The Phoenix

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty

Mac's POV

"What is all this?" Chris asked as the five of us walked up to a chessboard in Stiles' room. Noah had called and let us know Void Stiles, a term I had mentally coined, was on the security cameras in the house. Derek, Chris, and I rushed over to meet Noah and Allison. "What are these sticky notes for?"

"This is what Stiles used to try and explain to me about all of you." Noah explained. All of the sticky notes had our names on them. Derek, Allison, Scott, Lydia. All of us.

"Cool, maybe it's a message from Stiles. The real Stiles." Allison said. I looked at Noah hopefully. That's when I noticed Chris pick up a fallen piece. Isaac. My hope faded. It wasn't the real Stiles.

"You think there's any reason my name's on the king?" Derek asked.

"Well, you're heavily guarded. Though I guess the alarming detail is that you're one move from being in checkmate." Noah pointed out. I looked at the chess pieces. I knew nothing about chess but I did know that checkmate was not a good thing. It ends the game.

"It's not a message from Stiles." Chris pointed out.

"It's a threat from the nogitsune." I said with a sigh. I rubbed my hand across my face in frustration.

"He's at the loft. That's what he's trying to tell us." Allison said out.

"And he wants us to come there." Chris added.

"Night's falling." Derek reminded, I glanced to the window to see the auburn light of dusk.

"This couldn't sound any more like a trap." Chris said.

"I don't think it is." Noah said and I looked at him like he was crazy.

"I think your opinion might be slightly biased, Sheriff." Chris said.

"Literally everything it has done since possessing Stiles has been a trap." I reminded.

"Hear me out. What we're dealing with here is basically someone who lacks motive. No rhyme, no reason, right?" Noah said, his cop brain churning.

"Meaning what?" Chris asked.

"Our enemy is not a killer." Noah continued to explain. "It's a trickster. The killing is just a by-product."

"If you're trying to say it won't kill us, I'm not feeling too confident about that." Derek said.

"It won't. It wants irony. It wants to play a trick. It wants a joke." Noah said.

"He's right. The nogitsune had a number of chances to kill me. It didn't. Maimed, yes. But he hasn't killed me." I pointed out, thinking back to the night of the bomb.

"All we need to do is come up with a new punch line." Noah said, a smirk growing on his face.

"The sun is setting, Sheriff. What do you have in mind?" Chris asked. I was all too ready to hear this plan. I wanted the nogitsune out of Stiles. I wanted it to be trapped to where it couldn't hurt anyone else.

~

Standing outside the loft door, listening to Noah talk to Void Stiles, was heartbreaking because I felt it in my gut that he wasn't reaching his son at all. Stiles was no where to be found.

"You're not my son." Noah said and the four of us strolled in. Chris, Derek, Allison, and I. We were here to capture Void Stiles and get him out of Stiles' body.

We all stood in front of him, ready to take him down. Allison shot the taser she hid in her coat pocket at him, he caught it and pulled the electrified string until she let go. The taser flew across the room and landed in the corner. Allison and I exchanged wide-eyed panicked looks. I promptly kept my taser hidden in my pocket, now knowing it'd do no good.

Derek wolfed out and went to attack. Void Stiles quickly counteracted the move, which ended with Derek flying into the wall. The very same wall I'd been pushed into once upon a time. Before anyone could make another move, Chris had pulled out a gun and had it pointed right at Stiles.

"Argent, listen to me. Don't do this." Noah said, holding up his hand.

"Why not? I've done it before. Werewolves, berserkers. I can easily add a nogitsune to the list." Chris said, staring confidently at Stiles' possessed body.

"Chris, what the hell?" I asked, and Noah pulled his gun out pointing it at the retired hunter. "Woah, Noah."

"You're not going to shoot my son." Noah said.

"You said it yourself, Sheriff. That's not your son." Chris replied.

"Put it down. Put it down." Noah yelled at Chris, who didn't waver his gun.

"Dad, he's going to shoot me. He's going to kill me, Dad." Void Stiles said, stirring the pot. I watched concerned about the events unfolding in front of me, unsure what to do. Chris continued to point his gun at Stiles as Noah yelled at him, gun still drown on Chris. Void Stiles wasn't helping yelling at Chris to shoot him.

"Strife." I heard Allison whisper to herself. Strife? What was she talking about? "Stop, stop it! This is what he wants. This is exactly what he wants."

"Not exactly. I was kind of hoping Scott would be here. But I'm glad you all have your guns out." Stiles said. "But you're not here to kill me. You're here to protect me."

That's when I noticed how dark it had gotten. My heart jumped in my throat when I noticed the shadow ninjas walk through the glass window. Here we go again.

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It's been so long since I've updated. I haven't had any motivation to write lately. Been dealing with a bad bout of depression recently. But it's lifting so hopefully I can put out a few more chapters.

Let me know what you think?

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