Bend The Rules , Stiles Stilinski ² ✓

[ 62 ] nightmare illusions

NIGHTMARE ILLUSIONS

song for the chapter —control by halsey

[this chapter is 6,000 words so buckle tf up, I'm also posting this at like 1 am]

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                          "HAVE you guys got it from here?" Malia asked both Aspen and Stiles once they successfully reached the basement without getting caught this time.

Now that Stiles had Aspen, Malia didn't feel needed, and besides— it was their mystery to solve, it was their lives on the line.

"Yeah," Stiles nodded as he held the door open, "thanks for all the help."

"Well, you know how to thank me." Malia said back, referring to the deal they made about Stiles helping her control her transformation. Aspen obviously didn't know of this deal, but she didn' have it in her to ask for details. She was drained— emotionally, physically and mentally.

Malia left the two alone, walking back through the closed unit and up to the main part of the facility. Aspen and Stiles exchanged one worrisome glance between them, before both giving subtle head-nods and walking further inside. Stiles definitely recognised it, he could say that much. It was dark and dusty, the furniture looked like it hadn't been touched in months, or even years.

Aspen slowly wandered further into the eerie room, feeling the chilly air prickle at her skin, her hands absentmindedly going to hug the skin of her arms. She turned her head slowly, trying to find anything that stood out, anything of significance, but came up short.

"Stiles?" she said cautiously, "Do we know what we're looking for?"

Stiles' eyes had fixed on something he saw on the other side of the room, something engraved into the wall. He recognised it. As his eyes lingered on it, Aspen kept hers on him. She swallowed a nervous lump in her throat, then started scratching up and down her arms with her nails like a nervous tic.

"Stiles?" she pressed again when Stiles was so lost in his thought he failed to answer.

"Something to do with that," Stiles spoke up, nodding his head in the direction of the engraved wall.

Aspen drew her own attention to the symbol on the wall, the two of them then making slow and careful strides towards it. It was the same symbol that had appeared when the Oni performed their checks on people like Isaac, the twins, Kira, even Scott. It was like the number five, backwards.

"Self..." Aspen whispered into the eerie abyss as she traced a delicate finger over the mark.

***

It felt like forever had gone by of Aspen and Stiles sifting through fils and sheets they found in some boxes hidden away in the corner. They sat uncomfortably on the dusty couch, not really saying much as every lead came to a dead end. All they could find were files about what this place used to be like, and the methods that were used.

"Hey, check this out," Aspen murmured quietly, handing a file she just found to the boy next to her, "They used to use trephination—isn't that what Oliver was talking about?"

"Yeah, it is," Stiles replied, his eyes scanning the documents, "Trephination is when they drill into your head."

"No wonder they don't want anyone down here." Aspen laughed humourlessly.

With a very defeated sigh, Stiles placed the documents and files in his lap on the table in front of them, and then buried his head in his hands with his elbows resting on his knees.