єṅċһѧṅṭяєṡṡ - ṡ.ṡṭıʟıṅṡҡı

136

Faline stares at the multiple copies of 'The Dread Doctors' on the table.

"My mom's book club usually has more wine" Lydia comments.

"I have the feeling we might need something stronger," Faline says.

"They probably also didn't read books that cause violent hallucinations"

"That's why Malia's here," Scott says.

"So none of us go running into traffic?" Kira asks.

"Or worse," Scott says.

"Like what happened to Judy," Malia says. "Chapter fourteen"

"Maybe I should have my mother read it," Lydia says. "She might remember a girl with a tail leaping off the ceiling and attacking everyone"

"If it works," Stiles says.

"It has to," Lydia says.

"What does that mean?" Scott asks.

"I think I saw them during my surgery," Lydia says. "When I look at the cover of the book, it's almost like-"

"A memory trying to surface," Theo says.

"Yeah," Lydia says.

"Isn't that what Valack wanted when he wrote it?" Kira asks.

"If they did something to me, I want to know what it is," Lydia says.

Faline grabs a copy, beginning to read, her eyesight a hundred times better now that she was a chimera.

It was her salvation.

As if she knew what Judy was thinking, Amy turned and hissed a challenge. Her jaw extended impossibly low, revealing rows of deadly fangs.

With a roar, Amy charged her friend. Judy swung the bat as hard as she could and connected with the side of Amy's head. The creature went down but was up again before Judy could react. In an instant, the bat was out of her hands and clanging at her feet. Amy swiped her taloned hands ripping Judy's shirt and the skin beneath.

Judy cried out as she collapsed to the floor.

Before she knew it, Amy was on top of her, but not before Judy could get her foot up and under Amy's chest. Amy snarled and squirmed gnashing her teeth inches from Judy's face. With all of her might, Judy kicked as hard as she could sending Amy backward against the concrete wall. Amy righted herself, looked back to Judy, and...

Crack! Judy smashed the bat across Amy's face. Amy hissed and before she hit the floor and rolled away. Her chest rose and fell again and again as she sucked air into her lungs. As the adrenaline began to wear off, Judy felt her eyes sting with tears. She looked away from the twisted remains of the creature that was once her friend as a wail escaped her lips.

With a labored step, Judy turned toward the open door at the end of the walkway. Blood pounded in her ears every step of the way like the droning of a great cloud of bees. She pushed the door open until it clanged against the outside wall. Night air filled her lungs and for the first time in weeks, Judy felt like everything was going to be all right.

She stepped outside into the darkness and ran like hell.

Faline continues reading, flicking through the pages.

His legs stopped kicking and hung loosely beneath him. With a sob in her throat, Judy watched the Surgeon toss Aaron off the catwalk and into the dark water below. Then, the Surgeon's bright eyes fell on her. Judy recoiled, her hand falling on a large rusted wrench. Leaning forward, the Surgeon raised a gloved hand, but Judy struck out with the wrench. The large tool cracked against the side of the Surgeon's mask. He stumbled back and Judy struck him again and again. Falling backward, the Surgeon collapsed into the elevator. The wire-walled box creaked and groaned after years of neglect and exposure to the elements.