I'm human | Liam Dunbar

*34*

"He's getting worse." I shake my head, looking down at my father, "I thought you did the surgery, you- you fixed him up."

"We did, this is very unexpected." The doctor spoke, coincidentally being Liam's step-father, "Is there anyone else i can call for you?"

"It's just me, Stiles and Dad." I tell him, "Stiles is trying to find something."

"You know you're always welcome at our house." he reminded me, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder before he turned to leave the room.

I turned to my dad, plugged into wires and tubes just as i had a day prior. His chest rose and fell with an almost hesitation, his only source of oxygen being the machine helping him to fill his lungs.

"Hey dad." i sighed, closing my hand around his. Despite my habit of thinking up the worst scenario, i had never imagined this image to be a reality. And it was scary, wondering if i'd be burying my own father at the age of 16. As much as i wanted to stay with him, i couldn't. I had to find Hayden's body, i had to find the Nemeton so Stiles could find the chimera responsible for our dad's condition.

"I have to go help Liam and Mason, but i'll be back soon, i promise."

***

"Hey, how are you feeling?" Mason asked as i jogged up to meet them in the forest.

"Fine, you have the map?"

"Yeah." Liam nodded, unfolding it to show me, "It should be somewhere around here." he pointed to a point on the map not too far from where we stood.

"Let's go." I had already begun walking when i spoke, Mason hot on my heels.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Mason asked, a tinge of concern peeking through his tone, even when he tried to hide it.

"I'm fine. I just wanna find Hayden's body, and give her the send off she deserves. I can't do that if i'm stuck in a hospital bed, I'm healed." I shrugged.

Mason made a grumbling noise of some sort, clearly disagreeing with something i said. I ignored it, focussing my eyes on the map.

"This is it." I spoke after a beat of silence.

"It can't be, there's supposed to be a clearing here." Mason shook his head, looking around for unmissable stump i knew all too well.

"Maybe the clearing doesn't wanna be found either?" Liam piped up, a hint of a joke leaving his tongue.

"That's just not funny."

They continued to argue over Liams remark, while i wandered around the area. My eyes scanned the gaps between the trees, searching for any sign of the tree, or the missing clearing.

I scoffed, crouching onto the floor until i finally drop onto the leafy ground, crossing my legs.

"I couldn't save her." i scoffed to myself, "And now we're all out here in the woods at one in the morning searching for her body."

"No one could save her." Mason finally walked over, "I mean, I was standing right there. Melissa did everything medically possible-"

"And i was trying to kill Scott." Liam sighed, sitting beside me.

"We talked about this." I told him, placing a hand on his.

"Yeah, there was about 800 extenuating circumstances."

"But it wasn't just the moon." he shook his head, looking at the floor.

"Then it was losing the fight, losing Hayden. The fear, anger, Theo took advantage of it." Mason shook his head, his eyes fixating on a certain leaf.

"Maybe it was just me."

"It wasn't, and you and i both know it." I spoke softly.

"Liam, you're a werewolf." Mason scoffed out a smile, "There was a full moon, a supermoon. You can't let yourself.."

His eyes widened, darting to the left of us. He stood up, still staring off into the distance.

"What?" Liam asked, both of us standing in unison, trying to find what Mason was so intrigued by.

"The Nemeton is a beacon for the supernatural, right?"

"Yeah, what are you getting at here?" I was getting impatient.

"What if it takes a supernatural creature to find it?" Mason realised, his eyes still wide.

"I am a supernatural creature and i can't find anything." Liam shook his head.

"But you've been looking with your human eyes." We both looked at eachother with recognition, and then he closed his eyes.

Liam opened his eyes again, the glowing amber seemed to swirl as he looked straight ahead, leading us to the dimly lit stump. I let out a breath of relief, rushing over to the bodies.

I rounded the stump, looking for the familiar faces of Hayden and Corey, both of whom i couldn't find.

"Where are they, where is she?" i chanted in frustration, not daring to touch the discoloured bodies surrounding the tree.

"If she's not here, then she has to be alive." Liam spoke with optimism.

"Or the coyotes got to her." i scoffed.

"We can get the cops down here, figure out who's dead and who's missing." Mason said, Liam nodding along. My head spun 180 as the click of a gun could be heard. And then there were lights blinding us.

"You three! Stay right where you are!" an officer yelled to us, and then a voice sounded. A voice i thought i would never hear again.

"That's it. That's right where i found them. The bodies." I stared on in shock, the bright lights illuminated her outlined figure. She didn't even spare me a look, guilt splattered like paint all over her face. "Four of them."

***

"You're free to go." Vivian spoke, releasing us from lock up with a smile.

"Thanks Viv."

"No more 1am runs." she pointed a finger at me, although she were speaking to all of us. She handed us our personal belongings back, and i quickly pulled out my phone, calling Melissa. She answered after the second ring, as if she were waiting for my call.

"Adelaide." She breathed in relief.

"Is he okay? Is my dad okay?" i asked urgently, the grip on my phone becoming one of a vice.

"We found the problem, and Dr. Carden is resolving it as we speak." she spoke back, the smile on her face almost visible, even over the phone.

"Thank you." i scoffed out a sigh, hanging up the phone, my legs quickly carrying me out of the station door and down the street until i reached the hospital.

***

Stiles and I were both sitting in our dad's recovery room. Stiles had fallen asleep against the bed, something i couldn't manage to do with the recent events.

My hand didn't leave my Dad's in the three hours we had ben sitting here, waiting for him to wake up. Stiles tried to stay awake, but it had been a long day for both of us, and i wasn't about to force his eyes open.

Liam had gone home, his stepdad ordering him so at around 3, Mason following in his footsteps about an hour later after finding several missed calls from his father.

A soft groan could be heard, i assumed it was Stiles stirring in his sleep. But then i felt his hand close around mine.

I looked up, my Dad staring down at me with a smile. I absentmindedly tapped Stiles awake, i stood from the chair I had pulled from his bedside, leaning over him in a loose hug.

"Dad." Stiles breathed, looking at him with the same amount of worry as he did me yesterday. Dad put a hand around my shoulder, motioning Stiles over. I felt the bed dip, and Stiles wraps his arm around me.

"You've still got me." our Dad muttered under his breath, repeating the exact words he used to reassure us after Mom died.

He's okay.

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