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Song:

~ Gimme // BANKS

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content warning: mentions of suicide.

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The four teens exchange worried looks and then Stiles catches his gaze on the Bible that Lydia was holding in her hand, staring at it. "Wait, hang on. Can I see that?" Stiles asks and at the girl's nod he grabs the book, opening it to a page where there was a small piece of paper stuck between the pages. "What..." he trails off, squinting as he scans it. "Twenty-eight-year-old man hangs himself at the infamous Glen Capri," he reads it aloud to the rest of them before flicking through the pages to see if there were any others. He eventually gives up and moves toward the bed, holding the book by its spine and shaking it. All the loose pages fall out and drift onto the blanket after a few moments.

Lydia picks one up with a frown, Allison and Charlie heading toward her. "Look at these two, they both mention room two-seventeen," Lydia states, gaze flicking over the paper as she picks another up. "Our room...these are all the suicides that happened in this room."

They all exchange a look of horror. "So if every room has a Bible," Allison begins, releasing a sigh.

"There could be articles in all the rooms," Lydia finishes.

"That's lovely, most people leave a mint under the pillow but this one leaves a record of all the horrible deaths that occurred," Stiles counters, sarcasm lacing his tone as his hands twist around each other nervously.

Charlie frowns a little before turning to Lydia. "Do you think the room next door has an article about the couple?" At this, the girl pauses before nodding hesitantly. 

"We should check then," Stiles flicks his gaze over the group before heading out and to the room in question. His hand grasps the handle, frowning as it doesn't turn. 

"I swear that was not locked before," Lydia rushes out, eyes wide.

"Let's just forget it, all we need to do is get Scott, Isaac and Boyd out of here," Allison breaks in with a shake of her head. At this, Stiles stops fiddling with the door before turning to walk away. Suddenly the sound of electric buzzing breaks from the room, the entire group moving back toward it slowly. 

"I-I'm not the only one who heard that, am I?" Lydia breathes, gaze locked on the door. 

"It sounds like someone turned that handsaw on inside," Allison notes with a frown, causing Stiles to whip his head around, eyes wide. 

"Handsaw?!" The boy exclaims before lunging toward the door, trying to open it. Charlie just lets out a frustrated sigh, rolling her eyes. She then pushes Stiles to the side with a light hand, the boy stumbling a little with a protest. The girl just takes a breath before kicking the door in, the force breaking apart the wood and sending it flying open.

They all stop in the doorway as they see Ethan gasping wildly while moving the handsaw in question towards his torso.

"No, Ethan don't!" Stiles yells while running at the werewolf and trying to wrestle the tool of him. He growls in response, eyes glowing bright red as he fights the boy. He eventually manages to get it off him, the force of the release send Stiles falling toward the direction of the handsaw that was now on the ground. 

Charlie moves without really realizing it, a leg flying out to kick the power tool out of the way of the boy who hits the ground solidly. He then looks up toward her with wide eyes, the girl throwing a nod before turning back toward Ethan at the scream he lets out. 

His hands were now positioned at his chest as he tries to claw something out. Both Allison and Stiles then run towards him, grabbing each arm to stop the werewolf who was thrashing about. Ethan pulls himself away from the two harshly but overcorrects, stumbling forward and bracing himself against the heater for support. 

He then lets out a scream at the high temperature, pulling his hands away with a yell. Suddenly though, the werewolf relaxes and settles down, letting out a gasp. Ethan then looks up at all of them with a frown, confusion flooding his expression. 

 "What just happened?" Ethan questions, dragging himself upward. They all hesitate, Stiles looking toward the handsaw with a wince. The werewolf then lets out a breath before practically sprinting out of the room. 

"My reaction exactly," Stiles huffs sarcastically before they all follow him out of the room as well as he runs down the stairs. "Hey! Ethan!" They catch up quickly, the boy groaning in the back of his throat. "Don't you know what just happened?"

"No," the werewolf lets out a gruff reply, shaking his head.

"So you don't remember locking the door?" Lydia questions with a frown, gaze flicking over him. 

"Or leaving your room?" Stiles tacks on as Ethan continues down the stairs, pointedly ignoring them as he stares straight ahead. 

 "Didn't you hear what I said?" The werewolf questions angrily, reaching the ground floor of the motel after a few seconds. "I don't know how I got there or what I was doing," he adds on before suddenly turning toward the group who all stops in place. 

"Okay, you could be a little more helpful, y'know? We did just save your life," Stiles counters with a brief frown, expression tight. 

"And you probably shouldn't have," Ethan replies vaguely before giving them an unreadable look and heading back toward the direction of his room. The group exchanges a glance before walking a bit further in toward the parking lot of the motel.

"We need to get everyone out, no matter what Ethan wants to do," Lydia lets out a breath with a shake of her head, Allison agreeing.  

"I'll find Scott," Allison states already walking up the stairs quickly. "You guys grab Isaac and Boyd. The best thing we can do is just get them out of this place."

She leaves Stiles, Lydia and Charlie in the parking lot, the latter frowning a little as slight chill runs over her. The strawberry blonde notices this, standing up straighter. "Are you okay? Do you hear anything?" 

"No, I don't-" Charlie then breaks off at the sight of Stiles regarding their interaction with a slightly narrowed gaze. She then shoots him a glare right back, stepping forward slightly. "If there's something you want to say, say it," the girl lets out a breath, arms crossed. Unbeknownst to both of them, Lydia had left the group and was slowly walking into the parking lot. 

"Nothing, I have nothing to say," Stiles shakes his head quickly, lips pressed tightly together. Charlie just rolls her eyes wildly, shifting on her feet. 

"What? That I'm the Darach? Because I've heard that one before," she counters, jaw tight and gaze narrowed even more. "Come up with something that actually makes sense next time, rather than pinning it on someone who can't even do magic."

"How am I meant to know that-"

"Do you hear that?" Lydia's quiet voice is covered by their argument, the two not noticing her panic. 

"You could at least ask! I'd probably would just tell you if you were actually not an asshole about it," Charlie counters his retort, throwing her hands up slightly as she glares viciously. 

"So I'm just meant to trus-"

"Guys!" Lydia's panicked yell breaks into Stiles' exclamation, both of them turning toward the girl who was crouched down near the grate in the parking lot. "D-don't you hear that?"

Stiles and Charlie both make their way over to her, the latter frowning a little in concern. She didn't hear anything. 

"Hear what?" Stiles questions, voice suddenly dropping it's previously harsh quality. "What do you hear?"

"I..." Lydia's eyes unfocus a little as she trails off. "I hear a baby crying," she then looks towards Charlie who shakes her head, unable to hear what she was hearing. "And there's this woman," the girl's breathing then picks up, and then her throat tightens. "S-she's trying to drown the baby," tears break into her eyes as she takes in another breath. "I...I think someone's drowning."

"It's got to be Boyd or Isaac," Stiles assumes quickly, blinking fast. Lydia then just nods hurriedly, pushing away her tears as she stands back up. 

"I think you're right," the girl adds on, coughing a little and they all then move out of the parking lot and towards the room in question.

Charlie takes up the rear as they rush in that direction, Stiles throwing open the door easily and sprinting toward the bathroom. He then stops in the doorway, eyes wide as he looks at Boyd lying in a filled bathtub, a large safe on top of him. 

 "He blocked it, he uh, blocked the drain with something. I can't get through," Stiles states as he throws a hand into the water, forehead creasing as panic seeps into his voice. "Wh-what do we do?"

Charlie pushes past Lydia and grabs the sides of the safe, adjusting her grip. "Okay, so remember when Ethan touched the heat and came out of his weird trance?" Charlie asks, the boy answering with a nod. "We need to find a way to snap him out otherwise he'll just try and kill himself again once I take this safe off," she states after a beat of hesitation.

"We need something that emits heat underwater?" Stiles makes the leap, a hand running through his hair as he wracks his brains.  

"Wait, the bus," Lydia breaks in with wide eyes, suddenly standing up. "On the bus, they have emergency road flares and they're oxidisers so they'll burn underwater."

"Are you serious?" Stiles questions wildly, head snapping to the girl who nods hurridly. 

"Yes go!" Lydia shouts, causing the boy to sprint out of the room toward the bus. It's a few minutes of tense silence before he returns with the road flare, feet thudding across the room. 

"Okay so the moment I take this safe off, you need to burn him with the road flare so it snaps him out of it enough that he doesn't kill us," Charlie orders.

Stiles nods again before looking down at the flare, fumbling slightly. "Stiles! The cap, it's like a match," Lydia rushes out, the boy blinking a few times before finally lighting it. 

The room becomes cast in a red hue as the flare begins to heat up, Charlie turning to Stiles as her eyes  glow blue. She then turns back around and lifts the safe, muscles straining as it moves off the drowning werewolf.

Stiles then plunges a hand into the bathtub and presses the flare into Boyd's side just as Charlie throws the safe off and to the the side of the bathroom. They all jump back as the werewolf launches out of the water, growling loudly with this eyes glowing.

There's a few moments of tense silence before Boyd realises what is going on, replying to the group in short sentences. He then pauses before looking into the bedroom, gaze catching on the bed. "Isaac," he states with a low voice and a tilt of his head, Lydia then moving with the flare in that direction.

It takes another few minutes before the other werewolf snaps out of his trance, all of them collectively making the decision to vacate from the motel. The air drops in temperature as they make their way down the stairs and toward the direction of the bus. 

Charlie turns her head at the sound of footsteps, spotting Allison running up to them with wide eyes. "I can't find Scott anywhere," Allison states, the panic in her tone clear. 

"It would happening to him too, wouldn't it?" Stiles questions with a frown, concern filtering into his voice.

"It has to be," Lydia adds after a breath before frowning as the flare in her hand dies out. "Hey, didn't you say there was another flare on the bus?"

"Yeah. I'll get it," Stiles nods a few times, the entire group then turning around the corner to face the carpark. The boy stops in his tracks, breath halting in a way that causes his throat to clench in pain. 

The sight of Scott standing still in front of the bus, the last road flare dangling between his fingers, causes Charlie's stomach to fill with dread. Her nose twitches at the liquid that was covering the boy and his surroundings. Gasoline. 

"Scott?" Allison's terrified voice is the first thing that breaks the silence as the group walks slowly toward the werewolf. The only sign that the boy had heard his name was the vauge tightening of his shoulders, head still low. 

"There's no hope," Scott's voice cracks, fragile against the cold wind as his jaw tightens, looking up to stare at the group.

"W-what do you mean? There's always hope," Allison's reply is futile, her head shaking back and forth as tears break into her waterline.

"Not for me, n-not for Derek," he answers quietly, a harsh contrast from his usual tone. "Every time I try to fight back, it just gets worse," Scott continues after a breath. "People keep getting hurt. People keep getting killed."

"Scott, listen to me okay? T-this isn't you, all right?" Stiles steps forward, eyes wide as his statement comes out in a rush of panic. He then calms down a little, taking a breath."This is someone inside your head telling you to do this. Okay now just-"

"What if it isn't?" Scott then interrupts, the hand that was holding the flare tightening. "What if it is just me? What if doing this, is actually the best thing that I could do for everyone else?" His breathing comes out in short gasps, expression tight. "It all started that night, the night I got bitten," the werewolf's voice then drops to become quieter. "Do you remember the way it was before that? You and me," the two boys make eye contact, Stiles nodding minutely. 

"We were nothing," the pained inflection in his voice is clear, chest beginning to rise heavily as he cries. "We were no one," he adds and with a breath raises the hand that was holding the flare. "Maybe I should just go back to being no one again," Scott meets Stiles' gaze, before moving the flare back down towards the puddle of gasoline.

"S-Scott, just hold on, listen to me, okay?" Stiles steps forwards slightly, his voice trembling wildly. "You're not no one, okay? You're someone. Scott, you're my best friend," Stiles continues, a tear falling down his cheek as he inches himself further toward the werewolf. "Okay and I need you. Scott you're my brother," his voice catches as he  stares into Scott's eyes. "All right, so." The boy then steps into the puddle, Charlie shifting on her feet as she watches the exchange. "So if you're gonna do this," Stiles continues, reaching out to hold the flare. "Then I think you're just gonna have to take me with you."

Scott's face crumples as Stiles slowly grabs the flare out of his hands, eyes still locked onto this face. The boy then throws the flare behind him, out of the way of the puddle of gasoline. The wind then picks up, rolling the flame back toward it. Charlie's eyes widen, as her gaze darts to the boys. Lydia, being the closest, throws herself toward them and pulls them out of the liquid as it ignites. Fire envelopes the air around them, hot air blowing them all back at the force of the explosion. 

It takes a while for the fire to die down, everyone mututally deciding that it would be best to not go back to the motel and then head to get on the bus. Everyone falls asleep pretty quickly, Charlie sitting right at the back with her feet up on the seat, back against the metal wall. 

About an hour passes, the girl shifting her position and sitting up properly as she takes in a breath. Her eyes flick around the bus before widening a little as she spots Stiles awake a few rows from her. Charlie pauses, lips pressing together slightly. 

"Uh, hey," the boy's quiet whisper breaks the silence, causing her to frown a little.

"Hey," she replies after a beat, head tilting in confusion. "You alright?"

"Oh, uh yeah, I'm fine I just-" Stiles takes a breath, swallowing once. "I'm sorry, okay? Like, you were right, before, I could have just asked you," he then grits his teeth. "It's just with everything that's happened these past few years I have a right to be wary when some random girl who has powers turns up just as ritual sacrifices start happening," the boy walks the line between defensive and apologetic, his voice still guarded. 

Charlie resists the urge to roll her eyes, still frowning while she nods slowly. "Okay, I get it," she replies. "But you could at least keep an open mind, and turn down the paranoia a little because it's not me," the girl continues, pausing. "But I'm not going to go out of my way to keep trying to prove that to you, because it's honestly just it's not worth my time."

Stiles looks slightly taken aback at her statement, blinking a few times. He then nods silently and the conversation is dropped. 

---

"I don't want to know. I really do not want to know," Charlie jolts awake at the sound of Coach's voice breaking into the silence of the bus. She just yawns in response, stretching slightly. "But in case you missed the announcement, the meet's cancelled, so we're heading home," Coach then shouts, clapping his hands together and causing Charlie to groan. "Pack it in. Pack it in!" 

As the rest of the team gets on, Ethan then moves through the bus, sitting down behind Scott and Charlie.  "We're pretty sure Derek's still alive," he states suddenly, causing Charlie's eyes to widen in shock, sharing a glance with Scott. "But he killed one of ours. That means one of two things can happen, either he joins us-"

"-and kills his own," Scott continues, frowning. 

"Or Kali goes after him, and we kill him. That's the way it works," Ethan states with a shrug before moving to join Danny at the front of the bus. 

"You know that your little code of ethics is sort of barbaric, just an FYI," Stiles breaks in while moving to sit next to Scott as the werewolf leaves. Lydia then frowns, narrowed eyes catching on Coach and the whistle around his neck. 

"Hey Coach, can I see your whistle for a second?" The girl suddenly stands up before pulling the whistle off his head amid his protests.

"Hey! I'm gonna need that back, okay?" Coach counters but then moves toward the back of the bus to talk to one of the runners. Lydia then quickly sits down on opposite the seat next to Stiles and Scott, covering the whistle with one hand and blowing into it. She looks down, frowning before showing Stiles and Scott the purple powder in her hand.

"Wolfsbane," Lydia states, causing the entire group to share looks of realisation. 

"So every time the Coach blew the whistle on the bus, Scott, Isaac, Boyd and Ethan..." Stiles eyes were wide. 

"We all inhaled it," Scott takes a breath, shaking his head.

"You were all poisoned by it," Allison adds on. 

"So that's how the Darach got in their heads. That's how he did it," Stiles says before suddenly grabbing the whistle out of Lydia's hands and falling onto the window. A hand reaches up to the open air before throwing it out just as the bus pulls away from the motel.

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its been 84 years...

wow I'm a busy bee I'm so sorry for the wait.