The four crouched behind the hulking boilers, the air thick with steam and the metallic tang of rust.
The Alpha's low growl reverberated through the pipes — close, but not too close. Not yet.
Asher slowly leaned out from behind a boiler, peering into the shadows. The creature was prowling along the far wall, sniffing, claws scraping against metal. It paused, head tilting, listening.
Asher's heartbeat slowed to a steady rhythm. He studied the Alpha's movements — the way its body shifted, the direction of its ears — then caught Stiles' eyes and nodded once.
Now.
They started moving. One step at a time.
Slow. Silent. Shadows slipping past shadows.
Scott held his breath. Erica followed behind Asher, her every movement deliberate, careful not to let her boots scrape the floor. Stiles brought up the rear, clutching the flashlight tight against his chest so it wouldn't rattle.
They reached the end of the boiler room and slipped into the narrow hallway beyond — the air cooler, but no safer.
Behind them—
ROAR!
The sound ripped through the room they'd just escaped from.
The Alpha had turned back, thrashing through the boilers, smashing metal and glass in its rage.
"If we'd stayed there, we'd be dead," Stiles breathed, wide-eyed.
"Keep moving," Asher whispered.
They hurried down the boiler hallway, pipes lining the walls like veins, steam hissing through small cracks.
"We need to do something…" Stiles muttered. "We can't just keep running forever. We need to hurt it or—"
"Trap it," he interrupted himself, eyes catching on a storage room door beside them — small, metal door, and windowless.
His pulse quickened. "Wait. That could work."
Another roar echoed behind them, closer now.
Stiles passed the flashlight to Scott and fumbled in his pocket.
"What are you doing?" Scott hissed. "You'll make noise—"
Asher grabbed his arm, shaking his head slightly. Let him.
The sound of jangling keys filled the air.
CLINK. CLINK. CLINK.
Scott and Erica flinched.
The Alpha's roars grew louder.
ROAR!!!
It was coming. Fast.
Without hesitation, Stiles swung his arm and hurled the keys into the storage room.
They clattered against the floor inside with a sharp metallic echo.
A massive shadow appeared at the end of the hall.
The Alpha's glowing eyes flashed.
Asher pulled Scott and Erica back behind the wall, motioning for silence.
Stiles pressed flat behind the storage doorframe, his heart hammering against the metal.
The Alpha slowed… sniffed the air… then stepped inside the storage room, lured by the sound.
The moment its claws crossed the threshold—
Stiles slammed the door shut and shouted, "THE DESK!"
Erica reacted instantly. She grabbed the heavy metal desk down the hall and shoved it forward with a grunt, slamming it against the door. The wall behind the other edge stopped it cold, locking it in place.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
The Alpha rammed the door from the inside, roaring furiously. The metal bent and shook but didn't break.
The noise was deafening.
Stiles panted, chest heaving. He stared at the vibrating door, then broke into a shaky grin. "Okay… okay, that actually worked!"
Asher smirked, holding up a hand. "Nice one."
They high-fived, a brief flicker of triumph in the chaos.
"Let's go," Scott said. "Before it—"
"Wait," Stiles interrupted, stepping closer to the door.
Scott blinked. "What are you doing?"
"I just wanna check. He's trapped, right? Might as well make sure."
"Stiles—" Scott began, but the boy was already climbing up onto the desk.
"Stiles, seriously?" Erica whispered. "You're insane!"
Through the small wired window at the top of the door, Stiles peered inside.
"Hey…" he muttered, smirking. "Guess what? We're leaving now."
"Stiles!" Scott hissed. "Shut up!"
Asher rubbed his forehead, already seeing where this was going. "This is a bad idea…"
"I'm not scared of you!" Stiles said, louder this time, leaning closer to the window. "You hear that? You're trapped, buddy! You can't—"
SLASH!
A claw erupted through the wired glass, narrowly missing Stiles' face.
He screamed and stumbled backward—but before he hit the ground, Asher caught him, setting him on his feet.
"I'm— I'm not scared of you!" Stiles tried to recover, voice shaking.
"Shut up!" Erica snapped, dragging him back.
But then—
CRACK. BOOM.
The ceiling above them groaned.
Dust rained down.
Something massive was moving up there.
The metal creaked again — above the storage room.
"What the hell…" Scott whispered.
Then they heard it:
THUD. THUD. THUD.
Heavy footsteps. The Alpha was above them.
It had smashed through the ceiling, crawling into the pipeline space between floors.
And now it was coming toward them.
"Oh, come on!" Stiles cried, panic breaking through his voice. "It can do that?!"
"Run!" Asher yelled.
They bolted down the hallway, ducking as chunks of ceiling began to fall.
"It's all your goddamn fault, Stiles!" Scott shouted, sprinting ahead. "Why did you have to provoke it?!"
"I didn't think it could do that!" Stiles yelled back.
"Damn you, Stiles!" Erica shouted as steam hissed from a burst pipe above them.
The four of them ran, hearts pounding, as the Alpha's claws tore through the ceiling behind them — hunting them through the guts of the building.
To be continued...
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Again guys, sorry for the great delay.