competition, allison argent

xii. code breaker

Shoes pound the tile floor of the hospital. Jackson's chest heaves with anxiety as he rounds the corner, a blur of motion in stark contrast to the sterile environment. He skids to a halt as he passes a glaring sign: INTENSIVE CARE UNIT. Two deputies, trying to match his frantic pace, escort him through the corridors. 

Amidst a gaggle of plainclothes officers, Sheriff Stilinski's eyes sharpen as he spots Jackson muscling his way through the crowd.

"Where's Lydia? Where is she?" Jackson's voice cracks, his eyes darting over to Cody, whose face is a map of heartbreak, eyes red as if he'd been crying for hours.

Stilinski's demeanor, usually the epitome of controlled kindness, morphs into something fierce and territorial. In a swift movement, he grabs Jackson by the coat and slams him against a wall, not caring about the startled looks from those around them. "What the hell happened to that girl?" He demands.

Jackson shakes his head, stammering out a response. "I--I don't know--I went out looking
for her--"

"Why was she all the way out there in the first place!? She's your girlfriend that's your responsibility!" Stilinski's voice cuts through the tense air.

Jackson shakes his head, "No, she's not! She didn't go to the formal with me!"

"Then who'd she go with?"

"You really wanna know?" He asks, a hint of smugness in his tone. "She went with Stiles."

"What?" Stilinski says in disbelief.

"Stiles took her."

Stilinski lets him go. Worry takes the strength out of his voice. "Somebody better find my son."

Cody sinks further into the waiting room chair, a mixture of guilt and frustration brewing inside him. His mother sits beside him, her hand tracing comforting circles on his back. "I can't believe I let this happen." He mumbles to himself, his mother shaking his head.

"This is not your fault. Okay? You couldn't have possibly seen this coming." Natalie says.

"Yeah, but I should've been there. I should've gone out looking for her sooner. I -"

Natalie interrupts, her voice imbued with a gentle firmness, "Stop. Honey, just stop. She's going to pull through."

>

A few minutes later, worried teens looking very out of place in their formal wear gather in the waiting area outside the ICU. Heads turn to notice someone slowly approaching. Talking fades to whispers when they each catch a glimpse of Allison. Slowly approaching the crowd, she notices Jackson talking to several officers.

The hospital roars back to life around Allison as she reaches the ICU window. On the other side, Lydia lies unconscious, a tangled mess of tubes and bandages soaked in blood. The sight steals the air from her lungs.

"Allison," Cody's voice pulls her back to reality. 

Her eyebrows furrow in concern as she turns to him, "Hey, are you okay?" 

He just shakes his head. "Where have you been? I've been calling you, you just disappeared at the dance." Cody explains, looking at her in confusion, noticing that she's in a purple jumpsuit instead of her formal dress.

Allison sighs, shaking her head, "A lot of stuff happened. Scott and I just went outside to talk and then my father and some other guy pulled up at the dance, and some stuff went down, and then Scott ran off, and now they're making my aunt Kate drive me to the house in Washington."