SSV: Project S.T.A.T.I.C. Part 1

Chapter 16

Jake and the others looked up at Courtney's malicious and terrifying face as she cackled above them. She was massive, and the area surrounding them continued to swirl and shift. "How are we supposed to fight her?!" Beth shouted over the roaring winds from the black hole behind Courtney.

"Still figuring that out, but I'm open to suggestions!" Jake yelled back.

"You four look like insects from up here!" Courtney's distorted voice boomed above them, "Haha, speaking of which, I believe one of you has a fear of spiders! Let's try this on for size, shall we!"

"Oh you have got to be kidding me!" Beth yelled as an enormous brown recluse spider broke through the ground beneath their feet, "I fucking hate those things!"

The eight legged monstrosity set all of its eyes on Beth, and it scurried towards her at unbelievable speed. Beth snarled at it and told herself it wasn't real, but seeing was believing, as the old saying went. She tried to muster the courage to cut the beast down, and she dove out of the way of its dripping fangs. She tried to cut one of its legs, but her blade phased through it. It stopped and pivoted to try to scoop Beth into its hungry maw. Beth screamed as she tried to avoid getting eaten by the monster. Thankfully, it was stopped by one of Pam's fiery chains as it pierced through its skull. The monster dissolved into thin air as it was brought to a swift end.

"Awe, boo!" Courtney pretended to pout, "That was just getting good, but I guess that's what I get for leaving the rest of you out! Let's see if we can't get something for everyone!"

"Remember!" Pam yelled at everyone as Courtney began bringing their nightmares into her world, "None of this is real! They can only hurt you if you allow them to!"

"Don't listen to that party-pooping witch!" Courtney cackled as she found what she was looking for, "I promise you, the pain you're going to feel is all too real! Now, dance for me, puppets!"

As she finished her vicious taunt, her creations began to spring to life. Disgusting strands of familiar black ooze swirled up from the ground, and Pam's eyes widened as she watched several Defects from Ravenfalls take shape. The poor victims of Abigail's revolting experiments moaned as they stumbled around. Not far from the Defects, the ground began to crack and fissure as demons from Dorothy's circle of Hell clawed their way to the surface. A deafening wailing sound filled the air followed by a cackling laughter as wraiths started to swirl around the desolate skies. Creatures from the depths of all their memories and deepest fears swarmed around them.

"Haha, how about a little warm up, kiddos?!" Courtney cackled above them, "Looks like Beth wasn't the only one scarred by the lovely Abigail, right, Pammy?! Mm, nothing like a childhood trauma, eh, Beth?! Oh, this is delicious!"

Jake stepped back as large winged demons started to advance. Beth swallowed as she looked up at the ghostly apparitions that she'd seen in her nightmares as a child; memories of aggressive poltergeist activity replayed in her mind. Pam tensed as the mutated humans stumbled and growled as they drew closer. Ashley looked between the three of them as an idea came to her, "Focus on each other's fears, or work together to overcome your own!"

"It's as good a plan as any," Beth said as she tried to steel herself for the upcoming battle.

"I'm not afraid," Jake said, staring the demons down before yelling at Beth and Pam, "You two work together to take down the Defects and whatever those ghosts are! Ash, I'm gonna need your help with this one."

"I'm right beside you," Ashley said in a reassuring voice, "I'm excited to finally fight alongside you, believe it or not, my love."

"I can feel it," he said as he reached for weapons that weren't there, "Shit, I've got no equipment!"

"Use your mind!" Pam shouted over the howling winds and spirits, "Concentrate and will them into being! This is a metaphysical battleground, so the rules and physics of this world are more malleable!"

"Right, just gotta focus," Jake said as a large demon charged at him and forced him to dodge, "Okay, that might be easier said than done."

One of the winged demons took flight and tried to snatch Jake up. He launched into a back handspring just as its claws clamped down where he'd stood. The demon snarled at him, and tried once again to grab him and sink its teeth into his flesh. Jake couldn't move in time, but Ashley intercepted the demon with blinding speed and a devastating punch to its jaw. The demon was sent flying across the crumbling platform and crashed into the remnants of one of the castle walls. It was buried beneath the debris, but there were still more poised to move in and strike. Jake got to his feet and tried once again to bring his weapons into reality. Thankfully, he wasn't alone in this fight.

Not far away, Beth and Pam prepared to engage one another's fearful manifestations. Pam began to hover off the ground as the wraiths continued to circle above Beth, while Beth tried to focus on the Defects as they drew nearer. She'd heard Pam's stories about the monsters from Ravenfalls, but she'd never seen one so close. They were more disgusting than she ever could have imagined. Their bodies dripped with oozey sludge with every step, but they were slower than expected. Beth brought her sword up and held it with both hands as she prepared to strike. She dashed forward and cut one of their arms off with ease, but then she felt something wrap around her left arm. She looked to her left to see one of their arms had stretched unnaturally, and what looked like a hand was molding around her arm pulling her to it.

She remembered Pam telling her that these things had almost elastic bodies, and she suppressed a shudder as she watched the one pulling her open its maw. Black and rotting needles replaced what was once teeth, and it pulled itself and Beth closer. Her right arm still freed, Beth sliced its limb off and ran the tip of her blade through its still open mouth. To her horror, the monster still stood and tried to continue advancing. Her eyes widened in disgust and revulsion at the sight, and desperately wished she had one of her pistols. Amazingly, she felt the familiar weight of her handgun in her left hand. Hoping that it was loaded with her special ammunition, Beth pushed the barrel into its chest and opened fire. The Defect's chest sparked as it erupted in flames. A painful and ear-splitting screech filled the air as it melted into a nauseating puddle at her feet. One down, and only a little over half a dozen more to go.

Pam kept her focus on the wraiths while Beth handled the Defects on the ground. They were exactly like the depictions she'd read about at the castle library. Had Beth actually encountered these monstrosities as a child? If she had, it was no wonder she hated the paranormal. Their bodies were translucent and covered in tattered robes. Their eye sockets glowed an eerie green as did their mouths when they opened them. They hungered for the souls of the living, and they fed off of strong negative emotions such as anger, fear, and anxiety. Beth may as well have been a flame, and them moths desperate to touch and extinguish her light. Even in this illusion of reality, Pam wouldn't let them near her.

There were only four of them, but these creatures were renown for their power. One wraith was said to be equivalent of five lesser demons. Beth was distracted by the Defects, who even in this world seemed only interested in feeding, and didn't see the first one race towards her. Pam's eyes flashed white as she held out her hand and stopped the wraith mid-flight with a blue barrier. It shrieked as it stopped and looked for the source of its obstruction. Its glowing eyes found her, and it immediately rocketed towards her. She dispelled the barrier and brought the energy back to herself. The wraith carried no weapons, but its energy was palpable as it approached.

Pam jumped backward and swiped her hand as it arrived in front of her. A single blue wave of energy trailed behind her hand and blocked the wraith's attack. It spun around to move past her small shield and tried to grab her. Pam could feel the pull of its otherworldly presence as it tugged at her soul. It was trying to siphon her energy for its own devilish needs. In an attempt to push it away, Pam raised her right hand and called down a bolt of lightning that crashed into her. The crack of thunder caught everyone by surprise, and it caused the wraith to shriek as it flew back to avoid getting caught in the aftershock.

"Ha, that's one way to handle things!" Courtney mocked, assuming that Pam had killed herself, but angrily shouting when she saw Pam still standing when the smoke cleared, "What?! No fair, that's cheating!"

Pam's body surged and crackled with the energy from the lightning bolt. Using herself as a conduit was a painful experience, but it provided her with an ample boost to her powers. "As if I would play by your rules," she scoffed at Courtney as she readied her next attack as the wraiths turned all of their attention to her.

Jake and Ashley had been waging their own battle against the demons when Pam's surprise attack brought things to a brief halt. Jake swore he could see strands of ethereal energy on the winds as Pam shocked herself. "The girl is absolutely mad," Ashley said with a wry grin, "High risk and high reward, though. Some of the magistrates in my old kingdom used such tactics. It is good to see her work in person for a change."

Jake didn't respond as the energy in the air began to shift back to battle. He'd yet to find the right moment to summon anything he could use, and he couldn't continue to rely on Ashley to carry him through their fight. The demons focus returned to the duo, and Jake tried once more to conjure something familiar into his hands. A large scaled demon charged at him on all fours; its jagged teeth and venomous tongue showing as it leapt at him. He wanted to run, but he could feel something bubbling beneath his skin. It was a rookie mistake, but he closed his eyes and hoped for the best as he swung his hands in an upward arc as the beast approached. He felt a weight in his hands, and he felt something collide with the jaw of the demon and knock it off course.

Jake opened his eyes to see a staff in his hands, but it wasn't the one from his world. It was steel, just like his bostaff, but there was an unusual gem at the tip. A blood diamond, if memory served, sat atop the staff like some sort of spear. It crackled and flashed as though something was powering it that he couldn't explain. A soft voice whispered on the wind, "A gift, my love, use it and break free of this nightmare…"

"Hey!" Courtney barked, confused by the strange voice, "No outside interference! Ugh, you all are really starting to spoil my fun!"

Jake knew the voice, but he couldn't place it. He would have to think on it later. Now, he had a weapon and had a chance to fight back. He twirled the staff and brought it behind his back with one hand outstretched. The weapon felt like an extension of himself, and he swore he could feel the energy radiating from the jewel. Ashley eyed the staff suspiciously, but she kept her thoughts to herself. A large demon charged at Jake, undeterred by his newfound weapon, and Jake waited for it to get close before making his move. He jumped to the side as it pounced and swung the staff in an upward arc at his side. The jewel glowed as Jake swung the staff, and several red bolts of electricity surged out of it. The crimson lightning cut through the demon, and it crashed to the ground before skidding to a halt and disappearing in wisps of smoke.

Surprised by the attack, Jake felt a wave of confidence overtake him. Whatever this thing was, it gave him the edge he needed in this fight. It was his turn to advance, and Ashley followed his lead as they charged into battle. Ashley was faster than Jake, but Jake moved like a man possessed as he went on the offensive. One of the demons tried to slash him with its claws, but Jake deftly sidestepped it with ease. He swung the back end of the staff upward and it crashed into its jaw. The demon growled as it shook off the blunt trauma, but Jake wasn't finished yet. He followed his attack up with a swift horizontal swipe aimed at its stomach. The gem glowed once again, and it cut through the demon's soft belly. Entrails spilled out as the demon fell to the ground.

Ashley wrestled with a winged demon that tried to take her airborne, but it did nothing to stop her offensive style. She threw her legs back and up to wrap them around its neck. With brute strength and honed reflexes, she climbed onto its back to grab its wings. The demon screeched as it tried to shake her off, but she held on tight and began ripping its wings out. The demon came crashing to the ground as Jake engaged three more of the monsters. He dodged their attacks, and countered with a series of powerful strikes using his staff. He could feel a heat radiating from his weapon, and he slammed the base down on the ground after smacking one in the jaw. Raw arcane energy shot out from the staff the second it touched the ground, and it sent the three demons flying backward. They weren't defeated, but he'd dealt a significant blow to them all the same.

Elsewhere, Beth was finding her own rhythm using her gun and the Northwind Blade. She used her speed as an advantage against the Defects. Ducking and dodging their attempts to grab her and pull her in, she cut legs and arms anytime she was close. Any of the monsters that managed to evade getting cut were met with a series of gunshots to their chest or head. One of them lunged at her midrun, but she threw herself forward and rolled over the disgusting creature. Its oozy flesh clung to her coat, but Beth severed its hold with a vicious swing of her sword. Its head rolled along the ground, and she unloaded her clip into the hole on its neck.

Above Beth, Pam waged her own war against the wraiths that lingered above. They'd set aside their desire for Beth in favor of dealing with Pam, but she was nearly bursting with energy. She'd used the abundance and excess energy from the lightning bolt to further amplify her powers. Shortly after the thundercrack, she'd sent out duplicates of herself to engage three of the wraiths. They fought as one, and shards of arcane energy solidified into chains, daggers, and other instruments of pain and suffering. While the wraiths may have been immune to physical harm, Pam dealt in the unseen and mystical. Two factors that gave her a powerful edge in this fight.

Pam's duplicates were pushing the wraiths back and keeping them at bay, and Pam herself was fending off the one that had originally engaged her. She used one hand to control her summoned weapons while she prepared a banishment spell in her other. Glowing daggers swirled around the wraith and her, and each time it got too close, it was forced to flee before getting slashed. It had been foolish enough to test her offensive once, and it had received a gaping wound in its chest for its arrogance. These creatures were smart, though, even being illusions from the toxin. However, Pam knew how to deal with rogue spirits.

Her, her duplicates, and the wraiths buzzed around the air in a deadly dance. Even without weapons, the wraiths were starting to drain her duplicates of their energy. Just being in close proximity gave them an opportunity to siphon more of their power and add it to their own. Pam flew backward as she finished preparing her spell. She could hear Beth's carnage below, and she sensed another source of magic nearby. It was curious, but now wasn't the time for her to investigate. Pam sent her spectral blades flying at the wraith pursuing her to push it back, and seized the opportunity to unleash the spell. She raised her hands together above her head and a large orb formed over her palms. It flashed and swirled with a blue light and dozens of small flourishes in the center; like a miniature galaxy in her hands, she unleashed the power she'd been building up. A massive explosion filled the air, and the wraiths shrieked as they were fried from the inside out.

Jake and Ashley had managed to finish most of the demons that stood in their way. A bright light filled the air from Pam's spell, and Jake vaulted forward to bring down the final demon while it was stunned. He slammed the tip of the jewel into its head as he landed, and its body convulsed before bursting in a gorey mess. The magic from his staff shot through him, and he felt incredible. Beth and Pam regrouped beside him, while Courtney looked on in anger.

"Bravo," Courtney chided them, "You managed to survive round one, I'd be impressed if it weren't so simple! Clearly, we need to try another approach!"

"We need to launch an attack before she summons something else," Pam said, taking control of the situation before it escalated further, "Everyone together, try to hit her as hard as you can!"

The four heroes spread out; Pam took flight once more, Jake and Ashley flanked left, and Beth took to the right. Pam closed her eyes and tried to call forth the power that she'd held when fighting Rebecca. Her body began to glow as her hair stood up, and she hurled everything she had at the gigantic terror in the distance. Beth had been holding in the battle-energy from her fight with the Defects, and she chose this moment to unleash it. Spectral armor formed around her as she ran along the broken circle surrounding Courtney. She held her sword out as she darted toward the edge of the circle and jumped to cut through her. Jake and Ashley utilized one another to launch their own attack. Ashley was still stronger than Jake, and she threw him at Courtney as they got close.

"Whatever that weapon is, use the power that's built up to bring her down!" Ashley ordered as she threw him at Courtney before leaping herself to use her vampiric abilities to attack.

Jake gripped the staff tightly as he approached. The pull of the dying star around Courtney was strong, but he concentrated on ending his ex. He had no idea how to use the magic in the staff, but he tried to imagine it coursing through him and being unleashed as he got closer. The four of them attacked as one in a splitsecond. Beth's slashes lit up the sky as Pam brought down a pillar of arcane energy down onto Courtney. Ashley pushed herself through the air, and clawed her way along Courtney's body before kicking off to launch herself to the other side. Jake seemed to freeze in the air as a cold wind began to blow. Flickers of ice formed and turned to shards as they swarmed around Courtney and himself. Suddenly, he found himself standing beside Ashley and watching as an icestorm melded with the other attacks and Courtney screamed.

"Ah!" she howled in pain as she fell into the black hole, "You miserable little shits! How could I have been so stupid as to underestimate you?! Curse you all!"

Jake and Ashley ran to rejoin Beth and Pam as they landed and watched as Courtney fell to her death. "Is it over?" Jake asked, looking at Pam.

"Huh, I expected more," Beth admitted.

"If she were truly dead, then we should be returning to our world," Pam said, waiting to see if they might begin disappearing.

"It's an act," Ashley said bitterly, "Her dramatic side is easily my least favorite of her qualities."

As if in response to her comment, the circular platform began to shake and quake violently beneath them. Courtney's voice filled the air once again as she cackled, "You know, it really is much less fun when one of you is too smart for your own good! There's just nothing like the feeling of robbing someone of newfound hope! I wasn't lying, though, I may have underestimated you all. But, that's nothing that I can't fix!"

A skeletal hand burst through the stone and grabbed hold of Pam without warning. "Ah, dammit!" Pam shouted as she was squeezed tightly while Courtney rose from the darkness.

"Pam!" Beth screamed, unloading her gun at Courtney, but it did nothing against her.

"You're quite the troublemaker, Pammy!" Courtney laughed as she squeezed Pam tightly, "But, there's something you've been hiding from your little friends, isn't there?! Oh ho, it's the simpler fears that are always the best! Let's see how well they do without your leadership, and let's see how you do in your worst nightmare! Toodle-loo, Pammy!"

Courtney suddenly threw Pam down into the black hole that she stood inside of. Pam screamed as she fell into the dying star, but her powers were suddenly muted. The pull of the nightmare star was too strong for her to escape, and she found herself falling indefinitely and in agony. It pulled and tugged at the fringes of her mind as she rocketed into the darkness. Her screams became more intense, and her throat started to become hoarse. They faded into nothingness while Jake, Beth, and Ashley were left powerless to save their friend.

"What did you do to her?!" Beth demanded as she jumped to attack Courtney.

Courtney laughed as she swatted Beth away like a fly, "If I were you, I'd be much more worried about myself, Elizabeth! Oh, the fun we are going to have it going to be simply delicious! Make sure you scream for me, little girl!"

Jake started to run towards Beth, but Ashley grabbed his arm to stop him. "Let me go!" he shouted at her, "Beth needs my help!"

"If you go, then you'll just end up beside her!" Ashley shouted back, "We need to regroup and plan. If we don't, then we can't save them!"

Jake watched as Beth suddenly screamed before disappearing. "Now, onto the last two losers!" Courtney chuckled as Jake and Ashley ran, "Where are you two going to go?! This is my world, you idiots! There's no way for you to escape me!"

"Ugh, she sounds like the witch," Ashley said with a grimace as they ran, "She's quickly moving up on my shit list alongside that clown whore Beth threw out. Don't let her get to you, Jake."

"You're just as cowardly as I've been saying!" Courtney taunted, "Abandoning your friends, you're absolutely pathetic!"

Jake did his best to ignore Courtney as they ran, but he hated leaving Beth and Pam behind. Suddenly, the stones of the platform started to shift and shake. Ashley and Jake were forced to stop as the ground beneath their feet changed and a wall formed in front of them. A figure crawled along the wall on all fours like some sort of twisted spider or spirit. It was a female, they could see that much, but her head snapped up and stared at them. A twisted and distorted version of Courtney grinned down at them. She pounced from the wall and lunged at Jake. Ashley intercepted the apparition before she could grab Jake. Her hand clenched around its throat, but the twisted Courtney just continued to grin and started to laugh. Ashley snarled before she sank her teeth into her neck. The apparition fizzled and faded, but there were more on the way.

"You are an infuriating and curious case, little girl!" Courtney growled as her eyes landed on Ashley, "I can't get a read on your fears, your mind, and it's beginning to really irritate me!"

Ashley knew the reason why, but she wouldn't give Courtney the satisfaction of explaining. She grabbed Jake's hand and pulled him away from the wall. All they could do was run, but Ashley was genuinely unsure where they could go, let alone what they could do. Jake had a sudden urge to raise his staff, so he lifted it into the air. A bright red light flashed from the gem, and Courtney hissed in response. However, the staff suddenly disappeared from his hands. A doubt had begun to form in Jake's mind as worry and fear slowly took root. It wasn't much, but it was enough to rip his weapon away.

"No matter, you're not the one I want!" Courtney laughed as the light disappeared and her gaze landed on Jake, "You're just excess baggage! Jake~, I can feel your fear growing, Jake! You know I'm right about you, and you're starting to realize there's no way out! Come to me, Jake, let's make things right once and for all!"

"Don't listen to her, Jake," Ashley tried to sway him as his body became heavy, "Jake, do not give into her!"

"Oh, piss off!" Courtney snapped as she quickly brought her hands together and scooped the two of them up in her fists, "Give it a rest, Ashley! You've lost, and Jake knows it! All you are is a distant voice in his head, and when I'm done, he won't even remember your name!"

"Jake!" Ashley shouted from thr confines of Courtney's fist, "Pull yourself together, my love!"

"Pull yourself together," Courtney mocked as she squeezed the two of them tighter, "My God, you two are a wonderfully pathetic pair! If I can't play with you, Ashley, then you can sit back and watch while I have my fun with Jake! Oh yes, we have got a lot of time to make up for, lover boy!"

"Don't touch him!" Ashley growled as their reality shifted while the pressure around them grew more intense.

Jake tried to fight against the feelings of dread that were filling his heart. Maybe it was the gas, maybe the burrowers had managed to take root, or perhaps he was just tired of failing. His courage was draining fast in Courtney's clutches, and seeing his friends get whisked away into the depths of their own madness again was taking a heavy toll on him, but giving up wasn't what they would want. No, he couldn't just lay down and die, not yet. Beth and Pam were counting on him, his city was depending on him. He had to try, or else everyone and everything beyond this nightmare would suffer because of his own weakness.

Jake forced himself to pound and beat against Courtney's fist, but he couldn't break free. His world shook as Courtney roughly shook her fist and laughed, "Still wanting to resist, eh?! Oh, that's fine by me! There's nothing quite like the thrill of breaking someone down while they've still got spirit! Keep lying to yourself, Jake, we'll see how long you can keep believing that you can win!"

"That's it Jake!" Ashley shouted through her prison, Jake could hear her in his head, "Just hang in there, love!"

"Oh my God, you sound like a broken record!" Courtney shouted as she began to squeeze the two of them tighter, "I might not be able to get a read on you, but that doesn't mean I can't hurt you. Love is a weakness that I'm more than happy to exploit! You can have a front row seat to the breaking of Jake Blackridge! This is still my world, little girl, and I still make the rules here! Without further ado, let's get started!"

The crushing weight around the two of them increased again as Courtney tightly clenched her fists. Their bones began to crack and snap under the pressure, and Jake howled in pain and agony. His body was crushed into a paste in Courtney's hands, and everything went dark after seconds of sheer torment. He thought he'd died, but he could still smell and feel the overwhelming power of his ex. The stench of death and decay surrounded him, but the pressure was gone. He opened his eyes to find himself strapped to a table in a barren and decrepit room. He recognized it as the bedroom from the house that Courtney had bought. He tried to sit up, but he was bound to the four posts. A hissing sound followed by a slithering feeling against his skin made him freeze. These weren't ropes that held him in place, they were snakes!

"Oh, you look so natural tied up, Jake!" Courtney exclaimed from the corner of the room, she was back to her regular, albeit decaying and unusual form, "Doesn't it feel good to be bound, Jake! God, you look absolutely pathetic, yet somehow so cute!"

His mind felt like it was splitting as he tried to piece together what was going on. This wasn't real, it wasn't! He still remembered the battle that had taken place a short while ago, but why was he here? "Courtney, what are you planning?"

Courtney sauntered closer to the bed with a seductive grin, "That's for me to know, you to find out," she purred as she crawled onto the bed, "You are quite the dirty boy, Jake. So many kinky secrets and ideas in that devious little mind! Hmm, you know the line between fantasy and reality is so often overlooked, but you already know that, don't you? Sometimes, the things we think we want can be too much to handle. I want to see how much is too much for you, Jake. Do you think it's true that you can have too much of a good thing? Let's find out!"

Courtney had climbed onto his wait and sat herself down. "Courtney, whatever you're thinking-mmph!"

Courtney silenced him by putting her feet over his face. The smell of sweat, grime, and rot bombarded his senses. Courtney pushed her feet on his face and let out a contented sigh, "Funny, I always thought Footgirl was insane for liking this stuff, but I never gave it a shot. Mm, your breath is tickling my toes. Stick out your tongue, Jake, I want you to clean my soles, and don't try to act like you're not loving this!"

Jake was mortified at the idea. It wasn't that this was something he didn't enjoy, but Courtney's feet were somehow worse than Rebecca's had ever been! Courtney pressed her feet closer to his face, and Jake couldn't breathe. His only option was to comply with her demands. He tentatively stuck out his tongue and gave her right foot a lick. He shuddered and gagged immediately at the taste. Spoiled meat, sweat, and mold were just a few of the ways that came to mind to describe the taste. He felt sick, but Courtney was delighted by the sensation and his reaction. She pressed down harder and pinched his nose with her toes. This was easily the most revolting experience he'd had in a long time.

"Don't stop now, Jake, this feels incredible!" Courtney said as she looked over to the doorway, "I hope you're watching closely, Ashley. I'm just getting started with him, and this is only foreplay compared to what I have in store."

Ashley had materialized just outside of the bedroom, and she was trapped behind invisible walls. She could see Jake, but she couldn't reach him or communicate with him. She'd watched as he came to, but she could only stand and watch as he struggled to comprehend what was happening. They still shared a connection, and she could feel his mind struggling to keep up with the rapid and disastrous turn of events. She pounded her fist on the invisible wall when Courtney appeared, but only the undead could see her. Jake wasn't even aware that she was still there with him. She was furious when Courtney locked eyes with her while abusing him. Her blood boiled as she was forced to watch as Jake was used for the infected woman's sick games.

"Mmph!" Jake tried to protest as he found it more and more difficult to breathe.

"Hmm, what's that, Jake?" Courtney asked as she hatched another devious idea, "You want me to take things a step further? Oh, honey, I would be happy to!"

Jake growled and bit down on Courtney's foot. She pulled away for just long enough for him to shout, "Let us go, goddammit!"

"You naughty and nasty little shit!" Courtney growled as she stood up and stomped on his chest, "You're a fan of trampling, right?! Let's see how much you can take, shall we?! Keep mouthing off, Jake, and I promise you I'll find a way to permanently silence you!"

Ashley watched with fury behind her eyes as Courtney roughly stomped along Jake's body. She was merciless and cruel, and Ashley swore she'd rip her throat out the first chance she got. What could she do, though? She was trapped behind Courtney's walls. She needed to calm herself down and think, but watching Jake in such a painful state was just too much for her to bear. What else did this depraved monster have in store for her beloved? What horrors were the others enduring? Perhaps most prominent, though, was how she could help them? She wracked her brain trying to figure out a solution, but it was impossibly difficult to concentrate between Jake's suffering and Courtney's horrendous laughter.

Elsewhere in Courtney's nightmare realm, Pam had finally stopped her seemingly endless descent. She'd blacked out sometime during her fall, and she awoke unable to move. The air had a sterile smell to it that immediately put her on edge. Bright fluorescent lights blinded her, and the sound of machines beeping and pumping around her made her hair stand on end. Her heart began to beat faster, and to her dismay, one of the machines nearby started to beep more rapidly. Pam tried to tap into her powers, but they were gone. All that she felt was an emptiness and sense of panic welling up within her.

"No," she whispered as she started kicking and trying to find a way out of her restraints, "No, no, no, no! Let me out of here! Somebody help!"

A woman zipped by wearing a pair of scrubs and a facial mask. Pam looked over at her as she grabbed something off of a nearby table. "Patient seems to be in distress," she heard the nurse say.

She was in a hospital, and it was one place that Pam hated more than any other. Hospitals terrified her, and she was strapped to a table awaiting who knew what. "Release me," she said, her voice trembling despite herself, "So help me, if you don't, I will make you regret it."

"Go ahead and administer the sedative, Ms. Tellar," another nurse said as she walked by with a chart, "Patient Pamela M. Lavely, suffers from paranoia, delusions of mystical capabilities, and borderline psychosis. She's dangerous, and we need her calm for the operation."

"Righty-o, Nurse Tellar," the first nurse cheerily as she held a large syringe up for Pam to see, "You're gonna feel a slight prick, but we're here to help you, Ms. Lavely."

"Get that away from me!" Pam screamed, becoming more and more frantic before she felt hands hold her down, "Let go of me, dammit!"

"Hurry before she hurts herself!" another nurse said in the same voice.

Pam screamed and squirmed, but they were too strong and the restraints held her in place. The needle went into her arm, and she felt light headed and dizzy. It was like when Beth had injected her with the neuro-toxin at the cabin all over again. She looked around as one of the nurses pulled down their mask and smiled down at her. "There's a good girl," Courtney said, stroking her hair and making her skin crawl, "Don't worry, our doctor is one of the best in the business! She's been absolutely dying to meet you too!"

The nurses, all of them were the same person! How could this be?! Pam felt her heart rate skyrocket once again as she realized she was surrounded by Courtney. "Uh-oh, looks like someone is having an adverse reaction to her medicine," one of the nurses said as she grabbed another needle, "This should do the trick."

"Should we put her to sleep?" one of them asked as Pam tried to fight back.

"No," a different voice said from the shadows, "I want Ms. Lately good and awake for our help."

"No," Pam whispered as she recognized the voice, "No, you can't be here, you can't!"

Dr. Murray stepped forward with her hands behind her back and a surgery gown on. "Oh, Ms. Lavely, have you already forgotten? Your friend Tammy checked you into our humble little abode. She insisted on having me specifically be the one to help you. Go ahead with the next injections, nurses. I've got to freshen up a bit before we begin."

"That's not true!" Pam screamed, "Tammy is dead, but she would never have done this to me!"

"We've got a feisty one on us!" Courtney said as she and the others grabbed several different syringes, "Don't worry, Ms. Lavely, we'll fill you in on everything while we wait. Remember, we're here to help you!"

Pam struggled as best she could against the restraints. It was a little known fact that she was petrified of hospitals, operating rooms, and doctors in general. It was something she knew was ridiculous, but something she'd never been able to shake since childhood. The fact that it was Anna Murray who was her surgeon, and Courtney her nurses, only made her terror that much more intense. Another painful injection into her arm, and Pam screamed in protest as she started to feel more like she was underwater.

As Pam struggled and fought to free herself from her bonds, Beth found herself trapped in the confines of a tight glass box. A single hole sat above her, but all she could see looking up was black clouds obscuring the sun. She hated being in confined spaces, Jake had once called her claustrophobic. She'd denied it back then, but she'd accepted it since then. Now, confined in what she could only describe as a coffin, she felt an unbelievable wave of terror wash over her. Worse yet, she was surrounded by dirt walls. What was going on?

Beth had been banging on the glass for what felt like hours now, but it wouldn't budge or crack. "Goddammit, someone get me out of here!" she screamed, "Jake, Pam, anybody, help me!"

"You hear something?" Beth heard someone ask up above.

"Down here!" she screamed.

Beth saw a face peer down at her, and she felt furious when she spotted Courtney's malicious and wicked grin. Courtney locked eyes with her as she replied to the other voice, "Nah, must just be your imagination. Let's vet this grave filled already so we can knock off and have a few drinks."

"Amen to that," the other voice said, and Beth felt a new wave of fear hit her.

"Wait!" Beth screamed, banging on the glass, "I'm alive down here!"

Courtney smiled at her as the sound of a machine starting up hit her ears. She mouthed four simple words before disappearing, "Have fun, bye-bye."

Dirt began falling down into the hole, and Beth began to panic. She banged and punched at the glass, but it just wouldn't give. She tried to summon her sword, but she couldn't feel the spirit blase inside of her. She couldn't break free. She was terrified that her final moments would be spent in a box underground. The dirt and debris started to fall into the hole, and Beth tried to figure out a way out. Was this really how she died? There had to be something she could do, but she couldn't think of anything. Fear and terror clawed at her mind, and it was worse when she felt something crawling in the box with her. She closed her eyes and tried to block out the feeling, but then she felt something bite her. There were spiders in the mixed in with the dirt…Beth screamed louder than ever as she panicked and tried to break free.