EIGHT LETTERS || Liam Dunbar [2]

THIRTY SIX

Katherine had been woken up by strange noises down stairs at 2:30 in the morning.

She'd gone downstairs with her bat in hand to find Scott, Stiles and Kira digging around in the cupboards for something substantial to eat after the long ride back home.

She'd nearly tackled her boys to the floor screeching, because she'd missed them and really needed to fill her brother in on the chaos that was her kind-of love life. She'd  thrown herself at Kira, too, who hugged her back with a small laugh, before forcing them to sit down so she could analyze everyone — specifically Stiles, because he was almost as klutzy as she was — for any sign of injury.

The two boys had commented on how much better her eyebrow looked after four days, even though it was likely there would be a permanent slit where a stray root had cut it on her fall down the cliff with Liam and Hayden, but she just shrugged it off because it was truthfully the least of her worries.

Her eyes had squinted at the rips and tears in Kira's clothing, but had been forced to dismiss them when her Dad had called to see if they were home yet, because he had bad news.

While investigating the water treatment plant, Argent had found nearly two dozen bodies stashed beneath the drainage grates, more than likely courtesy of Parrish. All were almost obviously victims of the creature she'd seen that night with Liam and Hayden; something they still hadn't determined the name of yet.

After grabbing a box of PopTarts from her room for them to eat on the way, the four of them left for the hospital.

When they got to the floor they'd been directed to, Katherine was met with the sight of several nurses wheeling the parade of gurneys into the morgue, a zipped up black body bag on the surface of each. In total, there were 23 bodies.

Dead bodies.

Because it's Beacon Hills, she had to specify.

"Who found them?" Was the first thing Stiles asked their Dad when they found him, watching the last gurney pass the doorway.

Katherine hugged her Dad gently around the middle as he sighed, since he was only standing with the use of a hospital-issued walker. "Argent," he frowned. "And he said the Doctors were down there...he also said you guys might know what this thing is."

"We've got a theory," Scott agreed hesitantly, and Katherine felt her eyes but out of her head.

"So why the fuck did no one feel the need to share that information with m—"

She cut herself off with a yelp as Stiles smacked the back of her head for probably using big kid words, so she elbowed him right back. "It's a slightly terrifying theory," he ignored her, placing his hand palm down on the top of her head, then ruffled her hair for the sole purpose of being annoying.

Katherine elbowed him again, finger-combing the newly created knots out of her hair as their Dad just shook his head. Scott tugged her over to him and kept her standing with her back to his chest, arms hugging hers to her sides so she couldn't try to get at her brother while they spoke.

"Well, the Medical Examiner said that victims were killed somewhere else and then dumped in those tunnels," their Dad stated drily, and Katherine was mildly impressed.

Though, to be fair, when you'd been Sheriff of Beacon Hills as long as he had, nothing really phased you anymore.

"Hey, what if the Dread Doctors are hiding the bodies," Scott suggested, but Kira was frowning as she thought about it.

"Why would they do that?"

Stiles was nodding slowly, and Katherine could  practically see the metaphorical gears in his brain turning. "Maybe they're covering for it...protecting it like a parent would."