Chapter 44

The sun dipped below the horizon as Alex and Scott settled into the vintage 1980 robin's egg blue CJ5 Jeep, a cherished possession of Stiles.

"We're heading to where Garrison Myers was attacked," Stiles announced, gripping the steering wheel with anticipation.

With Stiles at the helm, his eyes darted between the road and the rearview mirror, while Scott occupied the passenger seat, the weight of their mission evident in his furrowed brow. Alex, mysterious and reserved, observed silently from the back seat.

Stiles, unable to contain his relentless curiosity, turned slightly towards Alex. "So, you've got some supernatural vibes going on, right? Werewolf? Vampire?"

Scott chimed in, his voice tinged with concern, "What's the plan of this alpha? Attacking random people, or is there something more sinister at play?"

Alex, shrouded in a veil of enigma, replied coolly, "Let's just say, I'm intricately connected to the supernatural world. And as for the alpha's intentions, we need to piece together more clues before drawing any conclusions."

Stiles' eyes gleamed, sensing another mystery to unravel. "Well, you're in good company then. Let's figure this out."

Tough they take the back way that is closest to the woods. Scott gets out of the car, only for Stiles to follow after him, leading Scott to instruct Stiles" Hey, no-- just me and Alex. Someone needs to keep watch."

Stiles stops in his tracks and scoffs, clearly offended at being left out"How come I'm always the guy keeping watch?"

Stiles, ignoring him, starts climbing up the chain-link fence between where they parked and the school bus bay, but Scott grabs him by the shoulder and pulls him down"Because Alex needs to come help me remember the incident with me, while Stiles you are the only one here who can keep a lookout."

While Alex's fingers deftly retrieved a cigarette from its pack. As he pulled out the vintage Zippo lighter with a shark face design. The lighter is silver and has a black outline around the shark's face. The shark's teeth are bared and its eyes are wide open.Its polished silver surface gleamed with the history of countless flames.

With an expert flick, Alex ignited the lighter, and the flame leapt forth, illuminating his face in a warm, golden hue against the encroaching shadows.

As the flame kissed the cigarette's waiting tip, he drew in a deep breath. Exhaling slowly, a dense plume of smoke billowed forth, weaving intricate, fleeting patterns that danced briefly in the night air before vanishing into the obscurity.

Stiles steps back down to the ground level before pointing at Scott in an accusatory tone of voice "Okay, why's it starting to feel like you're Batman and I'm Robin?"

When Scott just looks at him exasperatedly, Stiles scoffs again"I don't want to be Robin all the time!"

Scott, equally exasperated now, argues back in response"Nobody's Batman and Robin any of the time!"

Stiles is now both offended and disappointed by the resolution of this argument"Not even some of the time?"

With a forceful exhale, Alex released a dense cloud of smoke, his brow furrowing in annoyance. "Can you brats pick up the pace?" he growled, his voice tinged with impatience. "Time's not on our side, and I'd wager that security will be making his rounds sooner than we'd like." The urgency in his tone was unmistakable, adding a palpable tension to the already charged atmosphere.

Scott nodded and sighs before looking at Stiles giving his final order in a stern tone of voice"Stiles,just stay here and keep a lookout."

Stiles groans in annoyance, as though Scott is his dad who is telling him what to do, but he just muttered"Oh, my God! Fine."

Stiles returns to the Jeep while Scott and Alwx climbs up and over the chain-link fence. As they walks toward the buses, Scott starts to get visibly anxious, obviously afraid of what he's about to learn but knowing that he needs to see the truth.

Alex muttered to Scott"Just close your eyes and just let your instincts take over."

Scott nodded and stops for a moment, closes his eyes, and takes a deep breath before focusing on his senses, hoping his body will help him remember what his mind won't.