8. Incident, Coincidence, Pattern

So you're a tough guyLike it really rough guyJust can't get enough guyChest always so buff guyBad Guy ~ Billie Eilish

Do you hear the heart beating?Waking upWaking up the animalAnimal ~ Zayde Wolf

A/N: Hi guys! I'm uploading this chapter from the beach so be jealous! lol Sorry this chapter was a little shorter I kinda wrote it in a rush but I still hope you enjoy anyway. Also, I wanted to ask if anyone, anyone at all, would be interested in a Stranger Things fanfic. I have an idea for one but I don't want to put the time into writing it if no one is going to read it. So let me know in the comments! Thanks for reading!

"What is he doing here?" Scott snapped as he opened the door for do the vet's office for Derek and Isaac.

"I need him," said Derek.

Scott scowled. "I don't trust him."

"Well," said Isaac as he walked through the door. "He doesn't trust you either."

Derek let out a frustrated sigh. "Derek really doesn't care."

"Cody wishes we would stop talking in third person," Cody snapped as she hopped up to take a seat on the counter. "Can we please start actually talking about a plan now?"

"Well, where's the vet?" Derek asked. "Is he going to help us?"

"That depends," came a voice from around the corner. The four of them turned to look at Deaton, who was leaning up against the wall casually as if he didn't have a care in the world. "Jackson, are we going to save him, or kill him?"

Scott and Derek's responses came at the same time.

"Save him," said Scott, at the same time Derek said, "Kill him."

Cody narrowed her eyes at him. "Derek, no," she said firmly.

"We're going to save him," Scott affirmed.

Deaton nodded and went into the other room to gather some supplies. As the listened to the clanging of glass bottles from Deaton, the four looked awkwardly from one to the next. Cody was kicking her foot back and forth the way she always did when she was anxious and she was sure all three of the werewolves in the room could sense her discomfort. She hadn't had to be in the same room as Isaac and Derek since she and Isaac had kissed. She wasn't with Derek, she didn't owe him anything and she knew that. But she also knew that she wasn't completely sure how she felt about Isaac. And the longer she sat there and looked at Derek, she knew there were still feelings there, despite how desperately she tried to push them down.

To her relief, Deaton came back in before she anyone had to say anything to break the tension. He had a tray full of glass jars and he set them down on the exam table in the middle of the room. Everyone gathered around.

Isaac went to grab one of the bottle but Derek swatted his hand away.

"Watch what you touch," he snapped, his face slack in that irritated expression that only Derek could do.

Deaton picked up a bottle and looked at it carefully.

"So," said Isaac. "Are you some kind of witch too?"

Deaton looked at him and narrowed his eyes in annoyance. "No," he said. "I'm a veterinarian." Isaac retreated.

"How do you know so much about this, anyway?" asked Cody, her curiosity getting the best of her.

Deaton shrugged, but Cody could see a mischievous gleam in his eyes, as if he knew something she didn't.  "I've just acquired some good information over my years."

Cody wanted to press the subject, wanted to know exactly what that meant, but he had already moved on to another subject.

"I don't think there is anything here that will be helpful against a paralyzing poison," he said, setting the final bottle back down on the tray.

"What about something to the kanima itself?" asked Isaac.

Derek was shaking his head. "I nearly took that things head off. And the hunters loaded it with bullets but it just kept coming."

"Has it shown any weaknesses," asked Deaton.

"Cody seems to be the strongest thing to hold it," Scott jumped in.

Cody shook her head. "I'm not. "

"Yes, you are," said Scott. "You're the only thing that it has even remotely backed down to. The rest of us are nothing to that thing."

"It makes sense," said Deaton. "Witches are strange supernatural creatures."

Cody narrowed her eyes, feeling hurt. "Thanks."

"I don't mean it in a bad way," said Deaton with a light chuckle. "Natural witches possess supernatural abilities but they're unlike most creatures. They don't shape shift, they don't draw their power from something else. They are the perfect blend of human and supernatural, which makes them masters in both worlds."

Everyone was quiet for a moment, taking in the information Deaton had just given them.

Cody piped up, now tired of the silence. "What the hell does that have to do with the kanima?"

Deaton shrugged. "Aside from you being the strongest match against it, nothing really. Are there any other weaknesses its shown?"

"It can't swim," said Derek.

"Is that the same for Jackson?"

"No," said Scott. "He's captain of the swim team."

"Well, you're trying to catch two people," said Deaton. "The puppet, and the master."

"Well, Jackson obviously isn't afraid of water," said Cody, the wheels in her mind turning. "So that must mean that the one controlling him is. Maybe if something affects one it affects both."

"Meaning what?" asked Isaac.

"We could catch both of them," said Cody.

***

The next day Scott,  Stiles, and Cody went back to see Deaton, who had said he had more stuff to give them.

"We're gonna dose him with ketamine?" asked Cody in disbelief.

Deaton nodded. "We use it on the dogs, but in a much lower dose. If you can get it to Jackson quickly it'll slow him down. This-" he held up a jar full of what looked like black ash. " -is what will be used to create the barrier. This part is for you, Stiles." Stiles snapped to attention. "Only you."

Stilles picked up the jar nervously. "That sounds like a lot of pressure," he said uncertainly. "Can we find a slightly less pressure filled task for me? Can we give this to someone a little more, I don't know, responsible?"

"It's mountain ash," explained Deaton. "It protects from the supernatural."

"So what?" asked Stiles. "I make a circle of this around the building and Jackson and the one controlling him can't cross it?"

Deaton nodded. "They'll be trapped."

"Doesn't sound to hard," said Scott with a shrug.

"Think of it like gun powder," said Deaton. "It's just powder, until a spark ignites it. You need to be that spark Stiles."

"You want him to set it on fire?" asked Cody. "'Cuz I'm pretty sure that's a crime in like all fifty states. Or do you want him to set himself on fire?"

Stiles shook his head, his eyes wide. "I don't think I'm for that."

"No," said Deaton. "It's a strange thing. Your own will can accomplish so many things. If this is going to work, you have to believe it will work, Stiles."

Stiles gulped nervously and nodded, clearly still uncertain. Cody was sure of it, this was going to be a disaster.

***

The lights flashed in bright colors. Blue, yellow, green, pink, all shining brightly into Cody's eyes. They flashed across Isaac's face as they danced. His hands were on her hips, pulling her closer and then they were kissing, the only thing they could hear the loud music pumping in their ears. He was a good kisser, though Cody didn't have a lot to compare it to. They were pressed so close together it was like she could feel his heart beat. She knew he could hear hers.

He pulled back and smiled at her, that warm, sweet smile that gave her butterflies. They kept dancing, waiting for Erica to draw Jackson out on to the dance floor.

Cody felt her phone buzz in her pocket and pulled it out quickly, afraid something was going wrong with the plan.

"Stiles?" she asked as she answered his call. She could tell he was yelling on the other end, she just didn't know what he was saying. "Stiles, I can't understand you." He kept yelling. "Stiles, hold on. I'm coming outside."

She quickly told Isaac what was going on and then made a mad dash out the door. Stiles was standing there in the alley, his hand clutched closed.

"Stiles!" she called, grabbing his attention. He jumped at her voice. "What's wrong?"

"What I was trying to say on the phone-" said Stiles, his voice irritated and slightly panicked. "Is that there is fifty feet left to go and I only have a hand full of ash and I need your witchy ass to come down her and help me 'cuz I don't know what to do and I'm standing here like an idiot."

"Okay," said Cody. Her eyes darted from one end of the ash to the other. "Deaton said you had to believe, or whatever. So, believe."

Stiles closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and kept walking, letting the ash go as he did. He took a few more steps and then his hand was empty. He let out a sigh and was about to open his mouth to say something when Cody stopped him.

"Looked," she said, pointing to the solid line of ash. "It worked."

Stiles grinned wide and jumped up excitedly. "It worked!" he exclaimed. "I did it!"

***

The two raced back inside to find Isaac and Erica, who hopefully, by now, had dosed Jackson with ketamine and knocked him out. They burst through the door and Erica made a move to lunge at them.

"It's just us!" Stiles exclaimed. "You freak." He shut the door behind them and they all turned to Jackson who was sitting passed out in a chair.

"Is he...you know...out?" asked Cody.

Isaac shrugged and began moving towards Jackson. "Let's find out," he said. There was a determined edge in his voice. He whipped out his claws and went to slash at Jackson, but Jackson, eyes still closed, reached out and grabbed his hand. He bent it roughly, forcing Isaac to his knees, all without opening his eyes.

"Okay," said Stiles, pointing a finger at everyone else in the room. "No one does anything like that again."

"The katemine was supposed to knock him out," said Cody. "Is he really that strong?"

"I guess that's the best we're going to get. Better hope whoever is controlling him decided to show up tonight."

There was a tense moment of silence and then Jackson's eyes popped open.

"I'm here," he said. His voice was low and sinister, like a demon was speaking from Jackson's mouth instead of Jackson himself. His yes rolled back into his head. "I'm right here with you."

Cody and Stiles took a few steps towards him. Stiles bent down so he was at eye Level with Jackson. "Jackson, is that you?" he asked.

"Us," said Jackson in that same deep voice. "We're all here."

Stiles and Cody looked at each other uncertainly.

"Are you the one killing people?" asked Cody.

"We are the ones killing murders."

"So all of the people you've killed so far-" Stiles started.

"Deserved it," Jackson said.

"But you can only kill murderers," said Cody.

"Anything can break if enough pressure is applied."

Cody didn't like that answer.

"Well, who did they murder?" asked Stiles.

"Me." That was an answer that Cody was not prepared for. She looked from Stiles back to Jackson and watched as his eyes opened again to reveal slit snake eyes. Jackson's claws were emerging and the scales were appearing on half his body. He was turning.

"He needs more ketamine," Stiles demanded.

Isaac held up the empty bottle. "We don't have any more."

Stiles looked at him in disbelief. "You used it all?" He turned to Cody. "Can you hold him back?"

Cody looked from Jackson to Stiles to Isaac nervously. "I-I don't know. Maybe," she said.

She turned back to Jackson, prepared to hold him back as best he could. He began to move forward and she pushed her arms out in front of her, sending him flying back into the metal wall. He dented the wall and fell to the floor, but he was up quickly. He looked at the four of them and roared loudly, his head moving quickly from side to side like a predator.

"Out," said Stiles. "Everyone out."

The ran from the room and slammed the door shut behind them . The looked frantically around for something to block the door with but it didn't matter. Jackson burst through the wall like it was nothing, taking off into the warehouse, after who knows what.

***

Back outside, it was quiet. Derek was approaching and Stiles called to him. "Hey," he said. "So, we kinda lost Jackson inside."

Derek's eyes grew wide with fear but his mouth stayed in a harsh line of annoyance. He was about to yell something at Stiles when Cody caught his eye. She was running out of the building, following Stiles. She raced towards them but when she reached the line of ash she fell back as if she had run into an invisible wall.

"Oh my god. It's working!" Stiles exclaimed. "I did it! I did something. I did that."

"So, what? I'm just stuck in here until you let me out?" asked Cody.

Stiles shrugged apologetically at his friend. "I guess..."

At that moment, a loud, agonized roar ripped through the air. Cody pressed her hands to her ears as it echoed in her head.

Derek looked at the building as if he was trying to see through it. "Scott. Break it."

"What? No!" Stiles protested.

"Stiles!" Derek shouted. "Scott is dying!"

Stiles looked scared. "What? How do you know that?"

"I just do!" Derek shouted.

"He is," said Cody, nodding frantically. "I can feel it now."

With a wave of his hand, Stiles broke the line and Derek ran in. Cody moved to run after him but Stiles grabbed her arm and yanked her back.

"Cody, don't!" he said. "Your dad and Gerard are in there. If they find you who knows what they'll do."

Cody took a deep breath and her shoulders sank in sadness. "I just feel like I need to be doing something. I feel useless."

Stiles wrapped his arms around his friend and pulled her into a hug. "You're not useless," he said. "You're like the most powerful one here."

Cody shook her head. "I don't think so," she said. Her mind flipped back to Jackson and how easily he got back up after her attack. If he could still attack after that there was no way she could take him down. She was beginning to think there was no way to take him down at all.