Gallows ✢ Stilinski | 3

ELEVEN

ELEVEN

"So, the Walcott's were first." Stiles started to explain as we were at his dad's office with a closed door. "At least the first that we know about. Four murders. Sean, his brother, and their parents. They were killed by professional assassins called The Mute. Weapon of choice, a military tomahawk. But then The Mute was killed by Peter Hale after he tried to blow up Derek with a Claymore mine. Next was Demarco. He delivered a keg to Lydia's lake house. And he got decapitated outside his car. And then last night, 23-three-year old Carrie Hudson." 

"It's a dead pool. A hit list of supernatural creatures." Scott got straight to the point, telling Mr. Stilinski. Last night, Lydia had figured out a code, that leads her straight to a dead pool and the code was Allison. Everyone was on the supernatural hit list, Lydia had a 20 by her name, Scott had a 25, I had a 30. Derek hale 15. "This is only part of it, but the rest has to be decoded." 

"Who found this list?" 

"Lydia." I answered. 

"How?" 

"She wrote it." Stiles answered for me, and I nodded. "Actually, she transcribed it. Without realising it." 

"Banshee?" 

"Banshee." I nodded. 

"So, if she transcribed it without realizing it, what did you do? Nothing?" Mr. Stilinski asked me, raising an eyebrow. 

"I don't know, I guess I'm having an off day or something." I shrug. "Still trying to figure that part out." 

"Beautiful." Mr. Stilinski muttered. "All right, what are these numbers next to the names?" He looked down at the list he had got given. 

"We're getting to that." Stiles informed his father. "First, you need to know that the code was broken by a cipher key." 

"Wait. You mean, like a... like a keyword?" 

"It actually a name." Stiles corrected. 

"Allison." Scott softly spoke, my shoulders drop slightly. I miss my best friend. 

It was silent for a moment, and Stiles continued to speak. "Her name broke a third of the list." 

"And now we think there are two other cipher keys." Scott informed. 

"Which will give us the rest of the names." Mr. Stilinski nodded. "Okay. So how do we get the cipher keys?" 

"Same way we got the code." I told him. 

"Lydia." Scott said. "She's been at the lake house all weekend trying to find the other two keywords." 

After awhile, I watched the boys cross the names off with a red marker. Sean Walcott, Daivd Walcott, Micheal Walcott, Christian Walcott, Demarco Montana, Carrie Hudson, all marked off. 

"You didn't know about Demarco or Carrie. Hmm?" Mr. Stilinski asked the three, my mouth parted slightly, I knew about Demarco. My heart skipped a beat and I hopped to god that Scott didn't hear. "And what about these other two names on the list? Uh, Kayleen Bettcher and Elisa Town. They werewolves too?" 

"I don't know." Scott softly said, I'm just hoping that Scott didn't listen in on my heart beat. I bit down on my lip nervously, my eyes shifting everywhere around the room. I cocked my head up to Stiles when I felt his hands slip in mine, and my eyes wonder back over to Scott and Mr. Stilinski. "But Deaton said that the Nemeton would draw supernatural creatures here." 

"Here being Beacon Hills?" Mr. Stilinski asked, clearly this was new to him. "Or Beacon County?" "The population of Beacon Hills is just under 30,000." 

"And dropping." 

I held back a laugh, because it wasn't funny, but the way that Stiles had said it, I found it funny. Mr. Stilinski gave him a sarastic smile. "But if we're talking Beacon County, then you're looking at closer to 500,000." I whistled lowly, and the boys ignored my whistle. I pressed my lips together. "Look, how many werewolves, banshees, kitsunes, and whatever the hell else is out there are we talking about?" Mr. Stilinski takes a seat in his office chair, and we remained standing. "And what happens if the next cipher key uncovers not 12 names, but 100?"

"We don't think there'd be that many," Stiles started to explain to his father. "There's a limit." 

"Because of the numbers." My brother added on, pointing down at the page. "We think that once we decode the names, the numbers will add up to 117." 

"117 what?" 

"Million." I answered, my voice dropping slightly. Stiles then grabbed the sheet, letting go off our hands, and started to write who's dead and who's not on beside the names. 

"One hundred and seventeen million dollars, dad." Stiles said, putting the pen back in it's cap. I take the pen from his hands, and started to play with it for a little bit. "Stolen from the Hale vault and is being used by someone to finance all these murders." 

"Someone who wants every supernatural in Beacon Hills dead." Scott added on to Stiles' point, well, that's comforting. I watched as Stiles took the pen away from me, and dropped it on the bench. I let out a huff and he soon wrapped an arm around my wasit, and laced out fingers together. 

"So the coded list goes out." Mr. Stilinski started. "And somehow these professional assassins get that list." 

"And a cipher key," Stiles added. 

"And then they go after the names on the list." Mr. Stilinski continued. "They being killers with no mouths, tomahawks, thermo-cut wires that can take your head off." I shudder slightly at the memory, and closed my eyes briefly, before opening them again. 

"Let me see." Stiles removed his hands from my wasit, and my fingers, and looked through the photos. I took a step back so he could take a proper look. "Carrie was also stabbed. What's this mark?" 

"We're not sure yet. We're waiting on the ME's report." Mr. Stilisnki answered, as there was a weird shape on the part Carrie had been stabbed. "There's one other thing I don't get. How did the assassin know that Demarco was going to be at the lake house?" 

 "Everyone knows he delivers kegs to teenagers for a little extra cash." Scott answered smoothly. 

"Ah." Mr. Stilinski nodded. "So whoever ordered that keg killed Demarco." 

"Yeah, it was someone at the party," Stiles nodded and I bit my lower lip. If only I actually saw the girl who killed the guy. I should've done something to prevent that from happening. 

"A student." I spoke, nodding my head. I'm going to find that student. Not wanting to say anything else, I cracked my knuckles. 

✢

"Economic disparity, exists in all forms." Coach started to rant as I sat in his class. I start to do a doodle on my spare page. "Well, take sports, for example. Some teams have better training facilities. Some have better equipment. Unlike Beacon Hills that can barely afford the duct tape to keep our equipment together." I look up from my desk, noticing that Coach's voice was getting louder which mean he was close to where me, Stiles, and Scott sat. He was holding a lacrosse stick. He tapped Stiles' desk who jumped, he had pages from this morning and kept trying to find the murder weapon. "You know, Stilinski," Coach picked up the picture. "If I could grade you on profoundly you disturb me, you'd be an  A plus student." 

"Thanks, Coach." Stiles nodded; I smirked. 

"Put those pictures away," Coach told him as he stands back up straight. Coach tapped the desk again with the lacorsse stick, but Stiles had quickly snatched the lacrosse stick and pulled it close to him, looking at the bottom. "Stilinski!" Stiles then pulled off the cap at the bottom, and he looked at the picture, then looked at the bottom of the stick. "What the hell is wrong with you?" I lean forward, as I was sitting behind Stiles. Coach snatched the lacrosse stick back. "Don't answer that." 

Scott looked at Stiles, wanting more information much like I did. "It's a lacrosse player." Stiles murmured to us. 

"The killer's on the team."