The End?

by Magic Mischief

The OT's came up with a new plan to put an end to the Keepers... Could this one actually work? Really looooooonnnggggg oneshot.

This is all one looonggg oneshot… because… I dunno. The last thing I need is another multichap right now. I was bored, so I started this. I was excited, so I finished it.

Willa's POV…

The Evil Queen brought her trembling hands up in front of her face, her lips moving as she mumbled some incantation, some spell, that would surely kill me and Finn. My mind flashed back to a month ago, when we had been in a similar predicament, when they had rescued me from SBS.

Thank you, I had mouthed to Finn and Maybeck, as the Queen was about to punish all three of us. Behind me was the flaming lake in Epcot, apparently that was 'the signal'. The signal for Philbs to bring us back, but, for some unknown reason, he hadn't. And we'd be dead in the next thirty seconds.

I squeezed my eyes shut… And…

I woke up in my own bed. And –OOF. I wasn't on my bed now, I was on the cold, hard ground.

"Finn…" I moaned, lying on the floor. The Queen had sent the spell towards us, and he had tackled me out of harm's way. But Finn was heavier and stronger than he had thought.

"Sorry, Wills." He said, getting up and helping me to my feet.

"What do we do!" I yelled, as the Queen was preparing yet another spell.

"RUN! Tom Sawyer's!"

I took off towards Frontierland. The Queen screamed something, and suddenly, I felt really dizzy. The next thing I knew, the ground was hurdling towards my face- or was it the other way around? It sure didn't feel like I fell. But it was in slow motion, I think. Which gave me enough time to look at Finn, who had already fallen. I landed with a thud! And a crack! Next to him.

And… everything… went… black…

….

"Willa? Wake up, Willa." Finn's voice was distant, but soft. "Willa?" he shook my shoulder.

I slowly blinked my eyes open.

"Wha…?"

"Morning. You okay?"

"Where am I?"

"The OT's 'jail'."

"Pirates?"

"No. I don't exactly know where. But I think in the Utilidors." He lowered his voice. "Follow my lead."

"What lead?" I asked.

"Act like you're dying." He said simply, then raised his voice. "HELP! HELP! I THINK SHE'S SICK! OR DEAD! SOMEONE, PLEASE HELP HER!"

I gave a convincing cough, and whimpered. I pressed a hand to my throat to make my breathing sound labored. It was so realistic, Finn actually turned around to check on me. But then the guards showed up- two pirates. Not too hard to trick. Good.

By now I had worked up a sweat, and my face had grown pale from the lack of oxygen from pushing on my throat.

"Merlin's beard! Look, mate! She looks like she's got the plague!"

"What do we do?"

"Uh…. Well… I guess she needs some fresh air then, mate… Right?"

"Yeah…"

They opened the doors, pointing a pistol at Finn. "Don't move, or you'll have led in your brains."

One of them picked me up. Ew…

"Need help, mate?" the other one said.

"Nah, she's light… Outside we go."

I saw my opportunity. I grabbed the gun from his belt, and rolled out of his grip. I immediately stood up and pointed it at the one threatening Finn.

"Drop it or I'll shoot!" he said. Finn's hologram gathered a faint blue outline.

"Go ahead," Finn smirked.

The pirate shot, and it went straight through Finn, leaving him unharmed. Finn leapt up and took the gun, pointing it at the pirate.

"Get in the cell." Finn said, and both pirates obliged. We locked it, and walked off.

"You alright?" I asked.

"Fine. You? You took a hard fall there, when you rolled out of his grasp."

"No, I'm fine."

Finn's POV…

"Let's get outta here."

Willa walked a few feet, before collapsing.

"Willa!"

"Sorry…. Guess I need to breathe a little more huh? Re-Recover fr-from… acting-g….ehhhh…" Her head lolled to the side again. It was then I looked inside her arm, seeing a band-aid. I ripped it off, to find a small pin-sized hole in her arm. They had pricked her with something. Lie detector? I checked my own self over, there was nothing on my arm. It was only her. But my shoulder hurt, for some odd reason.

"Willa? Wills…" I used the nickname Amanda used for her when Willa was crying, or sick, or when Amanda was acting like an older sister.

"Uuuggghhh… Finn? I don't think… I f-… feel t-too… great."

"Aliright… come on." I picked her up, and stumbled down a hallway.

"Attention! The Prisoners have escaped. Take…. No action. Have fun, keepers. MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Boomed a voice over the intercom.

I was confused. Why would she let us go?

"May as well take advantage of the situation." I whispered, hurriedly running toward the exit sign. I burst into the cool Florida night air. I quickly found my bearings: Tomorrowland. How I got there, and where I had been, I had no idea. But I knew I had to get Willa and me to safety. To Wayne's apartment...he was away and we were using his house as a 'base' of sorts. I didn't know how long it had been since we were captured. Or what time or day it was. All I knew is that Willa was heavy and I was tired. And that thing they injected her with couldn't be good.

I made my way through the shadows, quickly getting to Main Street. I darted as fast as I could to Wayne's apartment, and collapsed at the bottom of the stairs. Willa went flying, landing limply on the pavement next to me. With all my remaining strength, I reached up, and pounded the door with all I had. I knocked, and knocked.

"HELP!" I yelled, suddenly frantic. I had to get in before they got us. "Help! Help… someone… please…. Help…"

The last thing I remember was Amanda flinging open the door, and collapsing to her knees, screaming for someone to come out and help. She held up my head.

"Finn! Hold on! You'll be… Fine… What…..Happened…..Oh my…. God….Willa…"

I passed out.

…

I shot up, from a nightmare. I was panting heavily, and it was dark.

"Finn?" Came a soft voice. "Finn… calm down. I'm here."

Someone's small arms were around me, hugging me as I struggled not to cry. I took a few deep breaths, now the person was rubbing my back. I could tell I was shaking.

The lights flickered on, and I saw Jess at the door near the light switch. I was on the pull-out couch in Wayne's apartment. I turned to see Amanda next to me, hugging me, looking at me with a concerned expression.

"Everything okay?" Jess mumbled. Amanda nodded slightly, and Jess smiled sadly and left.

"Finn?" Amanda whispered.

I put my face in my hands. "Y-Yes?" I whispered.

"Are… Are you alright?"

I ran a hand through my hair.

"Just a nightmare."

"Finn, you're crying."

I was suddenly aware of a few things.

One? Yes, I was crying. Close to sobbing, actually.

Two? I was only wearing boxers. No shirt.

And three? Amanda was only wearing short shorts and a too-small tank top that exposed a bit of the tan skin of her stomach. And she was hugging me.

I blushed.

"Finn, we're dating. I've seen you without a shirt plenty of times."

"Oh yeah… Yes… but I'm always wearing shorts, not just boxers." I looked down, and bit my lip, laughing at myself. "Superman boxers…"

She giggled. I smiled. She brought her hand to my face, and wiped my tears. I leaned in to kiss her, but she shoved something in my face before I could.

"Drink. You fainted because you were dehydrated."

I rolled my eyes happily, and took the cup. She kissed my cheek as I chugged all of the water.

"Happy?" I said, handing her the empty cup.

"Very." She took it, and leaned forward to kiss me. I smiled through it.

Suddenly, we heard a scream.

I broke off the kiss as we both jumped out of the bed. She darted to the other room, me closely in tow. She got to the door at the end of the hallway, and flung it open. I was suddenly dizzy and out of breath from the running. Wow, I need to get back in shape.

"Are you alright!" she asked worriedly.

I peered in, and flipped on the light, frowning at what I saw.

Willa was sobbing into Charlie. Charlie looked worried and worn-out, sadly rubbing Willa's back and trying to talk to her to comfort her. Jess sat on the foot of the bed, looking on sadly.

"Nightmares, I think…" Charlie whispered.

"That's… odd…" Amanda muttered, turning to look at me.

"She's been getting them all night." Jess said as Willa's crying began to slow down and fade.

"Same with Finn." Amanda said.

"No! I only had one!" I argued.

"Finn, you can't remember, can you? Why do you think I was with to you instead of Maybeck? Honestly, if you weren't… Sick, or something, Jess would never let us sleep in the same room alone."

Jess smiled slightly.

I shrugged. Willa had stopped crying, and now she was looking at us sadly.

"Um… S-Sorry…"

"No need to apologize, Willa." I said. "Are you okay?"

She nodded, leaning back onto Charlie.

I took a closer look at her. There were bags under her half-closed eyes, and she looked worn out. Her face was very pale, her nose really red. Beads of sweat dripped down her face. She was cradling her arm.

"You sure? You look… bad."

"Thanks."

"No, no… I mean you look sick…"

She shrugged.

"Alright. Well… goodnight."

"Night." Charlie whispered.

I walked back to the bed in the living room and lay down. Amanda sat in the chair next to it, pulling a blanket over herself.

I patted the bed next to me.

"Come on, you can't sleep in the chair. You'll have… back problems, or something."

"It's a little… inappropriate to sleep in a bed with your boyfriend, Finn."

"We're not going to do anything."

"Jess would kill me."

"Alright, you sleep in the bed, and I'll sleep in the chair."

"No! You were just in an OT prison for a week!"

"Oh, come o- A week?"

"Finn, you and Willa were there for like four days."

"No way."

"Yeah way…"

"Well… Knowing this, I'm going to have more nightmares, so you better sleep in the bed with me." I smiled.

"You're pathetic, you know that?" She laughed. "Keep the bed to yourself. I'm not sleeping with you."

"Ah, you'll come around." I laughed.

"Night Finn."

"Night, Amanda."

….

I slowly woke up, clearing the fogginess from my head.

"She's in pain, Mandy." Jess said. Her and Amanda were talking. I stopped to listen.

"What?" Amanda replied worriedly.

"She's in so much pain. And she's running a fever!"

I slowly sat up. My muscles ached horribly, and I felt weak. I was shaking when I moved.

"Who… agh…. Who's in pain?"

"Well… Willa is… but you seem to be, too… Are you alright?" Amanda asked.

"I'm fine, keep talking." I whispered.

"Oh… Willa's running a fever, and shaking… everything seems painful to her… But Charlie seems warm too… Finn, you don't look good, lay back down. Actually… You and Willa probably have the same…." Jess' thoughts wandered.

Amanda looked at me, near tears.

"Amanda… What's wrong, babe?" I pulled her in for a hug.

"Finn, both of you are sick… I can feel you have a fever, jut from you hugging me… You can't… I don't want to see either of you in pain!"

"I know, it'll be gone in a little bit. We've caught something, that's all. No worries."

"Finn, can we move Willa out into the front room with you? You'd have to share the bed with her, but it would be easier to help both of you."

"Yeah, no problem. I want to talk to her…*cough*… anyway." I said. Amanda shot me a worried look.

"Alright. I'll be right back."

Silence was held as Jess left the room. Amanda put her hand on mine, and squeezed it. I squeezed hers, but she shot me a worried glance.

"You're so weak…" she whispered.

I pressed my lips together into a frown. I nodded slightly.

Maybeck walked in, carrying Willa like a limp, oversized doll. He set her down on the bed next to me, and Amanda pulled the covers over her. She lay there, looking weaker than I've ever seen her.

"Hey Wills, you alright?."

It seemed to be a struggle just to open her eyes to look at me. She looked worse than she did last night, but I'm assuming it was because she got no sleep. And on her arm, I could see the veins popping out of her skin. I grabbed her arm lightly, and lifted it up. Where the pin prick had been was purple, with the veins leading away from it purple. It had to be poison. The rest of her arm and entire body was the color of paper- no exaggeration. Except for the dark, dark purple bags under her eyes. And as I put her arm down, there were bruises where my fingers had been.

"G-Guys." I tried to say loudly, but my weak voice wouldn't work.

"Finn?" Maybeck said worriedly. I had never seen Maybeck worry like this.

"Th-the br-bruise on W-Willa's arm… Th-They … I th-think they inj-jected s-s-something int-t-to h-her." I was stuttering so much I couldn't control it.

"And you on your shoulder?" Charlie asked, coming into the room. She looked worn out as well.

I immediately twisted to see that there was, in fact, a bruise similar to Willa's on my shoulder.

"Oh no… No no, no, no, no!" Amanda gushed. "They poisoned you!"

"Ehh… I g-guess." I muttered. "T-Tell Ph-Phil… He m-might kn-know.."

"Finn, Philby has been in Canada for his grandfather's funeral for the past week and a half. You were the one who told us that!" Maybeck said.

"O-oh Yeah…"

"Do you think eating would get your strength up?" Charlie suggested.

"M-Mayb-be…" I looked at Willa. She shrugged.

Charlie walked into the kitchen, connected to the living room. Amanda followed.

"TV?" Maybeck asked, grabbing the remote.

"…Sure."

The TV clicked on. I was immediately met by the face of The Beast, from Beauty and the Beast. Maybeck clicked the channel.

"N-Noo…" Willa moaned. "P-Please?" Jess, who had also squeezed into the bed on the other side of Willa, winced at how weak her voice was. She pulled the shaking girl closer to her.

"What? Oh! Sure, we'll watch whatever you want." Maybeck turned Beauty and the Beast back on.

I forgot how much I loved the old Disney classics. We watched for a while, and I realized Willa was asleep.

Charlie and Amanda came back in, both carrying bowls of something.

"Fresh chicken soup. How does that sound?" Amanda asked.

"Mmmhmmm."

They were both carrying bowls filled to the brim, slowly walking over. But something crossed Charlie's eyes, the look people get when they're about to fly off their skateboard and wipe out, or when their front wheel of the bike hits a pebble, and you know it's going to tip. The bowl fell from her hands, and her eyes widened. The bowl smashed to the ground, and Amanda set her bowl on the table.

"Ohh.. broken glass…" Amanda muttered. I looked at Charlie, to realize her hands were shaking. Amanda saw it too. She reached up and checked her forehead. "Charlie, sit down. Maybeck, get up and let her sit down!"

Maybeck jumped up, and helped Charlie to a chair.

"Uh… Oh god. Alright, here Willa. Eat. Uh… Jess, you should help her with that."

Jess took the bowl, placing it in Willa's lap. She took the spoon, and brought it up to the weak girl's mouth. Amanda handed me a glass of water. I drank it, and I could feel some strength returning to me. I must've been severely dehydrated, so that's why I was weak. Well, that and the poison.

I glanced at Charlie.

"Finn, this …can't be happening…" she muttered.

"Ch-Charlie?"

"I'm sick…."

"I can… tell… Are you…. okay? Do you have m-muscle p-pain?" I had energy enough for talking, but not much else.

"Y-Yes." She squeezed her eyes shut abruptly, and held her stomach as she buried her face in the chair.

I ran a hand through my hair, with a worried look on my face.

"I'm gonna go to the back room with the computer, and look up the symptoms… Maybe I can find out what it is? Or… Or how to stop the pain…" Maybeck said softly. "But Philby's more a techie than me…. So don't expect much."

I nodded slightly, and he walked off. I looked at Charlie. She, luckily, didn't look as deathly sick as me and Willa. We had the poison, but she had caught the sickness. I thanked whatever power was up there that she didn't look like Willa or me right now. That she didn't feel as crappy as me right now. Because seeing Willa like this was scary, and I'm sure, in a while, seeing Charlie weak was going to be scary, but at least I can tell myself she's better off than me. The poison was spreading quicker than the sickness was. If we send Maybeck to get an antidote… Maybe Charlie could make it… But I wasn't sure about me… And the poison was spreading…..even quicker…..in….Willa….so….

Amanda's POV…

I watched Finn's head slump to the side. I wanted to cry. Now three of us are sick. I quickly walked over to Charlie, sitting on the arm of her chair. She looked up at me.

"You alright?" I whispered.

She shrugged. I pulled her into a hug, and she started to cry. And that just made me cry. So we sat, hugging, and crying into each other for almost fifteen minutes.

Finally, I had no more tears.

"Charlie? Charlie, it's okay…"

"I'm…I'm sorry." She whimpered.

"You have nothing to be sorry for!"

"I'm sick! I'm just another person you have to worry about now."

"No, no it's okay… You can't help that you're sick. Come on, let's take your temperature, alright?"

She moaned, and took the thermometer from me. She stuck it in her mouth, under her tongue.

"J-Jess?" Willa mumbled uncertainly, weakly. I looked up, and Charlie sat up.

"Yeah, Wills?"

"I-I th-think… I'm…."

"Willa?" I muttered.

"G-Gonna…." She stopped, shivering into Jess for a few seconds to catch her breath.

"You think you're g-gonna…?" Charlie pressed. She sounded so much stronger than Willa and Finn, a good sign.

"Th-Throw up…" She whispered.

"Manda, get a garbage pail!"

I jumped up from my seat, and ran to grab the garbage can from the door. I tossed it to Jess, and looked away as I heard Willa gag. Charlie's thermometer beeped, so I walked over to get it. I tried to ignore the coughing and gagging sounds from across the room.

I looked at the thermometer.

"Okay, one hundred exactly… That's good, it's not too high. Would you like some water?"

Charlie held her head and nodded.

"Headache?" I whispered.

She nodded again.

I glanced at Willa who coughed, and gagged again. She leaned towards the pail, and heaved into it. She was going to be dehydrated, but she wouldn't be able to hold any fluids down. I sighed, watching her finish, and lean back, crying hysterically into Jess. Jess held Willa's head against her chest, and rubbed her back. She looked at me worriedly, and I frowned, near tears again.

"E-Every…one… alright?" Finn woke up.

I closed my eyes and shook my head.

I washed the thermometer off, giving it to Finn, and waited for it to beep.

"One…One…Oh… F-four." He whispered. I sighed. That is not good.

I quickly made some tea, after asking the three of them if they could hold it down. Charlie and Finn drank some, but Willa wouldn't. Willa just sat there, shivering, unable to talk to us much. Jess lay next to her, in case she needed anything. Finn wound up puking it up a half hour later, and getting weaker. He unwillingly drifted off to sleep again. Charlie was sitting on the chair, with me, shaking. I was hugging her as she lay back on me and I was watching TV. We had been in this position for about two hours now, and she was asleep (peacefully, thank the heavens).

I glanced at the clock, it read nine o'clock PM. That late already? Wow. No wonder we were all tired.

I lay back, turning off the TV. I got into a comfortable position, but it was hard with Charlie crushing me. This couch wasn't big enough for both of us.

…

I woke up, glancing at the clock. Two-thirty AM. I yawned, sitting up. Charlie moaned from next to me, and begun to shiver. I giggled.

"I'm sorry, was I keeping you warm, kid?"

I glided across the room, pulling a blanket out of the closet. I walked back to the couch, lay down next to Charlie again, and covered us with a blanket.

"M-Manda?"

"Oh, sorry, Charls. Didn't mean to wake you."

"I-It's okay….. I'm-m c-cold."

I turned to face her, and hugged her.

"Hm… w-warm…" she smiled. I chuckled, adjusting the blanket over both of us. She sighed contentedly, letting her head rest on my chest.

Two minutes went by, and I heard her breathing become softer, steadier. She was asleep.

When I was in that stage, when you're not awake, but not yet asleep, is when I heard it. Whimpering. Not from Charlie. I looked at Finn. His face was pale and troubled, but it wasn't him. It was Willa.

There was nothing I could do. I didn't want to wake her; she hasn't gotten sleep for a while.

"W-Willa… Shsshhh… I-It's okay…" came a weak voice. Finn. That's what I love about him- so nice and kind, even when he was sick too.

"F-Finn d-don't let…them…get m-me."

"Shh… Willa… I won't.…"

"Th-the p-poison was m-meant to ….kill….us…..Finn….I d-don't….. w-want to d-d-die." She whispered. My heart broke, and tears streamed down my face.

"You won't." He said sternly. "You wont, W-we both won't."

"Finn I'm c-cold."

"Okay…. Wills…Just lay closer ….to J-Jess. I'm s-sure she wouldn't mind."

There was shift of the blankets. Jess mumbled something and Willa moaned.

"Everybody okay?" I whispered, finally speaking up.

"Y-Yes, h-how's Charlie?" Willa stuttered out. She sounded on the verge of crying.

"She's fine. Are you sure you're okay? Nothing hurts?"

Silence.

"Willa, I-If you're in p-pain… you should….You sh-should t-tell us." Finn whispered.

"I d-don't…. umm…."

"Wha….? What's going on?" Jess said, from her haze of just waking up. I turned on a light.

Willa and Finn were laying back against the pillows; they looked too weak to sit up. Jess was sitting up, looking at me nervously. I glanced at Charlie, who was slowly waking herself up.

"Mhmm… Manda?"

"Hey, Charlie. You're going to need to-"

The door from the hallway opened. Maybeck stumbled in.

"We-," he gasped for air, "We have a p-problem." He said.

Maybeck collapsed to his knees, still gasping. He was shaking, struggling to hold himself up on all fours.

"I tr-tried to suck it up, b-but I can't take it! It hurts! I f-feel like crap!" He continued. I jumped up, and kneeled next to him, putting a hand on his back. He collapsed to the floor, rolling onto his back. On his face, was a look of pain I had never seen before on Maybeck's face.

"Donnie." I whispered. "You can't keep stuff like this from us. You're sick, alright? You need help, and me and Jess can't help you unless you tell us when you need help."

"I'm sorry, I'm s-sorry, I just-"

"It's alright…Uh… where should we put you…?"

"H-How about…. Willa and Charlie in the front…. room, and…. M-Maybeck and M-me in the b-bed…..Bedroom…?" Finn suggested.

"We can't move you without hurting you." Jess said.

"I'll… grin, and… b-bear it." Finn said. "I'll try w-walking."

Before I could stop him, he pushed the covers off. He slowly got up, and shakily walked a few feet. He stopped, placing his hand on the couch to support him. Jess got up, standing behind him as he walked.

"Here, Finn… Lean on me, alright?"

Before he could, his knees buckled. He collapsed.

"Finn!" I screeched. Jess caught his head before it collided with the ground. Charlie rolled off of the chair, too quickly.

"Sit… here, it's c-closer." She whispered breathlessly. Jess helped him to the seat.

"Ch-Ch…Char…, s-s-si…" Willa shivered, unable to get a sentence out.

"She's right, you look bad. Sit, Charlie. Climb into the bed, next to Willa." I said.

I helped Maybeck to a rocking chair in the corner. He sat down.

"Thanks." He whispered.

"No problem. Do you need anything?"

"Amanda," he said weakly, "Don't concentrate on me…Or even Charlie… They… We're not as bad as them yet…I looked at… looked at the symptoms online, and I f-found a few hits… It's an odd blend… of stuff… that… Well, point is… It spreads, and… it's contagious."

"That's why we're all getting it…"

Maybeck was running out of breath. But he knew this was important, and kept going.

"Th-The actual poison…. Spreads faster than th-the…. Disease. Much faster. Me and Charlie… have at least three days before it gets really bad. W-Willa and Finn are… running out of time… Amanda… it's spreading f-fast in both of them… I think they gave it to Willa before Finn, to make sure it would work. They really just want Finn gone… Willa was….. a….test subject b-but she'll be… gone… first…"

"G-Gone?"

"Dead, Amanda. The OT's finally g-got us…. She's dying, they both are.. Eventually, we...will too… Get yourself away from here, and take Jess, D-do…. You hear me? Save yourself…. Save her… You have to leave us, we're already g-gone."

I was silent for a second.

I looked him straight in the eye. I felt tears well up in my eyes.

"I'm sorry." I whispered.

He nodded.

"Get out… of here, quickly…"

"I'm sorry." I said again. "But No."

"Huh?"

"I'm not leaving you all to die, alone. You will get through this." I started to cry. "I can't live without all of you."

He smiled.

Charlie's POV…

I climbed into the bed, my muscles shaking. Every part of me ached, my head was throbbing, and my vision was slightly blurred.

"Ch-Char….Charlie…"

"Hey, Willa…. how… how are you?"

"I d-don't…. I d-don't…."

Her head fell weakly on the pillow.

"Wills? Y-You asleep?"

With no reply, I lay back onto the pillows, and fell asleep.

…

I woke up at nine the next morning, to realize my arm was burning hot. I looked down to find it was being used as Willa's pillow. Oh. On the other side of me was Amanda, with tear stains on her cheeks, but sleeping. Jess was next to Willa, Finn was on the chair, and Maybeck was the only other one up, since I heard activity in the kitchen.

Finn's phone rang. Amanda shot up, reaching to grab it.

"Hello?"

"Amanda?" I could hear Philby's voice on the other side of the phone.

"Philby!" She said.

"Hey. I was just calling to check up on you, how are-"

"Philby…" Amanda moaned.

"Whoa, hey what's wrong?" He sounded alert, suddenly.

"Th-The OT's p-poisoned F-Finn and Willa!"

"Oh my god, are they okay?"

"Philby, Maybeck looked it up… It's killing them!" she said, starting to cry, but whispering so she wouldn't wake us. "And Maybeck and Ch-Charlie caught it too! Ww-Willa's going t-to be d-dead in a f-few hours! And-d Finn close after!"

I suddenly felt dizzy.

"Wh-What?" I whispered.

I could feel bile creeping up my throat. Tears poured from my eyes as I wrapped my arms around Willa, pulling her closer to me. I would not let her die… at least not alone. I would be here for her until the end. But I would work as hard as I could not to let her die…

Amanda didn't hear me. She kept talking. I tried to quiet my sniffles to listen.

"Phil? You still there?"

"Amanda, I'm catching the next flight home."

"No! No, Philby, I'm sorry, but you can't. I have it under control. And if you get sick, too, The Overtakers will win, Philby. Just do your tech magic and… find something to hold it off."

"Already am. Found something that might help Willa and Finn… They're probably worried as heck. You have to get them to calm down. Faster the heart beats, faster the poison spreads. Warm beverage, maybe? Non-caffeinated… decaf tea."

"Al-Alright. Anything to help their pain?"

"Oh… pain..? Um."

"Yes, Philbs, they're in pain."

"Keep them still. No moving. Or at least, they can't move themselves… You can carry them if they need to be moved."

"Thanks, Philbs."

"No problem. Drink plenty of water, and don't kiss Finn… haha, I know it's your favorite pastime, but you can't risk getting sick…"

"Meh. Oh, and Philby?"

"Yeah?"

"How did you find so much on poison?"

"Uuhh… haha…. Bye Amanda…"

She laughed. "Bye."

She flipped the phone closed, putting her face in her hands. She turned, probably to check on Willa, but realized I was awake.

"Morning Char- Oh my god, are you okay?" She asked frantically.

I blinked away the tears forming in my eyes. She grabbed a tissue and wiped them away. I hugged Willa tighter to me.

"W-Willa!" I whined, tears forming in my eyes again.

"You heard, didn't you?" She whispered, eyes closed.

I nodded, letting out a sob. Amanda lay down next to me, putting a hand on my arm.

"I'm so sorry." She said. "Y-You weren't s-supposed t-to hear."

I turned to face Amanda. Willa, still sleeping, found a more comfortable position, curled up against my back. I closed my eyes, fighting a losing battle not to cry. Amanda put a hand on my cheek, turning my head to look her in the eyes.

"Willa's a fighter. She'll l-last long enough for us to figure out something… to get her some help."

"I r-really h-hopes so, M-M-Mandy!" I said, bursting into tears. Amanda pulled me in for a hug.

"A-are… you… al-…alright?" came the weak voice of Finn. He sounded worse than he had, weaker than I had ever heard him.

"Yes, Finn… W-We're… fine!" Amanda tried to say plainly, but burst into tears halfway through.

"B-Babe?"

"She's… worried… because… th-the p-poison… will kill… us… soon." Maybeck huffed, walking into the room from the kitchen with a tray full of soup, bread, and tea.

Finn closed his eyes, as if he knew this, but didn't want to hear it.

"I t-told….him already."

"When?"

"Before… I told… you."

"Oh."

Maybeck handed Amanda the tray, then sat down. He was tired, just from walking. Amanda handed Finn a bowl of soup, and set the tea down on the table next to him. She handed me some, then Maybeck. As I sat up, Willa curled into me again. I put a hand on her back, realizing how much I was shaking. I couldn't make a strong fist and the bowl of soup felt like it was made from lead and iron. Heavier than it should've been.

Or I was weaker than I should be.

Jess' POV, later…

I peered into the bathroom mirror, watching the tears stream down my face from my red and puffy eyes. They had broken the news to me the second I opened my eyes. Great way to wake up. Hey! Good morning! Your best friend is dying! Thinking about it, another sob echoed from my throat, and I started to cry again.

Willa was still asleep. She, herself, had no idea that the poison was seeping through her, slowly killing her. Well, I'm sure she could feel herself getting weaker. But I don't know when they were planning on telling her officially. I thought of how she would cry, and felt a horrible feeling in my gut, at the fact of how much pain she must be in. And Finn, too. Finn knows he's dying. Honestly, I've never seen him more terrified. But he wasn't scared for himself- no, he's way too selfless for that. He was terrified for Willa, terrified for Charlie and Maybeck. And terrified for me and Amanda and Phil, knowing we had to go on knowing our friends had died right in front of our eyes.

Once again, I looked at the mirror. Right now, the girl looking back at me was one I've never seen before. One I wish I'd never met. Dark purple bags under my puffy eyes. Pale face, slightly green actually. My hair was a mess, but I really didn't care.

I heard Charlie sobbing from the other side of the door. I began to cry, harder than I ever have. I cried until I was heaving into the toilet bowl and gasping for air.

I heard a knock at the door.

"Jess? Jess, are you alright?" It was Amanda's worried voice. "Jess?"

I reached up, unlocking the door.

"S-sorry." I whispered, wiping my mouth with a towel.

"Jess… You cried so hard you puked." Amanda stated.

"Really? Didn't notice." I spat.

"Be nice." She muttered. She sank to her knees next to me, pulling me into a hug.

After a few quiet moments, Finn's phone rang. Amanda took it out of her pocket, and flipped it open.

"Phil? Yes… but…. No, it's only Jess…. Why do you sound so exci-"

"EVERY POISON HAS AN ANTIDOTE!" He screamed into the phone, loud enough for me to hear it as Amanda tore it away from her ear.

"Phil, that could be hopeless! We don't know that there is one!"

The talking was muffled, because he wasn't screaming now.

"I'll do anything to help them, Mandy. Hopeless or not." I whispered.

"Jess… it's dangerous…. We have to get into their lab. We need to get into the OT base….Yes, Phil, I'm still here….What! I told you not to come!...An hour? Fine. Don't come to the apartment, we don't need you sick!" She snapped the phone closed.

"Amanda?"

"Get ready, we're meeting Phil in an hour."

…

Thirty minutes later, we were telling our plan to Charlie and Maybeck.

"Maybeck, since you aren't in too bad shape, you're in charge. Charlie, are you alright?" Amanda paused. Charlie was breathing heavily, shaking, and her eyes slowly drooped closed. She looked panicked. "Char, lay down… take it easy."

Charlene lay against the pillows, and I pulled the blanket over her.

"It's spreading faster than we thought. We have to go." I said.

"Yeah, let me say goodbye to Finn, in case… uh…" Amanda couldn't finish the sentence.

In case we get killed? In case we're too late? In case we're caught, in case we fail, in case there is no antidote? Too many possibilities.

She walked over to Finn, who woke weakly with a start. He was terrified for a few seconds, before he saw Amanda's face inches from his. He smirked weakly.

I turned my attention to Willa. She was laying on her side, facing away from me and Charlie. She was shaking in her sleep. I walked to the other side of the bed. I pulled the blanket over her, and crouched next to where her head was, so I was eye-to-eye with her. I placed a hand on her arm, softly rubbing it. Slowly, she opened her eyes.

"Hey, Wills." I whispered.

She gave a sad, weak smile.

"H-Hey…" she tried. It came out as a weak whisper, and I had to strain to hear it.

"Willa? Listen… You… You're very weak. B-But… um… you kinda have to stay awake for a few hours… alright? We… need to... um, evaluate your condition…. Alright?" I couldn't stand lying to Willa, not when she was so… fragile. It made me guilty.

"Jess…." She breathed. "Do… you….. think… I'm an… idiot?"

"What? Of course not! Why would you… oh…"

"J-Jess… I know…. I'm…. d-….dying."

"I'm sorry…" I whispered, tears threatening to fall.

"F-find… the c-cure… f-for F-finn… and Ch-Char and…. M-m-…. Maybeck…."

"And you." I said.

"I-It's t-too…. Late… for me…." She smiled sadly and weakly. Her shaky hand reached towards mine, weakly gripping it. "F-find it-t…. for… them, and I'll… die happy…."

"Willa? No! n-no it's not too late! Don't l-leave me!"

"I'll… try… I promise….." she whispered, squeezing my hand.

"Jess, we have to hurry!" Amanda shouted, glancing at her watch.

"We'll be back fast, don't worry!" I said. I jumped up, walking towards the door. Then, I thought about it, running back towards Willa. I pulled the blanket up to her chin, and kissed her forehead. "Hang in there, kid."

I took one last look at her weak smile, before saying goodbye to Finn, Maybeck, and Charlie. Then, I ran out the door, following Amanda.

"Where to?"

"Pirates." Amanda whispered. There was a tear streaming down her face.

I reached up, and wiped it away.

"We'll get it, Amanda. Don't worry. We'll get it, and everything will be fine."

We ran through the park, Philby joining us as we passed the Walt statue. We stopped, breathing heavily, in front of Pirates. We crouched in the bushes.

"Hey Philbs." I whispered.

"Hey Jess, How are you?"

"I've seen better days."

He nodded slighty, turning to Amanda.

"H-Hi…" She wheezed. It sent a chill through my spine.

"Manda?" I whispered.

"I'll… Be fine, don't worry."

"Don't get sick. I need you, Amanda. Please, please, don't get sick! Wh-What if there's no antidote! Please! D-Don't you leave m-me, too!" I said, crying hysterically by the end. Amanda hugged me.

"Jess, calm down. I'm fine… see? Fine. Please don't cry." she whispered. "Nobody is leaving. Nobody."

I nodded, trying to calm myself down.

"Jess, we have to move fast." Philby whispered. "You need to calm down a little."

I nodded again, breathing slower.

"I'm fine.. I'm fine… sorry… I just… You didn't see Willa's face, Manda. You didn't see her eyes. I can't see you in that much pain… okay? I'd break."

She smiled sadly.

"But I saw it in Finn's. Come on, we have to hurry."

We slowly crept through the creepily quiet entrance.

"No guards…" Philby whispered.

"Weird."

"Come on, guys. This way." I said, with a pang of guilt. I was remembering this from my few months as Maleficent's 'Daughter'. I shuddered, standing closer to Amanda.

I crept up to the tiny balcony with the stairs, and peered down. A guard stood watch in front of a well-hidden door. I turned to the other two, and held a finger to my lips. They nodded. I quickly found a small cannonball, and peered over the edge again. I climbed onto the wall, ignoring Amanda's look of concern, and lined myself up with the pirate. I took a breath, and let myself fall off the balcony. I landed exactly where I wanted to, crushing him beneath me. Using the momentum from my fall still, I slammed the iron ball into his head. It broke through his electronic skull, catching a circuit, and shutting him down.

"Jess!" Amanda whispered quickly. "Jess are you okay!"

"Fine, Amanda."

"How'd you do that!" Philby asked in awe.

"I planned it well in my head."

"But…"

"We don't have time!"

"Right."

We walked forward, following the wall. Occasionally, we stopped to peer in a door, or flee from OT's. I looked through one, to see them torturing a pirate. I frowned, and jogged to catch up with the others.

We didn't make a sound as we ducked into a door way. I pressed myself and Amanda into the shadows, Philby crouching in an opposite doorway, as two Pirates walked by, one of them I recognized to be Blackbeard. We waited a minute after the pirates passed before we dared to move. Philby was freaking out. He waved us over to look in a door. We cautiously opened it, stepping inside and finding no one.

My heart leapt. A lab. This is where we would find the antidote. But which was it! There were millions of multicolored bubbling… liquids… here. We wouldn't have a chance of guessing the right one.

In the corner were four screens. One had an outline of a girl, with most of it filled in with red. Her head had a few non-clouded spaces, and her heart as well. The boy looked similar. I gasped. That was the progression of the poison through Finn and Willa! And the opposite wall was Maybeck and Charlie!

Click.

I swallowed. The three of us turned. Amanda shrieked and Philby gasped. I swallowed breathlessly, my eyes turning to face the gun pointed at the center of my forehead.

"Don' move, or ye friend 'ere is gonna have a nice, round, hole in 'er brains." Came a thick-accented, deep and gruff voice. My eyes unfocused on the gun long enough for me to see it was Blackbeard, with a man wearing glasses and a lab coat close behind.

I moaned.

"You like the latest experiment we've sent your way?" the lab guy laughed (I think I'll call him Lab-Rat), and Blackbeard chuckled evilly.

If looks could kill, he'd be dead. I tried to glare a hole through him.

"Your friend will be gone any minute." He smiled. "And the boy not soon after."

"She's strong, they're both strong! They can hold on. They will." I growled.

"They've been 'holding on' for a while. They were supposed to be long gone by now…" the Lab-Rat smirked. "Think of all the pain they must be in… hahaha, it must be unbearable. As we speak, she's probably writhing in pain, sobbing hysterically for everything to just stop, him not far behind. And there's not much any of you can do, because you won't make it back with the antidote in time. Or at all. And it will be on your head that couldn't save them in time." He finished with a sick smile.

"Stop it! Stop it, now!" Amanda screeched, tears streaking her cheeks. She was kneeling, and Philby moved to kneel near her, but Blackbeard pointed the gun at Amanda. My heart jumped into my stomach, and I unwillingly yelped.

"Oh… Hit a nerve, 'ave I? You two seem ta' care bout each other, don't ye? I can sure use that bit of info…" he laughed evilly.

I glanced worriedly at Amanda, but she had her eyes closed, and she was focusing hard on something. Her face was turning red, and her eyes tightly squeezed shut.

Suddenly, the lights went out. Amanda sighed; she had somehow used her powers to manipulate the electricity. Lab lights went out, soon, and it was pitch black. I tried to take a step forward, but there was a crash, and I fell over something. I felt stinging pain on my hands, my arms, and my face, but that quickly subsided. I must've tripped over test tubes, because I felt warm liquid covering me.

"Jess? Jess! Don't move!" I heard Amanda scream.

"Shut up, girl! Someone get the generators back on, before I ring ye' necks!" came the gruff voice of Blackbeard.

I put my hand on the floor. It stung as it hit a piece of glass, but my eyes rolled in my head, and my arms got weak. I saw something in black and white.

The lab-rat was laughing maniacally as he dumped some chemicals into a test tube. Flash to another moment, same day- he's loading the solution into two menacing-looking needles.

I gasped, coming back to the present. That was a vision. A Jess-dream. While I was awake.

"Jess? You alright?" Philby called.

"Fine." I said, my voice hoarse. I smelled something odd… like iron, maybe? Rusting metal?

I crawled forward a bit, reaching up, and putting my hand on the table. The table was covered in liquid as well: sticky-ish, warm liquid. I groaned in pain again as my eyes rolled.

The lab-rat is bringing the needle down the hallway. He's unlocking a cell. Sitting up against the wall, looking confused and scared, was Willa. The picture flashed again, this time I could see Finn, they were trying to restrain him. Screams of pain and terror were erupting from a room not far from where he was fighting not to get injected. Finn was screaming for them to get away from him; get away from Willa. He lost the fight, and the needle entered his arm.

I fought to regain my breath.

"Jess what's wrong!" Amanda screeched.

"SHUT UP, GIRL!"

"N-Nothing… I …" beginning to fall over again. I moved my hand to catch myself.

My head was pounding as I slowly stood up. My eyes would not adjust, it was still pitch black. I took a few steps forward, and my head flared up. I screamed in pain, falling to my knees.

"Jess! Jess! What's wrong! Jess!" Amanda was screaming. "What are you doing! Get away from her! Please!"

My eyes squeezed shut.

A sick-looking lab worker was working carefully, meticulously. His hands were shaking and he had sweat dripping down his face. He looked like he had the sickness the other Keepers did. He dumped a liquid into a flask, took a swig of it, and corked it. He placed it on the counter, and stumbled out.

That was the antidote. I had to find the antidote. I stood back up, using the counter for support. I shakily made my way to where I thought it was.

Tears were streaking Finn's face, scrunched up in pain. Maybeck tried to make him drink water but he wouldn't. He couldn't.

I gasped. I was crying now, shaking.

Willa was screaming, sobbing, and shaking. Charlie was trying to comfort her, laying next to her and hugging her. But Charlie as weak, too.

The visions were more frequent now, more intense. I was positive I was sobbing, as Amanda was now crying for me to tell her what was wrong.

My hand wrapped around some cool glass. It was the shape and size of the flask from my vision. Feeling around, I realized it was in the exact spot. This was it. The headache had stopped, I realized, and so had the visions.

"Follow my voice! RUN!" I screamed. After a series of screams and crashes I felt them by my side.

I flung the door open and stumbled into the hallway, feeling surprisingly lightheaded.

"This way!" Philby yelled. I followed the sound of his footsteps down the hall, Amanda in tow.

"Turn left!" Amanda yelled. We did so.

"Door's up ahead!" I said. Philby pushed it open, and we tumbled onto the stairs. It was pitch-black on the ride's line too. No one was there, since it wasn't during park hours. We slowly walked through the line, trying to get to the entrance. I listened closely.

"Dead… men... tell… no… tales." The ride echoed. It thoroughly creeped me out. I held the flask tighter in my hand, standing closer to Amanda.

"Dead..men…tell…no….tales….Dead men tell no taaaallleesss..." It was getting louder, closer. The voice was taunting us now.

"RUN!" I screeched. We ran as fast as we could. Out of the entrance, into the night.

We ran all the way to Main street. In front of the castle, Amanda slowed down.

"J-Jess… What's that?" she asked, her face pale.

I looked down at the flask.

"It's the antidote!" I smiled.

"What!" Philby screamed happily.

"Jess, you rock!" Amanda yelled, hugging me. But she quickly let go of me, holding me at6 arms length, and gagging slightly. "Oh my god… oh my god… oh my god, we have to get you inside… clean you up."

"Huh?" I asked.

"You're covered in blood. What did they do!" Philby asked angrily.

"Wha-…oh…. Nothing. I think I tripped… I must've landed in broken glass."

"Come on!" Amanda said, suddenly remembering. We darted down the street, flung open the door, and bounded up the steps.

As we opened the second door, chaos erupted.

"Jess.. you have….. blood on… you." Maybeck wheezed. He was next to Finn, whose chest was moving up and down rapidly. He was crying, sobbing. It was hard seeing Finn like this.

"Am-Amand…. Amanda!" he sobbed. Amanda began crying too. "I l-l-l-….love y-you…" he whispered.

"No, Finn! We found it! The antidote! Drink it!" she screeched. She held it to his lips, and he weakly took a sip. Finn's head fell back.

"Finn? Finn, please! Can you hear me!" Amanda whimpered.

"Y-Yes….. yes-s I can…"

"Are you in pain anymore?"

"N-no… It's…. weird… I feel weird… tingly…"

"Tingly? Phil? Is that bad?"

"I dunno…"

We stared at him for a moment. He smiled weakly.

"G-Guys." We turned to Charlie, weakly standing and using the end table for support.

"Charlie! Drink this!" I said, grabbing the flask. I brought it towards her.

"N-No…"

"Charlie! I will force it down your throat!"

She moaned, taking it, and stumbled into the hallway without taking a sip.

"Willa!" she whispered. Immediately, we were all following her. Even Finn was weakly leaning on Amanda and slowly coming.

I jumped onto the bed next to Willa. Her eyes were closed. She wasn't moving. Her head was slumped to the side, and there was a single dried tear on her pale face.

"Willa? Wills, come on…" I supported her head, and lifted it up. "Give her the antidote! Quick!"

Charlie poured it into Willa's mouth. I brought her head up a bit, making the liquid roll down her throat.

"Willa?" Charlie whispered.

Philby looked mortified. Maybeck looked solemn. But I couldn't concentrate on any of that.

"Willa? N-No! Willa! Please!" I whispered, getting louder. "PLEASE!"

"No… no, Willa, come back… no…" Charlie cried.

Amanda and Finn came in. In seconds, Amanda was on the bed, kneeling next to me and Willa.

"Willa! Wake up. Come on sweetie…" She whispered. She pulled the lifeless girl into her lap to give her a hug. "Come on, kid… You know I love you, but if you leave us now I'll never forgive you… Willa?"

I was sobbing. Charlie was too, and (for the third time in this past week) so was Finn. Which made it all the more scary. I heard a weak cough.

"M-Manda?"

…

The girls squeezed onto the couch, with the boys either in a chair or on the floor near it.

I couldn't stop crying. I couldn't help it. Even the boys had tears streaming down their faces.

It was just so sad.

Friendship is a thing that could last a lifetime, but lifetimes could be put to a brutal, fiery end at any moment. People just have to stand together, and face it head-on.

"Okay. Tell me again why we're watching Toy Story 3?" Maybeck muttered, bored.

"Because!" Willa explained. "It's a beautiful, funny, Disney classic, and it makes me cry every time!"

Maybeck rolled his eyes.

Oh! Haha, you thought I was talking about Willa, didn't you? That's funny. Our friendship's great, but I wasn't talking about our friendship. Nope, the antidote worked great, and we're all good now. Simple as that. Willa's fine, and alive.

What! Toy Story makes us all cry…

Ahahahaa… tried to trick ya there. Lemme know if it worked, if u liked it. Sorry it's so long… I got bored. Im home sick.

And seriously, people, the last thing we need is another unfinished multichap from me…. Don't worry, I'm working on 'Movie Adventure' as you read this. Yup.

Please review…. It was an odd idea that came to me in a dream…I think Stephanie Meyer said that. I don't like twilight very much (at all). J.K. Rowling is the one I love more!

REVIEW PLEASE!