IN TOO DEEP || Liam Dunbar [3]

TWENTY SIX

The first thing they did was send Liam to open the cell.

It took very little time to organise, but it was agreed that they were going to going out the front doors of the sheriff's station and they were going to tear their way through the mob of hunters. There was no other choice.

The werewolves and Malia would avoid hurting as many people as they could.

Lydia would use her newly acquired abilities.

And they would let Katherine have her bat.

She had no plans to give it up so she was glad they'd come to their senses. For a teenage human with no coordination, she had impressive aim.

The deputies had all gathered at the back exit to wait for her father, so the bullpen was eerily empty. Flickers of shadows moved outside, creating odd shapes in the drawn blinds. Even through the wall, Katherine could hear the angry chatter of the mob; it grew louder by the minute.

They readied themselves at the station's front door.

"Are you ready?" Scott asked quietly.

Lydia nodded once.

Malia bared her teeth and snarled in response.

Liam flicked out his claws and when everyone turned to look at him, Theo rolled his eyes and did the same.

Before they even touched the front door, Katherine heard her dad speak. "No one's going anywhere."

"We can get through them," Lydia promised quickly.

When she turned around Katherine could see her dad had come in from the back exit. "We're not going to fire the first shot," he said. "Not get back from the door; all of you. Parrish, get these two back in the cell," he gestured to Jiang and Tierney. 

"What happened?" Scott frowned as he crossed the room to stand with her father.

"She gave us until midnight."

The deputies came in shortly after, and everything changed quickly.

Desks were flipped over and covered the lower halves of the windows. The blinds were all twisted shut, everyone was moved as far away from the glass as they could. All weapons were brought out and filled with ammo. The lights were switched off.

Katherine watched her dad speak with Parrish, Lydia went down the hall with Quinn, and Scott was doing what he could to keep Malia calm. Everyone had something to do. So, as quietly as she could, Katherine ducked out of the bullpen and back into her dads office.

For quite a while, the bottom file drawer to the right of his desk had been filled with toys she played with on days she didn't have school. There were still marks on the desk from when she had tried colouring with a blue sharpie.

The sheriff's station was most of her childhood, and now she was hiding inside it from a mob with guns.

My life is ridiculous.

A ridiculous nightmare.

She sat down in the seat Quinn had used, away from the windows and out of sight. She leaned her bat upright in the corner and brought her knees to her chest and set her chin on them.  Her entire body felt shaky, and that anxious prickle worked its way up the front of her, but she ignored them.

Theoretically speaking there would be time for a panic attack later. If everything works out and all of us walk away from this, there'll be time. Just not now.

The office door creaked open. She wasn't surprised to see Liam standing there, one hand stuffed awkwardly in his pocket. "What's up?" He asked quietly.

Despite the anxiety, she couldn't help but smile. "I'm tired," Katherine then admitted. "I'm really fucking tired."