Chaos Returns

5

Beacon Hills, the next day:

Stiles

As soon as I step out of the plane and onto Beacon Hills soil, I know something's wrong. The woods are quiet, too quiet, not a single insect dares to chirp, and the leaves barely bristle in the trees..

I glance at my wife, finding her already looking at me, confusion covering her face.

Something is wrong.

I know. I tell Void, my gaze searching the wooded area around the tarmac. I don't like it.

There is a pause, then Void speaks, Stiles, I'm getting some major déjà vu right now.

Why?

This smell, the silence... you know what, never mind. It's nothing.

I take his word for it as I lug our bags towards airport security. I pull all four of our passports out of my wallet and hand them to the blond woman waiting for us. She takes them, opening mine first. "Percy Ashford?" She asks, looking at my picture then back up at me. When I nod she looks at my wife's. "Annabeth?" She glances up at Ella, who gives her a kind smile. The woman hands both our passports back, moving onto our kids. "Valerie and Carter Ashford?" They both nod, no hesitation. "Here on vacation?" She looks to me, expecting an answer.

"I thought we could use a break from the city." I smile. "Has the weather been nice this week?" I ask, changing the subject before she gets the chance to question my response.

She shrugs. "So far so good, high chance of rain this evening though. But the weekend looks like it should be nice." She nods once, grateful for the conversation, and steps aside side for us to pass. I thank her and follow my family towards the exit, walking out the revolving doors and into the gloomy Beacon Hills afternoon.

"This place reeks of wet dog." Val says and scrunches her nose, disgusted.

"'You'll get used to it, it just takes some time." Ella grins as I unlock the white truck my boss had waiting for us in the parking lot, she takes shotgun and, like always, our kids fight to be the first one in the back. "Guys, my goodness, there are two doors for a reason." My wife says, making Carter walk around to the other side. Once he buckles in, I begin to back out of the parking spot.

"Can you turn the music up?" Val asks as we start driving down the street. I turn the dial clockwise, taking my eyes off the road for a split second.

"Stiles!" My eyes shoot up at the sound of Ella's cry just in time to see the young woman run in front of us. I slam on the breaks, the brand new tires on the truck squealing against the asphalt and we skid to a stop. I open my eyes, unaware that I had even closed them in the first place to find my arm laid flat against Ella's chest, stopping her from hitting the dash. I stare at the road, but the lady is no longer in front of us. My words are delayed. "Did I hit her?"

Ella stares at me, partially shocked. "Well maybe if you had your eyes open we would know that."

"Did I hit her?" I repeat, my knuckles turning white around the steering wheel. "Did I fuckking hit her."

Yes, Stiles, you did.

"Shit." I exclaim, instantly opening my door to get out. I rush towards the front of the truck, my heart skipping multiple beats when I see the young woman sprawled a few feet from the bumper. I repeat some unkind explicatives at the sight of her broken limbs, her right leg and arm bent at the wrong angles. I swear again, running a hand roughly through my hair.

Calm down Stiles. Focus.

"What do I do?"

Listen for a pulse.