Morningstar

22

Stiles got to the hospital and was sitting in a bed. He was protesting. "I'm completely and totally fine."

Melissa shook her head. "Uh-uh-uh. You completely and totally have a concussion, Stiles. Lie back down. The doctor said you're not leaving the CT scan."

Stiles frowned. "We still haven't paid for the last one."

"Oh, no, no, no. Meredith is at the station. Your dad said it could take some time, but they will get her to talk. Even if I let you go, what would you do?"

Stiles let out a sigh. "Okay, fine. Can you do me one little favor?"

"Anything."

"Can you get me a tape player?"

"Like cassettes?"

"Yes. Tapes."

"Yeah, I'll see what I can do."

"Okay, tapes, though, please."

"Cassettes," Melissa and Luci corrected as Melissa left.

Luci glanced at Stiles. "What do you want with cassette tapes?"

"I'm working on that."

Melissa walked back in. Stiles looked up at her. "You find a tape player?"

Melissa shook her head. "No. But I found someone looking for you."

Malia walked in. "I heard you almost got killed."

"I heard you almost got killed," Stiles returned.

"You two okay?"

Stiles and Luci nodded. "Brunski punched me in the face. Luci's okay. Turns out he was a serial killer."

Malia nodded. "Makes sense."

"What about you, Malia?" Luci asked.

"We almost got set on fire."

"Everyone okay?" Stiles inquired.

"Basically."

"You okay?"

Malia nodded. "I'm fine. I'm gonna go."

Malia left and told the two she'd meet them later.

Stiles got a CT scan and was fine, so he and Luci headed to his house.

Inside his room, they played the tape Brunski made when he killed Lorraine.

"Let's go, Lorraine."

"Listen to me. Please listen. There's something I have to do, something I have to stop," Lorraine said. The volume increased and Lorraine continued. "No. No. I don't think you're gonna be taking me anywhere. I can hear the recorder in your pocket. It's on now, isn't it? You're making a tape. Just like you taped the others. How many others have you taped, Brunski? Ten? Twenty? A hundred?"

Stiles frowned. "This didn't happen at Eichen House."

"But then where did she go?" Malia asked.

"That's what we need to figure out."

"Get back to Eichen, Lorraine."

"No. No. I don't think you're gonna be taking me anywhere."

Luci pointed to the boombox. "That's it. That's where it is. Play it again and turn it up."

Stiles rewound the tape. "No. No. I don't think you're gonna be taking me anywhere. I can hear the recorder in your pocket. It's on now, isn't it? You're making a tape. Just like you taped the others. How many others have you taped, Brunski? Ten? Twenty? A hundred?"