...

"Hey, this is Stiles and you missed me. Leave a mes-" Y/n sighed as she pulled the phone away from her ear, getting Stiles' voicemail yet again.

"He's still not answering?" Malia asked.

Y/n shook her head. "No. He probably left it on silent." She tried to make excuses in her mind, tried not to worry too much, but the sudden pain on her right shoulder was making it very hard not to. "I'm gonna head to his house and see if he made it home. I'll call you later, okay?" Malia nodded and the sisters split ways, Malia going home, and Y/n starting her trek to the Stilinski household. She found his Jeep parked in front of the house and made her way inside.

Y/n opened her mouth to call out to him, but the sound never made it past her lips as she was hit with a wave of a medley of negative emotions, and she knew they were all coming from Stiles. She quickly ascended the stairs and down the hall to his room where she found him on the verge of tears, looking at his glass board and not even realizing who was at his door. Without a word she moved around the board, gently putting a hand on his arm. When he finally noticed her, his expression seemed to crumble and he practically fell into her waiting arms. She lowered them to the ground and held him while he clung to her, body shaking from his flurry of emotions. As she quietly consoled him her eyes found the board again, fresh pen marks on the glass that had been smudged from someone trying to erase it before it was fully dry. Only a few words remained unmarred and that, paired with the scent of blood coming from his shoulder, only made her worry grow. It took a little bit, but when he finally seemed calm enough she gently held him by the shoulders to face him, ducking her head to catch his eyes, which he almost avoided. Almost. But when she softly asked him what happened, a loving and concerned gleam to her eyes, he couldn't hold it back.

And so he told her everything. How he woke up at the library and started to leave when the Jeep acted up again. How when he was trying to fix it, Donovan, new and improved with wendigo teeth that spawn wherever he wants, surprised him and bit his shoulder. Then Stiles hit him with a wrench and fled to hide in the library, Donovan following him and taunting him. Then when Donovan found him he had to run to the scaffolding in the library, the chimera following him up the structure. Stiles' only way of defense was to pull a pin that was holding up loose pieces of scaffolding, hoping that it would knock Donovan off of him so that he could escape. But it didn't go as planned. Donovan became impaled on one of them, the bar right through his chest making him cough up blood. Stiles went to help despite the boy having just threatened to eat his lungs, grabbing the bar to possibly pull it out. But he stopped when Donovan's head fell back, his whole body now limp and unmoving. Donovan was dead, his red and silver blood flowing down the bar and pooling on the tarp-covered ground.

Stiles had called the police, not speaking when the dispatcher answered, still too in shock of what happened. He had retrieved his phone from Donovan's pocket and left the library door ajar after he left. He sat in his Jeep in the parking lot, not able to bring himself to leave until someone found Donovan, but when the officer that had arrived started to leave he turned on the police scanner, hearing the officer call it in as a prank call. Stiles went back in and found Donovan's body gone, the tarp taken away, and the bars propped neatly to the side. He thought for a moment that maybe none of it really happened, but the blood on the bar told him otherwise.

Stiles went home, cleaned up, and wrote on the board the two possibilities of what could have happened. Donovan wasn't dead and he walked out. Or Donovan was dead and someone took his body. As he looked at the board the emotions got to him, the stress, the shock, the guilt, the fear, all came crashing down at once. He grabbed the dry eraser and scrubbed at the words, desperatly trying to remove them, remove the awful truth, but the markings only smeared and made him feel worse and so he threw the eraser in frustration. That's when Y/n had found him, his lighthouse in the growing dark storm of his mind.

Y/n now understood why Stiles clung to her so tightly while they sat on the floor of his room. Stiles begged her not to say anything to anyone about what happened, and she promised she wouldn't. She knew it wasn't a good idea to keep it a secret for long, though. It was an accident and it was done out of self-defense, but it was still tragic and will still weigh on his heart and his mind. Something like this doesn't and won't go away quickly, and if not addressed properly can make things messy. It may even break him. But she'll be there to pick up the pieces until he can pick them up himself. She will always be there for him.

"It's gonna be okay." She quietly promised. "You're not alone in this. I'm right here, and I'm not going anywhere. We'll get through this together."

They stayed like that for a few more mintues until Y/n's phone rang, Scott's name showing on the device that had fallen from her pocket at some point. When it stopped ringing she saw a notification saying that the alarm at the animal clinic had been tripped before Scott called again. She must not have heard it while Stiles was telling her his story. When she pulled away from Stiles she gave him a look, silently asking him if he was okay for now, and he nodded letting her know he would be fine for the moment. He honestly felt better after having told her everything, but it was still eating at him inside, just a little slower now.

"Hey, I just saw the notice on my phone. What happened?" Y/n asked as soon as she answered her friend's call.

"Are you with Stiles?" Scott asked first before he told her anything.

"Yeah, he's right here." She put the phone on speaker for Stiles to hear as well.

"Scott?"

"Guys, someone's taking the bodies." Y/n and Stiles glanced at each other before her eyes found the board again.

"How do you know that?" Y/n asked before Scott could question their silence. "Is this about the alarm?"

"I'm at the animal clinic with Kira. Tracy's body is gone. The lock on the door was broken from the outside. And my mom just told me Lucas's body went missing from the morgue. They've been searching the whole hospital for it. Someone's stealing the bodies."

Who would steal the bodies of the dead chimeras?

...

Stiles decided to take the next day off of school, feigning sickness, leaving Y/n to go alone. She didn't like the idea of leaving him by himself, especially with everything that happened the night before, but he promised he would be alright for a few hours. He told her he would have something to occupy his mind anyways, needing to do some research on the author of the book Y/n and Malia had found.

Y/n had told Scott and Stiles about it, and now she and Malia were filling Lydia in on everything as they followed the strawberry blonde to her locker. "'The Dread Doctors by T.R. McCammon'." Lydia read off of the worn cover of the book. She tilted her head a litte, her steps slowing as she studied the steampunk style faces of the so-called 'doctors'.

"What?" Malia asked her, prompting Lydia to pick up her pace again.

"I don't know. There's something about it."

"I thought the same thing." Y/n admitted.

"Has anyone actually read it?"

"Just me." Malia said. "And I didn't understand any of it."

"We should probably all read it."

"Kira's working on it." As they speak Kira was in the library, printing several copies of the book and using binder clips to hold the pages together, accidentally making the copy machine run out of ink by the time she was done.

"Stiles said he couldn't find anything on the author and that it was probably a pen name." Y/n informed.

Lydia leaned on her locker, flipping the book over to read the blurb on the back. "'In a small New England town, teenagers are taken in the night and buried alive'." She shares a glance with the sisters before continuing to read aloud. "'Days later they emerge transformed, wreaking havoc and spreading terror, commanded by an ancient order of parascientists known only as... the Dread Doctors'. Sounds vaguely familiar." She said sarcastically. "How does it end?"

"It doesn't." Malia answered. "This is supposed to be volume one."

"Oh, let me guess. There is no volume two?"

"I think we're living volume two."

"Then maybe the real question is; is this a novel or someone's prediction?"

Lydia continued to look over the book while they all sat in class. Not much time passed before Y/n looked at her in concern while Malia looked back with slight annoyance. "Why is your heart beating so fast?" The sisters asked in unison.

"Look at this!" Lydia whispered in urgency, holding the book for the both of them to see. "Look at the "Acknowlegdments" page."

Y/n started to quietly read it aloud. "'For providing scientific perspective and invaluable insight this book is dedicated to... Dr. Gabriel Valack'." The doctor's name left a bitter taste in her mouth, the witch still upset with what happened with Alan.

Scott, who had found the same page with Theo's help, decided that they would all go that night to talk to Valack, hoping the man had more information on the Dread Doctors. Y/n, followed by Lydia, stopped by Stiles' house to tell him what was happening to which the boy immediately started to grab his things. "Y/n, I'm going with you."

"I thought you said you were sick." Lydia pointed out.

"I'm slightly under the weather."

"Stiles, you don't have to come. Malia isn't going either." Y/n said.

"Malia's not going because she knows that place is a nightmare asylum of insanity and death, okay?"

"That's not news to me."

"See? You get it. Let's go." He shrugged his jacket on, wincing slightly at the pain in his shoulder.

"What was that?" Lydia asked.

"What?"

"You winced."

"The Jeep's hood caught his shoulder last night." Y/n answered for him.

"Hurt like a bitch." Stiles agreed, giving Y/n a thankful look when he caught her eye. The appreciation didn't stop her blocking his way when he moved to walk passed them. "You are not going without me." He insisted. "You remember what happened to Deaton when he talked to Valack?"

"We just won't look at his weird, gross third eye. Besides, Scott and Kira are going to be there too."

"Okay. I'm not letting you go to a place where one of the orderlies almost killed Lydia and where some parts are designed to hold people like you."

"He almost killed you too." Lydia protested.

"And we're both still alive. See? Teamwork." He squeezed by them and Y/n sighed while Lydia looked incredulously after him.

"How do you deal with that on a daily basis?"

"With the patience of a saint." Y/n joked, making Lydia chuckle as they followed the boy out of the house.

They met up with Kira and Scott and then the five of them made their way to Eichen, the nighttime sky giving the establishment an even darker look to it. The girls went to the gate and Lydia pressed the button on the callbox, a dull buzzing meeting their ears. "Hello?" She called, pressing the button again. "Anyone there?"

Stiles and Scott looked over at the girls while they waited by the Jeep. Scott then turned a concerned gaze to his friend. "Are you going to be okay in there?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"You just seem a little off."

"I think we're all a little off."

"Maybe some of us more than others." Scott glanced back at Kira making Stiles frown in slight confusion.

"Wait. What happened?"

"When the other chimera, Lucas, when he came after us, I heard Kira say something in Japanese."

"That doesn't sound too bad."

"She doesn't know any Japanese."

"Still not terrible." Stiles wasn't seeing the problem.

"I also think I might have stopped her from killing Lucas."

"Okay." He could see it now, but then he couldn't help thinking of what happened to him. "Wasn't he trying to kill you, though? I mean, that just sound like self-defense." He subconsciously rubbed his shoulder as he spoke.

"It was more than that. I mean, she nearly took off his head."

"Maybe she had no choice. There's gotta be a point where self-defense is justified." Stiles' voice took on an almost defensive and pleading tone, secretly begging his best friend to say something that would validate what he himself had to do. "Tracy killed her own father. And Lucas would have killed you."

"They're not the bad guys." Scott denied. "They're the victims. We shouldn't be killing people we're trying to save." Nothing more could be said as the gates buzzed and opened for them to enter.

Scott and Stiles walked over to join the girls, Y/n taking Stiles' hand and giving it a comforting squeeze as Scott led the way up to the facility. They all paused to look back when the gate shut with a loud 'clank' behind them before continuing on again. An orderly named Schrader set a plastic container down on the counter between him and the teens. "Please empty your pockets into the container."

"We're here to see-" Scott started only for Schrader to cut him off.

"Please empty your pockets into the container." He repeated. They all did as told, phones, change, bags, and random things being placed in the clear tupperware. "Please remove your belt and place it into the container." He told Kira.

"I kind of need the belt. I mean, it's crucial to the outfit." Kira tried to make an excuse for her to keep her concealed weapon in case they ran into trouble, but Schrader wasn't having it.

"Please remove your belt which patients will attempt to take from you and use to strangle either themselves or others."

"Right. Got it." Kira did as asked, unclipping the article and letting it clatter into the container.

Y/n gave the orderly a bored look until she noticed him looking at Lydia with a strange glint in his eyes. Her gaze hardened as she subtly took a step to place herself in front of Lydia and out of the creep's sight. A gate to their left clattered open and they all turned to see Dr. Conrad Fenris waiting for them. Fenris led them down the stairs of Eichen towards their special unit as he spoke to them. "I'll remind you that I'm only doing this as a favor to Deaton. And I'm doing it against my better judgement."

"Hey, what's the etiquette for talking to this guy?" Stiles asked. "I mean, do you ever look at the other eye?"

"I wouldn't. In fact, while you're down here, try not to make eye contact with anyone or anything." He warned as they got to the bottom and he led them down a hall. Scott and Kira had paused half way to the next gate making Lydia look back, also catching the attention of the others. "You didn't think you were all going, did you?"

"It's mountain ash, isn't it?" Scott asked.

"Everywhere, but heavily concentrated down here." Fenris swiped his card to open the gate while Stiles gave Y/n a look, his eyes accusing her of knowing that Scott and Kira wouldn't be able to get close. Y/n just shrugged innocently before turning back to the doctor who started to speak to her. "Valack's cell is the last one at the end of the hall, as you know."

Y/n nodded in acknowlegment, then turned to look at Scott with Lydia and Stiles. "We'll be right here." Scott assured. The three turned back to the door and walked through it, Fenris shutting the gate behind them.

"This way." Y/n gently called and led Stiles and Lydia down the halls. Stiles glances in one of the cells as they walk and is shocked to see Donovan standing there. When a break in the window blocked his view he saw a strange creature standing there instead. "Don't look." Y/n whispered to him and lightly put a hand on his back to urge him forward. He was a little shaken, but her touch helped calm him a little.

Valack was sitting on the floor of his cell, head down and hands on his knees as if he was meditating. He looked up when the three approached. "Tell me what you just saw." He requested, looking to Stiles.

"Me?" Stiles pointed to himself, unsure.

"The creature in the previous cell. The sluagh. The myth is that they can take on the appearance of the lost souls that have become inextricably bound to it. Happen to have seen any lost souls, Mr. Stilinski?"

"Everyone down here."

"Don't give up on us yet. We're all works-in-progress."

"Where did you hear that from?" Lydia asked.

"Wise words from a former cellmate." Valack turned his gaze to Y/n then. "Y/n, it's good to see you again. I have missed your company, even if you were visiting someone else." She didn't answer him, although he seemed satisfied with the hard look she gave him. He stood up then and walked closer to the glass dividing them. "Did you bring the book?" Stiles reached behind him and pulled the book from his waistband to hold it up. "Very nice. First edition. Of course, there was only one printed."

"There is no T.R. McCammon, is there?" Y/n said.

"No."

"You wrote the book."

"That's right, Lydia. Maybe you've already guessed that it's not just a book."

"What is it?"

"A tool. Designed to open your eyes."

"To what?" Stiles asked.

"To them. The Dread Doctors."

"Why did you use a pseudonym?" Lydia wondered.

"I had a proffesional reputation once. I wasn't interested in ruining it by putting my name on a second-rate piece of trash."

"Then why write the book in the first place." Stiles questioned.

"You haven't even read it yet, have you?" Their silence was his answer, they hadn't. "I wrote it because no one believed me. Because no one listened. They're here, aren't they? In Beacon Hills."

"What are they?" Y/n asked next.

"Not entirely human. At least, not anymore. They were scientists once. Scientists who worshipped the supernatural. Tesla said, 'If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency, and vibration'. They found their secrets in electromagnetic forces. Ways to prolong their lives, give them power, and most importantly, making you forget you ever saw them."

"What do they want?"

"Good question, Lydia. Everybody wants something, don't they?"

Stiles realized what he meant by that. "Okay, so what do you want?"

Valack held up a small recorder before placing it in the slot and looking to Lydia. "Hit record."

"What do you want me to say?" She frowned at him.

"I don't want you to say anything. I want you to scream."

Lydia picked up the recorder, considering it for a moment before Y/n snatched it from her grip. "No way in hell is she doing that." She denied to which Stiles agreed.

Lydia pulled them a few steps away from the cell, turning their backs to create a bit of privacy as they spoke in hushed tones. "He's the only one who knows anything." Lydia argued.

"Lydia, your voice is stronger than you think. It's not just to drown out the noise. Once you learn how to use it, it can also be used as a weapon. Who knows what he's going to do with it."

"The guy is a nut-job who drilled a hole into his head. He's probably lying his as off." Stiles pointed out.

Valack, who was tired of their squabbles, spoke up. "How many have died so far? All of them teenagers. Am right? Want to know how many died the first time they came here? Wonder how many will die if they succeed?"

The lights flickered as Lydia stepped closer. "This did happen before."

"And now they're back. All because a few teenagers, who never even considered the consequences, decided to reignite a supernatural force they barely understand."

"The Nemeton."

"How do you even know about that?" Stiles wondered.

"I know because I saw it." He ripped the bandage off of his head, revealing the ugly, red hole in the middle of his forehead.

"Don't look at it." Y/n warned.

The lights flickered again, more violently this time, and Valack looked around, suddenly alarmed. "Who did you come with?"

"Our friends." Lydia answered.

"What are they?"

"Don't answer." Stiles said.

"You brought a kitsune."

Some of the bulbs broke, sparks flying causing Lydia to yelp as it startled her. "What's happening?" She yelled.

"She's disrupting the building's defenses."

"What do you mean? How?"

"It's not just the mountain ash that keeps this building secure. It's the electromagnetic energy. Eichen is built on the convergence of telluric currents. Ley lines. It's what allows it to keep certain supernatural creatures in. And certain others out." Y/n's fingers started to tingle again like they had at the Sheriff's station when they were chasing Tracy. She rubbed her fingers together to ease the sensation, and Valack's eyes caught the action. "'By the pricking of your thumbs, something wicked this way comes. Open, locks, whoever knocks'." She furrowed her brows, glancing between her hand and the stare he leveled at her. "They knew you were coming. They're here. And you unlocked the door for them." He pressed himself against the glass, speaking with urgency. "Hit record. Do it now! It costs you nothing."

"But it's worth something to you, so you're not getting it for free." Stiles denied him.

"What does the book do?" Y/n asked, yet he said nothing.

"Tell us!" Stiles prompted with a yell.

"I told you. It opens your eyes." Valack said.

"Opens our eyes how?" Y/n followed up.

"It triggers the memory centers of the brain, clearing the fog and bringing the images of the Dread Doctors into focus. I wrote the book in an effort to find out if anyone else like me had ever seen them before. I thought I could circulate it, an effort to trigger someone- anyone else's memory. They'd see the cover, a hint of memory." Stiles looks between the girls as Lydia's eyes widen, getting a quick flash of metal masks while she was in surgery, and Y/n rubs the back of her neck, the spot getting a little warm. "They pick up the book, read it. The suppressed memories surface, and then they'd find their way to me to discover more. Just like you did."

"Did it work with anyone else?" Stiles asked.

"You didn't see it on The New York Times Best Seller list, did you?"

"So all we have to do is read the book?" Lydia clarified.

"If you've seen them, if they've done something to you, then the book will help you remember. Now give me what I want."

Lydia held her hand out to Y/n and the witch clenched her jaw. She hated this trade, but a deal was a deal, and so she reluctantly handed the recorder to Lydia, muttering curses under her breath. Lydia pressed the button and did as asked, screaming into the device before she placed it back in the slot. "Tell us what they want." Lydia demanded as alarms started to blare through Eichen.

"Lydia, we need to go." Y/n said, the 'pricking' as Valack called it getting worse and giving her the feeling that the Doctors were drawing closer.

"What are they trying to do?" Lydia pressed.

"Read the book. Anyone who's come into contact with them."

"Lydia, we gotta go. Now." Stiles urged and the three turned tail and booked it down the hallway.

"Read the book!" Valack called after them, their figures disappearing from view around the corner.

"In here." Y/n pulled the two into an empty room. Stiles held Y/n close while she held an arm in front of Lydia, the three of them pressing themselves as far into the wall as they could while they hid. There was a clicking sound followed by heavy footsteps. The Dread Doctors paid no mind to the room as they passed by. After a few minutes the lights slowly flickered back on and the sensation in Y/n's fingers went away.

"I think we're okay." Lydia whispered.

Y/n let her arm fall, but could only turn her head as Stiles kept his grip on her. "Stiles?"

"It's not okay." He shook his head. "All of this, it's on us. Everything that's happened, everything that's gonna happen. It's our fault."

"We knew there was a price for what we did, and we accepted that. It's just our responsibility now."

~~~
Published: 5/11/22