( SIXTEEN )
lie ability

Liam's hand flinched back as he touched the luminescent Mountain Ash barrier, a frown overtaking his features as he did so.

As Alex crossed her arms and blew out a breath, Scott grabbed a walkie-talkie from one of the guards' bags, the boy speaking into it as he also grabbed a spare keycard from the same bag. "Does anyone have eyes on the Closed Unit? I need a status report."

"It's a war zone down here." A guard responded from the other end, Alex furrowing her eyebrows as she shared a glance with Lucas.

"Uh...ten-four." Scott responded after briefly hesitating. "And what about the patients? Lydia Martin?"

"Who is this?" The guard questioned, suspicion lacing his tone as he didn't recognise Scott's voice.

The group froze, Liam widening his eyes as he shared anxious glances with Alex and Lucas.

"Uh...it's Unit Nine." Scott replied with a frown.

"There is no Unit Nine. Who is this? How did you g-"

Growing angry and impatient, Alex snatched the walkie-talkie from Scott's hands and crushed it in one of hers, the girl letting it fall to the ground immediately after as she brushed off her hands.

"Alright, we need to figure out another way to get into the Closed Unit." Scott spoke up as he glanced at the hallway the werewolves couldn't get to.

"Yeah, dude, you're forgetting one problem. The Mountain Ash." Lucas raised his eyebrows as he gestured to the barrier. "How are we gonna get past it?"

"I'm not sure about that part, but there's somebody else here that might be able to help us." Scott replied as he glanced at Lucas.

"Who?" Liam frowned.

"Meredith." Alex spoke up in realisation, Scott nodding at the girl.

••••

Alex, Scott, Lucas, and Liam entered Meredith's cell, the group sharing unsure glances, as Meredith was sitting down and facing the wall.

"Meredith? It's Alex Carter and Scott McCall." Alex spoke up, the girl only mentioning herself and Scott, as Meredith only knew them.

Meredith didn't say anything, the group sharing brief glances again.

Scott slowly began to approach her, the boy gently turning her chair around to face the four.

Meredith's face was void of all emotion, her expression blank as she stared out in front of her.

The only sign of life was her chest just barely rising and falling with each small breath she took.

"Meredith..." Alex spoke quietly as she approached Meredith and squatted down so she was eye-level to her. "Can you hear me?"

Meredith stayed in the same position, the girl not responding verbally or physically.

Sharing an uncertain glance with Scott, Alex soon reverted her attention back to Meredith, the girl gently speaking again. "We really need your help. We're trying to save Lydia. Do you know where she is?"

"Guys, I think we'd better go..." Liam spoke up nervously, Lucas nodding at his words.

"Meredith, please." Alex added as she glanced at Meredith again. "There has to be another way to get to Lydia, we can't pass the Mountain Ash."

"Alex." Lucas cut in, the boy trying to hurry the process up so they could avoid getting caught.

Alex held her gaze on Meredith, the girl still holding onto hope that she'd say something.

When she didn't get a response, the girl stood up and began to walk away, however, she was halted back by a hand grabbing onto hers.

Alex's attention was quickly drawn back down to Meredith at the action, her eyes widening as Meredith guided her hand to the back of her neck. "I can't, I could hurt you."

Meredith just barely moved her eyes to glance at Scott, Alex following her gaze.

Scott, understanding Meredith's non-verbal request, quickly walked over to the two, Alex stepping back to allow them space.

Meredith slowly took Scott's hand and moved it to the back of her neck, Scott nodding as he positioned his hand. His claws shot out, the boy sending the rest of the group a nervous glance as he then dug his claws into Meredith's neck.

Meredith gasped as she tensed up, her head flying back as she looked up at the roof.

••••

After a few minutes, Alex, Lucas, and Liam heard indistinct speaking from the hallway just outside the cell the group were in.

Alex, Lucas, and Liam shared brief glances as they shifted their attention towards Scott, who's eyes were tightly shut, the boy still uncovering Meredith's memories.

Liam slightly opened the cell door, his eyes widening as he noticed two guards beginning to make their way down the hallway.

As the guards noticed the werewolves inside Meredith's cell, they slid open the door and charged at them, Lucas knocking one out immediately as he grabbed his shoulders and kneed him in the head, Alex kicking the other one roughly in the stomach, the man flying to the other side of the hallway, his back hitting the wall as he slid down it.

As the guard slowly stood up and regained his balance, Liam grabbed his arm, flipped him over his shoulder, and punched him in the jaw roughly, the man falling unconscious immediately.

Alex and Lucas shared surprised glances as Liam grinned.

The sound of loud thumping behind the group caught their attention, Liam's eyes widening at the man's large build.

"Oh sh-"

••••

"Is he out?" Liam panted as the large guard fell to the ground with an audible thud.

Scott widened his eyes as he glanced between the guard and Liam, Lucas, and Alex. "Yeah."

"Oh. Good." Liam blew out a breath as he collapsed, Alex, Lucas, and Scott's gazes following the boy as he fell.

"What just happened?" Scott furrowed his eyebrows as he glanced between Alex and Lucas, Alex's hands on her hips and Lucas' arms crossed.

"He fought the guy on his own." Alex replied as she huffed a chuckle.

"Didn't even let us get a single punch in." Lucas added, Scott's eyebrows raising in surprise.

••••

"Here." Liam spoke as he pulled out a can from the dirty shelves in the stockroom, the boy throwing it to Scott, who caught it with ease.

Parrish, who was on the verge of a panic attack, the man heavily breathing as his naked body was covered with ash, glanced up at Scott, who lit a match, the boy holding up the can only centimetres away from it.

"Do it!" Parrish yelled as Scott hesitated briefly.

Without further warning, Scott brought the fan closer, a large flame bursting from the impact and hitting Parrish.

••••

Parrish, in a hypnotised state, walked down the hallway, his whole body on fire and his eyes glowing from the flames.

Alex, Lucas, Scott, and Liam followed behind at a safe distance, all of them sharing brief glances before shifting their attention back to Parrish.

"Parrish?" Scott spoke up.

"How's he gonna get through the mountain ash?" Liam asked the group, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

"I have no idea." Alex shook her head, her gaze remaining on Parrish as he passed the Mountain Ash barrier with ease, the barrier tearing apart completely at the action.

Lucas' jaw dropped, as he had never seen anything like that at all, Scott's and Alex's eyebrows raising in pure shock, and Liam's eyes widening.

Snapping out of their astonished gazes, the four began to follow Parrish, Scott slowly pushing his hand out to where the barrier once was, only to find it completely gone.

"He's burning it right out of the walls." Lucas started with a small chuckle as he glanced between the three next to him.

••••

Running into the room Lydia and Stiles were supposedly in, Alex, Lucas, Scott, and Liam came face-to-face with Stiles, who stumbled into Alex, as he was just pushed back by Parrish.

Stiles yelled in surprise as he quickly turned around, the boy visibly relaxing as he realised he just bumped into his girlfriend.

"Hey." Alex released a reassured breath as a grin overtook her features, the girl engulfing Stiles into a tight hug, Stiles firmly wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her closer as he let out a relieved breath.

"Hey." Stiles responded with a smile as he gave her another squeeze before gently pulling away, one of his arm's still around her waist reassuringly.

The sound of Lydia screaming caught the group's attention, Parrish quickly wrapping his arms around her and blocking the sound as best he could before she could cause any more damage, other than the mini-earthquake that caused some of the building's structure to crumble.

Alex immediately covered Stiles as the group all brought each other into a tight hold, trying to protect one another from the tiny explosion.

As the dust eventually began to fade, the particles remaining on their clothes, the group unwrapped their arms from each other, all of them releasing coughs, Lucas covering his mouth and nose as he tried not to sneeze.

"You guys okay?" Alex spoke up, Stiles, Scott, Lucas and Liam nodding at her words, their gazes soon shifting towards Parrish walking through the cloud of dust, a pained Lydia in his arms.

"Lydia, thank god." Lucas let out a relieved breath at the sight of her, the boy just thankful they saved her in time.

"Where to?" Parrish questioned, the man glancing at Scott.

"This way." Scott replied, the boy immediately beginning to lead the way to the exit.

••••

"There a gate up ahead." Liam started as the group continued to walk down the dark hallways of Eichen House.

"What about Mason?" Scott frowned in confusion.

"He's on it, trust me." Liam responded immediately as the group continued to hurry out to the exit, Liam beginning to quicken his pace as he started to run.

"Liam, slow down!" Scott exclaimed as the group started to catch up to Liam.

"Liam!" Alex exclaimed with furrowed eyebrows.

"Liam, stop." Lucas frowned.

Not listening to any of them, Liam pulled open a set of gates, the boy glancing between the group happily. "I told you!"

Without a warning, Liam ran into the space between the two chained gates, Stiles and Alex sharing a glance as they followed him in, Scott, Lucas, Parrish, and Lydia following.

••••

Finally arriving at the entrance of Eichen House, Kira parked Stiles' Jeep in front of them.

"Can you stand?" Lucas questioned as he sympathetically glanced at Lydia, the girl only mumbling in response, Parrish gently placing her on her feet.

As Lydia stumbled slightly, Lucas grabbed onto her, the boy wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling Lydia's arm around his shoulders to stabilise her. "Hey, you're okay..."

"Is she okay?" Malia frowned in question.

"No." Scott shook his head. "We've gotta go, give me the keys, we have to get to the clinic."

As Malia handed Scott the keys, Lucas groaned and was pushed against the Jeep, the group frowning as they turned to face Lydia, only to find Tracy holding her claws to Lydia's stomach.

"Sorry, but she's coming with me." Tracy smirked.

Lucas' expression shifted into one of pure anger as he gritted out through his teeth. "Like hell she's going with y-"

"Okay, Tracy, just wait, you don't know what's about to happen." Scott interrupted Lucas, his steady gaze remaining on Tracy and Lydia.

"I'm taking her, that's what's happening." Tracy responded with a scoff as she frantically glanced between the group.

"You do that, and everyone dies." Alex replied. "Everyone, Tracy."

"You're lying. I'm taking her, and there's nothing that any of you can d-"

Interrupting Tracy's mini-rant, Ms Martin electrocuted the girl, Tracy falling to the ground with a thud.

Lydia stumbled, Alex rushing to her side and stabilising her, Lydia's arm around her shoulders and Alex's arm around her waist.

"Can someone please get my daughter out of this hellhole?" Ms Martin started angrily, the group raising their eyebrows at her sudden change of heart.

••••

"Scott?" Alex spoke up, the girl glancing at Lydia worriedly from her seat next to her, Lydia's head resting on Lucas' shoulder and Lucas' arm around her, his thumb gently stroking her shoulder in comfort.

"Yeah, I'm trying, I'm trying." Scott responded as he struggled with the gearshift.

"We're almost there, Lydia, you've just gotta hold on, okay?" Lucas spoke softly as he glanced down at Lydia, who was groaning in pain, her eyes tightly shut.

Lydia, not being able to hold her pain back anymore, screamed, the group holding their hands over their ears in pain, as a part of the glass on the windshield shattered.

Alex groaned a little, her eyes tightly squeezing shut as the sound rang loudly in her ears, Scott and Lucas hearing the same thing.

"Hey." Stiles frowned as he reached over and grabbed her hand from the passenger seat, the boy gently stroking her skin to bring her comfort.

"Lydia, you're gonna get through this, okay?" Lucas started, the boy cupping her cheeks as his concern grew. "Look at me. You're gonna get through this, you're gonna make it."

Lydia finally opened her eyes, the girl meeting Lucas' gaze. She waited a moment before whispering. "But you're not."

Lucas felt himself tear up, Lydia gently reaching up to wipe the tears away from the corners of his eyes.

Scott gritted angrily through his teeth, the boy stepping on the gas as he sped the Jeep up.

••••

Deaton injected the needle into Lydia's leg, the girl falling unconscious.

Lucas widened his eyes at the sight, the boy wiping glass off her face as he cupped her cheeks. "Lydia?"

No response.

"Lydia, come on." Lucas spoke again as he gently stroked her cheeks. "Lydia, wake up."

Once again, no response.

Lucas released a shuddered breath as tears stung the corners of his eyes.

Alex's devastated gaze was focused on Lydia, Stiles, Scott, and Deaton wearing the same shattered expression.

"Lydia, please. Wake up." Lucas whispered, stray tears sliding down his cheeks.

His hands were still on Lydia's cheeks, the boy holding out hope that she could still wake up.

Alex glanced at the ground, the girl squeezing her eyes shut as she refused to believe her best friend was dead.

As if on cue, Lydia gasped, the girl's eyes fluttering open.

The group all raised their eyebrows in surprise, Lucas releasing a relieved breath as he lightly chuckled.

"Lucas." Lydia breathed, her eyes focused on Lucas, who nodded with a small smile.

"You okay?" Lucas replied, his voice soft, Lydia slightly nodding at the words, a barely visible smile taking over her features.

"You're okay." Lucas smiled as he interlocked their fingers together, Lydia squeezing his hand tightly as her gaze never left his eyes. "You wanna try and sit up?"

Lydia nodded, Alex going over to help Lucas pull her up.

Lydia sent smiles to the rest of the group as Lucas wrapped his arms around her into a tight hug, the boy gently stroking her back in comfort.