derek. He nodded, walking forwards.

"What about Garrett?" I cleared my throat, speaking again.

"He's gone." Everything froze as Liam pulled my head into his chest. I didn't make an effort to move or do anything, i just felt numb. I mean, should i feel grief for someone who lied to me the whole time i knew them? Is that morally right? Am i the villain for not feeling? Am i the bad guy?

"Go to the hospital, find your dad." Derek spoke.

"Yeah." i nodded, walking off.

"Derek?" i called out, stopping.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

"No problem Ad." he smiled as Liam turned around behind me, following me to the hospital which was only a few minutes away on foot.

***

"You can go home you know." i said, putting on an oversized shirt and a pair of material shorts. Stiles was with Lydia, trying to crack another third of the list, and my dad was on a night shift.

"I don't wanna leave you alone. You know i can feel what you feel." he said from in my bedroom.

"It's fine Liam." I sighed.

"No it's not. I'm staying and you can't do anything about it." He spoke sternly. I poked my head around the doorframe staring at him. "Okay, maybe you can, but i'm saying please?"

"Fine, let me go and get you some of Stiles' clothes to change into." I rolled my eyes, walking to Stiles' room and pulled out a white vest and a pair of red and black checkered pyjama shorts. "Here."

"Thanks." he smiled, walking into the bathroom to change. I flopped down on my bed, pulling out my phone. I scrolled through the photos of me and Athena, the snaps we sent eachother and sneakily screenshotted, posting them on eachother's birthday. The videos we took when we were pretending to vlog our picnic, our text messages. The last photo we ever took.

A single tear slid down my face, remembering how happy she was, how happy i was. Another fell when i thought of our matching pyjamas sitting in my drawer, our odd socks we got to match. Was she wearing them when she died? What about our bracelets? She never took them off.

It was then that i realised that Athena was the only person i really confided in. The only person who i ever truly trusted with my thoughts. And just like that she was gone, along with all of those thoughts.

I didn't notice Liam walk in the room until the bed dipped beside me. I finally tore my eyes away from the picture, looking at him and quickly wiping my tears away, smiling up at him.

"Hey, wanna watch a movie?" i spoke sitting up, acting as if nothing had happened.

"Come here." he whispered, pulling me off of the bed and into his chest. I dropped to my knees, Liam following me down to the floor, cradling my head into his chest. I cried, loud sobs leaving the confines of my lungs, filling the air.

I was reliving all of it, Aiden, Allison, Boyd and Erica. All of them were gone, lost to protect us, to protect me. And now there are two more. But they didn't die trying to save me or protect my family, they died trying to kill us. And somehow that was worse.