THEY WERE IN THE ANIMAL CLINIC, DOORS LOCKED, AS THEY GATHERED AROUND THE MEDICAL TABLE.
"It was, literally, day one at my internship, and up comes a slice about this guy they've been chasing in the woods in North Carolina." Stiles explained.
"I thought you were in South America." Malia questioned, eyeing the two mates standing across from each other.
"I was. The bodies of the werewolves I told you about? They blamed us." Derek answered.
"So I learn that the FBI had connected this feral, mass-murdering unsubâ"
"I found a group of hunters gathering in a meeting place. I was trying to get information." Derek interrupted.
"Well, the FBI found out about it too. And they were planning a SWAT assault to take him and her down. Dead or alive. And as we all know, with Derek and Hazel, it's perfectly dead."
"Preferably." Hazel shrugged.
"So I convinced them to take me on the Field Op." Stiles finished.
"You convinced the FBI to bring an intern onto an extremely dangerous field operation?" Lydia questioned, incredulous.
"I'm surprised he didn't convince them he could lead it." Derek added, glancing at Stiles.
"I tried. Didn't work." Stiles admitted. "Anyway, long story short, I basically, you know, had to save his life."
Hazel snorted, covering her mouth as she tried to hold back a laugh.
"That's not how it happened." Derek countered.
"Yeahâ I may have left out a detail, but that's the gist of what happened." Stiles said awkwardly. "It was the essential essence of it."
"You couldn't walk." Derek stated.
"I was limping."
"You couldn't walk, and I know that because I was carrying you." Derek replied.
Stiles shot him an indignant look. "They shot my toe. You want to see it?" Derek flipped him off. "My toe was caught in the crossfire. It was obliterated."
"Okay, forget your toe." Lydia forced a smile.
"Obliterated." Stiles muttered.
"Guys, it's not just the hunters. We've got another problem." Scott said, cutting into the conversation.
"It's called the Anuk-ite." Lydia answered.
"It can get into your head. It can make you see things." Scott added.
"What does it look like?" Stiles asked.
"It used to look like two ordinary people. But somehow they merged. All we know is that it's made of two faces. One human. The other supernatural. And it's a shapeshifter, just like us. But it knows what you're afraid of. What you fear most." Scott explained.
"And now it can kill you just by looking at you." Malia finished.
"Okay, so you're telling me we gotta go up against this thing blind?" Stiles asked, his eyes wide. "And face our deepest fear?"
"Yeah. Why?" Scott asked. "What do you fear the most?"
"Blindness."
"Becoming blind?" Hazel asked, puzzled.
Stiles gave her an awkward look. "Yeah, terrified of it. Always have been. That just seems to be a situation of unfortunate overlap."
"Lydia, you and Stiles need to find Argent, get to the Armory, rescue Jackson." Scott stated.
"I don't think we have time to wait for him." Lydia replied. "I've gotten through those doors once, anyway. I can do it again."
"Can we slow it down just for one second, make sure I'm grasping this? So, we're actually talking about doing this? We're gonna do exactly what Gerard wants us to? Is that right?" Stiles asked, trying to process it all.
"I think that if we stop the Anuk-ite, we stop it all." Scott answered confidently.
"Stopping this thing can stop Gerard and this whole hunter situation?" Derek asked.
"Not all of them are hunters."
"He's right. Most of them are ordinary people acting out of line." Lydia agreed.
"Monroe's not gonna change." Scott said. "But I think we can reach the others. Most of them, actually."
"The Anuk-ite is causing them to come from a place of fear." Lydia explained.
"Well, fear's pretty motivating. Especially when it turns to anger." Derek pointed out.
"And I think that if we can take out the fear, we can take out the fight in them too." Scott added. "They're afraid of us. But they don't have to be. They just have to change their minds."
"Well, we have to change our minds." Hazel stated as they looked at her.
"Okay. We can face the Anuk-ite. We can try to fight it blind. We can try to face some fears. But we still need to know how to catch it." Malia said.
"We'll figure that out. We always do." Scott promised.
Hazel narrowed her eyes at the two, tilting her head slightly, sensing something.
Had she missed something?
"Oh, it's nice to see that somebody hasn't lost their optimism." Derek said.
Scott shook his head. "Not yet."
"I have." Stiles spoke up.
"We'll buy time, Scott." Lydia reassured. "Who knows? Maybe Jackson has an answer."
"Maybe Argent will come back with one." Malia suggested.
"You two." Scott nodded to Derek and Hazel. "You're with me. And we need Peter. Anyone who can help stop this thing or slow it down."
"Where are we headed?" Malia asked.
"The high school."
"That's where we're gonna find this thing?" Derek questioned.
"No," Scott shook his head, his eyes drifting towards Derek. "It'll find us."
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They arrived at the high school, and the first thing they saw was Peter, frozen in place, turned to stone by the Anuk-ite.
Malia rushed over, checking him. "He's not dead. He can't be."
"There's a heartbeat, but it's faint." Derek confirmed, his voice grim. The sound of crashes echoed in the distance, drawing their attention. "We're not alone."
Scott stood in front of Peter's stone form, staring intently. Something seemed to click in his mind.
"Scott?" Malia called out to him, concerned.
"I think I know how to catch it." Scott said, his voice steady with newfound certainty.
They crouched behind a nearby wall, hiding for the moment. "We can't just stay here." Malia whispered. "Peter's not gonna last like that."
"Neither will we if that thing finds us too." Scott replied, keeping his eyes and ears alert.
"We've got to wait for Stiles." Derek said, his voice low.
"I'm not waiting." Hazel said, determination etched in her voice. She started down the steps, but Derek quickly charged after her, grabbing her arm.
"Woah, hey. Hazel, hold on." He said, stopping her in her tracks. They both paused, sensing something.
Their heads snapped in the same direction at once. Standing across from them was Monroe who had been hunting them relentlessly, her gun still trained on them without hesitation.
Before anyone could react, she pulled the trigger. The bullet hit Scott square in the chest, sending him crashing to the ground with a grunt.
"Scottâ"
"I'm okay." He said through clenched teeth, struggling to stand. "I'm okay, don't let her get away."
Malia and Hazel exchanged a brief glance before their features shifted. Malia transformed into her Werewolf form, and Hazel into her Vampire state. Without a second thought, they charged after Monroe, who turned and bolted through the door, desperately trying to escape.
They split up, searching the halls in opposite directions for the woman. Hazel slowed down when she realized the Agent was nowhere to be seen or heard. She came to a stop, catching her breath, glancing around for any sign of movement.
Suddenly, whispers echoed around her, faint but chilling. Her body tensed as she snapped her head behind her, trying to sense where the presence was coming from. She knew the Anuk-ite was trying to trick herâtrying to lure her in the same way it had turned Peter to stone.
Don't fall into its traps, Hazel.
"Hazel, Hazel, Hazel..." A low, menacing chuckle reverberated in her ears. Her breath caught, and she clenched her eyes shut, trying to block it out.
That voice.
It was becoming painfully familiar, like a dark memory clawing its way back into her mind.
"I'm surprised my brother has molded you into such a powerful creature." The voice purred.
Klaus.
Hazel's clenched shut as she lashed out, her hand striking toward where she thought he stoodâbut she grasped at nothing, missing entirely.
"Tsk tsk," Klaus chided, stepping closer, his tone smooth. "No need for violence, darling. Just look me in the eyes if you want to earn my trust."
Hazel shook her head, backing away, refusing to meet his gaze. Her heart pounded as her instincts screamed at her not to fall for the illusion.
"Come now, love," Klaus coaxed, his voice deceptively gentle. "We worked together once, didn't we?"
Despite her resolve, she found herself wavering. Slowly, against her better judgment, her eyes opened. But instead of Klaus, what she saw froze her blood.
A grotesque figure stood before her, human in shape but its skin peeled away, revealing raw, red muscle beneath. Its eyes gleamed with unnatural light, locking onto hers. Hazel tried to move, to fight, but her body was paralyzed, her mind sinking into an overwhelming blackness.
She couldn't fight it.
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