2. | PATIENT 37 [S. STILINSKI]

chapter sixteen: [and the world fell silent]

"Death doesn't discriminate between sinners and saints. It takes and it takes and it takes."

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      Stiles' fingers nervously twitched as his hands were clasped over his stomach, his body lying on Scott's bed. Melissa sat next to him, shining the flashlight over his eyes, and then removing it to check pupil dilation. He tried his best to sit still, his left foot swinging from left to right.

    She turned off the flashlight and began to reach for Stiles' hand, before freezing. Stiles waited, and his heart fell at her cautiousness. He sighed and slowly raised his wrist, and she gave him a small tight smile. She pressed her finger tips against the inside of his wrist, counting the beats with the watch on her own wrist.

    "Well-" Melissa let out a deep breath, setting down is wrist. "Medically, you seem okay. You're definitely a real person."

 "Okay, so I'm real-" Stiles sighed, licking his lips. "But am I really me?"

     He chewed the inside of his cheek nervously, before footsteps caught his attention. His elbows sat him up as he watched Scott walk in the room, gaining Melissa's attention as well. Scott tapped his foot on the ground anxiously, his gaze flickering between the two.

   "She here?" Stiles asked. Scott nodded.

 "Yeah."

   "Okay-" Stiles sighed. "Let's do this."

Stiles noticed the silence, and the looks the son and mother exchanged. He shook his head.

      "Guys, we have to do this."

  Melissa and Scott helped the exhausted Stiles out of the room and down the stairs, where Kira's mom stood, waiting. She straightened up when they walked into the room.

    "Do you recognize me?"

Stiles nodded, and looked to Scott, who let go of him. Stiles walked forward, until Kira came running into the room.

     "Stop-"

"It's okay." Stiles nodded, holding a hand up slowly. "I'm the one who asked her to come."

    Her eyes were still wide. "You're the one who's going to get stabbed with swords."

Kira looked to her mother. "Mom, don't do this to him."

     Her mother kept her gaze to Stiles. "It is already done."

   Two Oni appeared out of thin air, one behind Stiles to hold his arms behind him and the other gripped the side of his head, yellow eyes glowing. Stiles shook, grunting as the Oni stared.

     Finally, he was released and the Oni disappeared. He fell to the ground with a moan of pain as he collided with the floor.

    "Look behind his ear." Kira's mother called out. All three rushed, Scott holding Stiles as Kira folded his ear. Sure enough, the faded symbol for "self" was imprinted on his skin.