PART 2 - CHAPTER 11: Showtime

After a rough and boring drive, Eric buzzed everyone on their walkies that they’d be arriving in twenty minutes. He spotted something in the distance which made his jaw drop. “Yo guys, check it…”

Jack stuck his head out, shocked beyond belief. “What the actual…”

“Fuck is that?!” Candy shouted. “That looks like some goddamn, well… uhhh, how do you say… mmm? Shit, that’s big!”

None of them could believe what they’d built. It was a huge, glamorous silver facility that resembled a church. Two eight story towers were on the edge of it, in the middle was a huge hexagon holy frame with bright lights illuminating behind it. But most of all was the countless glass surrounding it and meshing with the silver so well. It was so outstanding yet it felt eerie to stare at such a thing. Jack started coughing and his breathing felt heavy. He felt something was off and he already had an assumption.

“What’s wrong?” Eric asked.

Jack chuckled and gave Eric a sinister smile. “Sh-She’s here alright!” he said as sweat dripped off his face.

Eric didn’t like how Jack was acting strange, but he brushed it off. “Who? You mean Angela?”

Jack controlled his breathing, then wiped sweat off his face. “Well, you can say that… But I think we’re going to be just fine guys.” Jack laughed maniacally to himself as the other two looked at him like he was deranged. They felt worried for his mental wellbeing again.

The long awaited anticipation finally came to an end. The gang pulled up to the entrance of the area. It resembled a fortune, glazed with success and cleanliness from the scent of privileged folks who’d never struggled once in their lives. Everyone was amazed by the sight they viewed. Eric couldn’t believe how much the area had changed. It was almost diabolical.

The entire group of cars parked next to the clean sidewalks that were close to the facilities area. Everything was set and people stayed in their cars to await further instructions. Eric, Jack and Candy looked around, still not believing how much the area had changed, especially for Eric.

“Damn man, this shit’s wild! Look at that scary looking thing. It’s like a church on steroids!” Eric exclaimed.

“I wonder how the people around here felt when this place was in development?” Candy asked.

Jack stepped out of the car, scoping the area first. “Well, this won’t be easy whatsoever.”

Eric stepped out too and noticed Jack pointing at the front gate. “Look at how much glass that place has though. So fucking strange.”

“Mmmm, indeed baby boys, indeed.” Candy walked beside Jack, observing the area further. “My goodness, how this place has changed for the better. It wasn’t this pretty the last time I set foot here!”

“Let’s not distract ourselves. We’re here to do something so let’s focus on that,” Eric said as he signaled for everyone to step out of their vehicles.

Everyone hopped out and grouped together. Candy got heated again and moaned loudly out of his own selfless control, which ended up disgusting everyone. They glared at him and felt repulsed. They even stepped further away so they weren’t standing too close to the very feminine man.

Eric started explaining the plan to the entire group. “Alright, group one,” He pointed at Candy, “you’ll be going with that freaky ass fool. He’ll be leading the distraction group.”

Candy held his hands against his face, moaning again. “Oh how jolly, I can’t wait to lead all of these beautiful men!” His group cringed and stepped away further from Candy.

Eric split another group of men. “You guys will be neighborhood watch. If things get violent ya might have to make sure that no police come and intervene in this operation, aight?” The entire group either nodded, glimpsed at each other or fist bumped.

But one asked, “What would happen if they do come?”

“If they do, you’ll have to make a run for it as fast as possible.” Eric was about to complete his plan until he remembered his promise to one of the men.

Eric called out for him to come forward, and he did. It was the man with dreads. “Like I promised man—”

Eric called a bunch of other men to group up alongside him.

“Is this enough? Or do you need more, friend?” Eric walked beside him and wrapped his giant arm around his scrawny shoulders. “Behind that wall is a small part of the hood, just a tiny gist of it. I’m sure you’ll find those sons of bitches and avenge your lil bro.”

The dreaded man chuckled. “That’ll do man, that’ll do.” They both shoulder bumped. “Thank you, and good luck.”

Eric smiled, then commanded the group behind him to follow his orders from here on out.

The man with dreads thumbed up Eric as he was leaving. “I’ll try to catch up to you when I’m done.” They all dispersed and hopped into their vehicles, then drove off from the scene.

Eric regrouped with everyone and told them that he and Jack would be the ones to sneak inside, hoping to find any more entry ways for more backup if needed. It would be a final resort once they grabbed Angela and were held back, but hopefully everything would play out their way.

“Is everyone ready?” Eric shouted.

“Hell yeah!” everyone shouted as they split into three groups. One followed Candy to the entrance, the other went to patrol the neighborhood, and the last one was just Eric and Jack.

Candy casually walked femininely with a group of twenty men. He giggled when they approached the entrance. There were two guards with basic tasers and batons. They had weird white outfits to go along with the building’s theme.

Candy told the group to stay put and then he casually walked up to the guards pretending to be a lost girl. At first they were confused why someone like her was alone in the middle of the night, but as they looked closer they drooled over how beautiful she was.

Candy felt their lustful gaze towards him and waved air at his face in a very girlish way. “My, my… whatever shall I do?”

Their attention drifted away. Hearing his voice was enough to make them regret their thoughts of lust, so they ignored him instead.

Candy chuckled and started stretching by doing yoga poses in front of them. Every time he did a pose, he would wink at them and make kissy faces. No matter how hard they tried ignoring him, it always resulted in them taking a quick glance because of all the sexual moaning noises he kept making.

They finally started to react, clearing their throat, placing their hands on their utility belt and one asked, “Hey, could you stop with all that you weirdo?”

The other had his teeth shown in annoyance with the edge of his lip raised. “If you don’t leave with all that gay mess, you’ll get tased.”

Candy laughed and pulled his pants down, exposing his butt.

The guards reacted out of disgust, then blushed that someone like him had a butt so amazing they could compare it to a supermodel.

They grabbed their walkie. “Stranger being too sexual, code G!”

“Oh my! You guys are a bunch of assholes! My butt is cute as hell! Fuck wrong with chu two?”

“Listen, you weirdo! This is private property, so please leave now sir or we’ll force you to leave!”

The other guard waved his hands and shook his head. “Uhmm… I don’t think I want to go near a guy that weird, dude! He freaks me out!”

“Me? Weird! Screw you two. I guess you don’t want a piece of this deliciousness!” Candy said while sexually dragging his hands over his body.

Both guards were flustered and one of them pressed his walkie again. “I need backup now! Like now!”

The other pressed his as well. “Please for the love of God get here… I can’t take this crap any more!”

Candy saw more guards coming out of the building. “Oh yes, it’s going to get so fucking hot right now!”

One of them who was still beet red pointed his finger at Candy. “Hey it’s not our fault you look like a girl from afar!”

The other guard covered his ears and seemed angry. “Why do you talk like that?”

The other guards arrived and Candy faced them. “Oh, how I wish I could join this orgy! But I’ll just let these sexy guys handle the likes of you assholes. I don’t want to get my nails and clothes dirty you know?”

Candy gestured a finger over his shoulder. Out came twenty men from Eric’s group.

“You wanna have fun? We’ll have fun, you adorable tiny men. Let the games begin baby!”

The crowd got riled up and stormed the guards, pounding on them while they rioted by trashing cars in the parking lot, breaking the tall glass windows at the building by throwing objects, and starting small garbage fires. The guards couldn’t stop such a large crowd. They were getting beat up and multiple people eventually tied them up. However, one managed to run back inside the facility, which caused some dispute between fellow members.

Candy quickly calmed them down by offering a kiss to the next guy who started an argument. They gagged and continued their forced rioting. That guard yelled for more backup as he ran back inside, forcing the men to stop their rioting and hide behind cars in the parking lot. They knew what they were about to get into, that was why they had four guards hostage, just in case they needed to stall time for Eric and Jack.

“What do you mean a bunch of thugs were rioting at the front?” Mathew yelled angrily into his walkie. He grabbed his phone and made a call while continuing his conversation on the walkie.

“I need you guys out in the parking lot now! We’ve got more protesters again. This time you might have to use lethal force!”

The guard on the walkie informed him about the appearances of the rioters.

“Huh? One of them is super gay? Great, now we have those types of protesters now! Wait, they have four hostages? Well shit, lethal force is authorized then! Give em hell!” Mathew sighed and laid back on his chair, dragging his hand across his face. “Goddamn minorities! Not our fault we took your area and made it safer. Stupid thugs.”

Eric’s men waited patiently for backup. They all felt nervous as sweat dripped from their faces. Everyone gulped fearfully and felt like they were awakening a giant.

The doors opened and out came dozens of men in white with rifles. They aimed their rifles at the hidden rioters. “Come out or else.”

Eric’s men hated hearing such an aggressive order from a bunch of cacuasion men. To show that they were serious, everyone pulled their own guns out and cocked them.

The men in white heard all the metal being pulled. They changed their minds and moved to plan B. “Release the hostages or this time lethal force would be authorized.”

Nobody wanted to shed blood, but neither side had a choice. A couple of Eric’s men yelled back, telling them to go “Fuck themselves!” out of anger.

The men didn’t take that lightly and asked one last time. Everyone was ready for the first person to pull the trigger. It was only a matter of who’d be the first to do it.

One of them started counting down from ten. Everyone was nervous. The anxiety, the fear of death, it was all coming close until they heard gunshots from their right. The guard who made the call was dead on the ground.

Jack came around the corner and waved at them. The men in white pointed their guns at Jack and started firing. Jack ran off. The group of men finally used his distraction for their own advantage, firing at the men as they blindly fired at Jack’s direction. That brought utter chaos throughout the once peaceful neighborhood. Bullets were penetrating flesh, ricocheting off metal and piercing through glass.

The men in white were dwindling rapidly. They desperately radioed for more backup and informed Mathew of the situation. Mathew was livid at the fact that mere thugs, who thought were just pests of society, were giving his men trouble. He demanded every single one of their forces up front to get rid of these burdens of society, showing them they were nothing but a waste of space.

“This isn’t right! There’s something else to it, something more! But what? What!” Mathew slammed his giant fist on the desk out of anger, putting a dent into it.

Outside beside the facility, Eric approached a lonesome guard at an exit. He crept behind the bushes, snuck up behind him and knocked him unconscious. He dragged his motionless body onto the side behind the bushes, waiting for Jack’s arrival. Static started buzzing off the guard’s body.

The walkie talked, informing everyone that all units report to the front.

Eric quickly alerted everyone else, calling the rest of the crew who were waiting in vehicles outside the facility. They turned their keys, started their cars and stormed into the parking lot, hopping out like a swarm of thug-like swatters. Now there were fifty of Eric’s men in the barrage of gunfire who were backing up their homies and fighting against the men in white.

More men in white rushed outside. Others went upstairs and broke the windows with the butt of their guns, providing higher ground for their allies down below. They were giving Eric’s gang trouble, forcing them to stay covered as they tried sniping them one by one.

People outside the chaos noticed war was happening in their utopia. They took cover as bullets flew everywhere. Suddenly, there were explosions from down the street, as huge black clouds rose from the depths of hell and polluted the air, making it rain ash.

Eric’s men were breaking into cars, hot-wiring them, and driving them to blockade every street leading to the area. With a bit of ingenuity, they set the vehicles ablaze so they could explode. Everyone in their homes ran out from their only safe space and scattered like ants throughout the area. It was total pandemonia.

Eric’s men let him know of the situation, making sure everything was going according to plan. Eric made sure to tell them not to hurt civilians, it was their fight not theirs.

Jack finally arrived and reminded Eric about the police back at the facility who worked alongside Dr. Cato. He wasn’t sure if it was the same case now after all these years. That worried Eric a little bit, but he was prepared for the worst.

They hugged against the wall, counted to three and kicked the door down. The moment they lay foot inside the place, their jaws dropped out of awe. It was so white and bright, the hallways were hollow and seemed endless.

Candy was stuck in the middle of a couple of men firing their guns. He covered his head from incoming firing. “Goddamn you two for leaving me here!” Candy screamed like a girl and clung onto one of the men. “Protect me, sweety!”

The guy blushed at first, but got mad, though he was too focused at firing to push Candy off of him. “Hush fool! I’m tryna shoot these bums, you fruit loop!”

“Why did I sign up for this shit?” Candy screamed.

The crowd continued firing and people from both sides were dropping one by one. Some civilians got caught in the crossfire, some got killed, laying on the streets of the elite neighborhood and staining it with Michigan’s growing murderous numbers. Some civilians were forced to take cover behind random structures. The streets were stained with warm blood, splattered on broken glass, streaming off the wounds of the injured and dead, along with painting the silver facility red. The situation was growing dire for the two sides. Everyone questioned if this was really all worth doing, even if it meant they’d never see their loved ones again.

Jack and Eric heard the muffled gunfire. They felt worried for everyone, but now was not the time. It was all about getting Angela and then getting the hell out of there. They quietly walked along the long and empty hallways, but the only thing they continued to hear was the muffled sounds of gunfire and explosions from outside. Eric noticed there was a big room and gestured for Jack to follow. They opened the gate and walked in. It was a big examining room, like the one back at the asylum but on a larger scale.

They investigated the room, hoping to find a clue where they’d most likely keep Angela. Eric saw blood in some test tubes, along with strange markings on the ground next to them. He examined it more and noticed these markings were written in a different language unknown to him. Jack noticed a file cabinet and looked into it, while Eric continued examining the markings. He pulled his phone out and took pictures of it, hoping to get some answers when he searched for them on the internet later.

Jack pulled out some files and power read through them to get any hints, but then the gates suddenly opened. A guard walked in on the two, freezing into place as he stared at Jack and Eric. He tried to run but Eric quickly caught him and knocked him out.

He carried his body and hid him in some nearby cabinet. “Hey Jack, have you found anything in those papers?”

Jack shook his head in disappointment. They decided to leave and continue on their way.

As they walked through the long, blank white hallways, their guns were drawn and their senses were as sharp as possible. They checked every corner, every room, every possible place their eyes could set upon on the first floor. There was one room that was blocked off and it was only accessible by a card.

Eric and Jack looked at the top of the giant gate feeling baffled.

“What do you think is behind these doors?” Eric asked.

Jack walked up to the card swiper. “I don’t know, but something tells me this might be something Dr. Cato only has access to.”

They suddenly heard multiple footsteps coming in their direction. Jack didn’t have time for this, so he put his handgun away and grabbed his shotgun from his back.

“We might have company after all. Let’s go Eric,” Jack said as he cocked the gun.

Eric readied his gun and smirked. “Shit. Let them try and fuck with us!”

They got into position and readied themselves. Not surprisingly, they spotted the men in white come from the end of the hallway. They both smiled and fired.

***

Angela heard all the chaos ensuing and was curious to know what was happening. She saw Dr. Cato pacing back and forth and he seemed rather angry. Angela sighed and lay down on her bed, then looked to her right. The girl in white was staring at Dr. Cato with a gentle smile. She seemed so happy and flustered. Even her blushing was noticeable.

Dr. Cato noticed her and didn’t like what he saw. She closed her eyes and that twisted smile grew even bigger.

He approached the glass. “What are you looking at, you damned demon! What’s with that horrific smile on your face?”

She giggled and placed her hands on her chest. “He-He’s here!”

“Who’s here?” Dr. Cato asked, slamming his fists against the walls. “Quit screwing with me!” He leaned closer to the glass and clenched his teeth.

Her gentle smile faded. This time she had a smug look on her face that really angered him. “He’s coming and soon… he’ll free us both. Then I can truthfully be by his side once again!” She started laughing and hugged herself while maniacally tilting her head.

Dr. Cato couldn’t take it any longer. He slammed his fist and screamed at her. “Who! Tell me who!” He pulled out a cross.

She stopped laughing and glared at Dr. Cato. “Jack!”

Angela heard her, then it brought so much relief to her that she started crying tears of joy. The girl in the white dress walked away from Dr. Cato and headed to Angela, sat down beside her and comforted Angela by patting her head.

Dr. Cato dropped the cross and immediately called Mathew. “He’s here, it’s him! That little shit is the cause behind this madness!”

Mathew slammed his fist on his desk again with so much force that it actually broke in half. “Damn it!”

He stood up out of his seat and walked over to his door.

Clever punk had me fooled, thinking it was just a bunch of violent, protesting thugs. Haha! This is perfect!

Mathew opened the door and gripped his cross. “That means I’ll finally crush you! Ready yourself Jack because I’m coming to get you.” Mathew spat, then laughed out of excitement.

Dr. Cato stormed out of the room. The girl in white smiled and continued comforting Angela.

Angela looked up to the girl in white. “Is-Is it true? That it’s him making all that ruckus?”

She nodded. “Of course. Actually, he’s getting closer as we speak, so why would I lie about something like that? You know me very well, A-n-g-e-l-a. Remember?”

Angela still hated the girl in white, but the fact she wasn’t lying to her about Jack gave her some actual comfort. It was enough for Angela to give the girl in white an actual hug of gratitude to thank her. Of course, Angela did remind her that she still hated her and found her awful, but the girl in white didn’t mind and giggled it away.

She whispered into Angela’s ear. “I might have a plan to escape the room,” her tone changed to a more sinister one. “But there’s a caveat and that involves yourself becoming more mentally weak, hehe.”

Angela immediately refused, turning her head away. “As if, I’ll just wait for Jack instead, manipulator.”

The girl in white sighed. “Hehe, it was just an idea, but I like your idea better A-n-g-e-l-a.” They sat next to each other and patiently waited for their hero, and that hero was their beloved Jack.

***

Eric kept firing at the men in white. Their numbers kept growing by the minute no matter how much he fired. “Jack, we need to move somewhere else!” Eric was almost struck by a bullet. He slammed against the wall.

Jack was too busy reloading his shotgun while Eric continued firing blindy around the corner. “Jesus Christ, they’re persistent!” Jack grabbed the butt of the gun and decided to smash the card swiper. It worked and the gates opened. They quickly rushed inside and closed the gates.

Eric reloaded his handgun and let out a huge sigh of relief. “Damn! That was close. I wonder how my boys are doing outside?”

Eric called one of the crew members over. They informed him that they were at a standstill now. One of the men in white was notified by something, and they all ran back inside.

“How many men did we lose?” Eric asked.

His member replied, “We only lost eight men and have fifteen injured. Boss, I don’t know what they’re up to. It’s way too quiet.”

Eric felt uneasy and showed signs of regret by clutching his phone and gritting his teeth.

“Yo Jack, I think all those fucks are after us now.”

Jack didn’t respond. He stood still, then slowly approached the gate. “Just what the hell are they doing here?” He tried opening it, but there was no way he could do it from the outside.

Off to the side towards the edge of the massive gate, Eric noticed a couple of stairs leading towards an office. He walked up the steps and went inside. There was a microphone, a bunch of buttons, screens, and filing cabinets everywhere.

“Come up Jack,” Eric called out.

Jack lumbered up the stairs. They looked around and were surprised at all the information they were finding. There was information about all the experiments they did to Angela back at the old facility.

“These mutha… fuckas…” Eric said as he read. All the details about Angela being tortured and experimented on was enough to punch one of the screens.

Jack didn’t blame him. As Eric pulled out his fist, he noticed a file with a photo of a glass room. He showed Jack, knowing where she was being held. There was a room number and details on what they’d done to her.

“There’s some weird ass crosses on it. The fact they got our poor lil baby girl in something like that makes me wanna kill these fools!”

“I don’t blame you. So what’s the situation with all of the crew outside?”

They both got what they needed and walked out of the room.

“Like I said, those fucks in white are after us now. Our boys are just standing there waiting for nothing.”

“Is that so? You think it’s best if they come inside and ambush those fucks from behind?”

Eric thought for a second. “I don’t know, to be honest. I don’t think they’ll be able to find us in this big ass place.”

“Hmm, you’re right. Just tell them to stay put a little longer. From what we can see from this document,” He brought it up to their view, pointing at the weird glass structure, “it says Angela’s room is just a floor above this room.”

Eric understood. He called them again and told them to stay put, but there was a problem. The moment they were about to take cover, more firing started from inside. The entire parking lot was covered by a cloud of bullets. Things got worse when more men in white came out with different rifles. They took cover behind the concrete walls, firing away and killing more of Eric’s men.

They fired back, desperately trying to retreat, but it was useless. They weren’t going to give up though. Eric shouted orders to retreat, but they were determined to make their boss proud and told Eric not to worry.

They wanted to continue to handle these men in white until Jack and their boss Eric got Angela back into their grasp. He hung up and left Eric feeling more regretful about getting his whole gang involved. Eric didn’t want to lose more of his men. He didn’t want them to throw away their lives to scum like those weird people, especially knowing that some of his men were still relatively young and in their early twenties.

Jack saw Eric’s hand tremble. Poor Eric… I didn’t want any of this to happen. This is my fault. I’ll do whatever it takes to make it up to him.

Eric turned around and looked at Jack. “If we make it out of here alive, I think I’m gonna retire…”

Jack smiled. “That’s surprising coming from you. Well, I guess I understand.”

They ran to a nearby exit leading to the second floor. They quietly went up the steps as cautiously as possible. They saw a door at the top that seemed heavy, bulgy, and required another card to open. Jack didn’t have time and shot the scanner with his shotgun. The door opened and now they were upstairs. The place didn’t just change, it looked the same as the bottom floor: an endless bright tunnel of whiteness.

Jack pulled up the document, figuring out which room was Angela’s. It was only a couple of rooms forward. Both nodded and rushed toward it.

***

“This is bad. Really bad!” Dr. Cato exclaimed, sweating profusely. His knees were weak and heavy. He felt hopeless.

He was so boggled by uncertainty, confident that a mere teen wouldn’t have found their location. Now that he’s here, ensuing chaos had suddenly made him pace back and forth erratically. Mathew, on the other hand, was relaxed and continued smoking in the background without a worry.

“What are we going to do?” Dr. Cato asked, grasping his hair.

Mathew blew out his cigarette, then stood up and walked up to Dr. Cato, slapping him out of it. “Relax!” he shouted as he grabbed Dr. Cato’s shirt collar. “The more you stress yourself, the more you’ll give yourself a heart attack, you wacko!”

Dr. Cato grabbed Mathew’s hand and swiped it off his shirt. “How can I relax when that psychopath is inside?! We have no idea what those kids are capable of, Mathew! Remember back at the facility? Those two are bound to be even more connected than before!”

Dr. Cato grabbed Mathew’s shirt. His eyes shook, a man ready to have a meltdown.

“We both witnessed the supernatural first hand. It was nothing like what we saw with Angela. It was unimaginable!”

Mathew groaned. “I understand where you’re coming from, but how would we know if that’s the case? I mean, it’s not like they’re intertwined!”

Dr. Cato’s eyes quivered intensely. He gripped Mathew’s shirt even more. “That girl knew he was coming. She knew he was here!”

“That is worrisome…” Mathew thought for a moment and quickly came up with something. “How about you get Angela and I’ll handle Jack, if they’re really connected that well. Who knows what more he’s capable of!”

Mathew grabbed his cross, showing it to Dr. Cato, reminding him once again of the strength given to them, then shoved it to his face.

“Remember, I’m the only one capable of fighting that thing because of this! The gift that my fellow colleague gave me, as well as you, my friend.”

Dr. Cato sighed deeply and let go of Mathew. “Okay… I trust you. Let’s go get her!”

They both ran out of the office and into the hallway, heading towards Angela's room that wasn’t far from their location. Running down the endless white corridor, Dr. Cato can’t help but grit his teeth and expose his annoyance with veins popping out of his forehead. Mathew had a clam smile, he’s feeling excited about his reunion with Jack to test this given power just like that one incident in the nursery.

Running and panting, Dr. Cato said, “Mathew, if things turn out for the worst, I’ll be sure to have this place locked down. That means we’ll be stuck in here all night!”

Mathew chuckled. “I don’t think that won’t be necessary. Though better safe than sorry, right?”

Dr. Cato quickly reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a pda device. “Alright, I’ll do it now.” He pressed buttons on the device, it beeped and said that the building will be under severe lockdown if necessary. “Good, all set!”

As they continued running they could still hear the muffled gunfire going outside and small explosions going off. The two glimpsed at each other and nodded, continuing on their way to Angela’s room.

***

Angela was sitting on her bed, daydreaming about scenarios where Jack would save her, until she heard the girl in white humming a lovely yet creepy song.

“Hey, I have a question,” Angela asked abruptly, interrupting her.

She stopped humming and turned around. “Yes? What would that question be, my dear friend?”

“This is something that’s been in the back of my mind, but uhh… how come they can see you now? I thought I was the only one who could hear and see you?” Angela got up on her feet, then slowly approached the girl. “And how are you able to come out of my dreams?”

The girl sighed and smiled. She touched the walls making it react by causing a burning sensation on her palm. “Ow, jeez. Well, as you can see, these damned walls are the reason why those jerks can see me now. I would never allow a person to see me outside their minds. I rarely do that unless I’m desperate.”

“Desperate? More details please.”

She watched her palm heal. “That’s how religion works. You people believe in spirits, demons and all, but could never see them, so that makes others who are non-believers question the existence of such abnormalities.”

“Yes, presumably so, otherwise when people see you talking to nothing they think you’re… insane.”

She stood up and approached Angela. “True, but there are those born with magnificent gifts who experience and talk to things that don’t exist. People like witches, but then there are those who are special like you, A-n-g-e-l-a.”

Angela got nervous and slowly backed away. “I-If that’s the case, then why can Jack see and touch you too? Does he have the same gift?”

The girl in white giggled. “Not at all my dear, not at all. He’s special in his own way…” She faded away, with her giggles trailing along with her.

Angela sighed, knowing the girl in white had returned inside her mind. “Why is she acting so differently? It was like she’d transformed into a different person ever since she’d gotten her face and changed her appearance. But in my dreams she still has no face. Why’s that?”

Angela could still hear the utter chaos. The only thing she could think of right now was Jack coming to her rescue. She closed her eyes and started daydreaming about all the fun things they’d be able to do once they got her out of there. Then her eyes opened when she heard multiple footsteps coming toward the room. She huddled into the corner, thinking that Mathew and Dr. Cato had come to get her before Jack could get a chance to rescue her.

No, they’re too late. Jack? Jack!

Her eyes started to water as she hugged her knees out of being taken away again. She watched the door. The footsteps got closer, and the feeling of hope she had slowly flew away.

When things seemed dim for poor Angela, the footsteps stopped. She was confused why they’d stopped all of a sudden. The muffled sounds of violence and the noises of all the electronics computed as Angela waited for whoever it was that was coming to get her. Her heart beat fast, her pupils had dilated, and her slow heavy breathing left her agonized from whoever was at the door.

Please don’t take me away again. Dr. Cato, I beg of you.

All of a sudden she heard a loud bang. It was definitely a gunshot. She buried her head into her knees and whimpered, knowing that it might be the end of her ever reuniting with her brother.

“Jack, please,” she said quietly.

Just when she thought it was all over, someone kicked the door open. She lifted her head to see who did the kicking, but what she saw made her entire world slow down. It made her heart race out of intense relief.

“J-J…” Her eyes dripped tears of pure happiness. Mumbling, goosebumps rose throughout her body.

The person standing at the door with long hair, scars, and eyes as lifeless as death itself. It was none other than Jack.