Chapter Text
The Berserker was still here. He could feel it. Waiting. He kept his eyes shut as tight as he could and held his breath. Up until now, the creature had been content to hide in the shadows of his room but now he could hear the rustle of the monster’s armor moving gently as it crept closer to his bed. There was a quiet noise that sounded like metal clicking against a hard surface and suddenly he could hear the rasp of breath much closer than before. He clenched his muscles, trying to make himself as small a target as possible with as little movement as possible.
The noise suddenly ceased and he had to fight the urge to open his eyes and check if he was now alone. He strained his ears but all he could hear was his own heartbeat. The air stilled and a sense of quiet settled around him. He waited for what felt like an eternity, trying to gauge how much danger he was in.
The room was utterly silent now and he felt himself beginning to relax. After several tense minutes spent trying to convince himself that he was just crazy and paranoid, he resolved to open his eyes and prove that he was being taunted by his own imagination again. Just like during the lacrosse game. A hot wave of shame engulfed him as he thought about how he had behaved. It was just one more thing to feel guilty about. The anger issues were bad enough; he didn’t need to have his lacrosse skill called into question as well. Starting a new school had been hard enough. If it hadn’t been for Mason, he would have been completely lost. Lacrosse was the only thing he had that let him feel normal. At least it had been before he started hallucinating in the middle of the field.
He couldn’t stop the watery sigh from escaping and when he wasn’t immediately attacked, he took it as a sign that he could finally open his eyes. He made himself a promise to talk to Scott the next time he saw him. He was going to need to some tips on coping if this was going to continue.
With a final groan, he flopped over onto his back, limbs spread like a starfish under the comforter. He stretched like a cat, and then finally opened his eyes. And then he screamed.
The Berserker was leaning over him, head cocked to the side and arm raised like it was going to ask a question in class; a curved knife was clasped in its fist. As if his scream was what it had been waiting for, it exploded into motion, swinging the blade down like an axe before burying the blade in his chest.
The pain was excruciating and he felt frozen. He knew that he had to get up now or there was a real possibility that he would never leave this room again, but it was so hard to make himself push beyond the terror.
The Berserker yanked the blade out of his chest, making him scream again as the tip dragged against his ribs. Before he could gather the strength to move, it slammed the blade down again. It felt like he had just been hit by a truck and it was a sudden struggle to breathe. He could feel the panic rising as he realized that he had just been stabbed in the lung. He tried to move but it was like he was trapped in lead. His arms and legs wouldn’t or couldn’t obey him. With a sickening crunch, the blade was pulled out of his chest and he could only stare in horror as once again it began a rapid descent towards his body. The sharp impact was the last thing he felt before everything went dark.
The crash of the lamp falling off of his nightstand brought Liam fully awake and he bolted up in bed, staring wildly around the room in a blind panic.His breath was stuttering and his chest hurt like he had just run a marathon. For a sickening minute, he was convinced that the dream was real and that he had actually been stabbed. His right hand clutched at his chest through his shirt even as his other hand was knocking odds and ends off of the nightstand, looking for his phone. When he finally found it, it took him several long seconds to locate the flashlight app. Finally, he had it running and he started frantically sweeping the glowing phone around the room, staring feverishly into the shadows.
“I’m ok…I’m ok…I’m ok…I’m ok….”
His hysterical chanting was the only sound in the room.
ooOOoo
“Come on, man. It’s gonna be fine. It’s over. We’re all good. Well, as good as we ever get these days.”
The last words were muttered and Scott raised his eyebrows at his best friend. He rarely had a problem being patient with Stiles but lately he felt like he was getting stretched a bit thin. Once again they had barely come through the latest disaster with everyone mostly intact (he was very aware that Derek had died but he had also come back to life, so he was still counting it as a win). Kira and he were trying their hand at a normal teenage relationship and he thought it was going well even if their good cheer felt forced at times. He figured it was only normal, especially given the fact that most of their time together had been spent trying to save their friends or themselves. The same could be said for Stiles and Malia.
He knew that his best friend was still haunted by what the nogitsune had forced him to do and that he hadn’t really had time yet to fully process it. Scott was trying to be patient and let Stiles come to him but he was beginning to think that that wasn’t going to happen. Scott still had nightmares about what had happened before they finally killed the bastard and he knew that what he had seen couldn’t be even close to all that had happened. He just wanted to help but he knew after all this time that pushing wasn’t going to do anything but drive Stiles away.
Added to this was the lingering sadness over Allison’s death, and to some extent, Aidan’s too. It was exhausting trying to keep everyone alive and even though realistically he knew it wasn’t solely his responsibility, it still weighed heavily on his soul that he hadn’t managed to protect them all. All he could do was keep trying to save everyone; whether they thought they needed it or not. And with that, his thoughts led him straight to his newest problem; Liam.
He didn’t regret saving Liam’s life at all. He only regretted that there was no better way to do it. And now he had a beta; a beta who seemed even younger and more lost than Scott remembered feeling at the same age. He felt confident that given time, Liam would be a great addition to the pack. He just needed guidance and maybe some work on the whole anger thing. Scott winced. Ok, so it was a less than ideal situation, but he was not going to apologize for saving his life.
“Look, just think about it. Ok? I think it would be really helpful for all of us.”
Scott sighed and watched as Stiles hiked his book bag higher onto his shoulder and shoved his hands in his pockets. He was bouncing on the balls of his feet and staring intently over Scott’s shoulder.
“Oh, look what the cat dragged in.” Stiles nodded in the same direction he was looking and Scott turned around to see what he was looking at. Liam was headed in their general direction but he didn’t seem to be aware of their presence. He looked exhausted. There were dark circles under his eyes and he was hunched into himself. He kept shifting his gaze off to the sides like he was expecting an attack at any minute.
“Baby wolf doesn’t look too good. Go do your alpha thing. I’m gonna go find Malia. I’m still trying to get her to understand growling at me isn’t going to get her what she wants. At least not all the time. Catch ya later!”
Scott barely had time to think ‘bye Stiles’ before his lanky friend was halfway across the quad. Smiling to himself, he shook his head and then turned to look at Liam again. He was closer now and Scott didn’t need to be able to sense his beta’s emotions to know that something was wrong.
He jogged over and stopped in front of the younger boy, cutting him off and making him come to a halt.
“Hey Liam. What’s up? You ok?” Scott was trying to show his concern without making it too obvious. He was pretty sure he was failing.
Liam blinked up at him before replying.
“Oh…hey Scott. What’s up?” His gaze moved to meet Scott’s briefly before he was glancing over his shoulder. He seemed to tense up and Scott felt his concern growing.
“I just wanted to see how you’re doing. I know it’s been rough lately and since you’re still learning to….” his voice dropped before continuing on. “…to control things….”
Liam made eye contact again and this time he seemed to be paying attention.
“Wait, so I need more training than what I got on the way to Mexico? I thought that was it. I controlled it with the tris…thingy that Derek had. Aren’t I good now?”
Scott winced internally. He wanted to pretend that he had had more common sense when he was in Liam’s position but his brain wasn’t willing to cooperate. It had been a long struggle and some days it still was. Still, he didn’t want to make his new beta dread his future so he gave him what he hoped was a calming smile.
“It’s great that you were able to do that. Now all you have to do is practice.” A LOT. He kept that part to himself.
Liam deflated a bit before sighing and nodding. “Figures.” He muttered. He shifted his weight and yawned deeply. His eyes watered and he rubbed at them distractedly.
Scott caught a movement out of the corner of his eye and glanced up. Seeing Kira, he grinned and waved before holding up a finger to indicate he needed a minute. After watching her return grin and nod, he turned back to Liam.
“Listen, I have to run but I want you to know that if you need anything, I’m around. Ok? Never hesitate to come to me if you need help. We’re brothers now. I’ve got your back.” He reached a hand out to grip the younger boy’s shoulder and was startled to feel the intensity of emotions radiating from him. Anxiety, fear, and exhaustion were so thick it gave Scott pause. He opened his mouth to ask what was happening but Liam was already pulling away from him.
“Got it. I’ll catch you later.”
Scott assumed the expression Liam gave him was supposed to be a smile. Then just as quickly, it was gone and so was he.
ooOOoo
Liam was already moving across the quad before he realized what he was doing. He had been disappointed to learn that he was going to have to keep working on controlling the change. He didn’t think he could find the energy to walk home right now, much less try to keep himself from wolfing out.
He sighed deeply and when he looked up again, it was to see Mason striding toward him quickly, familiar grin in place.
“Hey Liam!”
Liam was relieved that he was still able to give Mason a real smile. While his best friend had always been willing to help him with his problems, he was officially the only person that Liam felt calm around at all. He winced at how weak he felt at that thought. Better keep that to yourself, you ass.
He wished it wasn’t true but no matter how sincere Scott was, it was hard to put a ton of trust in him. He just didn’t know him that well and whether Liam wanted to think about it or not, it was his fault that the current school year had taken another swan dive. Not that it needed to get any worse.
“Hi. What’s up?”
“So I heard about this party this weekend and somehow I managed to get us invited. I honestly have no idea how. I guess being seen with Scott McCall isn’t exactly hurting your reputation.”
He shrugged, trying not to look overly excited and Liam had to fight a laugh. He didn’t think Mason would appreciate it.
“Ok. So I guess we’re going then?”
“Yup! Do you have any idea how rare it is for freshman to get invited to parties? I'll drag you if I have to. We absolutely cannotsquander this opportunity. All we have to do is show up and not be total idiots and maybe we'll get invited to more parties. This could be huge for us! You want me to come by later and kick your ass in that racing game again? I’m pretty sure I saved our scores.”
Liam raised an eyebrow and blinked at his best friend. Smothering a yawn, he gave it only long enough to let Mason think he was actually considering it before nodding. A large part of him hoped that hanging out would be enough to keep his mind occupied, and keep him from reliving last night’s nightmare. At least for a little while. Maybe he could even convince Mason to crash at his place for the night.
ooOOoo
He was running as fast as he could manage without falling from dizziness and blood loss. Sweat and tears were making his vision blurry and no amount of wiping his face seemed to be helping. His left arm was hanging uselessly at his side and as he flung himself through the double doors, he accidentally slammed it into the door jam. Unable to stifle the whimper, he had to force himself to keep going without turning to check if the Berserker had caught up with him. If he could just get off of the school grounds, he would be okay. He stumbled as images of Mason flashed through his head again, unbidden….
He had found his best friend hanging from a hook in the basement of the school, blank eyes staring straight ahead. His body was swaying gently and there was blood dripping from his right arm onto the ground below him. The sound had been unnaturally loud to Liam’s ears and had drawn his eyes to the floor. There, next to a puddle so black it must have been almost all of the blood in Mason’s body, the word Run was scrawled in his friend’s messy handwriting.
As he stared at the message in horror, his body frozen, he became aware of a whispered voice. Glancing up, he watched as Mason’s head twisted towards him at an angle that no living being could achieve. His heart skipped several beats as Mason’s jaw fell open and slowly stretched until his bones separated with a sharp snap.
Liam wanted to look away but before he could, he realized that something was emerging out of Mason’s throat. His breath caught and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t draw another one. There was a face appearing now, covered in blood as whatever it was shoved its way out of his friend’s mouth. There was a low moaning surrounding him that was creeping up in octave. Liam was only distantly aware that the sound was coming from his own mouth.
The thing stopped its awkward motion and slowly turned toward him. The eyes opened and then its mouth started moving and Scott’s voice started yelling at him to run.
“It’s coming! Turn around, Liam, it’s coming! RUN!”
He felt like he was stuck in slow motion as he turned to look over his shoulder. The Berserker was standing at the end of the hall; blade held firmly in its hand. There was blood dripping off of the tip.
With a jerk, his instincts swung into survival mode and he was running before he could consciously make the decision. He barreled up the stairs and slammed through the door into the main hallway of the building and stopped for a moment, staring wildly around and wondering where to go.
The doors to the outside were on the opposite end of the hallway. The stairs were right next to him but he didn’t want to get trapped on the second floor with no way to get back down. Decision made, he moved towards the doors but his hesitation had cost him. Before he could move more than a couple of feet, he was attacked from behind.
He grunted as he felt a sharp object shoved up under his shoulder blade. The Berserker had caught up with him. Without daring to turn around, Liam took as deep a breath as he could and pulled himself off of the blade before stumbling forward.
He was running as fast as he could manage without falling from dizziness and blood loss. Sweat and tears were making his vision blurry and no amount of wiping his face seemed to be helping. His left arm was hanging uselessly at his side and as he flung himself through the double doors, he accidentally slammed it into the door jam. Unable to stifle the whimper, he had to force himself to keep going without turning to check if the Berserker had caught up with him. If he could just get off of the school grounds, he would be okay.
He had made it out onto the grass before tripping over something solid on the ground in front of him. It was pitch dark and it took a moment for his eyes to adjust. When he was finally able to make out what it was, he found himself staring into his own lifeless eyes. The noise that ripped itself from his throat felt distinctly more wolf than human.
The scream followed him out of the dream this time. When he became aware again, he realized that he was sitting rigidly on his bed, blankets tangled around his legs. Something was gripping his arm and he could hear a gentle murmuring. It took him long moments to realize that he was safe. His head began to clear and he was able to recognize that it was Mason who was gripping his arm tightly. By the way his arm was throbbing; he had clearly been holding him for awhile.
It took another long moment for his brain to make sense of the words Mason was speaking into Liam’s cell phone that he had gripped in his other hand.
“Yeah, I think you need to come here. Like now, Scott. We’ve got a problem.” He sounded on the verge of hysteria.
Liam slumped down, feeling torn between relief that he was awake and acute embarrassment that not only was Mason here to witness his slow descent into madness, but he had just made it Scott’s problem too.
This year was turning out to be fanfuckingtastic.