Setting: an undetermined time before season 2's 'Cooler'
The sheets were moist and clung to Jess' body as she tossed and turned restlessly; the pain that had settled in her temples did not allow her any relief from its pursuit of her sanity. Waves of burning heat coursed through her body as it buckled and contorted; the uncontrollable spasms creating movements she did not think were possible.
As the beads of sweat that gathered on her face began to work their way downwards, the damp paths they left provided a little relief as the water was cooled by the scant breeze that made its way through her open window. Licking her dry, parched lips, her tongue felt like cotton wool and her mouth, dry and papery. With some difficulty, she shifted her legs to the side of her bed, sliding down so her feet hit the floor. Shuffling, she began to raise her body upwards, her weak arms shaking and her head pounding even harder as she did so. Finally, she was upright. The room was spinning; it was hard to focus, but she pushed on, lifting herself off the bed and beginning to make small, weary steps towards the door.
As she almost reached it, Nick appeared in the hallway; a glass of water in his hand. "Hey, Jess, get back to bed," he commanded, a stern look on his face.
"Water," she croaked, raising her hand to her throat. Nick approached her and placing a hand over her shoulder then he turned her around and began to walk back to the bed.
"I have your water here, now get under those covers. You have the flu! The doctor said you have to rest!" He placed the glass of water in his hand on her bedside table as she obediently climbed into bed.
"Hot," she groaned as he tucked the covers tightly around her. He raised his hand and touched her clammy forehead.
"You are a little warm Jess, here," he said taking two pills from the bottle on the table and giving them to her, "Take these." She did as she was told, placing the pills in her mouth, next he took the glass of water and raised it to her lips; she greedily gulped down the cool liquid. Satiated, she sunk back into her pillows and gave him a grateful smile. Looking down at her, he smiled back, sweeping her damp bangs away from her face, "Now, sleep." In reply she nodded lightly as he gave her a kiss on the forehead and left the room.
Gradually, the medication began to seem into her bloodstream, her eyelids became heavy and she fell into a deep, all enveloping sleep.
"Hey guys, this is the turnoff!" Jess chirped as the car trundled along the dusty dirt road. The final section was rough and disused: as Nick turned the wheel, the jolt of the car moving over sods of earth and rock shook those who were in the back seat.
"Seriously?" Winston shouted as his head hit the glass window beside him, "I'm trying to sleep here! You do realize I just got off the night shift!"
"Relax, Winston," Nick soothed as he pulled the car to a halt, "We're here, you can sleep all ya want."
Jess opened her door and slid out of her seat as Winston, Cece and Schmidt emptied out of the back. They stood and observed their home for the weekend: the wooden cabin was constructed from thick logs, laid horizontally and topped with a red shingle roof - a small stone chimney peeked out from the top, giving the place a rustic, quaint feel. Dotted around its sides were small, cobwebbed windows surrounded by aged green shutters that shook slightly in the breeze that passed over them. In the clearing where the cabin stood there was no noise except the occasional rustle of leaves; it was too far from the main road for traffic noise. However the lack of birdsong or other animal noises that normally accompanied a home in the woods was startlingly apparent.
Sidling up beside her, Nick dropped the bags he was carrying on the ground, "Is this it? Kinda looks like a dump, Schmidt." Schmidt barged passed them and began searching for a key underneath the doormat.
"Well, I'm sure it's going to be much better inside, it's been in my boss's family for generations," he mumbled as he struggled to get the key in the lock. Finally, the door swung open and they all stepped forward to have a look. As Cece stepped over the threshold she began to cough.
"What is that smell?" she cried as she waved her hand in front of her nose.
"Smells like, like something died in here," Jess replied holding her own nose with her thumb and forefinger.
"Guys," Schmidt snapped, "Let's not start the weekend on a sour note. We'll open some windows, I'll bust out the Febreeze, it'll be fine."
As they made their way further inside Winston moved closer to Nick, "Can you believe Schmidt took a weekend in this dump over a bonus? Dumbass," he whispered.
"Yep," Nick sighed, "I guess we'll just have to drink it out," he smiled holding up a case of beer in his hand and giving Winston a high-five.
Later the sun was beginning to set and everyone had settled into their rooms; Jess insisting on sharing with Cece, the alternative being sharing a bed with Nick or Winston. Schmidt was not pleased with this turn of events; he had big plans for his girlfriend this weekend. He needed to get her alone - as soon as possible.
As they lounged on the porch of the cabin, sipping beers, Jess read her well worn copy of Pride and Prejudice she had brought whilst Cece painted her nails a vivid red. Suddenly, Winston came running outside, clutching a large, leatherbound book in his hands.
"Look what I found in the basement! Some old book, bet it's worth a whole lot!" he blew on the surface of the book, causing a cloud of dust to rise into the air, making the others cough and sputter.
"Winston!" Jess cried, "Are you trying to kill us?"
"Hey, put that down! And why are you snooping in the basement?" Schmidt chimed in as Winston wrestled with the large metal clasp that closed the book.
"Hmm, it's stuck," he mumbled.
Nick placed his beer on the ground and addressed his friend, "Seriously Winston, if that's worth a lot of money, you don't wanna break it, it looks like an antique…"
With a shout of triumph, he finally released the clasp, unleashing another cloud of dust, before he sat himself on the steps of the porch and began to flick through the yellowing pages. Cece rose from her seat and walked over to where he sat, looking over his shoulder.
"He who reads from this book shall be damned," she read from the page in front of her, "Urgh, creepy," she shuddered, resting her arm against the railing that surrounded the porch.
"Winston, I think you should put the book back," Jess told him, her eyes watching him over the top of her book.
"Why can't I do the things I want to? You're always getting up in my face!" he cried, slamming the book closed and storming back inside.
"That boy is an idiot," Nick chuckled as he picked up his bottle again.
"Yeah," Jess replied, turning back to her book and ignoring the unsettled feeling rising in her stomach.
A chill had descended in the air and Jess retreated inside with her book; Nick joined her and then began to pile up logs in the stone fireplace as she curled up on the worn, battered sofa.
Outside, Schmidt and Cece sat together on the creaking porch swing, taking turns to sip from a bottle of whiskey, "C'mon baby, it'll be fun," Schmidt urged, giving her his best puppy dog eyed look.
"I promised Jess I wouldn't abandon her this weekend, she wanted some girl time," Cece replied, taking a long draw of Jack Daniels, "Besides, what if someone sees us?" she asked.
Schmidt began to trace his finger up and down her bare arm, causing tiny shivers to course through her and her eyes to roll backwards, "We are in the middle of nowhere, who's gonna see anything?"
Finally, she acquiesced, "Okay, but you have thirty minutes, maximum."
"I am totally fine with that," he replied, grabbing her hand and pulling her into the darkening woods.
In his room, Winston was still flicking through the book he had found; the pages were thick and yellowing, each covered with tightly packed lines of small spidery print; he could only make out a little and that seemed to be in some foreign language. Reaching the back of the book, he found a piece of crumpled paper, almost hidden, slipped in between the binding. Unfolding it, he smoothed it down on his bed; at the top of the page in faded, cursive script was the word 'TRANSLATION'. Picking up the paper, Winston began to read out loud, "'He who wakes the dead, shall himself only find death. In the battle of the living and the dead, only death will triumph. Klaatu barada nikto. Hmm, what a load of nonsense," Winston pulled his mouth into a twisted smile before stuffing the paper back in the book and tossing it on the floor, "Dumb book," he muttered, before slamming the door shut and heading back to the living room.
"Cece, wait up, where are you?" Schmidt cried, out of breath as he ran blindly through the thick clumps of trees.
"Come find me," she sang, "Oh look, what has happened to my shirt…" Schmidt suddenly found a reserve of strength and began to run in the direction of her voice. Finally, he saw a flash of skin and reached out and pulled her towards him, causing her to shriek a little. Impatiently, he plunged his mouth onto hers; pulling her towards him as her hands began to undo the stiff leather of the brown belt he wore.
"Not wasting any time," he breathed between kisses.
"Nope," she said, shaking her head as she pushed him to the ground.
In the living room Nick was still working on the fire, arranging the kindling and lighting it with matches before blowing on the slight embers. Winston sat on the sofa next to Jess, raising his phone in the air, trying to get a signal.
"Winston, give up! We're in the middle of nowhere, you'll have to wait until Sunday to check your Facebook," Jess snapped, annoyed by his restless behavior since they arrived.
"I'm bored, man, I thought this was going to be fun. No TV, no Facebook…"
"We do have beer," Nick interjected, turning to face them.
"And we are meant to be relaxing Winston, you know, getting away from the modern world," Jess said cocking her head to one side and giving him a wry smile.
"Well I like the modern world, I like WiFi, I like TV, I like microwave ovens..." he sniffed, taking the beer Nick offered him. Suddenly he paused, cocking an ear, "Hey, you guys hear that?"
"Hear what?" Jess asked.
"That sound, it's like someone is humming, real low."
Nick shook his head as he slid onto one of the other chairs, "Crickets Winston, that's all it is."
"Don't sound like no crickets I've heard before," Winston mumbled, taking a sip of his tepid beer.
Pressed against the downy floor of the woods, Cece panted as Schmidt coated her body in hot, fiery kisses, "You are so hot," he whispered between breaths, causing her let out a small laugh.
"C'mere," she said, grabbing his face and pulling it back towards hers. Suddenly, she paused, tilting her head, "Did you hear that?"
"Hear what?" he asked, trying to work his hand around to the clasp of her bra.
"Shh, I'm serious," she hushed, "It sounded like, someone-someone moaning."
"Cece, I already said, we're all alone. Listen," he paused, lifting up his head, "Anyone there?" he shouted. Silence. "See, I told you," he said leaning down for another kiss. Cece placed a firm hand on his chest and stopped him.
"Would you look, please? I'm sure I heard something." Schmidt sighed and pushed himself up off the ground, dusting his hands of the dirt that coated them as he did so. Cece sat up as he began to walk around, checking behind the trees that lined the clearing. Finally, he turned to face her.
"See, nothing, told y-" his words were cut short by an ear piercing scream. Cece, unable to see him, shot up and began to grope around in the dark.
"Schmidt? Where are you? Are you playing some kind of game?" Next, there came another scream, this time a bloodcurdling, agonizing groan of pure physical pain.
"Run, Cece, Run!" Schmidt voice, contorted in pain and suffering, rang out through the woods, seemingly coming from every direction. Cece panicked, tears beginning to trip down her face.
"What?"
"Run," came his voice once more followed by a gurgling groan, then silence.
"Schmidt! Schmidt!" she cried, her body wracked with sobs, before she finally turned and began to run blindly back towards the cabin.
As the flames licked the stone fireplace, Jess removed her glasses and placed her book to one side. Nick was sat next to her, nursing a bottle of beer, while Winston restlessly flicked through a magazine he had found lying around.
"Hmph," he sighed for about the fiftieth time.
"Winnie if you are so bored why don't you go for a walk or something?" Nick said in an irritated voice
"Yeah, you can go find Cece and Schmidt, I wanna eat soon!" Jess chimed in.
"You and I both know what those two are up to Jess," Winston replied with a growl, "But a walk might be a good idea, I could get to be at one with nature, convene with goddess earth - I always said I wanted to get interested in the environment."
"Okay pal," chuckled Nick as Winston made his way towards the door, "Good luck with that." As his friend shut the screen door behind him Nick looked at Jess and rolled his eyes.
Walking through the thick undergrowth of the woods, Winston struggled to keep his footing steady on the obstacle course of tree roots and rocks. Quickly, he began to regret his decision; it was dark, cold and only marginally less boring than sitting in the cabin. Sighing, he began to turn back on the path when his foot became lodged under an overgrown root, causing him to stumble forward, twisting his leg as he fell.
"Ouch," he cried as his hand shot to his tender, throbbing ankle, "Great', he muttered as he realized it was most likely sprained, "Just what I need." At that moment, a sudden hush descended - the scant breeze stopped, everything was still, eerily so.
"Hello?" he shouted, "Nick? Schmidt?" He paused as the silence seemed to deepen all around him, before it was quickly replaced by the low hum he had heard earlier in the cabin; only this time much, much louder.
"Who's there?" he cried, his voice beginning to show the first signs of panic as he started to prise himself off the ground, clutching at patches of grass and root for leverage. "Seriously guys, this is not funny..."
Suddenly, the noise stopped, replaced by a deafening wail, one of pure agony. The next thing he felt was a tug pulling at his legs, but looking down he couldn't see anything. Without warning, he felt himself being dragged, pulled further into the forest, his head hitting the ground as he moved; his arms scraping on the rocks and stones.
"Help! Help me!" he screamed, before one last blow to the head made everything go black.
As the fire crackled, Jess lay back against the soft fabric of the sofa, sighing contently. "This is nice, huh?" she mused, looking over at Nick.
"Yeah, it is," he smiled, "Getting out of the city, spending some time with nature..."
"Mmm," she agreed, shivering a little.
"You cold?" he asked.
She shrugged her shoulders gently before replying, "A little, the fire's not really helping."
"Move over here, I'll warm you up."
Sifting along the sofa, she settled her head underneath his offered arm and rested her body against his. Immediately she felt the soothing pleasure of the heat radiating from his body, warming hers. "This is nice," she cooed as she wriggled closer to him, enjoying the feel of his firm body beneath hers.
"You already said that," he mumbled as he wrapped his arm more tightly around her.
The sound of screaming startled Jess; she had begun to fall asleep, lulled by the gentle crackle of the wood as it burned and the feel of Nick's arms around her. As she roused herself she noticed that her head had found its way into his lap; his hand wrapped in her hair. At first she smiled at this moment, until she came to her senses and realized what had woken her.
"Nick, Nick," she said, nudging him to wake him from his slumber, "Can you hear that?"
Nick opened his eyes and looked down at Jess, "What?" he asked drowsily.
"Outside, I'm sure I heard-" she was cut off in that moment as another scream reverberated through the woods - this time much closer. They both looked at each other seriously before scrambling to their feet and running to the door.
"Cece!" Jess screamed, her heart pounding.
"I'm gonna get a flashlight," Nick said turning back to the door, "Don't worry, it's probably just Winston and one of his pranks again," he added, caressing her face as he did so, stroking her cheek with his thumb. Jess simply nodded as he walked away.
"Cece!" she cried, "Where are you?"
At that moment, a figure emerged from the woods, running haphazardly, leaping over obstacles - it was Cece, lacking a shirt and shoes but otherwise seemingly okay. Jess ran down the steps and enveloped her friend in a hug. Tears stained her face, rolling down her cheeks as her body shook, wracked with sobs.
"Babe what's wrong, where's Schmidt?" Cece continued to cling to her friend, while trying to form some words.
"Gone-taken..." she mumbled into Jess's hair.
"What do you mean he's gone? I don't understand?" Pulling back she looked at her friends face: fear was etched across her pretty features, her hair was matted and her body covered in scratches from the trees that had been in her way as she ran back to the cabin. Her eyes seemed hollow and vacant, gone was the vivacious spark they normally held. Urgently, Cece tightly grabbed her friend's arms, digging in her nails, causing Jess to wince.
"Something- in the woods - we have to leave. NOW!" she screamed as she let go of Jess and ran up the steps into the cabin, almost knocking over Nick as she did so.
"Hey, where are you going? What's wrong-"
Cece ignored him and raced inside. "What's the matter Jess? Where's Schmidt? Is this some weird sex game..."
Jess shook her head, "I don't think so Nick, she said there is something in the woods, that it took Schmidt..."
"Took Schmidt? Seriously? We're not in some corny horror movie Jess," Nick scoffed.
Cece came tumbling back out of the cabin; she had thrown on a sweater and a pair of shoes, in her hand dangled the keys to Jess's car. "Get in," she shouted as she jumped into the driver's seat and pushed the keys into the ignition, quickly turning them and pressing the gas pedal, revving the engine.
"Hey, wait, calm down Cece, we can't go anywhere without Schmidt and Winston too - he went for a walk in the woods, whatever has freaked you out I'm sure there is a perfectly reasonable explanation," Jess bellowed as she chased after her friend, placing her hands on the hood of the car.
"If he's in the woods, he's probably been taken too. Get in, once we are back in civilization we can call someone, please," Cece pleaded with her friend, her hands tightly clenching the steering wheel, her knuckles turning white.
"No... no, Cece," Jess shook her head, "if something has happened to Schmidt I'm not going to leave him-"
"I love you Jess but if you are not coming then get out of my way or I swear to God I will run you over," the dangerous tone in her friends voice caused Jess to pull back in shock and step away from the car. Instantly, Cece put her foot down on the gas and began to roar away along the dirt path. "I'll send help," she cried from the open window as she sped away.
Jess stood, stunned, staring at the car lights as they became smaller and smaller before fading away in the distance. Nick came up beside her, "What the hell has gotten into her?"
Shaking her head she replied, "I have no idea... Look, whatever it is we need to call someone, we're stuck here without the car. The nearest town is fifteen miles away." She pulled her phone out of her pocket, "Great, no signal" she sighed, dropping her arms in frustration.
"I think I had a signal earlier," Nick offered, "My phone's in my room."
"Come on then," Jess said, wearily following him into the house, desperately trying to process the events of the last few minutes.
"Damnit," Nick cried as he furiously pushed the buttons on his aging phone.
"Oh, give up," Jess said, flopping onto the bed, "We're stuck here. Let's hope that whatever crazy Cece is going through right now she sends someone back for us. Where do you think Winston and Schmidt are?"
"I bet this was all some prank on Cece that they took too far, they're probably hiding out in the woods right now, having a big old laugh at our expense." Jess slid down off the bed and joined Nick sitting on the floor. She reached over and picked up the book that Winston had been looking at earlier, thumbing through the pages, until a piece of paper flew out. "Hey Nick, look at this, 'he who wakes the dead, shall himself only find death. In the battle of the living and the dead, only death will triumph. Klaatu barada nikto?' Creepy."
"Mumbo jumbo is what it is, Jess," Nick replied, reaching over and placing a warm hand on her knee, she smiled in response, tilting her body towards his.
As they sat, a low hum began to gather in the air, quiet at first, but gathering in intensity as the seconds ticked by. They each looked at each other, "What is that?" she asked.
"Maybe it's the generator?" he suggested, "This place is old."
"Maybe... Nick, I'm a little freaked out right now, do you think we could go look for the guys now, so I know they're okay?"
He gave her a warm smile as he reached for the flashlight he had found earlier, "Sure Jess, come on," he held out a hand to her and pulled her up, walking back to the front of the cabin.
The fire was now roaring and the living area of the cabin was hot and filled with the warm glow of the flames. Quietly they slipped out of the door, Nick switching on the flashlight as they did so, following the narrow beam of illumination it laid on the ground.
Silently, they picked their way into the woods, the low hum still ringing in their ears - though they could hear no other noise, and the light breeze of earlier was gradually replaced by a dead calm. Jess clung to his arm, taking comfort from the feel of his warm body pressed against hers.
"Winnie? Schmidty?" Nick bellowed as they advanced further, "Come on guys, the game's over, you've had your fun."
"No game," came a loud, booming voice that seemed to surround them. Instantly, they turned to each other, eyes wide with fright.
"Did you-" Jess began, Nick nodded rapidly in response. "I'm scared Nick, maybe we should head back."
He pulled her closer to him and wrapped his arm around her, "Don't worry, it's just a prank like I told ya, I'll take care of you," he said almost convincingly.
At once everything suddenly became dark, the scant moonlight that filtered through the gaps in the trees was replaced by a velvet darkness - one that obscured all but the closest objects.
"The girl," came the voice from the woods again, this time seeming a lot closer, more menacing, "I need the girl..."
"Nick..." Jess whimpered, her voice trembling. He reached down and picked up a sturdy piece of wood, about three feet long. Taking hold of her hand, he looked her in the eye - she could see at once his fear, but also his determination to protect her from whatever madness was enveloping them.
"You want her? You gotta go through me first!" he shouted at the disembodied voice, waving the heavy branch above him. Suddenly it was like the air had been knocked out of their lungs, they both stumbled backwards - Jess felt something grabbing at her, pulling her away from his grasp.
"Nick! Nick!" she panted as she struggled against the invisible force. She felt a hand grasp her wrist and yank her in the opposite direction - it was Nick, his touch firm and warm. Brandishing the length of wood, he swung it wildly into the darkness, using all his might to bring it crashing down. Suddenly, it hit something, shattering into splintered pieces. A high pitched howl emerged from whatever he had hit, the two pressed their hands against their ears to escape the deafening noise.
"I think you made it mad Nick," Jess cried as she scrambled to her feet. They both scanned their surroundings, looking for an escape route, until once again she felt the clawing of invisible hands against her body.
"Nick! Nick!" Jess screamed, feeling herself being pulled away.
"No! Jessica," Nick cried, diving in the direction of this unknown menace, placing himself in between Jess and the danger. He was immediately flung to the ground, as though hit by an incredibly force, the air pressed out of his lungs.
"Jess," he said breathlessly, "Get help," he groaned before she could hear his body being pulled away into the dark night, "I'm sorry, Jessica..." his words faded away into the distance.
"Nick! Noooo!" she screeched, tears streaming down her face. Her hands dug into the soft earth, her body collapsing, wracked by sorrow.
"Nooo, noo, Niiicccckkk!" she panted as she tossed her head in her dampened pillow.
"Jess, wake up, Jess!" came a voice, so familiar. She flashed her eyes open only to see his face, inches from hers, a look of concern etched over it. Her hands were balled into his t-shirt, as though grabbing onto him for dear life. Upon seeing him, safe, in front of her, she collapsed back into the pillows, overwhelmed by exhaustion.
"Nick, Nick, it took you, you tried to save me, but it took you..."
"Nothing took me Jess, you were having a bad dream," he smiled at her.
"But it was so real, we were in a cabin in the woods and Schmidt and Winston and Cece and then you, you..." Small tears began to roll down her cheek as she relived the horror of her nightmare; vivid memories of the feeling of him being dragged away from her, calling her name.
"Hey, you're fine," he soothed, moving so he was sat on the bed, wrapping his arms around her so she was cocooned by his body, "Look, I'm fine, all in one piece." He stroked her hair and rocked her slightly as her sobs began to dissipate until finally her body stilled and relaxed against him. "See? Just a nightmare." She whimpered by way of a response, her arms clinging to him, not willing to let go yet, not totally believing this was reality.
"You'd be there for me right Nick? If things got crazy?"
"Of course Jess," he laughed as he placed a small kiss on her forehead, "What are friends for?"
She tightened her grip a little as the waves of fever began to flood her body again, "I don't know what I'd do without you Nick, you're such a good - a good friend," she finished with a small smile.
"Well I'm not going anywhere," he reassured her.
Raising her big blue eyes to his, he could see the raw fear in them and he felt a lump in his throat, "Would you stay here? Hold me until I fall asleep? I'm still a little shook up," she asked.
"Of course Jess, close your eyes, try and rest," he promised, watching as her eyelids slowly fluttered closed and her breathing slowed as the exhaustion finally overcome her again.
Watching her sleep, she seemed so perfect, like a doll. For all her pallid skin and mussed up hair, he thought he had never seen anyone as beautiful before. Hugging her closer to him, he felt her heartbeat pounding against his chest, enjoyed the delicate feel of her body wrapped against his.
No Jess, he thought, I'm not going anywhere; I'd never leave you. Gently, he pushed away the last stands of hair from her forehead, his eyes tracing the curves of her face as a smile left his lips. Never. Then he closed his eyes and allowed himself to fall into the sleep of a contented man who almost had what he wanted.