✓ | BLOODY KNUCKLES.¹

━━━ xxii. blood on my hands.

chapter twenty-two.

DRIBBLES OF WATER SPLASHES the concrete echoing in the dingy cell, his body trembles fingertips numb with frigid teeth clattering his thick jacket doing its best in keeping him warm and his throat burns with every intake. Arthur doesn't know how long he's been in here just that his body feels drained energy like he's been sucked dry from a vampire.

The walls are damp only arms apart in length but the hall looks endless in width. Last thing he remembers is Stiles choking him - yes, he knows how absurd it sounds, he must've hit his head or this is another dream like his false awakening. God, he wishes this isn't another one because he is sick and tired of them. But if this was reality than it be so much worse. His phone is gone from his pocket leaving him with no way of communication and it's his second one after Jennifer ( the Darach ) stole it last time ( he still doesn't know how she managed to swipe it from without him noticing ).

Sighing, he'd rather not be a sitting duck in the dark. He doesn't know what awaits on him on either ends and he'd rather not be defenseless. His fingers touches the concrete aided in standing against his body's protest to say sitting and let sleep steal more of his time and wait for somebody to rescue him. But that's not who he is, he'd rather bring the fight then wait for it. It is dark, dark enough for him not to know disorder whether it's morning or night, he doubts being strangled can knock him out for more than a few hours. Something else might have happened, something that sucked his stamina. Arthur just didn't know what.

A glimmer of white light shines at the end of each tunnel, he licks his lips there's no werewolf here to listen for heartbeats or hear someone. No hunter with quick reflex and hidden weapons. Just human Arthur, the boy with bloody knuckles.

The Oni had been searching for Japanese spirit and all the times they arrived Stiles was nowhere to be found, how could've not noticed this? But if the Nogitsune has possessed him then why did he torture him in his dreams asking to be let in, he already has a host. Abducting him was pointless, there's nothing he can do that Stiles can't do better. Glancing in between the directions left and right, Arthur has to make a decision before he comes back.

Right. "Everybody knows right is right." He murmurs, rubbing his sweaty palms on his dirty jeans. He inhales a breath of courage and starts walking blindly into the light.

God, he misses Lydia, her smartass comments and what he'd give to run his hands by her fiery hair again and the way she holds him like he's the only thing that matters to her. It doesn't make sense why the trickster would choose him, with Stiles' brain the trickster could do many things and cause the chaos he's been desperate to drag him into, but why Arthur? Maybe he needs a partner, but he had rejected him plenty of times what makes him think capturing him would change his mind. It all sounds unbelievable, his closet friend possessed by a Japanese spirit.