(Discontinued) When the Wolves Howl | Teen Wolf

Chapter 9

Iris adjusted her phone from where it rested on a candle. She checked to make sure she looked presentable, combing out her hair and adjusting her collar. On the other side of the phone, someone scoffed. Personally, Iris didn't approve of Lydia facetiming her while she was driving, but the girl persisted.

"I have something important to tell you," Lydia said over the phone. She was stepping out of her car into the dark night that awaited her.

Iris turned her gaze to the ceiling, taking her eyes off the bright green coat that flashed in front of her. A headache had brewed behind her eyes and it pounded relentlessly against her forehead. "Okay, what is it?"

"Earlier today, something weird happened. I was sleeping and then I got this sudden urge to... I don't know how to describe it, it was like something took over me and I just... I needed to scream. Badly."

Iris kept silent, letting Lydia finish her thoughts. She tilted her heavy head back toward her phone, taking in Lydia's surroundings. "Lydia, I don't mean to interrupt you, but... where are you?"

The area surrounding the redhead was dark and wide open. The stars were dim but much brighter than they were in the city. There were no light posts or other shop buildings.

"What do you mean?" Lydia's eyebrows furrowed and then looked up from Iris. Confusion made its way onto her face as she took in the area around her. The image on Iris's screen fell slightly as Lydia's arm dropped in surprise. From that angle, Iris could see the glimmer of light from a body of water and short buildings.

"Are you... Are you at a pool?" Iris wondered aloud. She grabbed her phone and held it up to her face to get a closer view. Lydia quickly lifted her phone back up, having remembered that she was still on a video call.

"I don't know how I got here..." Lydia muttered, looking out at the pool. She glanced back at her car then down at her phone, only to see a closeup of Iris's face.

Iris moved away and held her phone and normal viewing length. Trying to be helpful, she suggested, "Maybe you took a wrong turn?"

Lydia slowly shook her head, simultaneously stepping further into the pool grounds. Iris knew what Lydia meant; she had lived there long enough to know how to get around town. Lydia was looking straight ahead, her attention now on something else. She stalked closer to it.

"What do you see?" Iris asked, almost too scared to ask. She suddenly felt sick to her stomach. Lydia turned her phone so the other girl could look.

In front of them laid a dead body, or it looked like a body and it wasn't moving. It was hard to see in the dim lighting, but the pool illuminated the body as Lydia walked forward. The two girls gasped, both of them taking in the horrendous sight with the same feeling of horror.

"Is that...?"

"Oh, my God," Lydia screamed quietly. The video on Iris's phone jostled as the other girl turned back to her car and lifted a hand to cover her mouth in shock. She spun back around slowly then began to walk closer.

Iris was speechless. The first time she'd seen a dead body was the night her brother and dad had been killed. They had both been left on the floor, blood still flowing from their bodies. She'd stumbled over to her father's side, barely able to remain upright. Her mom said that when she came home, she'd thought Iris was dead too. The blood seemed to be an endless supply where it covered all three people laying on the floor.

"Iris," came Lydia's voice from far, far away. The girl on the other side of the phone jumped in her chair as if electrocuted.

"Iris--" Lydia's voice broke. "-- It's just a dummy." She turned the phone so Iris could see.