My body was on autopilot. I wasn't actually feeling anything or understanding what was going on, I was merely acting out my baseline functions. From the moment Hayden opened her eyes I felt numb; useless. Any hope or optimism I had been fighting to hold onto lately became futile. There was no reason to grasp for it if it wouldn't last anyway, and because of that, I had begun to debate whether or not Scott was right, and we really were condemned to repeat history.

"Hayden, just wait!" Liam calls out.

The newfound chimera ignores him, not sparing either of us a second glance as she races toward the back door of Sinema. We pursue her accordingly, ignoring the glares we get as we pass the steady stream of employees who started to enter the club for their shifts tonight. They were the least of our worries.

Liam did his best to break the news to Hayden gently, but telling someone that they had been morphed into an unnaturally supernatural creature against their will wasn't a simple feat.

It also wasn't much of a help that Hayden didn't believe a single word out of Liam's mouth. Disbelief has always been more favorable than acceptance.

"Stay away from me," Hayden snaps at us from over her shoulder.

She swings the back door to the club open, hurrying down the few steps to march over to her car parked outside. Liam catches the door before it slams shut in our faces, holding it open for both of us to slip through and follow Hayden.

The lot was empty except for the three of us. I could hear voices but they were around the corner at the front of the building, energized patrons lining up for the club's opening that would happen at any minute. The music from inside also began to echo as they amplified the various electronic tunes that would be played tonight. It felt so odd to have the rest of the world continue on as planned, despite it feeling as though ours had stopped.

Hayden fumbles to grab her car keys from her jacket pocket. She attempts to unlock her driver's side door but from where I stand, I can see how wildly her hands shake. The rush of her adrenaline won't allow her to remain calm.

"Hayden-" Liam attempts to begin another round of conversation, but she isn't in the mood for it. She whips around to face us, her expression still as stone despite her trembling.

"Asking me to close my eyes was weird, sticking a glow stick in my face, even weirder, but werewolves and dead doctors...?" She scoffs afterward, resenting everything she deemed ludicrous.

"Dread Doctors," Liam corrects her, holding back a slight wince at his lame defense.

Hayden shakes her head angrily. "Whatever. Get away from me."

Her frustration has aided her in fighting her body's reaction to fear. She no longer shakes, and when she turns her back to us again, she's finally able to unlock her door.

Liam casts a desperate glance my way, silently begging me to stop her. He's done all he can but there's a level of trust required for this situation that he doesn't have with Hayden. They may have gotten along today, but that wasn't real, and that temporary truce wasn't strong enough to navigate this situation. She won't listen to him. She won't believe him.

But, the thing was, I didn't know if she would believe me either.

I sigh pathetically, taking a step closer to Hayden. My movement makes her look at me, putting a pause on her getaway plan.

"Hayden, please, you have to trust us," I beg.

I feared for what would become of her. From what we've seen, chimeras don't have lengthy life expectancies, and their deaths are not peaceful. I had grieved for Tracy that night at the station and she was a total stranger. I couldn't even imagine how I would react to losing Hayden, especially at the hands of the Dread Doctors.

I didn't want to have to bury another friend.

Hayden's icy stare melts briefly, but it doesn't last. Her expression freezes over again, and there's nothing but disdain waiting for me.

"Were you just playing me this whole time?" she hisses.

"What?" I reply, confused.

She doesn't explain herself. Instead, she lets out an unamused laugh before directing her wrathful attention to Liam. "Is this just some weird and demented revenge plot for when we were kids? Make me think she was my friend?"

Liam recoils at her question, more than offended. He would never stoop so low and commit such petty actions. I hated that Hayden felt a need to ask such a thing too. Was our betrayal more plausible than claws and fangs?

The rational part of my mind told me it was only Hayden's confusion and anger, but the part of me that didn't cater to common sense wanted nothing more than to turn away from this conversation.

"Jac would never do that to you," Liam quickly defends me against Hayden's claims, not even bothering to speak of himself.

"Yeah, right," Hayden says softly, her voice breaking. She averts her eyes, not allowing us to see that crack of vulnerability in her fury for long. She opens her car door to slip inside.

"What if I could prove it to you?" Liam questions urgently, stopping her from leaving.

Hayden pauses, appearing curious about his offer.

"Prove what?" she presses.

"This." Liam takes a deep breath and bows his head, preparing himself. Hayden and I both watch dumbly, neither of us having any idea what would come next.

When he lifts his head back up, he lets out a throaty growl in Hayden's face, bearing his fangs to her and allowing the gold of his iris to glow. Hayden lets out a high-pitched scream in response and drives one of her fists forward, her knuckles connecting with Liam's nose perfectly.

He stumbles back from the sheer force of her hit and I lunge forward to catch him before he collapses onto the pavement. Hayden uses our moment of distraction to her advantage and finally climbs into her car, her tiles squealing as she peels out of the parking lot.

Liam and I watch helplessly as her taillights become smaller and smaller.

"Really?" I ask him wryly after helping him to stand up properly.

"I thought it would work," he cringes, tenderly holding the bridge of his bleeding nose.

"Growling?" I retort, almost amazed at how terrible of a plan that was. He really is Scott's Beta.

"It was a reflex," he mumbles embarrassedly.

I shake my head as I use the hem of my shirt to wipe away the blood that had started to stream from his nostrils. Despite his failure of an idea, seeing Liam with even a drop of blood on him made me more queasy than it should have, especially when I'd seen things far more gruesome than a nosebleed.

"We need to go to Scott's. He has to know we found another chimera," Liam says, watching me as I clean his face of red.

"No, just you. I'll meet you there," I tell him. "I have to go after her, Liam."

"Jac-"

"What would you do if it was Mason?" I cut his refusal short, unable to allow him to talk me out of this.

There was no telling when the Dread Doctors would come for Hayden. We still didn't know everything about them, but I knew enough to be able to help her. My only other option was to do nothing, and I couldn't settle for that.

Liam remains quiet, mulling over my words. Using Mason as my argument was enough to push him over. We both knew there wasn't a single thing Liam wouldn't do for his best friend, and if the Hewitt boy was in Hayden's shoes right now, Liam wouldn't want to waste time driving to Scott's.

Liam dips his head, pressing a light kiss to my cheek. It's a fleeting touch, his lips only lingering long enough to warm an inch of my skin before he pulls away.

"Go," he whispers, that one word all the permission I need.

I remove myself from him and head for my motorcycle that I had parked not too far from where Hayden's car had been. I make quick work of starting up my bike, turning the keys in the ignition, and flipping the switch in a matter of seconds to bring it to life. I regret not having enough time to prepare for the last-minute journey ahead, but I feel as though my bike understands what is required of it.

The engine practically sings, emitting a steady and rich timbre that welcomes me into pushing its boundaries. Of all the weapons and tools that have come into my possession, none were as valuable as the bike beneath me. Where most people would see a chunk of metal and rubber, I saw a loyal companion.

I take off after Hayden once I've slipped on my helmet. There are burnt tire tracks that she left behind that will lead me to whatever destination she's heading toward. They fade eventually, but the path she decided to take is a lone road that lasted for miles. It would give me enough time to catch up to her at the speed I traveled at.

I only slow down when I catch sight of a stalled-out car in the middle of the road.

Hayden's car.

Through the back windshield, I can see her silhouette moving around rapidly. My eyes narrow as I attempt to get a better view of her, but soon my attention passes the car as a whole when something approaches in the distance. At the end of the darkened road, three figures emerge from the shadows at a taunting pace.

The Dread Doctors.

They twitch and blur with each step, appearing like apparitions as they allowed whatever frequency they operated on to course through them. My breath leaves me as I have to be faced with them. I'd been replaying the memory of their torture all day but that didn't prepare me for this.

There are a few streetlights on the road that flicker as they're affected by the same energy pulse used to short-circuit the electrical system in Hayden's car. I understand why she was in a frenzy now. She was locked away, waiting like a sitting duck for them to reach her.

My mind began to taunt me with possibilities of what would happen when they did. Would they plunge a needle into her neck and make her drown in mercury? Or drive a bolt into her chest and leave her to rot? What gruesome death awaited her that I would have to witness?

I ignore the knot tying itself together in the pit of my stomach and force myself to think of only Hayden. My own fears could wait.

Her wide eyes snap to meet mine as I bring my bike up beside her car. She stares at me through cracked glass. The frequency the Dread Doctors were emitting caused her windows and mirrors to fracture, and it would only be a matter of time before they all shattered and there wouldn't be anything between her and the maniacal parascientists.

I slip off my bike, lowering the kickstand so I can stand directly beside the car.

"Close your eyes," I order Hayden. She seems hesitant to comply, still distrusting, but considering I was her only decent option at the moment, she does as I've said.

I reach into my boot to bring out the tanto knife I had hidden away. I twist the weapon in my hand, keeping the blade toward myself, so I can use the blunt end of the hilt to continuously strike the cracks of Hayden's window.

The rifts grow with each hit and soon the window forcibly bursts. Hayden flinches as shards of glass land all over her but there's solace in her gaze when she opens her eyes and sees she's no longer trapped.

"Come on." I hold my hands out as an offer to help guide her through the broken window. I do my best not to let her get cut on any of the edges but most of my attention goes to keeping track of the Dread Doctors as they were now only a few feet away.

When she's finally out, Hayden and I both slide into place on my bike. Escape is within our grasp but that doesn't come without consequence.

"Jac!" Hayden calls out in warning.

The Pathologist raises his metal and leather-clad hand in our direction and the tips of his gloved fingers create hazy blue energy as he channels his electromagnetism. A haunting buzzing noise grows as the haze brightens.

I act quickly, making an abrupt turn to get us out of his direct line of attack.

The buzzing is drowned out by the sound of my engine. It spurs me on to go faster, being sure there is no absence of sound that needs to be filled, only miles that grow between us and them.

I don't attempt to take a longer route to Scott's that would in theory shake them from our tail. I had a feeling that it didn't matter how many winding turns or back alleys we went through, the Dread Doctors would find us. My only goal because of that was to get us to the McCall house as soon as possible. Any fight would be fairer with a home-field advantage.

Hayden clings to me as we speed through the streets, cutting through minimal traffic. Her panic and uncontained enhanced strength make for a painful combination. I don't scold her for it though, I almost feel deserving of her tight grip.

My desire for normalcy cost us. All of the signs of Hayden's chimerism were lost on me because I couldn't care to see them. I was too distracted. Too selfish.

Her endurance and stamina matched that of Scott despite only being a quarter of his size. She could perfectly hear things most people shouldn't be able to. Then, there was the day in Mister Yukimura's. She had bled, hadn't she? Tracy dug her claws into her wrist, yet Hayden's skin showed no proof of damage.

The clues had been right in front of me, but I didn't care to see them.

A familiar chill of unease runs through me as I wonder what else I have been blind to. What else had I missed? Who else had I missed? And who would have to pay the price for my negligence?

Scott's street is quiet when we arrive.

The families that live adjacent to him have all settled in for the night, eating dinner and spending quality time together, none the wiser. Unfortunately for us, the same can't be said for the pitch-black McCall house that showed no indication of life within.

Liam sat on the porch steps, alone. He stands to greet us when we pull into the driveway, his graceful lips downturned, an unspoken way of confirming Scott wasn't home. I actively hide my disappointment over that, as there was a small piece of me, fragile and childlike, that needed him to be here.

I cut my bike off, leaving the strong gusts of wind that power through Scott's neighborhood to fill the silence. It's not much, but it's far better than a threatening electrical hum.

I approach Liam after taking off my helmet, leaving it on my seat.

"Did you call him?" I ask, hoping he had already taken the responsibility of bringing our Alpha into this. Liam nods, much to my relief, and looks like he's ready to explain further, but he derails his own train of thought as his eyes pass over my shoulder.

"Is she okay?"

I turn around to understand his question, finding Hayden at the end of Scott's driveway staring at her hands with crazed eyes as she mumbles to herself. It seemed that tonight's events were finally able to catch up to her now that we weren't in the presence of imminent danger.

"The Dread Doctors showed up, so I'll bet no." I watch Hayden freak out from a distance. She even lets out a deranged giggle as she has a conversation with herself over everything she's just seen.

This isn't the best reaction we could've had from her, but it's also not the worst.

Liam takes my attention when I feel his hand reach for mine. His frown has only deepened as the concern he has over my words surfaces. It dawns on me now that speaking of our run-in so casually wasn't the best idea.

"I'm okay," I assure him simply.

He chooses not to say anything for the time being. He understands that I don't want to make this about me.

"Hayden?" I speak, causing her crazed stare to be directed at us. She walks toward Liam and I until she's directly in front of us, arguably too close, her fear making her come across more intensely than intended.

"What the hell is going on? Who were those guys? Why were they after me?" she spews out one question immediately after the other.

I intended to give her a careful answer. Hayden was in a current state of mind where anything could set her off and make her snap. It was better to be delicate rather than straightforward.

Liam, on the other hand, took a different approach.

"Those are the Dread Doctors, and they were probably trying to kill you," he states plainly, sounding almost bored.

I give him an incredulous look, almost shocked at how he had managed to come up with two horrible ways of comforting Hayden in one night. He pauses, unsure of what's earned such a reaction thrown his way. He understands only a second later when Hayden lets out a broken whimper that signals she's on the brink of spiraling.

"I've officially lost my mind," she utters. "I always knew this was gonna happen, I just didn't think it was gonna be this soon."

"Hayden, you're not crazy," I console her tiredly.

She doesn't listen and continues her mumbling ranting. She probably could have gone on forever, but she falls silent when a car turns down Scott's lane. The three of us tense as it approaches the house, and remain just as rigid even after it passes. The unexpected vehicle served as a reminder that we were far from safe being out in the open like this, exposed to anything and anyone.

"We need to get inside." I gesture for Liam and Hayden to climb the porch. They stop at the front door and Hayden looks back at me as I stand in the driveway.

"Do you have the key?" she asks, motioning toward the locked door.

"Don't need one," I mumble distractedly, most of my focus pointed at the exterior of the McCall house. My eyes landed on Scott's bedroom window that was left open.

I approach the porch, climbing onto the railing. Hayden gives me a bewildered look that I ignore as I clutch the edge of the porch's roof, hoisting myself up onto it with minimal effort. I maintain my balance carefully as I rise onto the slope, being sure I've got a good footing before finally walking toward Scott's bedroom.

His window isn't open too wide so I have to clutch the lower sash to slide it open. It does so without resistance as it isn't locked. A stupid idea on Scott's part, but a relief to me.

I step into his room and speedily head downstairs to unlock the front door from the inside.

Liam caresses my arm gratefully as he passes by while Hayden avoids eye contact with me. I don't bother to argue against that and stand in the doorway, staring out at a small open field across from Scott's.

There isn't any source of light around, making it feel as though we're in the middle of an empty void, and the darkness that had been stalking us all this time was finally closing in. It makes me shut the door with more force than necessary, wanting to keep that darkness at bay for a little while longer and prevent it from touching all that I cared for.

I head into the living room, finding Liam standing by himself at one of the windows that overlooked the front of the house. I don't focus on him, instead, my eyes travel around the rest of the area within my vision, searching for Hayden.

"She's upstairs. Pretty sure she's puking in Scott's bathroom," Liam informs me knowingly.

"Where is he, by the way?" I inquire of the aforementioned McCall.

"He and Stiles are on their way. When I called, they said something happened at the hospital and they'll explain when they get here."

Calmness washes over me knowing that soon Scott and Stiles would be with us. That's not to say I didn't feel secure now with Liam, but there was something about having all of them at my side at once that made me feel truly safe. No shield could compare.

I find myself looking toward the second floor where Hayden currently hid away, silently hoping that she could find it in herself to feel that way too and her distrust wasn't permanent. Nothing good would follow if it was.

"They were so close to her, Liam. If I hadn't gotten there in time-"

"Don't," He cuts me off, saving me from my own desperation. "She's safe now," he adds adamantly, always able to understand every demoralizing thought that tempted my mangled mind.

I force myself to accept his words. We knew about Hayden now which meant we could protect her. Our odds might not have been outstanding, but they weren't unbeatable either. We'd fought with worse chances than this before.

The thin curtain that hung over the window beside us starts to glow as a car pulls into the house's driveway, taking our attention off each other. It's not a troubling moment though, because a familiar squeak sounds from outside, the brakes on Stiles' beaten Jeep announcing his and Scott's arrival.

"Jac? Liam?" the Alpha yells from outside.

I rush to open the door for them, coming face to face with two incredibly concerned teens who look like they just came from a quick walk through Hell.

"Busy night?" I ask sarcastically.

"You could say that," Scott breathes out tiredly.

He and Stiles come inside and I shut the door behind them before the four of us circle up. Liam leans toward the two seniors in our company, his nose twitching as he sniffs the air around them with bunched brows.

"Why do you guys smell like blood?" he inquires.

I begin to scan them up and down, searching for any sign of injury. Most of my focus goes to Stiles as he can't exactly heal as Scott can. He fidgets uncomfortably under my scrutiny as if he's trying to hide something, and that only makes me stare more.

"There was another chimera at the hospital. The Dread Doctors killed him," Scott's words are heavy with remorse at the mention of another person added to the collection of bodies that were starting to pile up yet again.

At this point, Beacon Hills' death toll had to outweigh its current population.

"Who was he?" Liam asks.

"Josh Diaz. He went to our school," Scott replies.

My mind brings forward images of Josh. The dodgeball scuffle Hayden and I had with him took place not too long ago, but now it felt ages away. He had been brash and cocky, but that didn't mean he was deserving of death or experimentation.

"Yeah, I know him. We have PE together," I mutter.

"Had," Stiles corrects me quietly, speaking for the first time tonight.

I watch him carefully as he falls silent again, his eyes aimed downward. There was something in his voice that sounded similar to guilt and I couldn't piece together why. I could only assume he blamed himself for Josh's death, but it's not like Stiles would have much of a chance to take on the Dread Doctors anyway. He was smart enough to know that.

"What'd your dad say?" I ask, forcing him to look at me and talk. It was an attempt to gauge more of an understanding of his psyche. Stiles had never been this difficult for me to read. His body language has always been the greatest translation of his emotions, but now, I feel as though I'm looking at a stranger.

"He doesn't know about it yet," Stiles answers, wringing his hands together.

"We took the body to the clinic. Theo's there now to keep an eye out," Scott adds. He and Liam don't notice how Stiles flinches at the mention of the Raeken boy.

"Why?" Liam frowns.

"Bait," I say, able to put the pieces of a last-minute plan together. Scott nods in return to confirm my statement.

The Dread Doctors were the biggest threat we currently faced, but there was still someone out there collecting the bodies of dead chimeras they left behind. Perhaps Josh could do us a favor in death and help us find out who, and whether or not they were a friend or foe.

"Well, he's not the only chimera we found tonight," Liam reminds them, his eyes traveling toward the staircase that would lead to Hayden.

"Where is she?" Scott asks, his determination peeking through.

"In your bathroom," Liam responds, earning a puzzled look from Scott.

"She isn't exactly taking the news well," I admit sheepishly.

Stiles sighs as he begins to climb the stairs. "They never do," he mumbles.

The three of us follow behind him closely, entering Scott's bedroom. We find the door to his bathroom shut firmly, but the shadow moving from under it tells us Hayden was inside. Scott approaches the door, knocking on the wood gently.

"Hayden? It's Scott," he speaks gingerly, doing his best not to freak her out. "I know that you're scared, but we just want to help."

He doesn't get any type of response. In fact, it's so quiet we could hear a pin drop. Scott clasps the doorknob and twists it, only wanting to see if it would open, but the knob remains in place to indicate Hayden had locked herself in.

"I can hear her heart beating. She's really freaked out," he tells us.

Stiles takes a step forward, tapping his best friend on the shoulder as a way for them to swap places. He places his face only inches from the door, doing the same as Scott to keep his voice low and friendly.

"Hayden, this is Stiles. Your sister works for my dad down at the station," he begins, hoping recognition would work. It doesn't, and the door remains shut.

"Look, just open the door, okay? You can trust us."

Silence.

Scott pulls Stiles back softly to take his place again. "We just need to tell you the truth, Hayden, and that kind of thing usually is better face to face."

"Listen, either you're gonna unlock the door or I'm gonna have to break it open. It's okay if you don't want to talk, or if you're not ready to believe us, but I just gotta know that you're okay in there," Scott continues.

He gives her a moment for any type of communication but when nothing happens he gestures for all of us to get back and stand at a safer distance. He begins to rev up, getting ready to bring the door down, but freezes when it falls open without any force.

Scott reaches forward to push it open fully, revealing Hayden as she stands on the other side. Our jaws fall slack at the sight of her and her new form.

Her golden eyes are filled with terror as her curved fangs jut out from her mouth and her nails have grown into arched claws. She keeps them away from her body so as to not accidentally gut herself with their sharp edges.

"I believe you," she trembles.

Scott steps aside as Hayden's eyes search for me. He can tell she craves familiarity in a moment like this and that's not something he can offer.

"I - I don't know how to make it stop," she stutters out in a panic.

I approach slowly, entering the bathroom with her. Hayden takes a step back with each one I take forward until her back meets a wall. She keeps pressing her body against it, as if it would consume her and end her turmoil.

"It's okay," I assure her.

Hayden slides against the wall until she's sitting on the floor. She pulls her knees to her chest and props her arms up on them, gaping at her claws as they rest inches away from her face.

"They won't go away." Her voice is muffled because of her fangs. She wasn't used to speaking with them yet and sounded like a lisping toddler.

I crouch in front of her, trying to distract her.

"Take deep breaths," I command, gesturing for her to follow along with my own inhales and exhales. She does, but it doesn't have a calming effect. If anything, it only makes things worse.

"It's not working," she huffs.

"You need an anchor," Liam says from over my shoulder, coming up to kneel directly behind me.

Hayden's golden eyes study him curiously. "A what?"

"An anchor. It's something that keeps you in control when you feel like you're gonna lose it. Focus on that to calm you down."

"What's yours?" she questions him for an example.

Liam peers over at me from the corner of his eye, his gaze holding an answer he can't speak, not with Scott and Stiles watching us in the doorway.

"Lacrosse," he replies dryly.

Hayden shakes her head, beginning to panic again.

"I don't like soccer that much." She all but whimpers, her concentration slipping further.

"What about Valerie?" I interrupt her overthinking. Hayden's expression softens and I have to suppress the urge to celebrate prematurely over it.

"Val?"

"Yeah, think about her, Hayden. Think about your sister. She needs you, so you have to stay calm for her."

Hayden nods as she takes in my words. She closes her eyes to center herself as she searches her own memory for moments with her sister. Her hands ball up into fists but she doesn't draw blood, revealing that her claws had shrunk away. Her cheeks deflate too as her fangs recede.

When she opens her eyes again, brown greets us instead of gold.

"Better?" I smile lightly.

Hayden nods again but she's not relieved despite no longer being shifted. Returning physically didn't do anything to repair the fact that her entire life had been flipped upside down and would never be the same again.

"Are they really going to kill me, Jac?" she whispers, terrified.

Liam shifts uncomfortably. I know he feels guilty for planting that seed in her head earlier. In a way, I'm grateful for it though. Lying to Hayden would fix none of this, only saving her would.

"They won't."

She doesn't seem convinced and her eyes welled with tears.

Anger overpowers any semblance of fear that the Dread Doctors had instilled in me. Second chances and redemption didn't matter to me in the face of my friends being in danger. There was nothing in this world worth fighting for if I lost them.

"I swear, Hayden, I won't let anything happen to you," I say steadily, not allowing her to doubt my words any longer.

She doesn't say anything for a while, but soon she opens one of her clenched fists and holds her hand out to me, her pinky extended.

"No matter what?" she asks in a small voice, reminding me of the oath I had sworn to her earlier today. It had felt childish then, but I now understand it was a code that I had to uphold in the same way as any other I had taken before.

I grip Hayden's pinky with mine, my vow as secure as our bond.

"No matter what."

~

||| A/N |||

I'm sure it's obvious by now, but there will be changes in some scenes when it comes to Hayden and Liam. Their dialogue really only fits romantically and I obviously can't keep that, nor do I want to give those scenes to Jac and Liam.

I chose to bring this up because I don't want anyone to think I'm putting in less effort with the book because I'm not posting as frequently, and assume that I'm changing lines because I haven't taken the time to actually write what's in the show.

<3