After dealing with the wendigos, Jacob pulled out his phone and sent a text to Scott and Stiles: [You guys can come if you want to see what wendigos really are. Wear hoodies. And bring Melissa with you; she said she wanted to see.] Then he sent them the address of the Walcotts.
After that, he turned to the Argents, his expression serious. "A friend of mine is on his way. He's a werewolf, but not by choice. Peter Hale bit him the night we went looking for Laura Hale's body in the woods."
He watched as Chris, Victoria, and Kate exchanged quick, sharp glances.
Jacob's eyes narrowed. "Scott is a good friend of mine and Allison. Don't even think about using him to get to Peter. He has nothing to do with Peter or the Hales' drama." He looked directly at Victoria and Kate. "And don't even think about hurting him. Especially you two."
"Mom, Scott is a nice person." Allison said. "Jacob taught him how to control himself, so please don't harm him."
Victoria folded her arms. "Don't worry. As long as he doesn't hurt any..."
Jacob's eyes flashed a brilliant, dangerous gold, cutting her off. "I said, don't think about harming him. Even if he did hurt or kill someone. Am I clear?"
Victoria said. "We are hunters. Our job is to protect the innocent."
Jacob's eyes faded back to normal. He snorted. "Yeah, right. If you're so righteous, then kill Kate. She's a monster who kills the innocent."
Kate stiffened. "Hey, I'm not stupid enough to harm your friend, so don't bring me into this."
Chris coughed awkwardly. "Ahem—don't worry, kid. We won't touch your friends."
Kate quickly changed the subject, pointing to the terrified man still tied to the chair in the corner, his eyes wide with panic. "What are we going to do with him?"
"Let the cops deal with him." Jacob said.
Allison frowned. "But he saw our faces."
"Don't worry about that." Jacob assured her. "I'll take care of it."
---
The Basement
After that, Jacob, Lydia, and the Argents descended into the Walcotts' basement. The moment the door opened, the air grew cold, and the metallic stench of old blood and the nauseating odor of decay hit them like a wall.
The scene that greeted them was one from a slaughterhouse nightmare. Human bodies—dozens—hung from hooks like butchered cattle, skin pale, limbs stiff. Some were missing parts, some were cut open as if waiting to be portioned, and others were stripped down to the bone. It was a grotesque testament to the Walcott family's appetites.
Lydia's face tightened with fury. "These sick bastards…"
Allison clenched her fists, shaking with barely contained rage. "Damn monsters…"
In contrast, the veteran Argents showed little outward reaction. Chris scanned the room with a grim, clinical detachment. "I've seen worse." He stated flatly. "There are a lot of creatures like wendigos."
"Yeah." Kate said. "This is what most supernatural creatures do."
Jacob didn't speak. He only looked at the bodies—at what was left of these people. Then he spoke silently in his mind.
'System. Sign in.'
[Location sign-in successful. Rewards obtained:
-Absolute Anonymity: A permanent passive ability. Once merged, your energy and natural scent will be completely masked. To other supernatural creatures, you will appear as an ordinary human unless you actively use your powers or unleash your aura.
-Phoenix Down x20 (Final Fantasy): A Phoenix feather capable of restoring a dying person to full health. It can cure injuries caused by dark magic and curses and can be used as a weapon against dark creatures like vampires and zombies.
Note: It cannot revive the dead.
-Zombie Summoning Ability: After learning this ability, the host can summon ten zombies, each as strong as a beta werewolf, or two zombies with the strength of an alpha werewolf. If the zombies are destroyed, you must wait 24 hours to re-summon them.
Warning: The zombies can spread the zombie virus, infecting not only normal humans but also supernatural beings. The host must use caution when summoning them.]
Jacob scanned the rewards and thought. 'Finally… something useful. I can finally hide my energy. Thank you, System—I needed that. Phoenix Down is useful, I guess… but I hope I never need to use it.' His expression darkened. 'And that zombie summoning ability? Yeah, no. Destroy it. I'm not turning this world into a zombie apocalypse.'
[Are you sure, Host? You may need it someday.]
'No. I'll never need that. Destroy it.'
[As you wish. Ability destroyed.]
'Good. Now merge the Absolute Anonymity ability into my body.'
[Are you sure, Host?]
'Yes.'
A warm pulse spread through his veins.
[Ability merged successfully.]
Jacob exhaled softly, a faint smile touching his lips.
---
Upstairs
While Jacob and the others were in the basement, Melissa, Stiles, and Scott arrived and entered the house. They froze in the doorway of the dining room, taking in the gruesome sight of the dead Walcott family.
Melissa froze for half a second, then exhaled slowly. She'd seen dead bodies countless times at the hospital. Stiles swallowed hard but handled it; seeing dead bodies wasn't new to him.
Scott, on the other hand, staggered back and nearly vomited. He clamped a hand over his mouth, face pale.
Stiles muttered. "Yeah… my dad's gonna have a massive headache tonight."
Melissa glanced at the bodies again. "Did Jacob do all of this?"
Scott thought quickly. 'If I tell her Jacob killed people, she might freak out and stay away from him, hopefully.' Aloud, he said. "I don't know if Jacob did this or not, but he told us he's killed people before."
Melissa's eyes widened. "When you say he killed people, what kind of people are we talking about?"
"Bad people." Stiles interjected before Scott could stop him, defending Jacob. "He killed a wizard and a few hunters who came after him. And he told us about the memories he saw in that wizard's head." Stiles shivered. "What he told us about those memories was nightmare fuel, and he only told us a little bit."
Scott shot Stiles a furious glare.
Stiles frowned. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Nothing." Scott said, but internally he groaned. 'Stupid Stiles! Why did he have to tell her that? He should've let her think Jacob is a ruthless killer. I wish she'd see him as a monster and stay away from him.'
Just then, Cogman entered the dining room. He had just finished his "fun" with the alpha wendigo and was heading to the basement. His suit was now spattered and smeared with dark blood.
Stiles tensed the moment he saw him.
Cogman stopped, looked directly at him, and said. "Pillow humper. Why are you here?"
Stiles groaned loudly. "Stop calling me that! We're here because Jacob told us to come." Then he squinted at Cogman's blood-soaked suit. "Why are you covered in blood?"
Cogman's face lit up with a creepy, genuine smile. "I was just having fun in the other room with an alpha wendigo. He didn't die quickly, which was to my liking. Breaking every bone in his body and stabbing him with his own antlers was delightful." His eyes took on a distant, blissful look. "Ahhh, you should have heard the beautiful sound of him choking on his own blood…"
"Alright, that's enough, you psycho!" Stiles cut him off, shuddering. "Where are Jacob and the others?"
"In the basement." Cogman replied. "Let's go."
"Wait!" Melissa said, pointing at the terrified, bound man in the corner. "What about him? Should we release him? Is he a wendigo?"
Cogman waved a dismissive, blood-stained hand. "He is not a wendigo. We saved him. He is just some unlucky bastard who was going to be the main course tonight. Leave him be. Sir hasn't said what he wants done with him, so we can't release him yet."
With that, Cogman headed for the basement stairs, and the three of them, with a shared sense of dread, followed him.
Melissa grabbed Scott's arm, pulling him close and whispering, her eyes fixed on Cogman's back. "Who is the psychopath?"
Scott sighed. "He's Jacob's butler."
---
In the Basement
Stiles, Melissa, and Scott joined Jacob and the others. The stench hit them first. Metallic. Cold. Wrong.
Bodies dangled from hooks along the ceiling—men and women, drained, butchered, carved up like livestock.
Melissa's breath hitched. "This is… terrible."
"It is." Jacob agreed, his voice flat. He then gestured toward Stiles, who was visibly trembling. "But I think Stiles is excited. Look, he's shaking."
"I'm shaking because it's cold!" Stiles snapped.
Jacob raised an eyebrow, a faint smirk playing on his lips. "Are you sure? Aren't you excited to see all these dead women? You are, after all, into necrophilia."
That was the last straw for Stiles. He grabbed Jacob by the collar. "How many times do I have to say I don't have any interest in corpses?!"
Jacob smiled. "I don't believe you."
"Jacob." Melissa's voice was full of disappointment. She was looking at him with profound sadness. "Is this a joke to you?"
Jacob pried Stiles's hands from his collar and turned to her, his smirk vanishing. "What do you mean?"
Melissa gestured around the nightmarish basement. "We are standing in a basement filled with dead people, hanging like butchered animals. They had lives. They had families. They had loved ones. And yet you're here laughing and joking. How can you act like this?"
For a moment, Jacob just looked at her. Then a hollow, bitter laugh escaped him. "Then what do you want me to do? Cry? Scream? This isn't the first time I've seen something like this." His voice began to lose its calm, gaining a hard, ragged edge. "I've seen people being sold for sex, or like cattle to be eaten. I've seen human organs, blood, and body parts auctioned off to the highest bidder."
He continued, his eyes darkening. "And I've seen horrors in the memories of the monsters I've killed—horrors you can't even imagine, no matter how dark your thoughts get. I've seen babies sacrificed for power. I've seen girls, virgins no older than me, raped and then slaughtered in rituals. I've seen things..." His voice cracked, and he looked away, fists clenched. "...things that would keep me awake for the rest of my life if I ever let myself truly think about them for even a minute."
Melissa stared at him, stunned into silence.
"So tell me, Melissa." Jacob finished. "What do you want me to do?"
Allison reached out and gently caught his hand. "Jay, calm down."
He flinched at her touch, then took a deep, shuddering breath. "I'm sorry." He said, softer now. "It's just… the world we live in is messed up. And I can't let myself think too much about the horrible things I've seen. Because the second I do, my mind goes to the worst possible places... I start imagining losing Allison and Lydia. And if something bad ever happened to them... I'd do terrible things. And I mean really terrible things."
He continued. "I'm not like a werewolf who loses control by accident… I'd lose control on purpose. I'm possessive, arrogant, proud, and greedy. If I let those parts of me loose, I'll turn into a real monster. I'd end up killing anyone who even looks at my girls the wrong way, I'd take a life on just a suspicion. So I joke. I laugh. Even in a place like this. Because I need to keep my mind busy. I need to build a wall between myself and all the death I've seen and caused, or I will lose my mind."
Melissa swallowed hard.
"I'm sorry, kid." She said softly. "I... I've seen dead people before at the hospital. You see families crying, mourning their loved ones, and it's always heartbreaking. You think you get used to it over the years, but you don't. You just learn to ignore it enough to keep working."
She looked at the hanging corpses again, her face pale. "But this… this is different. This is pure evil. And I shouldn't have judged you for how you cope. I thought you were being disrespectful, but… I'm sorry."
Jacob said. "Don't worry about it." He looked around the basement one last time. "We've seen enough. Let's get out of this hellhole."
They went upstairs, and soon everyone left the house—everyone except Jacob and Cogman, who remained in the dining room.
Jacob walked over to the terrified man still tied to the chair in the corner. He pulled the Memory Neuralyzer from his pocket dimension. "Cogman, look away. This thing can erase memories, and I don't know if it will work on you."
"What about you, sir?" Cogman asked.
"My mind is protected, so it won't affect me. Besides, it only works if you look directly at the flash. I told you to look away just in case."
As Cogman turned around, Jacob lifted the Neuralyzer—then paused. He retrieved a pair of dark sunglasses from his pocket dimension and put them on. "The only thing missing is a black suit." He muttered.
As soon as Jacob peeled away the duct tape, the man looked up at him, his face pale and slick with sweat "Are you... are you going to kill me?" He stammered, his eyes searching Jacob's for any sign of mercy.
"No." Jacob said calmly. "But tell me, how did you get caught by this family?"
The man said nervously. "I own a bookstore. Christina was a customer. She came today and started flirting with me. She told me her husband was out of town and that she wanted to have me for dinner at her house. Then she winked, kissed my cheek... no, actually, she licked my cheek and said, 'Delicious.' Those were her exact words! I thought..."
Jacob cut him off. "You thought she wanted to sleep with you. But what she really wanted was to eat your dumb ass."
"I didn't know monsters existed!" The man whined. His eyes then fixed on the device in Jacob's hand. "And I know what that is! It's a Memory Neuralyzer! Are Men in Black real? Are aliens real? Please, don't erase my memories! I want to work with you guys!"
Jacob stared at him, amused. "Are you married?"
"Yes! And I have kids, but they'll understand!"
Jacob pinched the bridge of his nose. "How does your wife treat you?"
"She treats me well, she's a good wife, but… I'm getting bored of her. So, can you please make me a Man in Black?"
Cogman, who had been listening, turned his head slightly. "We should have let the wendigos eat him before we killed them. Shall I just dispose of this pig, sir?"
"Tempting." Jacob admitted. "But we can't kill him. Alright, Cogman, look away."
Once Cogman averted his gaze, Jacob activated the Memory Neuralyzer. A bright flash filled the room. "You never saw us, and you never saw the monsters." Jacob instructed the now-dazed man. "Tell the cops these people kidnapped you and wanted to eat you, and that's all you know. You were unconscious the entire time and didn't see who killed them. And when you go back to your family, you will treat your wife like a queen. Buy her flowers every day, never think about cheating on her again, and be the best father to your kids."
The man blinked, dazed.
After delivering the command, Jacob knocked the man out with a precise tap to the head. "Cogman, make the anonymous call to the sheriff. Tell him there's a foul smell coming from this house."
Cogman made the call, and the two of them finally left the scene.
Outside, Jacob looked at Stiles. "By the way, how did you guys get here so fast?"
"Actually, we were already here before you texted us." Stiles explained. "After you told me you were going after Sean and his family, I found their address and drove over. Melissa insisted on coming with us when I went to pick up Scott."
"I see." Jacob said. He then walked over to Melissa. "I'm sorry if I lost my temper in there."
Melissa touched his cheek gently. "It's okay, kid. I'm sorry, too. I didn't realize how heavy a burden you're carrying. No teenager should have to deal with things like this."
Jacob smiled faintly. "Alright, we should leave before the cops arrive. Good night." He kissed her cheek and started walking toward Allison and Lydia.
Melissa smiled. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight." Scott added.
Jacob ignored him, waving only at Melissa. "Goodnight, Melissa. See you soon."
Scott growled, his eyes flashing yellow. "Allison, Lydia, keep him away from my mom!" He took Melissa's hand and started pulling her toward Stiles's Jeep. "Let's go, Mom!" They got in, and he glared at Stiles, who was laughing.
Scott growled. "Stiles!"
Stiles said. "Hey, don't growl at me, I didn't do anything. You go growl at Jacob; he is right over there."
Melissa shook her head with a smile and said. "Just drive, Stiles."
Stiles said nothing more. He drove away, a smile still playing on his lips.
Jacob, who was laughing and waving at Melissa, was interrupted by two sets of hands pinching him from both sides. "Ouch!" He exclaimed, though he felt no pain. He stepped away from Allison and Lydia. "I'm riding with Kate."
"No, you are not." Allison said firmly. "I don't want you alone with Kate."
"Cogman will be with us!"
"I said no." Allison repeated, her tone leaving no room for argument. "You are getting in my dad's car and explaining to me and Lydia what's going on between you and Scott's mom."
Jacob sighed. "I'm sixteen! There is nothing going on between me and Melissa. Now, can we just skip the usual routine where you two act angry and finally get to what you really want?"
Lydia smiled sweetly and took his arm. "Allison and I were planning to go shopping tomorrow. You're going with us."
Jacob groaned. "Come on, anything but that!"
Allison seized his other arm. "Then maybe we should talk about Malia. We never actually talked about her."
"We don't need to talk about Malia." Jacob said quickly. "How... how about we skip school tomorrow and go shopping the whole day?"
Lydia shook her head. "We are not skipping school. But you are paying for everything."
Jacob complained. "Didn't I give you money?"
"That's my money." Lydia said sweetly. "I want to spend your money."
From the driver's seat of his car, Chris called out. "Get in. We need to go."
They got into the car, while Cogman joined a visibly nervous Kate in hers. The two vehicles pulled away from the house of horrors, heading back toward the Argent residence.
To be continued... 😊