Through the Dark // S.S. [Book One]

Chapter 28

I squint, seeing some guy tied to a tree. I walk over, wondering if I can help him, and I see that his throat is slashed. Stiles' words from the previous night ring through my mind. "...strangled, throat slashed, head bashed in. It's called the threefold death."

I let out a scream I didn't even know I could make, though it's no where close to the one Lydia's been able to make as of late. Stiles runs over to me and embraces me. "It's okay, sweetheart. It's okay."

"Call your dad." I whisper.

Still holding onto me, Stiles calls his dad.

A girl runs up beside me and sees the boy. She starts screaming hysterically. I walk closer to her. "I'm so sorry."

She nods and I hold her as she sobs. She pulls away a moment later. "Thank you."

The sheriff arrives and says, "Hey, get out of the way. Get back. Get this area cordoned off before they trample every piece of evidence. Megara, are you okay?"

I nod, not trusting myself to speak. There's something with monsters going after you and seeing battle and something else with seeing a body killed gruesomely right in front of you.

"Back up! Everyone back!" A female deputy yells.

Sheriff turns to Coach. "Get these kids out of here!"

Stiles calls to his dad. "Dad, just come here. Look, look. Look at it. It's the same as the others, you see?"

The sheriff nods. "Yeah, I see that. Do me a favor. Go back to school, make sure your friend--"

"Girlfriend." Stiles interrupts.

He shoots Stiles a look. "Make sure your girlfriend is okay, yeah? Coach, can you give us a hand here?"

Coach nods and turns to the other students. "You heard the man. Nothing to see here. Probably just some homeless tweaker."

"Coach," Scott calls, "the guy was a senior."

I rest my head on Stiles' shoulder as Isaac comes up to us and asks, "You see the way the twins looked at him?"

"Yeah, you mean like they had no idea what happened?" Stiles guesses.

Isaac shakes his head. "No, no, they knew."

Stiles frowns, "The kid was strangled with a garrote, alright? Am I the only one recognizing the lack of "werewolfitude" in these murders?"

Isaac scoffs. "Oh, you think it's a coincidence they turn up and then people start dying?"

"Well, no, but I still don't think it's them. Megara?"

"It's not them. Doesn't seem like a werewolfy thing to do. Scott?"

"How bout you?" Isaac adds.

He sighs and shakes his head. "I don't know."

"You don't know yet?" Stiles questions hopefully.

Scott flicks his eyes to Isaac. "Well, he's got a point. Seriously, dude, human sacrifices?"

Stiles gives Scott an exasperated look. "Scott, your eyes turn into yellow glow sticks, okay? Hair literally grows from your cheeks and then will immediately disappear, and if Megara or I were to stab you right now, it would just magically heal, but you're telling me that you're having trouble grasping human sacrifices?"

Scott sighs. "That's a good point too."

Isaac narrows his eyes. "I don't care. They killed that kid, they killed the girl that saved me. I'm gonna kill them too."