Whispered promises

Chapter 34

Lydia is texting as she exits her car so it takes her a moment to realize that she has not, as she expected, driven to the store. Instead, she is at the public pool near the Beacon Hills Preserve. She sees a shape floating in the water. "please don't be dead, please don't be dead" she whispered to herself silently hoping as she approaches and grabs the body and it turns out to be a CPR dummy used in resuscitation classes. As she breaths a sigh of relief she realizes that her hands are bloody. Following the pooling blood on the concrete, she looks up to find a man's body propped in the lifeguard stand and she lets out a terrified scream.

Stiles gets to the pool where Lydia is waiting. She shows him the dead guy and he says they need to call his dad. He is upset to learn that Lydia called 911 before calling him.

"You want us to what?" Scott asked, his voice filled with disbelief. I sighed, feeling the weight of the situation as I looked at the three werewolves standing before me. "Trap them," I reiterated, finding it hard to comprehend that they couldn't catch on to what I meant.
"How are we going to catch them when they've already killed someone on the other side of town?!" Scott exclaimed, frustration evident in his voice.

"What?" I practically yelled at them, shocked by the news. "Stiles called me five minutes ago. There's a dead body at a swimming pool. Lydia found it," Scott informed me. I furrowed my brow and ran my hand through my hair, trying to process the information. "And why am I just now knowing about this?!" I exclaimed, my frustration directed at the lack of communication.

The three werewolves remained silent, unable to provide an answer. I sighed, realizing that dwelling on it wouldn't change the situation. "Never mind. Just take these," I said, tossing them the emitters we hunters use to trap or control werewolves. "Make a path leading towards the school."I told them .

Isaac caught the emitters, examining them in his hands. "What are these?" he asked, spinning one of them. "It emits a high-pitched frequency that only you can hear. Press the button on the top, toss them in a tree, or plant them in the ground, creating a path leading towards the school," I explained.

"Why the school?" Derek inquired, his tone skeptical. "Because no one is there at night, and we can stop them from killing innocent people," Scott replied, defending the plan.
"Only if we can contain them," Isaac reminded us, pointing out the potential flaw.

I sighed, not wanting to reveal the full plan to them, especially about Allison as she was guarding an exit with Jj. Derek still didn't fully trust Allison, and I didn't want to provoke further tension. "Is there a room we can trap them in?" I turned to Scott, hoping for a solution.

Scott shrugged helplessly, his brow furrowed. He glanced at Isaac, seeking his input. "What about the boiler room? There's only one big metal door in and out," Isaac suggested. "That's if we can even lead them to the school or into the room. Look, they could easily just run away from us!" Derek interjected, his skepticism evident.

"They won't," I stated firmly, my voice laced with determination. I believed in our ability to execute the plan successfully.

As we set off to fulfill the plan, I decided to text my dad, seeking his assistance. The stakes were high, and someone's life hung in the balance. I anticipated that he would have something to say about me and Allison getting involved in all this again, but it was in our nature too. We were born hunters, and sometimes, we had to embrace that part of ourselves to protect others.

••••••••••••••••••

In the depths of the woods, Derek threw the emitter into a tree, its high-pitched frequency resonating through the air. Just as he did, Peter emerged from the shadows, his voice dripping with cynicism. "And the hunted becomes the hunter," he spoke, causing Derek to turn his attention towards him.