38: The Big Picture [1]

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The tires of the Camaro screeched to a halt in the mud, its worn treads struggling for traction.

The night had fallen, the moon obscured by thick clouds, leaving only a faint glow.

Derek stepped out of the car, his shoulders slumped and his eyes heavy with exhaustion from carrying a dose of Monkshood inside him all day.

His fingers brushed against the wooden door, which swung open with a creak against the wind.

As Derek climbed the steps, the charred wood groaned under his weight, barely holding the house together.

Suddenly, his neck hairs stood on end, and he spun around with his claws bared, ready to attack whoever had approached him.

"Lose the claws, Hale." A commanding voice echoed through the house. "Or you'll lose more than that tonight."

A figure emerged from the living room shadows, with glowing amber eyes and a physique similar to Derek's, albeit with tanned skin and braided hair.

"Easy, Sam." A sharp voice called from behind, accompanied by the sound of wheels rolling over wooden planks. A young boy pushed a man in a wheelchair into the room, both sporting long hair, with the elder wearing a cowboy hat.

"We're not animals." The old man chuckled, his gaze turning dangerous as he fixed his eyes on Derek.

"Are we, Derek?" He questioned, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Derek retracted his claws and stood on the stairs, eyes narrowed, a sense of danger pulsing through him.

"You have grown." Billy commented.

"What are you doing here?" Derek's voice was low, lacking its usual strength.

Billy hummed thoughtfully, his gaze scanning the burned mansion before speaking.

"I remember the day the Pact was made." He said, his eyes lingering on the door. "Your mother was the brightest of us, full of hope. It was a tragedy what happened to your family, and you have my sympathy."

He let the silence linger for a moment before continuing.

"But the Pact still binds us, as long as a Quileute, a Hale, and a Cullen remain." Billy reminded Derek firmly. "You've let the sacred Alpha lineage slip from your grasp. There have been human attacks on your territory. Talia would be disappointed, Derek."

Derek clenched his jaw at the mention of his mother's name, memories of the fire flashing through his mind.

"You have until the equinox to deal with the Alpha and restore the sacred title to your bloodline, or we'll do it for you." Billy warned, gesturing for Jacob to wheel him out of the house. Jacob snarled at Derek before leaving, while Sam scowled in disappointment as he followed suit.

As soon as they left, Derek sighed heavily, his tired body collapsing onto the stairs in relief, his eyes shut tight.

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The lights kept flickering as Bob worked on fixing them, but his pot belly and double chin weren't helping at all.

His shift at this crappy store was supposed to be just cashiering and manning the reception, but he had to do these odd jobs every now and then.

Just as he changed the light, he heard the doorbell chime with footsteps following behind.

"The new arrivals are in the first racks," He yelled without turning around. "And the hot stuff is at the very end."

He knew nobody came at this hour for a family-friendly movie night. It was either teenagers looking for old-fashioned porn or couples in need of a spicy film.

"Just give me a moment, I'll be there," He said as he slowly climbed down the ladder.

*Grrrrrrrr!*

He froze in place as he heard a long growl, his eyes widening and sweat trickling down his neck.

A shiver ran down his spine as his blood turned cold.

'Shit!' he cursed mentally and slowly turned around.

The last thing he saw were a pair of gleaming crimson eyes as they pounced on him.

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"Now, Hoosiers isn't just the best basketball movie ever, it's the best sports movie ever made." Jackson asserted as Lydia parked her Beetle outside the Rentals.

"Debatable, and no." Lydia shot back without even looking at him.

"It's got Gene Hackman and Dennis Hopper." Jackson persisted.

"No."

"Lydia, I swear to God. You're going to like it." Jackson yelled, frustrated by her constant refusals.

"No." Lydia replied, rolling her eyes and holding her ground.

"I'm not watching The Notebook again!" That finally got a reaction out of her. Not much, but she shot him a challenging smirk.

A few minutes later, Jackson was inside the store, browsing the DVDs.

"Can somebody help me find The Notebook?" He called out loudly, but there was no response.

He looked around the store and grumbled. There were no staff in sight.

"Hello, is anybody working here?" He cried as he walked around. "You've got to be kidding-."

Jackson's steps halted as he swallowed the words he was about to say. His eyes widened at the sight of a long red trail leading to a section at the end.

His gaze landed on a pair of legs protruding from the end of the blood trail. He slowly moved forward, his breath ragged.

"Hey man, this isn't funny." Jackson yelled as he approached.

Just as he reached the section, his blood ran cold, and his eyes widened. Bob lay there with his neck snapped, his spine ripped out, floating in his own blood.

"What the-." Just as he stepped back, his back crashed against a ladder, and he fell to the floor.

"Shit!" He cried as the ladder fell over, pinning him down.

He pushed the ladder off him and stood up, his breaths becoming heavy as he backed away from the section, panic beginning to set in.

He turned around to leave, but his breath caught as a low growl sounded before him. Between him and the door stood a pair of gleaming crimson eyes, legs protruding on all fours, ready to hunt him down.

He immediately ducked behind a rack and hid.

Meanwhile, Lydia sat in the car, making sure her face was perfect for watching the film.

Tears welled up in his eyes as he prayed the beast wouldn't come for him. He heard the wooden racks beginning to fall one by one, and before he could react, the rack fell over, pinning him to the ground.

"Hmrph!" He groaned as he tried to move out of the rubble, but his ankle was stuck.

A warm breath trickled down his neck, and he froze as he felt claws pressed against his back, drool dripping over his jacket as the beast's shadow loomed over him.

Jackson shut his eyes tight and hoped this nightmare would end, but instead, the werewolf calmly raised its claws above and slashed the back of his neck.

"Arghhh!!" Jackson screamed in pain.

The beast dashed out of the store, shattering the glass into pieces.

"Ahhhhh!" Lydia screamed as she got the scare of her life.

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[A/N: Hey guys, I have planned to make a Q&A chapter regarding the fic as I feel most of you have some questions.

Post your questions right here .

Ex. Why Stiles have yet to find anything regarding the black fires?

And I will post my answers in three days.

Also comment your thoughts and leave a review of how you find the story so far.