The tension at the dinner table was palpable. Beads of sweat had formed on Chris and Victoria's foreheads. Gerard and Sean locked eyes for a long moment. Just then, Allison and Scott hurried downstairs, breaking the heavy atmosphere.
"Thank you so much for having us," Scott said, speaking rapidly. "But I had plans with my friend Stiles. I'd like to ask for permission to head out."
Sean pulled his gaze away from Gerard and stood up slowly, looking at Scott. "Good evening, then. I hope to see you tomorrow," he said, placing a hand on Scott's shoulder as they walked away together. Once they left the house, they drove back to the school.
Scott tried calling Stiles, but the phone didn't ring, so he left a voice message. "Sean, you check the field, I'll head to the pool," Scott directed. "If no one's there, let's meet by the pool." He then sped off.
Sean ran just as fast. He reached the field first, but finding nothing, he headed toward the locker rooms. Suddenly, a roar pierced the air. He whipped his head toward the sound. As he ran toward the source, a girl and a seven-foot-tall man watched him from a distant tree.
When Sean burst into the pool area, he saw Scott pinned against the wall, snarling at a greenish-skinned monster in front of him. Scott held a piece of glass in his hand. Sensing a presence behind it, the green creature turned its head to look at Sean and took several steps back in fear. Stiles and Derek, just regaining consciousness, watched the scene unfold.
Before everyone's eyes, Sean raised his hand. The green monster lunged away just as shadow spikes erupted from the floor where it had been standing a second ago.
Sean smirked. "You're the first monster to ever escape me. Be proud of yourself, reptile," he said.
The green creature raised its tail, dripping paralyzing venom, and glared at Sean. "Watch out, Sean! The venom in its tail paralyzes you!" Derek shouted a warning.
The creature lunged at Sean with blinding speed. Scott and Stiles screamed in worry. Sean was thrown backward, his feet leaving deep gouges in the floor. The monster looked at him suspiciously, as if wondering how he survived its tail strike.
Sean chuckled. "If I could only control shadows, you might have beaten me. But you missed one point: I'm a werewolf!"
His eyes glowed golden in the darkness of the building. His face shifted, fur sprouted, his teeth grew into fangs, and his claws extended. His short hair lengthened, whipping in the air. A wild, primal killing intent filled the entire room.
The creature hissed. Sean met its gaze. "A real werewolf doesn't hiss... they roar! RRAAAAAAAAGHHHHHHH!!"
The roar sent ripples through the pool water. The ground shook as if an earthquake were hitting the building. A powerful, bloodthirsty aura radiated from him. The creature, defeated by the sheer force of the roar, lunged at Sean in desperation. Sean dodged the tail strike, grabbed the monster by the back of its head, and hurled it.
It slammed into the wall, leaving a massive crater. As the creature tried to stand, a claw strike ripped across its chest. A shriek of agony echoed. Sean looked at his bloodied claws with a savage expression, a predatory grin on his face. As he moved to strike again, the creature caught his leg with its tail.
"I GOT YOU!" Sean's voice boomed.
Shadow chains wrapped around the tail and snaked up to the monster's neck. Fearing for its life, the creature released Sean's leg and slashed through the shadows at its throat. As it tried to flee, Sean grabbed its tail, anchoring it in place.
BOOMM!
He slammed the creature into the floor like a sledgehammer. Then, he swung it to the other side.
BOOMM!
BOOMM!
BOOMM!
With every impact, the jaws of Scott, Stiles, and Derek dropped further. They didn't know whether to be shocked at the beating of the creature that had just terrorized them, or at the sheer delight Sean seemed to take in the violence. Craters formed in the floor. Finally, the creature managed a desperate escape. Sean watched it go with an amused expression, like a child who had just found a new toy.
Returning to his human form, Sean clapped his hands clean and looked at the trio. "What?" he asked, noticing their bewildered stares. They remained silent.
Derek eventually moved to help Erica up. Sean joined Stiles and Scott as they plugged a flash drive into a laptop. They opened a file filled with information, though it was in a different language, making it hard to decipher.
Derek approached with Erica. "They call it a Kanima," he said. "You knew all along, didn't you?" Stiles asked. "No," Derek replied. "I only became sure when it saw its reflection in Scott's mirror and tried to flee before Sean arrived." "What do you mean?" Scott asked. "It doesn't know who it is," Derek explained. "What else do you know?" Sean and Stiles asked simultaneously. "Just stories. Rumors." "Is it like us?" Scott asked. "In a way, but not exactly. It's like a..." "An abomination," Stiles finished.
They looked at each other. As Derek turned to leave, Scott called out, "Derek! We should work together. Maybe we can even tell the Argents." "You still trust them?!" Derek snapped. "No one trusts anyone! That's the problem!" Scott retorted. "While we argue about sides, something faster and stronger than all of us is killing people. And we know nothing about it!"
Derek went silent for a moment. "I know some things. When I find it... I'm going to kill it."
As the trio stood there, Sean's phone rang. It was his mother. "Yes, Mom?" "Son, I know you guys took the car. Can you pick me up from the hospital?" Melissa asked. "Sure, Mom."
He hung up and turned to Stiles. "Stiles, you head home. We're going to the hospital to pick up my mom." Stiles nodded, took the laptop, and got into his car. Sean and Scott got into theirs.
When they arrived at the hospital, Gerard suddenly appeared in front of Scott as he stepped out of the car and drove a knife into Scott's abdomen.
"Don't move," Gerard whispered. "I'm sure the tissue is already healing, but you can never be too sure with a Beta. Besides, we wouldn't want to ruin this picture: a kind grandfather hugging his grandson after getting some good news." He pushed the knife deeper and pulled Scott into a mock embrace.
As Scott's face contorted in pain, a hand clamped onto the back of Gerard's neck. Sean's voice was ice-cold. "Hey, you old fossil. Do you really think I won't tear you apart in public and feast on your blood?!" The voice was so terrifying that even Scott began to tremble.
The grip on the knife slackened. It was as if the strength was being drained from Gerard's hand. He looked down to see his hand completely enveloped in shadows, held by a massive claw. The blood flow to his arm slowed as the shadows tightened. Behind his head stood a terrifying entity with eyes that pierced the darkness. The very wind seemed to recoil from his presence.
Gerard realized he couldn't move a single muscle.
Sean squeezed the back of Gerard's neck slowly. "I asked you a question, Gerard Argent. Do you think I won't kill you here? Believe me, I will tear your fingers off one by one. I'll sink my claws into that palm that holds the blade and shred your hand. Then I'll rip the veins out of your arm! Your body and soul will scream in such agony that you'll beg for death... until your vocal cords tear. Or maybe I'll just tear them for you. I'd hate to hear your disgusting voice. Actually, should I do it now?"
He moved his hand from the neck to Gerard's throat, his claws lengthening until they rested against the old man's jugular. Just as his fingers began to move, he saw Melissa walking toward them.
The dark aura vanished instantly. Sean pulled his claws back and shoved Gerard around to face him. Gerard's face was pale with genuine terror.
Sean smirked. "What happened to that arrogant attitude you had at dinner? I warned you. You will pay for this, and it will be agonizing. You're lucky today my mother just saved your life. Now, get out of my sight."
Gerard clutched his throat and shuffled away as Melissa reached them. "I was talking to a friend, sorry to keep you waiting," Melissa said. "Scott? You look pale, are you okay?"
Scott smiled weakly at his mother. "I'm fine, Mom. Just a bit tired." He pressed his hand against the wound to hide the blood.
Sean put a hand on Scott's shoulder. "Get in the back, brother. I'll drive." Scott nodded and climbed into the back seat, acting as if nothing had happened.
////
////
Author "I'm back from vacation, and as I feared, the chapters I've written weren't enough to cover the gap. I'm so sorry!!"