┏━━━━⋆°.☾⋆.ೃ࿔*:⋆━━━━┓

A BANK AND A BODY

SCOTT'S BOSS' OFFICE LOOKED JUST LIKE SHE REMEMBERED FROM ALL THOSE MONTHS AGO.

After a small detour at the school, and then subsequently after picking Isaac and Emerson up from the loft, Derek was dragging them to their next best shot.

Deaton was a Druid, that much had been explained on the car ride over, and he was one that had helped the Hales in the past— even before the fire that claimed the lives of almost everyone. Derek was sure he'd have a solution, and he did.

Though, Emerson wasn't sure she entirely liked it. "Are we sure hypnotism is our best shot?" she grimaced, staring at the ice they were all dumping into a large steel tub of already freezing cold water.

Scott shrugged as he dumped another bag of ice in from beside Stiles, the boys having been there to help them in their pursuit. "It's worth a shot."

"...It'll let us access the subconscious of your mind," she heard Deaton explain to Isaac, the two entering the back room that they set up shop in.

"How slow does his heart rate need to be?" Scott jumped to ask, and Emerson saw the sudden apprehension on his face as clear as day.

"Very slow."

"Well how slow is very slow?" Derek badgered on.

"Nearly dead." The way Deaton sounded so casual about that fact made Emerson bristle, her eyes heating up on their own as everyone looked at him like he couldn't be serious.

And poor Isaac was kneeling by the container. "But it's safe though, right?"

"Do you want me to answer honestly?" Deaton asked, and immediately Isaac was pursing his lips.

"No, no not really."

"Again, are we sure this is our best shot?" Emerson questioned, her nerves over the riskiness of the situation getting the better of her.

"He'll be fine," Derek reassured her from his place next to her, and it seemed like he was always next to her nowadays. "If it feels too risky, he doesn't ha—"

The snapping of rubber sounded from across the room, and all of them turned to see the Stilinski boy putting a rather large glow on his hand, the material stretching down to his elbows. He looked carefree before he noticed their stares. "What?"

Derek raised a singular eyebrow and immediately he was taking the glove off. Emerson would've laughed had Isaac not taken his shirt off, a sure sign of him wanting to go through with the plan. He was then climbing into the ice bath, breathing already turning ragged before Scott and Derek took hold of his shoulders.

Isaac sought her out, and she stepped into his line of sight with the most reassuring smile she could muster up. "See you on the other side, yeah?"

He nodded, lips chattering. "Y-yeah—"

And then, he was pushed under the icy surface.

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After what felt like hours of thrashing, Isaac's body stilled and rose to the top of the tub of water. Everyone was looking over his body as Deaton coaxed him into talking.

"Isaac? Can you hear me?" Deaton asked, testing out the waters.

It felt like far too long before they heard a response. "Yes."

Emerson let a puff of air release from her mouth, shoulders sagging in relief that he was fine for now. "I want to ask you about the night you found Erica and Boyd. I want you to remember it for me in as vivid detail as possible, like you're actually there again."

"I–I don't wanna do that. I don't— I don't wanna do that," came his instant response, coupled by the flickering of the overhead lights.

It took a second for him to relax again, but Emerson felt like she couldn't be relieved this time around. What had he seen, what had he been through that caused him so much panic?

"Can you tell me what you see? Is there some kind of building?" Deaton pressed, tone kept calm. "A house?"

"It's not— it's not a house," Isaac said. "It's stone. It's dusty, so empty."

"Like an abandoned building?"

Emerson and Derek locked eyes for a moment, an unspoken exchange of the same thought happening. They'd been right to search abandoned properties, and it seemed like had they had more time, they would've found the alpha pack like Isaac had.

The lights flickered again, thunder rumbling from outside. "Someone's here."

The blond's hands instantly darted out of the water, one gripping fervently onto Emerson's forearm and the other going to Scott's. The two glanced at one another, unknowing, while Deaton was trying to get him to calm down. "Isaac, relax."

"They see me, they see me!" He was frantic now, thrashing around and making the water spill over the sides of the tub. Derek and Stiles helped hold him steady, until he settled once again.

Once he relaxed, settling down into the water once more, Deaton continued. "Tell us what you see. Tell you everything."

Isaac's eyes opened in a way that was borderline creepy. "I can hear him. He's talking about the full moon, about being out of control when the moon rises."

Tomorrow night, that moon.

"Is he talking to Erica?" Deaton inquired.

"I think so, I can't— I can't see her, either of them."

"Can you hear anything else?" Emerson glanced up at the light fixture, the incessant flickering was starting to grate on her nerves.

Isaac's lips were blue, wobbling. "They're worried. They're worried about what they'll do during the full moon. Worried that they're gonna hurt each other."

Derek shook his head knowingly. "If they're locked up together during the full moon, they're gonna tear each other apart."

While Deaton began quizzing him about his surroundings more, they all flinched when Isaac lurched forward, sitting up amidst the icy water. He was looking around blankly, like he was seeing something that wasn't there.

Emerson had a horrible feeling in her gut. "We need to pull him out," she pleaded, leg bouncing as she stood there helpless. "We need to—"

"They see me," the boy practically whimpered out, before it turned to screams. "They found me! They're here!"

"This isn't working," Derek snapped, the thrashing kicking up a notch. As if he wanted to make matters worse, he started yelling at the hypnotized boy. "Isaac where are you? Tell me where you are!"

"Derek, let him go!"

"They see me! It's a room— there's a body!"

"Isaac, where are you?!"

"Stop it, Derek!"

"He could go into shock—"

"—Erica! It's a vault! It's a bank vault!" Isaac screamed back, until he was surging upright once more. The flickering of the overhead lights ceased, and based on the spike in heart rate, Isaac had come out of the trance. "I saw the name!"

They were lugging him out of the tub, Emerson yanking the towel away from Deaton's hand and wrapping it around Isaac's lanky figure. "B–Beacon Hills First National Bank. They're keeping them locked inside, inside the vault." It was quiet for a second, before Isaac was glancing around the room as he shivered in place. "What?"

"You don't remember what you said before you came out of it, do you?" It was Stiles who asked the solemn question.

"N–no."

"You said when they captured you, they dragged you into a room, and that there was a body in it."

Isaac looked confused, but the way his body tensed beside Emerson's was telling to his anxiousness. "What body?"

"Erica."

⋆°.☾⋆.ೃ࿔*:⋆

[ wyn's note ]

i lied, new chap up now LMAOA call that a double feature :P

rip erica, you would've loved sabrina carpenter's new music. </3