<center>Chapter 9</center>
Michael gritted his teeth, working at the ropes that bound his hands together in frustration. His wrists were raw and aching, sending twinges of pain shooting up his arms with each saw of motion. He let out a growl, his feet coming out to slam against the door, but the thick wooden hatch didn’t budge.
“Dammit!” he hissed, pausing to lay his head back, breathing harsh and heavy. He’d lost count of the time he’d spent working at them, but the tight knots had barely been loosened. He was running out of time, not to mention air. Light-headedness was beginning to creep in, making him feel sluggish as he once again began attacking the loops with clumsy fingers.
For a moment he considered using his powers to simply fry the rope in half, but he couldn’t risk accidentally using too much and burning his damned hands off. His jaw clenched, he began cursing his circumstances as he worked. With every foul word that escaped his lips, he felt a strange sense of victory. He repeated the words over and over, until he was grinning crazily. “Shit, fuck, damn this to hell!”
The sudden scream, coming from an unknown distance had his head snapping up and his body coiling in alertness. He held his breath, heart pounding as he moved his eyes wildly in the darkness of the closet. The sound came again, and everything inside of him turned to ice as he recognized the shriek.
Maria.
With new ardor he began pounding at the door, desperate to get out. He shouted, pleaded, cursed as he tore at the thick rope. Blood began to ooze from the sores on his wrists, and the slickness gave him a much-needed advantage as the ropes slid further down his hands. He fought back a wave of dizziness, clenched his teeth and continued rubbing, squeezing out more of his blood. The knot on the back of his head began a dull throbbing, reminding him of his concussed state. He was so focused on staying awake, not succumbing to the darkness that tempted him, that he lost control over his powers and the ropes began to sizzle. Light shot into the closet and he blinked as he was suddenly freed from his binds.
For a moment, he could do nothing but stare in shock. “I’ll be damned,” he muttered. “All I needed to do was not think about it…?”
He heard another scream, this time closer. Isabel. He sat up so quickly that blood rushed to his head, but he ignored it as he tried the doorknob. Not surprised to find it locked, he quickly disengaged the handle and threw open the door. After being stuffed in a close space for hours, he was overcome with the need to fall to the floor and simply gulp the fresh air.
He glanced down at his arms and winced at the bruises and welts that tattooed his flesh. Nothing to be done about it now. He reached into his pocket and felt the familiar hilt of the pipe, then glanced all around him. He wasn’t sure, but it seemed like he was back in the same hidden room where he and the others had escaped Topolsky with Atherton’s files.
He heard the clomping of feet above him and stilled. Where the hell was Liz? If Maria and Isabel were here, then Max was too. And he had to get him the hell out of here and away from whoever the hell had taken their friend over. But first…how the hell could he get out of this room? The tunnel Liz had found before was sealed off and cemented, no doubt Topolsky’s and the FBI’s doing. He couldn’t find the entrance they’d used to get down here.
Dammit, he was going to be pissed if he’d managed to break out of a closet, with a concussion, only to be trapped in some hidden basement.
<center>***</center>
“What do we do now?” Alex wondered, still reeling from Isabel’s statement. It was hard for him to believe that it was Liz they were cowering from, hiding from as if she were some sort of monster. But that’s what she’d become.
Isabel shook her head, her eyes large and hollow. He knew she was near the point of breaking, after losing first Michael and then Max. He knew she was worried for Maria, but she’d lost the two people closest to her and was now, as far as they knew, all alone in this world. Or at least that was how he knew she’d see it.
“I don’t know,” she finally whispered, licking her lips and blinking slowly. “I don’t…I don’t know what the hell to do, Alex. What the hell do we do?”
His heart broke at the hopeless tone in her voice. “We stay strong,” he answered, grabbing her shoulders and forcing her to meet his gaze. “Look at me, Isabel. We don’t….” He swallowed hard and forced himself to continue. “We don’t know what happened to the others. We don’t know if they’re still alive…but we have to believe it. Just like we have to stay together. I can’t do this without you.”
Tears gleamed in her eyes, but she nodded in understanding. “Oh, Alex, I can’t believe this is happening,” she managed thickly. “I always thought we had to hide from the police, the government. I always worried that if they ever found out…” She trailed off, not needing to finish the grim statement. “But this is so much worse. Liz is…she’s…”
“A friend,” Alex finished softly, tears stinging his own eyes. “Isabel, I’m so sorry.”
“Max loves her,” Isabel continued in a trembling voice. “If he has to hurt her, Alex…if it comes down to that…I don’t know if it would be worth surviving for him. He’d never forgive himself.”
At least she was pretending that there was a chance Max would ever experience that. She was hanging on by a tenuous string and he became overwhelmed by protectiveness for her. He took her hand, brought it to his lips and whsipered, “We’ll stop whatever’s hurting her, Isabel. We will, you have to believe that.”
“Well, isn’t this a fucking Kodak moment,” a voice broke in, icy and dripping with malice. They both fell back and held onto each other, struggling to see into the dark shadows of the room. Sharp clapping punctuated the silence, and as they stared a figure began to emerge.
“I have to say, I never thought I’d see the day a bitch like you would cower and whine and cry,” Liz sneered, stalking towards them as she studied Isabel, eyes filled with anger and hatred. “I thought it would be amusing, but instead it just makes me want to slice your pathetic tongue from your throat and strangle you with it. Then again…I’d give anything to see you beg.”
“Liz,” Alex murmured, taking in the changes that had taken over his friend. Her hair was a riotous mass of curls, black as sin in the darkness. Her face glowed pale, a long scratch marring one cheek and crusted with blood. She wore a tight tank that was stained with dirt and more blood, and her jeans were ripped and muddy. More scratches, appearing to be made from fingernails sliced her bare arms. Her eyes, once soft and gentle, were swirling with violence.
As he spoke, she turned those eyes on him and he inhaled sharply as her lips quirked. “Hello, Alex,” she fairly purred, beginning to circle them. She closed in closer with each pass, drawing out the fear and anticipation with each second. “Maria mentioned you had come. But I thought she was just playing with me, you know how much she likes to play games.”
“You’ve seen Maria?” he asked, heart sinking and grief beginning to take over.
“Hmmm…” Was all she answered.
“Liz, you don’t have to do this,” Isabel stated in an even voice. Alex glanced over to see the blonde alien coming slowly to her feet. “I don’t want to hurt you, if you’d just tell us what you want.”
Liz made an annoyed sound, gesturing with her hand. “I’ve talked and talked about what I want until I’m blue in the face,” she whined like a petulant child. “Michael didn’t get it, why would you? Besides, actions speak louder than words.”
With that warning, a bolt of light shot out of her palm, knocking them both to the ground as she began laughing. Alex pushed up on his elbows, spitting blood from his mouth as he heard Isabel grunting next to him. “Are you all right?” he managed through the pain in his jaw.
“All right bitch,” Isabel growled, ignoring Alex as she threw up her own hand, sending Liz tumbling to the floor. Before she could get back up, Isabel blasted her with another beam of light.
Liz screeched, arching her back in a grotesque vision of pleasure. When she opened her eyes, they were dancing. Her lips parted, and she breathed, “Oh…make it hurt so good.”
“Iz…watch out!” Alex shouted, but he was too late. Liz reached out with a speed that blurred her motions, taking hold of Isabel and twisting her arm back so that any power she used would be aimed at herself. Isabel struggled, but was defenseless against Liz’s sudden strength.
He glanced around, desperately searching for something to use as a weapon. Anything to end the pain that was twisting Isabel’s features as she screamed. His gaze lit upon a potted plant, the leaves long decayed. He grabbed the clay pot and prepared to heave it at the back of Liz’s head when the first opportunity struck. “Over here, psycho!” he shouted, wincing inwardly at the lame taunt.
“Alex, no!” Isabel managed, but Liz cut her off by wrapping her hands around her throat, cutting off circulation. Against her will, Isabel felt a power surge inside of her, raising her hand in Alex’s direction. Through horrified eyes she watched as a jolt of power struck him directly in the chest, felling him on contact.
He fell to the floor, a limp heap as the clay pot crashed into pieces at his side. She screamed again, thrashing in Liz’s grip as tears streaked down her face. “Alex!”
“Ready to beg?” Liz murmured, fingers pressing against vulnerable skin of her throat. Isabel’s vision began to blur and she began to choke. Panic and anger filled her, but she tried to block it all out and overcome Liz’s grip on her powers. Oh please, oh please… She thought in desperation as dizziness consumed her.
“Now, I’m going to ask this one time, and I want an answer,” Liz spoke evenly into her ear, fingers taut around her throat. “Where is Max?”
Isabel gagged, the painful pressure on her throat lessening enough for her to spit out, “Go…go to hell!”
Liz sighed. Squeezed. “After you.”
<center>***</center>
He floated along a river of vacuity, feeling lost and not quite sure of anything. Something pricked at his mind, vague memories that couldn’t quite make it to the forefront. Pain throbbed in him as he tried to remember, so he easily stopped the attempt and continued basking in the glow of tranquility.
The sudden sound of screams echoed in the distance and he tried to lift his head to see what had disturbed him, but his lims felt heavy and sluggish. Panic began to swell inside of him as the illusion of peace and serenity began fading to be replaced by alarm and darkness.
Awareness rushed back to him in a tidal wave of fear and agony. The last thing he could remember was a bright light…then darkness. Isabel’s screams pierced his memory and he winced, holding a hand to his head to thwart the throbbing pain. Amber eyes flew open and his breathing hitched as he found himself splayed out across a bed, candles flickering around an unrecognizable room.
He glanced down and saw he was bare-chested, strange symbols painted on his flesh. He ran a finger over one and saw his skin prickle in goosebumps. He swallowed, blinking as the last vestiges of obscurity faded from his mind.
“Don’t make a sound.”
Max’s head snapped around to see a hulking figure seated next to him, watching him with unreadable eyes. His own eyes widened upon recognition, and he immediately scrambled up and away, throwing up a hand in protection. “You. What are you doing here? Where the hell is everyone?”
“They’re gone.” Was the only answer he got. “You should not have come here, I told you to stay away. Why did you not heed my warning?”
Confusion trickled through the fear. “That was you? Outside…you spoke inside my head?”
“She is lost. There is nothing you can do. Leave this place, run away and save yourself.”
“Who are you?” Max demanded, determined to figure what the hell was going on. He was desperate to find his family and friends, to save Liz. But first he had to know… “Why have you followed us here, River Dog?”
The old man answered in a raspy tone, his eyes glinting with hardness. “I’ve come to restore the Balance.”
Gravity of the Situation (CC,M/L,ADULT) [COMPLETE]
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Applebylicious
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Okay, here it is...the end. Um, this story sort of took a life of its own throughout the time it took me to write it, which is slightly odd seeing as how it's only ten chapters, lol. But anyway...I really enjoyed it. It was something different than I've ever done before, and I hope I was able to entertain some of you...in a good way of course. 
As promised, here is the final chapter...and Happy Halloween!
Thanks for reading,
Lindsay
<center>Chapter 10</center>
“You want to restore the Balance,” Max echoed River Dog’s words, gaze firmly trained on the old man who stood before him, wild-eyed and disoriented. “You mean, by healing her? Like we did with Michael?”
“Not the same,” River Dog rasped, shaking his head of snowy hair. “Not the same…he warned me, there was a risk. It can pull you in. It's a force that can change both your body and your mind unless you navigate it properly.”
“You’ve told us this before,” Max broke in slowly.
“And she did not listen!” River Dog snapped hotly, spinning around to pin Max with his dark eyes. “And now it has begun. A reversal must be done, the Balance must be restored. You cannot do it alone.”
“I’m not…” Max trailed off in remembrance. “I didn’t come alone. Where are the others?” He pushed off the bed, only wincing slightly at the dull throb at the base of his neck. “What did you mean, they’re gone?”
“It is too late for them,” River Dog answered solemnly. “There is no doubt it’s already taken them.”
“It…Liz?” Max swallowed hard. “No…”
“Wake up, fool!” River Dog snapped, his weathered face drawn tight with displeasure and what Max sensed was stark fear. “She is your friend no longer. What she has become is much more, much worse. She is lost, used.”
Max stood to the floor, shaky and heartsick. “There must be a way to save her,” he began in a tone rough with worry. “You knew how to save Michael…why can’t you—”
“He was merely a by-blow, a victim of what it’s capable of,” River Dog shook his head, motioning for Max to follow him out of the room. His voice echoed in the dark, leading the way as well as a well-lit torch. “Come, we must hurry.”
“And Liz isn’t a victim?” Max could hear his voice rising, fear and anger clogging his throat as he trekked, struggling to stand upright due to the lingering effects of the blow to his head. Without thinking, he placed a hand there and healed himself. “Why can you save Michael, but not her? Why, dammit?”
He came to an abrupt halt as River Dog stopped and turned to stare at him, unblinking and stoic in the dim light. Max stared back, breath heavy and expectant.
“Because she is not one of you. And therefore, she will die if a healing is attempted.”
<center>***</center>
“Oh Michael…” Liz sang in a mixture of aggravation and amusement, staring at the open closet door. “Come out, come out…wherever you are…”
Across the room, hidden behind a set of file cabinets, Michael breathed softly as he listened to the soft thud of shoes circling the floor. He closed his eyes, sweat beading his brow as he clutched the lead pipe with both hands.
“Michael, you’re making this harder than it needs to be.” Her voice was petulant and pouty now, like a child who didn’t get their way. He heard her sigh heavily, stomp her foot. “Don’t you want to play?”
Not with you, you sick bitch, he sneered inwardly, tightening his grasp on the pipe. His heart pounded with every step she drew closer, blood roared in his ears until he was faint with fear that she would hear it, as well.
“I’ve made a pretty place just for you,” Liz continued in a singsong voice. A pause, then, “Come out and play with me, Michael.” When silence met her statement, she sighed again, but it was a sly sort of sound. Going on the alert, he waited to hear her newest ploy.
“Maria mentioned you, you know. She begged me not to hurt her, but then she begged…for you. Amazing, isn’t it?” Liz laughed cheerfully as everything inside of him went icy with pain. “You blew her off, gave her hell, and you were still the last thing she thought of before…” She trailed off deliberately and his breath caught.
His lips pressed tightly together, rage pounding through his system as he crept forward until he caught sight of her. Being careful to keep himself hidden, he watched her as she paced the floor, tossing her hair back and forth carelessly.
“Not that you’re an ungrateful bastard or anything, Michael.”
He saw red, lifted the pipe and waited for her to unknowingly step closer. All sense of right and wrong had fled from his mind. The sound of a door slamming upstairs had them both staring at the ceiling. A hiss escaped her breath, her eyes grew fierce and her expression expectant.
He only blinked, and she was gone.
<center>***</center>
“Where are we?” Max managed, breathing heavily as he followed River Dog. “Just where the hell did you take me, old man?”
“There is a passageway, it leads to Atherton’s home. It is belowground,” River Dog answered, leading on through the tunnel. “It was built by the visitor, many years ago. Atherton sealed it up sometime before his death, but the man told me of it before I healed him. It should lead us directly there.”
Max nodded, accepting this answer even as he wondered where they had come from. Pushing that thought away for a more unsettling one, he resumed their earlier conversation. “You said Liz will die if we attempt to heal her. Why? If the Balance exists in everyone and everything…”
“Humans cannot control their own energy,” the old man grunted. “They do not have the capabilities.”
“But you saved your friend, you helped save Michael,” Max pointed out. “So did Maria and Alex. Why is nothing happening to them?”
“They were not existing on the same plane as you,” River Dog explained. “A human’s focus is different from a visitor. What you might see is not the same as what they believe. They see what they want to see, which in that case…was their friend alive and healthy. That was their power, that is why I brought them forth.”
“But they were there,” Max argued. “When we all went…wherever we went…they were there. I saw them. Saw all of us, together.”
“They were there of their own minds. If you asked, they would not remember it the same way.”
“So why did it effect Liz?” Max wondered. “What did she do wrong?”
“She worried not for Michael, but for you. This corrupted the Balance.”
“For me,” Max echoed softly, his heart breaking as he recalled the image of Liz’s pale features and wet eyes as she watched him that night in the cave. “She was worried I would…I would think less of her, if she didn’t participate. She never knew…”
“She should not have joined, I should have made her step back.” The old man’s voice was heavy with regret. “She could not handle the rush, she left herself open.”
“So there’s nothing we can do?” Max asked thickly. “How do we reverse the Balance?”
River Dog hesitated. “The Balance is of two parts,” he explained. “Primal urges and morality. Good and evil. It’s a constant struggle of equilibrium, just as it is in each and every person. If it did not exist, there would be no emotion. It is a necessary thing.”
“How did it get inside of Liz?” Max demanded to know.
“It feeds on emotion, as I told you,” River Dog continued. “The healing was a dangerous thing because it opened the channel…made us all susceptible. This is why I told you to block all thought, all feeling aside from that for your friend. Anything else it uses, exploits. Like a leech, the stronger you feel the more power it gains.”
“She was scared,” Max whispered. “She was afraid, and it used that against her.”
“Yes, and with fear comes all sorts of darker sentiments. Dark and primitive,” River Dog’s voice took on a hint of his own dread. “She left herself open and it took her. And now she’s ruled by that which she feared.”
They turned a corner and found a crudely carved door waiting. River Dog stepped forward, meaning to pry it open, but it held fast against his strength. Max moved next to him, gently pushed him out of the way and ran a hand down the length of the seal.
The door fell open with a screech of protest. Dim light spilled over them and Max immediately recognized the room they’d appeared in. “I recognize this place,” he murmured, taking in the familiar surroundings. “I’ve been here.”
A sudden movement to the left had them both stepping back, as Michael fell from the shadows. “Max!” His eyes widened and he lowered the unrecognizable weapon in his hand as he stared in shock.
Max felt his own surprise and pain at the sight of his friend. Michael’s face was covered in dirt and blood, his clothing torn and revealing various bruises and injuries. He walked with a slight limp, favoring one arm over the other. “Jesus, Michael…” He moved forward and caught the other male as he nearly fell to the floor.
“Y-You’re alive?” Michael’s voice cracked. “But I thought she…she said…” He trailed off, licking his lips as he blinked. “Christ, Max…Maria…” He let out a wince and grabbed his shoulder. “Damn…arm…couldn’t heal it myself.”
“Michael, look at me,” Max spoke briskly. As he spoke, he quickly and efficiently healed Michael’s noticeable injuries. When he came to his wrists, he shuddered slightly at the memory of the bandages covering his own. “Where is Liz, Michael?”
A cloud settled over Michael’s eyes. “She’s not Liz anymore, Max. I don’t know what the hell she is, but she isn’t Liz. Believe me.”
“Where is she?” Max repeated, struggling to ignore the panic in his friend’s gaze and the piercing stare of River Dog meeting his gaze.
“She left, right before you came. There…there was a sound upstairs and she went to check it out. Jesus!” Michael gasped, pain exploding behind his eyes as Max’s hands fell to his shoulder. “Healing hands, my ass!”
“Come,” River Dog spoke briskly. “We end this now.”
“Amen, brother,” Michael snarked. “And why am I not surprised you know what the hell’s going on?”
“Michael, not now.”
“This way,” River Dog snapped, then began striding across the floor.
“There’s no way out,” Michael called. “I mean, there is…but I haven’t figured it out yet and I—” He trailed off when River Dog stepped up to a wall, slid his finger into a crack and the wall split, revealing the set of stairs that they’d used to come down to the hidden room weeks ago. “Well…never mind.”
They silently climbed the stairs, ascending into the rooms above. Every light had ben turned off, cloaking the house in darkness. Pale moonlight filtered through windows, creating leering shadows in the far corners of the room. They stepped lightly, the air thick and heavy with expectation. Something was waiting for them, it was too quiet.
Then his eyes caught it. “There,” he whispered, staring down the same dark hallway where a dim light shined. It was the last thing he’d seen before… He began walking towards it, as if in a trance.
“Max, wait…it’s a trap,” Michael caught his arm, feeling queasy as he too felt the pull…the need. “It’s…”
“Liz…” Max answered dreamily. “She’s waiting for me.”
“Max!” Michael hissed as his friend broke free, but he was suddenly unable to move. He shot a panicked glance towards River Dog, but the old man was in the same predicament.
Max slowly glided towards the light. The hallway seemed endless, but somehow the light grew closer. He reached his destination, hesitating outside of the parted door. He lifted a hand, pressed it against the wood and slowly pushed it open.
Candles flickered through the room, a room similar to the one he’d left with River Dog. A bed was the central focus, and he stared in amazement at the sight presented to his gaze. Among the plush pillows, Liz lay in a seductive sprawl as she waited for him.
A smile curved her lips, but he felt no warmth. “Hello, Max,” she whispered huskily. “I’ve been waiting for you.”
“Liz, what…” Suddenly he came back to himself and stared in alarm as she slowly came up to her knees. He glimpsed the blood covering her hands, black in the soft candlelight. He backed away as she approached. “Don’t.”
“Don’t what?” she purred soliticiously. “You’re not leaving, are you? Before you’ve had a chance to greet our other guests?”
With that, she raised a hand towards the closet and it opened, spilling three bodies from it’s chamber. He watched in sickening horror as his sister’s face turned towards him, frozen in a grimace of terror, eyes unseeing.
“Maria!” Michael’s voice broke the horrifying moment, and he rushed past Max to scoop the petite blonde off of the floor and held her to his chest. He lifted his gaze to Liz’s smiling expression and Max saw the murder gleaming in his eyes. “You bitch…” His voice broke.
“Oh, shove it up your ass,” Liz hissed. “Like you gave a damn if they lived or died. Your turn will come soon enough. After…” She turned towards Max. “We have unfinished business, Max.”
“Why?” he asked with a calm he didn’t feel as Alex’s limp arm bent over his sister’s shoulder, as if holding her in a ghostly embrace. “What do you want with me?”
“Isn’t that a popular question?” Liz giggled. “Well, let me clear it up for you.” With that, she threw a hand out and Max fell forward, arms in the air as blood began to pour from the wounds in his wrists.
He gritted his teeth as sharp pain exploded, but he didn’t tear his gaze away from hers. “Liz…” he managed huskily, blinking as she stared at him. “Liz, look at me…”
She frowned, flicked her wrist and he began to rise off of the floor. She sent him crashing into a wall so hard that the plaster split apart around him. He struggled to come back to his feet, but she immediately sent him flying into the opposite wall.
“Max!” Michael yelled, collecting his own power to use against their enemy. When he blasted Liz with a bolt of power, she spun around and sent his arm bending backward at an angle that had him groaning in pain. River Dog began chanting, rubbing the leather band that fell on his neck and swaying back and forth as chaos reigned around him.
“Liz! Let him go!” Max stood up, stumbled as he tried to make his way over to where she was grinning as Michael contorted in pain. “Liz!”
She turned, eyed him with chilling pleasure as she closed her fist. Michael’s scream pierced the air and the sound of snapping bone echoed in his ears as she began to laugh. His own blood was pumping, hot and furious as he stared into her eyes across the room. Saw the shadows. She no longer looked like Liz, only a twisted mirage that bore a passing resemblance. He panted heavily, feeling a slight burning in his chest.
“What’s the matter, Max?” she asked in a low voice, meant to agitate him. “Can’t stand to see your friend in pain? Shall I tell you how I killed your precious sister? She was a fighter, I’ll give her that. Told me to go right to hell…even as my fingers crushed her windpipe and blood poured from her lips.”
He began to shake, not recognizing the power filling up inside of him as she spoke. A language he didn’t understand took hold in his mind, the words spilling from his throat in an intense tone as the searing pain continued on his chest. He glanced down, seeing the painted symbols begin to glow, shimmering across his flesh.
“What are you saying?” she snapped, releasing Michael from her grip as she stalked forward. He collapsed, gray and convulsing with pain as Max continued to rumble, eyeing her as she approached. Something flickered across her face and she paused, twitched. “Stop that!” she screeched, tearing at her hair. “What are you saying?”
River Dog joined in, their voices rising to a turbulent blend as she continued screaming. She fell to the ground, kicking her legs and arching her back. “No…no…no!” She went limp, breathing shallowly.
Max was shouting the words now, stepping forward as venom filled his throat. He hovered above her still form, prepared for an attack. But what he found when he turned her over with the heel of his boot sent everything inside of him careening to an abrupt halt.
“M-Max…? Help me…” Liz’s small voice pleaded, her eyes large and filled with tears as her lip trembled. “I’m s-so…cold…”
“Oh God,” he whispered, dropping to his feet as he ran his hands down her arms. The wickedness melted away from her, leaving fear and pain in its wake. “Liz…baby…” His voice broke as she began gurgling. “Liz, what’s happening?”
He was suddenly thrown clear of her body and stared up at River Dog in shock as the old man stood over Liz’s prone form with the pipe that Michael had held in his hands when they’d found him. “What are you doing?” he yelled, coming to his hands and knees and scrambling forward. He yanked at the man’s hand, but he tossed him aside.
“It is a trick,” River Dog rasped, coughing violently as Liz stared up at him in horror. “She must die…the Balance must be restored.”
Suddenly everything made sense to Max and his blood froze. “You came to kill her,” he whispered.
“She has to die!” River Dog cried. “It is the only way…the Balance must be restored.” He then began to chant again, the words causing Liz to shriek as she bowed up off the floor again and again, smoke filling the air. “It is the only way!”
“M-Max!” Liz cried out through the madness, her face contorting as the Balance tried to fight its way back. She cried, thrashing about as Max dragged himself forward, struggling to heal himself and not pass out from the overuse of power.
“Liz!” he called out, stretching a hand out to hers as their eyes met. Fingers brushed, locked, and he felt a surge inside of him as the Balance tried to take him. Adversely, it gave him the power he needed, streaking through him like a healing potion and leaving him whole and stronger than he’d ever felt.
He sat up, staring at his hands as they pulsed and glowed with newly found power. He opened and closed his palms, turning to meet Michael’s eyes. His friend was staring in blatant shock and horror at River Dog, who still hovered above Liz.
Max turned and saw Liz’s eyes now locked onto the old man’s as she snaked an arm out and closed it over the hand that threatened to bring the pipe down onto her head. “I…will…not…die!” she hissed, and something passed between them that left the old man’s face white. He fell back, panting and drenched in sweat as Liz’s arm fell to the ground, limp and lax.
“No!” he howled, clawing at his skin as it began to bubble. His eyes swirled and grew darker as he turned to stare at Max. “Kill me,” he pleaded. “Before it…takes hold of me. It’s transferred to me…kill me now!”
Max hesitated a beat too long, staring in shock as the man began to grow young again before his eyes. His features changed, turning treacherous with evil.
“Do it now!” River Dog cried out. “Do it now, before I can longer ask it of you.”
Max raised a shaky hand, pointing it towards the man’s heart as he stumbled forward. River Dog collapsed against his chest, his eyes fully black and deadly as he hissed, “You will die, and then I will kill your bitch! We will have a nice time playing, she and I.”
A sudden grunt came from his throat, and he stared in wide-eyed shock as he slumped forward, blood beginning to trickle from his lips. Max looked up and met Liz’s eyes over River Dog’s shoulder, a knife stuck between his shoulder blades.
“Game over,” she stated softly.
“Max!” Michael’s voice drew his gaze over to see Isabel, Maria and Alex slowly coming to their feet in various stages of confusion. Even as relief flooded him, he glanced back to see Liz drop the knife, holding her arms as if cold. Her skin was white and she stared at the floor as Michael rushed over to grab his arms.
“They weren’t dead…they were knocked out. Jesus, that bitch only knocked them out!” He trailed off as he caught sight of Liz. “Oh, sorry…hey, are you all right?”
“I…I’m fine,” Liz answered, then promptly passed out.
<center>***</center>
“So it’s gone?” Isabel asked, tightening her grip on Alex’s fingers as they all stared at Max. The drive back to the motel had taken the better part of the day, but no one seemed to mind. The quiet was a welcome change, except when it came from one person.
Max stared through the window towards the second bed where Liz lay, eyes closed and cheeks pale as she slept. “It’s gone,” he confirmed solemnly. “I don’t know what happened, Iz…one minute I knew nothing, then she touched me and…and I knew it all. I saw so many things…”
Including the torment that plagued Liz, the fact that even when she’d been possessed she’d been well-aware of every moment that had happened. She’d been a helpless bystander as the Balance had seeked to, and nearly succeeded, in destroying her friends. He knew she didn’t want to awaken, to face the horrible truth.
It didn’t matter that none of them blamed her, even Michael had spent an hour sitting beside Liz’s bed. Max knew there were things that had occurred between the two that would forever bind them.
If she would only wake up.
“It won’t be coming back. It’s done,” he added softly, tearing his gaze away and meeting Isabel’s. She nodded, lying her head against Alex’s shoulder as they all watched the sunset approach in the distance. His gaze traveled over to the second step, watching as Michael ran his hands through Maria’s hair, whispering into her ear.
Max stood silently, turning and walking inside the motel room. The door closed softly behind him and he took his seat at the bed watching her face as his hand closed over hers. Using his free hand to brush the hair back from her face, he bent and whispered into her ear, “It’s time to wake up.”
When he sat back up, she was staring at him. He wondered why he felt no surprise, only a faint worry as she ran those eyes that he loved over him. They were tired, and haunted. When she spoke, he expected pain, maybe even anger. But she simply blinked slowly, then parted her lips to breathe, “Max. I love you…I wanted you to know that. Before…”
“I love you, too,” he answered just as thickly.
“It…it was a dream?” she wondered softly, her eyes filled hope as they stared at each other. “Max…was it all a dream?”
Tears filled his eyes, falling to splash against the sheets as she watched him silently. Unable to do anything more, he simply nodded and laid his head on her stomach. “Yes, baby…it was all a dream. But you woke up.”
She was silent for a long moment, then released a breath, her hand falling to his head as they both took comfort in each other. The nightmare was over, and the balance was restored.
The End
As promised, here is the final chapter...and Happy Halloween!Thanks for reading,
Lindsay
<center>Chapter 10</center>
“You want to restore the Balance,” Max echoed River Dog’s words, gaze firmly trained on the old man who stood before him, wild-eyed and disoriented. “You mean, by healing her? Like we did with Michael?”
“Not the same,” River Dog rasped, shaking his head of snowy hair. “Not the same…he warned me, there was a risk. It can pull you in. It's a force that can change both your body and your mind unless you navigate it properly.”
“You’ve told us this before,” Max broke in slowly.
“And she did not listen!” River Dog snapped hotly, spinning around to pin Max with his dark eyes. “And now it has begun. A reversal must be done, the Balance must be restored. You cannot do it alone.”
“I’m not…” Max trailed off in remembrance. “I didn’t come alone. Where are the others?” He pushed off the bed, only wincing slightly at the dull throb at the base of his neck. “What did you mean, they’re gone?”
“It is too late for them,” River Dog answered solemnly. “There is no doubt it’s already taken them.”
“It…Liz?” Max swallowed hard. “No…”
“Wake up, fool!” River Dog snapped, his weathered face drawn tight with displeasure and what Max sensed was stark fear. “She is your friend no longer. What she has become is much more, much worse. She is lost, used.”
Max stood to the floor, shaky and heartsick. “There must be a way to save her,” he began in a tone rough with worry. “You knew how to save Michael…why can’t you—”
“He was merely a by-blow, a victim of what it’s capable of,” River Dog shook his head, motioning for Max to follow him out of the room. His voice echoed in the dark, leading the way as well as a well-lit torch. “Come, we must hurry.”
“And Liz isn’t a victim?” Max could hear his voice rising, fear and anger clogging his throat as he trekked, struggling to stand upright due to the lingering effects of the blow to his head. Without thinking, he placed a hand there and healed himself. “Why can you save Michael, but not her? Why, dammit?”
He came to an abrupt halt as River Dog stopped and turned to stare at him, unblinking and stoic in the dim light. Max stared back, breath heavy and expectant.
“Because she is not one of you. And therefore, she will die if a healing is attempted.”
<center>***</center>
“Oh Michael…” Liz sang in a mixture of aggravation and amusement, staring at the open closet door. “Come out, come out…wherever you are…”
Across the room, hidden behind a set of file cabinets, Michael breathed softly as he listened to the soft thud of shoes circling the floor. He closed his eyes, sweat beading his brow as he clutched the lead pipe with both hands.
“Michael, you’re making this harder than it needs to be.” Her voice was petulant and pouty now, like a child who didn’t get their way. He heard her sigh heavily, stomp her foot. “Don’t you want to play?”
Not with you, you sick bitch, he sneered inwardly, tightening his grasp on the pipe. His heart pounded with every step she drew closer, blood roared in his ears until he was faint with fear that she would hear it, as well.
“I’ve made a pretty place just for you,” Liz continued in a singsong voice. A pause, then, “Come out and play with me, Michael.” When silence met her statement, she sighed again, but it was a sly sort of sound. Going on the alert, he waited to hear her newest ploy.
“Maria mentioned you, you know. She begged me not to hurt her, but then she begged…for you. Amazing, isn’t it?” Liz laughed cheerfully as everything inside of him went icy with pain. “You blew her off, gave her hell, and you were still the last thing she thought of before…” She trailed off deliberately and his breath caught.
His lips pressed tightly together, rage pounding through his system as he crept forward until he caught sight of her. Being careful to keep himself hidden, he watched her as she paced the floor, tossing her hair back and forth carelessly.
“Not that you’re an ungrateful bastard or anything, Michael.”
He saw red, lifted the pipe and waited for her to unknowingly step closer. All sense of right and wrong had fled from his mind. The sound of a door slamming upstairs had them both staring at the ceiling. A hiss escaped her breath, her eyes grew fierce and her expression expectant.
He only blinked, and she was gone.
<center>***</center>
“Where are we?” Max managed, breathing heavily as he followed River Dog. “Just where the hell did you take me, old man?”
“There is a passageway, it leads to Atherton’s home. It is belowground,” River Dog answered, leading on through the tunnel. “It was built by the visitor, many years ago. Atherton sealed it up sometime before his death, but the man told me of it before I healed him. It should lead us directly there.”
Max nodded, accepting this answer even as he wondered where they had come from. Pushing that thought away for a more unsettling one, he resumed their earlier conversation. “You said Liz will die if we attempt to heal her. Why? If the Balance exists in everyone and everything…”
“Humans cannot control their own energy,” the old man grunted. “They do not have the capabilities.”
“But you saved your friend, you helped save Michael,” Max pointed out. “So did Maria and Alex. Why is nothing happening to them?”
“They were not existing on the same plane as you,” River Dog explained. “A human’s focus is different from a visitor. What you might see is not the same as what they believe. They see what they want to see, which in that case…was their friend alive and healthy. That was their power, that is why I brought them forth.”
“But they were there,” Max argued. “When we all went…wherever we went…they were there. I saw them. Saw all of us, together.”
“They were there of their own minds. If you asked, they would not remember it the same way.”
“So why did it effect Liz?” Max wondered. “What did she do wrong?”
“She worried not for Michael, but for you. This corrupted the Balance.”
“For me,” Max echoed softly, his heart breaking as he recalled the image of Liz’s pale features and wet eyes as she watched him that night in the cave. “She was worried I would…I would think less of her, if she didn’t participate. She never knew…”
“She should not have joined, I should have made her step back.” The old man’s voice was heavy with regret. “She could not handle the rush, she left herself open.”
“So there’s nothing we can do?” Max asked thickly. “How do we reverse the Balance?”
River Dog hesitated. “The Balance is of two parts,” he explained. “Primal urges and morality. Good and evil. It’s a constant struggle of equilibrium, just as it is in each and every person. If it did not exist, there would be no emotion. It is a necessary thing.”
“How did it get inside of Liz?” Max demanded to know.
“It feeds on emotion, as I told you,” River Dog continued. “The healing was a dangerous thing because it opened the channel…made us all susceptible. This is why I told you to block all thought, all feeling aside from that for your friend. Anything else it uses, exploits. Like a leech, the stronger you feel the more power it gains.”
“She was scared,” Max whispered. “She was afraid, and it used that against her.”
“Yes, and with fear comes all sorts of darker sentiments. Dark and primitive,” River Dog’s voice took on a hint of his own dread. “She left herself open and it took her. And now she’s ruled by that which she feared.”
They turned a corner and found a crudely carved door waiting. River Dog stepped forward, meaning to pry it open, but it held fast against his strength. Max moved next to him, gently pushed him out of the way and ran a hand down the length of the seal.
The door fell open with a screech of protest. Dim light spilled over them and Max immediately recognized the room they’d appeared in. “I recognize this place,” he murmured, taking in the familiar surroundings. “I’ve been here.”
A sudden movement to the left had them both stepping back, as Michael fell from the shadows. “Max!” His eyes widened and he lowered the unrecognizable weapon in his hand as he stared in shock.
Max felt his own surprise and pain at the sight of his friend. Michael’s face was covered in dirt and blood, his clothing torn and revealing various bruises and injuries. He walked with a slight limp, favoring one arm over the other. “Jesus, Michael…” He moved forward and caught the other male as he nearly fell to the floor.
“Y-You’re alive?” Michael’s voice cracked. “But I thought she…she said…” He trailed off, licking his lips as he blinked. “Christ, Max…Maria…” He let out a wince and grabbed his shoulder. “Damn…arm…couldn’t heal it myself.”
“Michael, look at me,” Max spoke briskly. As he spoke, he quickly and efficiently healed Michael’s noticeable injuries. When he came to his wrists, he shuddered slightly at the memory of the bandages covering his own. “Where is Liz, Michael?”
A cloud settled over Michael’s eyes. “She’s not Liz anymore, Max. I don’t know what the hell she is, but she isn’t Liz. Believe me.”
“Where is she?” Max repeated, struggling to ignore the panic in his friend’s gaze and the piercing stare of River Dog meeting his gaze.
“She left, right before you came. There…there was a sound upstairs and she went to check it out. Jesus!” Michael gasped, pain exploding behind his eyes as Max’s hands fell to his shoulder. “Healing hands, my ass!”
“Come,” River Dog spoke briskly. “We end this now.”
“Amen, brother,” Michael snarked. “And why am I not surprised you know what the hell’s going on?”
“Michael, not now.”
“This way,” River Dog snapped, then began striding across the floor.
“There’s no way out,” Michael called. “I mean, there is…but I haven’t figured it out yet and I—” He trailed off when River Dog stepped up to a wall, slid his finger into a crack and the wall split, revealing the set of stairs that they’d used to come down to the hidden room weeks ago. “Well…never mind.”
They silently climbed the stairs, ascending into the rooms above. Every light had ben turned off, cloaking the house in darkness. Pale moonlight filtered through windows, creating leering shadows in the far corners of the room. They stepped lightly, the air thick and heavy with expectation. Something was waiting for them, it was too quiet.
Then his eyes caught it. “There,” he whispered, staring down the same dark hallway where a dim light shined. It was the last thing he’d seen before… He began walking towards it, as if in a trance.
“Max, wait…it’s a trap,” Michael caught his arm, feeling queasy as he too felt the pull…the need. “It’s…”
“Liz…” Max answered dreamily. “She’s waiting for me.”
“Max!” Michael hissed as his friend broke free, but he was suddenly unable to move. He shot a panicked glance towards River Dog, but the old man was in the same predicament.
Max slowly glided towards the light. The hallway seemed endless, but somehow the light grew closer. He reached his destination, hesitating outside of the parted door. He lifted a hand, pressed it against the wood and slowly pushed it open.
Candles flickered through the room, a room similar to the one he’d left with River Dog. A bed was the central focus, and he stared in amazement at the sight presented to his gaze. Among the plush pillows, Liz lay in a seductive sprawl as she waited for him.
A smile curved her lips, but he felt no warmth. “Hello, Max,” she whispered huskily. “I’ve been waiting for you.”
“Liz, what…” Suddenly he came back to himself and stared in alarm as she slowly came up to her knees. He glimpsed the blood covering her hands, black in the soft candlelight. He backed away as she approached. “Don’t.”
“Don’t what?” she purred soliticiously. “You’re not leaving, are you? Before you’ve had a chance to greet our other guests?”
With that, she raised a hand towards the closet and it opened, spilling three bodies from it’s chamber. He watched in sickening horror as his sister’s face turned towards him, frozen in a grimace of terror, eyes unseeing.
“Maria!” Michael’s voice broke the horrifying moment, and he rushed past Max to scoop the petite blonde off of the floor and held her to his chest. He lifted his gaze to Liz’s smiling expression and Max saw the murder gleaming in his eyes. “You bitch…” His voice broke.
“Oh, shove it up your ass,” Liz hissed. “Like you gave a damn if they lived or died. Your turn will come soon enough. After…” She turned towards Max. “We have unfinished business, Max.”
“Why?” he asked with a calm he didn’t feel as Alex’s limp arm bent over his sister’s shoulder, as if holding her in a ghostly embrace. “What do you want with me?”
“Isn’t that a popular question?” Liz giggled. “Well, let me clear it up for you.” With that, she threw a hand out and Max fell forward, arms in the air as blood began to pour from the wounds in his wrists.
He gritted his teeth as sharp pain exploded, but he didn’t tear his gaze away from hers. “Liz…” he managed huskily, blinking as she stared at him. “Liz, look at me…”
She frowned, flicked her wrist and he began to rise off of the floor. She sent him crashing into a wall so hard that the plaster split apart around him. He struggled to come back to his feet, but she immediately sent him flying into the opposite wall.
“Max!” Michael yelled, collecting his own power to use against their enemy. When he blasted Liz with a bolt of power, she spun around and sent his arm bending backward at an angle that had him groaning in pain. River Dog began chanting, rubbing the leather band that fell on his neck and swaying back and forth as chaos reigned around him.
“Liz! Let him go!” Max stood up, stumbled as he tried to make his way over to where she was grinning as Michael contorted in pain. “Liz!”
She turned, eyed him with chilling pleasure as she closed her fist. Michael’s scream pierced the air and the sound of snapping bone echoed in his ears as she began to laugh. His own blood was pumping, hot and furious as he stared into her eyes across the room. Saw the shadows. She no longer looked like Liz, only a twisted mirage that bore a passing resemblance. He panted heavily, feeling a slight burning in his chest.
“What’s the matter, Max?” she asked in a low voice, meant to agitate him. “Can’t stand to see your friend in pain? Shall I tell you how I killed your precious sister? She was a fighter, I’ll give her that. Told me to go right to hell…even as my fingers crushed her windpipe and blood poured from her lips.”
He began to shake, not recognizing the power filling up inside of him as she spoke. A language he didn’t understand took hold in his mind, the words spilling from his throat in an intense tone as the searing pain continued on his chest. He glanced down, seeing the painted symbols begin to glow, shimmering across his flesh.
“What are you saying?” she snapped, releasing Michael from her grip as she stalked forward. He collapsed, gray and convulsing with pain as Max continued to rumble, eyeing her as she approached. Something flickered across her face and she paused, twitched. “Stop that!” she screeched, tearing at her hair. “What are you saying?”
River Dog joined in, their voices rising to a turbulent blend as she continued screaming. She fell to the ground, kicking her legs and arching her back. “No…no…no!” She went limp, breathing shallowly.
Max was shouting the words now, stepping forward as venom filled his throat. He hovered above her still form, prepared for an attack. But what he found when he turned her over with the heel of his boot sent everything inside of him careening to an abrupt halt.
“M-Max…? Help me…” Liz’s small voice pleaded, her eyes large and filled with tears as her lip trembled. “I’m s-so…cold…”
“Oh God,” he whispered, dropping to his feet as he ran his hands down her arms. The wickedness melted away from her, leaving fear and pain in its wake. “Liz…baby…” His voice broke as she began gurgling. “Liz, what’s happening?”
He was suddenly thrown clear of her body and stared up at River Dog in shock as the old man stood over Liz’s prone form with the pipe that Michael had held in his hands when they’d found him. “What are you doing?” he yelled, coming to his hands and knees and scrambling forward. He yanked at the man’s hand, but he tossed him aside.
“It is a trick,” River Dog rasped, coughing violently as Liz stared up at him in horror. “She must die…the Balance must be restored.”
Suddenly everything made sense to Max and his blood froze. “You came to kill her,” he whispered.
“She has to die!” River Dog cried. “It is the only way…the Balance must be restored.” He then began to chant again, the words causing Liz to shriek as she bowed up off the floor again and again, smoke filling the air. “It is the only way!”
“M-Max!” Liz cried out through the madness, her face contorting as the Balance tried to fight its way back. She cried, thrashing about as Max dragged himself forward, struggling to heal himself and not pass out from the overuse of power.
“Liz!” he called out, stretching a hand out to hers as their eyes met. Fingers brushed, locked, and he felt a surge inside of him as the Balance tried to take him. Adversely, it gave him the power he needed, streaking through him like a healing potion and leaving him whole and stronger than he’d ever felt.
He sat up, staring at his hands as they pulsed and glowed with newly found power. He opened and closed his palms, turning to meet Michael’s eyes. His friend was staring in blatant shock and horror at River Dog, who still hovered above Liz.
Max turned and saw Liz’s eyes now locked onto the old man’s as she snaked an arm out and closed it over the hand that threatened to bring the pipe down onto her head. “I…will…not…die!” she hissed, and something passed between them that left the old man’s face white. He fell back, panting and drenched in sweat as Liz’s arm fell to the ground, limp and lax.
“No!” he howled, clawing at his skin as it began to bubble. His eyes swirled and grew darker as he turned to stare at Max. “Kill me,” he pleaded. “Before it…takes hold of me. It’s transferred to me…kill me now!”
Max hesitated a beat too long, staring in shock as the man began to grow young again before his eyes. His features changed, turning treacherous with evil.
“Do it now!” River Dog cried out. “Do it now, before I can longer ask it of you.”
Max raised a shaky hand, pointing it towards the man’s heart as he stumbled forward. River Dog collapsed against his chest, his eyes fully black and deadly as he hissed, “You will die, and then I will kill your bitch! We will have a nice time playing, she and I.”
A sudden grunt came from his throat, and he stared in wide-eyed shock as he slumped forward, blood beginning to trickle from his lips. Max looked up and met Liz’s eyes over River Dog’s shoulder, a knife stuck between his shoulder blades.
“Game over,” she stated softly.
“Max!” Michael’s voice drew his gaze over to see Isabel, Maria and Alex slowly coming to their feet in various stages of confusion. Even as relief flooded him, he glanced back to see Liz drop the knife, holding her arms as if cold. Her skin was white and she stared at the floor as Michael rushed over to grab his arms.
“They weren’t dead…they were knocked out. Jesus, that bitch only knocked them out!” He trailed off as he caught sight of Liz. “Oh, sorry…hey, are you all right?”
“I…I’m fine,” Liz answered, then promptly passed out.
<center>***</center>
“So it’s gone?” Isabel asked, tightening her grip on Alex’s fingers as they all stared at Max. The drive back to the motel had taken the better part of the day, but no one seemed to mind. The quiet was a welcome change, except when it came from one person.
Max stared through the window towards the second bed where Liz lay, eyes closed and cheeks pale as she slept. “It’s gone,” he confirmed solemnly. “I don’t know what happened, Iz…one minute I knew nothing, then she touched me and…and I knew it all. I saw so many things…”
Including the torment that plagued Liz, the fact that even when she’d been possessed she’d been well-aware of every moment that had happened. She’d been a helpless bystander as the Balance had seeked to, and nearly succeeded, in destroying her friends. He knew she didn’t want to awaken, to face the horrible truth.
It didn’t matter that none of them blamed her, even Michael had spent an hour sitting beside Liz’s bed. Max knew there were things that had occurred between the two that would forever bind them.
If she would only wake up.
“It won’t be coming back. It’s done,” he added softly, tearing his gaze away and meeting Isabel’s. She nodded, lying her head against Alex’s shoulder as they all watched the sunset approach in the distance. His gaze traveled over to the second step, watching as Michael ran his hands through Maria’s hair, whispering into her ear.
Max stood silently, turning and walking inside the motel room. The door closed softly behind him and he took his seat at the bed watching her face as his hand closed over hers. Using his free hand to brush the hair back from her face, he bent and whispered into her ear, “It’s time to wake up.”
When he sat back up, she was staring at him. He wondered why he felt no surprise, only a faint worry as she ran those eyes that he loved over him. They were tired, and haunted. When she spoke, he expected pain, maybe even anger. But she simply blinked slowly, then parted her lips to breathe, “Max. I love you…I wanted you to know that. Before…”
“I love you, too,” he answered just as thickly.
“It…it was a dream?” she wondered softly, her eyes filled hope as they stared at each other. “Max…was it all a dream?”
Tears filled his eyes, falling to splash against the sheets as she watched him silently. Unable to do anything more, he simply nodded and laid his head on her stomach. “Yes, baby…it was all a dream. But you woke up.”
She was silent for a long moment, then released a breath, her hand falling to his head as they both took comfort in each other. The nightmare was over, and the balance was restored.
The End
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Applebylicious
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