Battle Scars » Liam Dunbar [Book 2]

15; Amplification

Sirens wailed ahead of us as Stiles' jeep sped along the road. It was absolutely manic, police cars were everywhere. "All units stay back," Stiles ordered through the radio. "Do not engage. I repeat, do not engage."

Sheriff Stilinski's frustrated voice came through. "Stiles, get off the radio." Stiles huffed and placed it down as more voices came through.

"All unit alert. Wait for back-up. Repeat, no one goes near this thing."

"Unit Five reporting a sighting on Hill Road southbound.."

"Unit Nine, I've got it turning off Oakridge, southbound on Beachwood."

"All units, this is Dispatch. We've got a 911 call with additional sighting on Mitchell."

"Wait a second," Stiles said. "Beachwood to Mitchell?"

Scott breathed out. "It's headed back for the hospital."

Frantically, Stiles grabbed the radio again. "Dad-"

"Stiles, get off this channel!"

"Dad, just listen to me, okay? It's headed for the hospital, all right. He's headed for Beacon Memorial. You hear me? It's headed for the hospital!"

"Stiles, drive!" I yelled. He forcefully pressed down on the gas, making me fall backwards slightly. When we reached the hospital, I jumped out of the jeep, running to the entrance.

"Becca!" Scott shouted after me, the two boys catching up just as I pushed open the doors. The lights were flickering inside, giving off an ominous, haunting vibe. A gun clicked behind us and I spun around to see Sheriff Stilinski holding a finger to his lips, ordering us to be quiet.

There was a faint roar above us and I snapped my head up, trying to figure out where it came from. "Fourth floor," Scott and I said simultaneously.

Sheriff Stilinski headed up there first. The place was a mess; sheets of paper were burning and the whole corridor smelled of ash. A sudden ball of fire flew through the air and hit the wall. The fiery glow disappeared to reveal Parrish. Sheriff Stilinski bent down next to him. "Parrish? You okay? Deputy!"

Scott started to wander off and I followed him, noticing bloodied paw prints on the floor - which eventually turned into shoe prints.

"What the holy hell?"

~

"What I'm about to show you," Deaton started. "It isn't supposed to exist." He placed some horrifying pictures on the metal table. "This is the only surviving evidence of Dr. Valack's time as Chief Medical Officer of Eichen House. To call it human experimentation would be charitable." I reached over, picking up one of the pictures. "A Banshee," Deaton confirmed. "She died screaming."

"So, he drilled holes into their heads? All of them?" Stiles asked.

"That was the experimentation part. He did it to Werewolves, Banshees, Wendigos, any creature he could get his hands on. And Valack found that trepanation would initially heighten their powers, but to levels that couldn't be contained," Deaton explained.

"So he wants to make Lydia more powerful?" I asked.

"Except she's going to end up like them," Stiles looked down at the pictures, suddenly going paler than usual.

"Worse, actually," Deaton corrected, causing my heart to drop into my stomach. How could it get any worse? "Lydia's abilities were already pretty exceptional to begin with. Putting a hole in her head will be like causing a leak in a nuclear reactor. She'll hear everything. Every death, every dying scream, all at once."