The night in beacon hills was quite. Too quiet
Scott McCall was halfway through tapping his lacrosse stick when his phone buzzed again.
He glanced at the caller ID and sighed when he saw who his name popped up. Stiles he ignored the call.
He was supposed to be focused. Tryouts were tomorrow, and this time he was determined to make first line. But suddenly a sound came from outside. A soft thud followed by scraping against the porch railing.
Scott froze.
Anonther noise louder than the previous.
Grabbing his aluminium bat, he crept toward the door, heart thudding in his chest. The air outside was damp, heavy with the scent of a rain soaked pine.
He eased open the door. Hello?
Nothing.
Then something dropped from the roof right in front of him.
Scott screamed.
It screamed back.
Scott nearly swung the bat before realising who it was. STILES! What the hell are you doing here?
Hanging upside down from the edge of the roof, flashlights clenched between his teeth,
Stiles muttered, You weren't answering your phone!
Because normal people sleep at night!
Scott shot back lowering the bat.
Stiles swung upright and landed on his feet with surprising agility. Sleep later. Listen now. My dad just got a call. He left about twenty minutes ago. Full dispatch state police too.
Scott frowned. For what?
Stiles grin was way too excited for the hour.
They found a body. Like half a body.
Scott blinked. Half?
Yeah. And they haven't found the other half yet.
Scott gave him a look somewhere between horror and disbelief. Your insane.
Stiles shrugged. Insanely curious. Come on McCall. Think of it as field research.
I'm not sneaking into the woods to look for half a corpse!
Stiles smirked. Than you're going to miss the story of the year." He tossed Scott a flashlight. Or maybe the start of something bigger."
Scott hesitated, looking at the dark stretch of trees beyond his yard. The forest seemed different tonight. Heavier, alive, like it was watching.
"Fine," he muttered. "But if we get arrested, I'm blaming you."
Deal," Stiles said, grinning .
Scott hesitated at the edge of the yard, flashlight in hand. The forest loomed ahead, dark and silent, shadows pooling between the trees. Stiles gave him a nudge.
"Come on, McCall. The adventure does not wait."
Scott sighed and stepped forward, boots sinking into the damp grass. The porch light faded behind them, leaving only the thin beams of their flashlights to cut through the darkness. Every step made the forest feel heavier, alive in a way that made his skin prickle.
Branches scraped against their arms as they moved deeper. The scent of wet pine and earth filled Scott's nose, mingling with something sharp and metallic that made his stomach twist.
"Tracks," Stiles whispered, crouching to examine a set of muddy impressions in the dirt. "Someone dragged something this way."
Scott followed the trail, muscles tight and senses alert. Every crack of a twig, every whisper of wind sounded like a warning. The woods were watching tonight, and Scott felt it in his bones.
"Are you sure about this?" he asked quietly.
Stiles grinned, though the brightness did not reach his eyes. "Hey, when have we ever backed down from a mystery?"
A rustle in the underbrush made Scott spin. Red eyes gleamed in the darkness. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end.
Before either of them could react, the creature lunged. It was fast, impossibly fast, a blur of shadows and teeth. Scott swung his bat, but it was too late. The creature sank its fangs into his arm, pain exploding through him like fire.
He stumbled backward, screaming. Stiles lunged to help, but the creature spun on him, biting him hard on the shoulder. Stiles cried out, clutching the wound, but the creature did not let go of either of them. Its teeth tore through skin and muscle with inhuman strength.
They both fell to the ground, trying to scramble away, but the creature released them only long enough to vanish back into the shadows, leaving them panting, bleeding, and staring at each other in disbelief.
Scott looked at Stiles, wide-eyed. "Did that really just happen?"
Stiles shook, voice trembling. "Yeah. And I think it just changed everything."
Their arms throbbed with a heat that was not normal, a burning that spread deeper than the bite. The forest around them seemed to hold its breath, alive and watching, waiting.
The bite was only the beginning, and they both knew their lives in Beacon Hills would never be the same.