I N S T I N C T | Jackson Whittemore

40: something's different

Something's Different
Chapter Forty

Carrie Argent was indifferent to the fact Scott McCall was friends with her daughter. She was indifferent to guilt. She was indifferent to the one emotion that made her human, and that's why she had no remorse as a teenage boy laid there...

dying.

"It's going to look like an accident," Carrie hummed. "Like you had an asthma attack and couldn't get to your inhaler in time. Your school records show you have a pretty severe case of asthma."

Scott felt like his insides were imploding into his throat. His lungs burned, his stomach cramped, and his limbs wanted to stay still and resolute into the abyss of death. Inhaling, and using the last of his strength, he sat up, "Stop!"

Victoria Argent scoffed a laughed, "Too late. Looks like it's working..." she examined his state of well-being. "Uh - uh - uh," she clicked her tongue, pushing Scott back down with her foot.

Without the strength to move, Scott could only lay there and silently pray that his friends know he loved them...

* * *

The friends he loved were huddled in a corner, doing the dangerous thing they needed to do... out of love for Scott. Holding each boys' hand, Annie stared at Jackson in wide eyes. How could the master be speaking through him? It was impossible! It was inevitably and physically impossib--

"Jackson, is that you?" Stiles asked, taking a step forward but not releasing Annie's trembling hand. Clearly, she would be traumatized after this situation is handled... her boyfriend is a homicidal lunatic.

His voice flat and thick rattled Annie's heart as it spoke,"Us," he paused. "We're all here."

Stiles looked back at Annie, and then gradually moved to face Jackson again. Finally, he let go of Annie's hand and pulled up the slack of his pants, leaning down to Jackson's height as he sat in the chair, "Are you the one killing people?"

"We are the ones killing murderers," he spoke, almost growling.

Annie let go of Isaac's hand at that point, catching the way he had said that. Killing murderers? The Bestiary said that the Kanima was a vengeful creature, and only preyed on the corrupted. Maybe... Maybe that meant Jackson was still good, still pure.

Maybe that meant he was still Jackson.

Annie spoke up, stepping up to where Stiles was crouching, "So all the people you've killed so far--"

"Deserved it," Jackson cut his girlfriend off with a menacing snarl.

Stiles looked to Annie and then back to Jackson, clearing his throat, "See, we got a little rule book that says you only go after murderers."

Jackson almost scoffed a laugh, "Anything can break if enough pressure's applied."

Annie closed her eyes hard at that.

Kanima - 1
Pack - 0

Swallowing, Stiles continued his interrogation, "All right, so the people you're killing are all murderers then?"

"All. Each. Every one."

Annie looked back at Isaac, then to her boyfriend, asking the question of the night, "Who did they murder, Jackson?"