A/N: Of course, the title was a homage to the Disturbed hit of the same name, as well as the debut album it's from. Sorry if the Horsemen may seem to be out of order, but I'm sure the series cleared it up already. And as the name implies...

WARNING!: This chapter contains some disgusting, disturbing content that may not be suited for certain readers. Viewer discretion is advised.

Chapter VII
Down with the Sickness

Gavin was starting to unpack his belongings and supplies; the team helped him out, especially Jake and Alex who knew exactly where to put his things including the food he brought along. They already managed to install a 5-ton Maytag freezer and fridge combo that could house products that'd feed a large group of people for weeks. They also installed a generator in case the power should go out during the upcoming apocalypse, which could last up to three weeks if the electricity is conserved. The dry and nonperishable items can even be stored in a huge pantry before guests can access the library itself. He also saved a lot of light and heavy clothing, along with a few pillows and blankets; some electronics including his laptop, a flashlight, some spare batteries, his Ipod and IHome, several movies and games, and portable game systems; and also some possessions he knew that couldn't be replaced like his figurines, his photo albums, and scrapbook. The process itself wasn't quite new to him since he remembered well of his escape from his old life, especially from his lethal guardian, Loilita.

During Gavin's move-in, Jenny, Jake, Alex, and Ichabod were discussing the next Horseman while Diana and Lara were still gathering theirs and Molly's belongings. For now, the young prodigy was with the sergeant keeping him company. She still couldn't believe her father was gone, and that the everlasting eclipse was so foreboding.

"It's unbelievable how something so beautiful could be so deadly." she thought aloud.

"It must be really bad. As if the three stricken white trees weren't gruesome enough." It was sort of a good thing to preserve the memory when he noticed her amazing sketch within her notebook. He explained one unleashed lightning, the second brought blood hail, and the third resurrected Moloch's army. But the fourth one was never burnt. "I can't imagine what it could mean. At least they're not as bad as what's ahead."

"In one of my visions, Mr. Crane said that the fourth represents the Horseman of Death. Maybe that's when he'll get his head back and raise his comrades."

"I guess it HAS already been struck since Ichabod and I saw him with his head, but..." Gavin hesitated. Molly wondered what was the matter. He flashed back to the time when the Witnesses, Ichabod and Abbie, told him of their confrontation with Pestilence in the lost colony of Roanoke. The late Mills sister once said that her solution on beating it and the plague was to use holy water after seeing an elderly woman touch a basin at the church near the emergency unit; it was its goal to spread the plague from the distant past to modern-day Sleepy Hollow, where it'd be resurrected, although its identity at the time was unknown. Until recently. Then he paused again.

"There was also this voice I kept hearing, 'Every second I feel stronger, like I'm leaving my body and becoming something more,'" Molly recalled it in a premonition, though the source of the voice was unseen yet familiar.

"Um...Molly? There's something that I need to tell you. I know you admire Logan MacDonald so much, but..." This was harder to say than he realized.

Molly asked what was wrong, then she pondered for a bit and connected the dots memorizing the message. Logan was one of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Although she wasn't devastated like Gavin presumed. He nodded slowly in assent. "It was him all along..."

Although it wasn't the Logan that Gavin knew from YouTube fame, this one in particular was a celebrity in his twenties and admired by tweens around the world; in addition, he was a Pictogramer and he obtained legendary status that was nearly as much as Justin Bieber. A few weeks back during a convention, she took a selfie with him, and he later collapsed. The only clue was his arm glowing much like the Freemason's pentagram, he said. Logan was responsible for the outbreak of the "fire flu" while he released a video from his Pictogram account with a computer/biological virus as part of its coding; it was just what Gavin feared since he was a young kid. A monster known as the Djinn inflicted the disease on anonymous people, including Alex, then luring them to a den where the victims were gathered and lulled by its voice. Although it was killed by electrocution, Logan just became a full-fledged member of Malcolm's army, just for the fame and glory of it all.

"Typical celebrities. Always thinking about the limelight and can get away with just about anything..." Gavin muttered, recalling the asinine characters he saw in the insane marathons.

Jenny arrived and she requested Gavin to go with her so they can get their fathers; a couple of the last-minute refugees they were planning to retrieve.

"But, that means they need time to pack. Time's against us."

"I've alerted my dad a week ago, he's ready. You talked to your dad about it, too, remember?"

"Yeah, but he refused to listen." Gavin sulked.

"We won't know for sure unless we go there ourselves." He took a deep sigh, thinking there was no possible way he'd believe him, not even when he supported his interests before-

Just then, there was an irritating alarm and a red, flashing light. Iron bars slammed in front of the open doors and windows.

"Red alert! We have intruders approaching!" Jake pointed out. From the surveillance, there were several figures that seemed sub-human and looked like members of the undead. They possessed very blanch bodies with their veins protruding from their skin. Their eyes were also gouging out of their faces. And they were completely incoherent.

"Stay here, Molly! We got monsters to fight!" Gavin almost immediately jumped to his feet and gathered his weapons.

Jake and Alex stayed put while the rest of the group ran out to the fray. He, Jenny, and Ichabod emerged outside the main hall and the Witness prompted, "Get ready when they enter that rise. Now!"

Against the stampede, while some ran over their fallen compatriots, they were using the usual weapons for long-distance such as the Freemason's crossbow, Jenny's rifle, and Gavin's lighter of all things. He figured it was the perfect way to obliterate the abhorrent atrocities since their bodies were nearly buck naked, as their only clothing was their soggy, rotting underpants. At times, the swarm was too much so they had to resort to close-combat; Ichabod avoided contact using his own replica of Delilah's Dagger, as did Jenny. Gavin wielded the usual, the Demonslayer, and iron arm blades. The combustions and the enhanced weapon were the most effective tools. At one point, Gavin was struck down. He used his blade as a crutch while he stood up. As he stabbed it to the ground floor, however, something amazing happened. The tip illuminated a neon blue and the crutch created a shockwave stopping the disgusting draugrs in their tracks as their bodily fluids were oozing out from every possible aperture and groaning nonstop.

As everyone made the final blows to the immobilized infestation, the conflict was over.

"Just they way I like 'em, dumb and ugly." Jenny remarked.

"Piece of cake." Gavin said.

"Pardon?" Ichabod asked in doubt.

"Well, it was easy for me."

"Yeah, whatever, Firebrand." Jenny added.

"What is it with you guys? We're standing, they're not. What more do you want?"

Jake gave the signal, "All clear, y'all."

There was a sudden uproar in the air. The trio looked up suddenly and they belonged to flocks of hawks and falcons. They descended sharply letting out some screeches and began to eat the leftover corpses.

"Blagh! Eeeewww!" Gavin gagged.

"Crane?" Jenny was alarmed.

"Relax, Miss Jenny. They're with the Onondagas."

Gavin was still sick to his stomach. "They're definitely gonna get sick and carry whatever disease they have..." he trailed off as he covered his mouth. He could feel vile rising in his throat. "Ergh, they are horrible scavengers..." He ran back inside.

In a walkie-talkie, Crane ordered Jake and Alex to allow access for the other escapees. He obliged while the bars were lifted, and Jenny led them to the secret tunnels below; hopefully it'd be a more discreet route. It had not been easy while they had to cover themselves as they followed and trekked through chains of dense forests.

The team watched the Onondagas file in via the tunnels. They were escorted by Jake and Alex.

"You gotta hand it to Crane. He sure knows his plans." she commented.

"That's our Brown Beard." he said enthusiastically, referring to the nickname he gave him when they first met.

Soon enough, he merged from the crowd. "Mr. Wells, how are we progressing?"

"So far, so good. The evacuation is going very smoothly. The chief said it took six days for the Onondagas to flee southwest from Basin Falls to Washington."

"Great. I want to let Falcolor know they can find shelter within the Vault."

"Jenny and Gavin are heading back to Sleepy Hollow so they can round up the remaining stragglers." Alex said.

Ichabod had an uncertain look. "Don Lucas... Can we trust him? Gavin has said he was quite stern when he described what's at stake. I believe he may refuse the offer."

Switching gears, Agency 355's head honcho realized there was a connection between the grunts he faced and the Horseman; the engineer and archivist couldn't agree more. Much like War, Pestilence had grown in immense strength and covered the underdeveloped countries in severe illness, as pointed out by the duo. They feared that severe diseases like Ebola, cholera, and dengue flu would soon hit the States if he's not stopped. Ichabod figured that the virtues may serve as protection, though others might not be so fortunate. They may be resistant to the lingering diseases, but with Pestilence directly they're not invincible. Another sign could be Molly's school getting affected about a week ago. According to the former history professor, the enemy was also known as Conquest.

"Much like bacteria is to divide and conquer." Jake intervened while he grabbed and displayed a painting of all four beasts. Ichabod went on that Pestilence wielded a bow and arrow, and the white horse's rider is said to possess poisonous arrows that could inflict disease, and a quiver that can hold all existing germs. He's seen wearing a crown that's supposed to symbolize victory.

Jake beamed as he summarized the secret weapons, the holy-water super soakers; the ideas were from him and Molly, and he hoped her friends would also pitch in as well.

"I don't know if they would want to, Black Panther. They're just kids and their parents won't be convinced with the whole "End of the World" scenario." Alex scorned.

"At least, hopefully, they'll give their super soakers to her."

"Well, one friend, Kendra, did." Diana and Lara emerged, holding handfuls of supplies. It was mostly food that could last for about ninety days or more. Ramen noodles, powdered milk, honey, rice and soy sauce, some soft drinks, lemonade mix, canned food, peanut butter, and hard tack crackers were dropped off. Diana mentioned she had some of those hard crackers, as the military eats them a lot, and people can stay full longer.

The agents immediately got to work. As Ichabod recapped the events to the female pair, Jake suddenly got a call on his cell. He picked it up and received a message from a weeping woman. From the reception, he was at a stalemate. Alex whispered what was wrong, and he just announced that Missy was pronounced dead by a severe chronic illness. For now, it was unknown but theorized as cholera.

As Jake cried, Alex held him close, reassuring him that she was a good friend to him and no matter what she'll remain close to his side.

Crane concluded that Jake's girlfriend, Missy, could be a demonstration that the situation is serious. "A testament of the Horseman's strength."

With those words, the engineer literally sucked it up and vowed revenge. "I swear, for Missy, I will destroy that bastard, Logan MacDonald. One way or another!"

Meanwhile, the avatar covered in a lightless sheet of metal rode up on a giant, white steed. He reached down and snatched up a few strands of grass, which decayed in his clutch. Then, he blew into it and the destroyed pieces soared within the wind. His handsome, though malevolent, face was revealed. "Fame, fortune, and glory is within my grasp!" he chuckled.


Back in Sleepy Hollow, Jenny and Gavin were in her camper. As they were heading to the ranch house Gavin's dad owned, they came across a nearby church. The parking lots and the curb were overcrowded by fearful Christians and the like; it was very familiar to Gavin as he and Ichabod had been there while the city was being tainted by Gospodor. The church had a wooden exterior, showing a large cross above the two red doors.

The sergeant noticed that his father was part of the large crowd. He was six feet tall, his silvery hair was thinning, and he had quite a body build for a man in his early sixties. He wore a pair of faded denim jeans, thick, black sneakers, and a white T-shirt with a large golden retriever engraved at the center. Ezra was just near him, assisting him while unpacking luggage from the trunk of his dark purple Durango.

Gavin's face lit up, "Dad!" He ran toward the group with Jenny right behind him.

"Dad? Why are you here?"

Ezra was just wearing army clothing minus the cap, and he was surprised to see both Gavin and Jenny show up.

"Jenny, Gavin. I figured you'd be in Washington when all this travesty is going down." Gavin's father, Don Lucas, was just speechless, seeing his son again after so long.

"We want you to come with us, Dad. You and Don." She paused, waiting for a response. Instead, Gavin just walked up to them.

His father was at a loss for words. "Gavin..? I thought I'd never see you again since the day you left. Loilita said she was-"

"I know." He yelped. "I...I'm glad to see you, too. Why are you doing this? On the phone you said you didn't want to believe me..."

Ezra explained he actually helped Don to evacuate, but not to DC. Instead, they have agreed to relocate to the church. He wanted to take Gavin's word, just not to travel so faraway.

He knelt down to his only son. "Gavin...I'm sorry." His blue eyes were sparkling as his voice began to crack. "I'm sorry for everything. For never standing up to you, for not believing in you. I can get very weak even after your mom died, and I understand you never wanted to forgive me. Just as Ezra didn't expect to be forgiven. But with Loilita gone...I was a free man again. I couldn't find you, you were estranged from me. I always wanted to take it back since you're my only child; I couldn't bare to lose you, too.

"You were always passionate of the supernatural when Loilita wouldn't allow it. You were born loving it, and it became your greatest interest. And from what Ezra told me, you used all this knowledge, the way you always wanted to. I see now for who you truly are, just like your friends. Again...I'm so sorry." Don burst into tears, then the young soldier eventually hugged him, safe and warm in their arms.

"Another family reunited." Jenny whispered.

"I couldn't agree more. I've always believed in the two of you when you went to DC. You found Crane and the new Witness. And now you must set the world right again. Sophie told me everything about your progress." He took a red hardcover book out from his shirt pocket. "She's waiting inside and she gave me this."

"The copy of our journal?"

He nodded. Then the two men parted, and he saw the seven-sided crystal light up on the back of her hand.

"The virtue of Faith.."

After seeing it, he was hopeful they'll succeed, and that Jenny finally has what it takes to fulfill her family line where Lori and Abbie failed. She had gotten stronger after her escape from Tarrytown and she hadn't been spiritually tormented. Don believed in his son that he could do anything if he sets his mind to it, just as he did when he moved away. They both admitted they were weak; Ezra ran away instead of helping Lori, just as Don never protected him. They realized they're aging and they're proud of their only offspring; whatever happens to them, they're certainly optimistic that Gavin, Jenny, and their friends can and will make a difference. Ezra has warned them that all four of the White Trees have been burnt; as of today, there is nothing to hold back the Great Tribulation, and people must accept the horror before them. They'd be safe since their protected by the grace of God and by the hallowed ground. Regardless, it meant it's entirely up to them to save the world and end the calamities, eradicating the evil.

"Excuse me, are you Gavin Lucas?"

The reverend walked out and recognized him from the encounter a few summers back; he recalled him being with his friend, the Witness, Ichabod, and obtaining a small canister of holy water. He said he heard of their plight from Sophie and he offered them some holy grenades. He led them to a font near the entrance and offered them to cleanse from the impurities if they should come across Pestilence. The priest recalled a few years back that another one of his own was slewed by a Horseman with no head; because of that incident, he knew there was a war coming.

"It's already here." Gavin corrected.

While inside he said that holy water is kept in a font, which is typically located either at the entrance to the church, or sometimes in a separate room or building called a baptistery. He showed them the other room, the same one where Gavin and Ichabod slept in. They were both awed of the main room. He stated smaller vessels known as stoups, were usually placed at the entrances to enable people to sprinkle themselves with it upon entering. In recent years, with the concerns over disease, new holy water machines that worked like automatic soap dispensers have become popular.

"In the Middle Ages the power of holy water was considered so great that in some places, fonts had locked covers to prevent theft of holy water for dark magic practices. Since 1236, Constitutions of Archbishop Edmund Rich clearly stated that "Fonts are to be kept under lock and key, because of witchcraft."

"Whew, good thing, Katrina never used it." Gavin muttered.

"In Catholicism, holy water is never allowed to be disposed of. Openly exposed fonts can be prone to disease."

"Our agents, Jake and Alex, need holy water to fend off Pestilence."

"I see. But they can't extract it without permission from the archbishop."

"We may have to split up and find abandoned churches to obtain the sacred liquid. Perhaps only the Witnesses can have access."

"So, it is true. Ichabod's not the only one. They should take it."

"I'll alert the guys when we get a move on. Thanks for everything, Father." By the time they made their goodbyes and drove back to the nation's capital, Gavin made the calls immediately.

Dusk had fallen with the blood moon once again, and Diana noticed that little by little, there some kids that were getting sick. Some of the birds of prey were also hit hard after they had their lunch with the remains from the undead corpses. The Head of Homeland Security and Ichabod realized that they had come down with various diseases like the measles, the mumps, and the like. Eventually, Molly was having constant coughing spells, and her throat was getting rather sore. Despite the misery, Lara was also feeling it as she was, worried that she may die if her past vessel should perish; she was trying her best to mask the situation. Then, Ichabod's left arm began to have a burning, itching feeling. He figured the Horseman of Pestilence had started his deathly ride through the city and infecting the citizens, including the President. Without hesitation, he immediately gathered his weapons and ordered Diana to keep an eye on the fort.


Meanwhile, Jake and Alex have been going from church to church throughout the city in order to get a large supply of holy water. So far, they had no luck, as nearly every one of them were packed with more anxious, paranoid stragglers and their reverends have downright refused them to steal their sacred liquid. By twilight, they had almost given up until they stumbled upon an abandoned site. Apparently, it was dated back to the Salem Witch Trials and through a quick search, they found an open font. Out of desperation and relief, they dunked in their own massive water guns into it, draining all its contents. They've actually weighed twice as much when they were done usurping the only accessible font which was close to the entrance.

Jake was still hell-bent on stopping Pestilence, Logan MacDonald, in order to avenge Missy. But lo and behold, as they trekked away from hallowed ground...

"I have been waiting for you, Jake and Alex."

"You!" The engineer let out a retort, his temperature rising rapidly with his deep hatred. "You were the one that murdered Missy! I'll break you for this!" Alex pointed her weapon at Logan sitting proudly on his new steed.

"Heh, you think you can stop me? I am one of the Horsemen, now. I was so thrilled that my late master Dreyfuss gave me this grand opportunity. I now have some allies whom admire me, they have been my brothers, and sister, if you will. We have been partying for weeks as we can do whatever we want and corrupt the world dark. Fame and glory has never been this easy."

"Pestilence!" Logan and the duo saw Ichabod come into the chaos with his crossbow drawn.

"As if it can't get any better. The Witness that made a deal with the Devil has arrived."

"Molly, the Onondagas, and millions of other innocent lives are suffering thanks to you!"

"Don't be foolish, Crane. After all, you wouldn't want to rush your death and be damned for eternity, would you? I wouldn't waste my own life to save countless 'innocents' if I were you."

"Easy for you to say!" Alex stepped in. "We have family and friends who care for us and need our help! It's quite selfish of you since your palooza has gone over your head!"

"Jealous, I see?" Logan hissed. Everyone began to have a high fever, affecting their concentration and vitals. "I've never had this much fun! My Pictograms are gonna skyrocket since I'm one of the world's powerful generals." With each minute, their symptoms worsened. So were even hurling blood. "So would Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube. I don't have to pay a cent for services no more, the best things in life really are free! I will embrace and walk across the land with no consequences, and I am NOT ALONE!" Logan let out a shriek and cackled hysterically.

Just then, Gavin made a sneak attack using the same method from earlier. His Demonslayer illuminated a bright blue and he stabbed it to the ground causing another shockwave, stalling the blanch horse.

Logan unloaded his poisonous arrows from his quiver using his telekinesis, but Ichabod struck back with his silver darts, making the steed reel a few times.

Pestilence was surrounded, and also absorbed the holy water from Jake's super soaker. Apparently it was ineffective and contaminated, making Pestilence grow stronger as he sneered. He realized it was from a contaminated font. Jenny threw in one of the holy grenades. As a result, Pestilence squealed in agony as his face looked it was sizzling. The left side had pieces of skin fly off. Then he fell off his horse which dissolved from beneath him. It almost looked as if he was soaked in acid! Seeing he was weak, Gavin cried as he charged in. Unfortunately, he slipped away with some thin, black smoke before they had the chance to finish him off.

"Wait-what?! Get back here! No, no!" Gavin attempted to rush in only to miss his target. "Are you kidding me?" He began to cuss as he slammed down his weapon, like a pissed batter. "Dammit! Ergh-son of a-could've waited a few seconds! I would've had him!"

They felt a breeze as the ominous, dark green, thin cloud soared away from the battlefield.

"The Onondagas!" Ichabod had an epiphany once he collected himself, and he was the first to rush off.


Back at the Vault tunnels, the children became more paler, as did Molly and Lara. Diana calmed her coughs, pains, and rising fever the best she could, while Lara could only watch her past vessel in agony from a distance. She was amazed to see her former self, but also worried as she got a small taste of her ailments. "If anything should happen to her..."

By the time Jenny, Gavin, and the others came back, the Cross was extracted into the nearby cistern; it took a few minutes to take effect, making the liquid sparkle and glimmer as it whitened and bubbled like a seltzer.

The other refugees, even Kendra, and the Onondaga kids succumbed to the worst of it. Even their own pets. The team decided that Jenny, the holder of Faith, should perform a baptism. One of the ill children took off his clothes and Alex enclosed them in a vacuum-sealed bag. After he stepped in, Jenny took out the Cross, reached down, cupped the water in her hands, and poured it over his head. The liquid trickled down his body, and even he began to glimmer. From the reaction, it worked as the child smiled. Everyone cheered, then Molly and the other children dove in and bathed in the cistern. Later the adults and animals took their turns. One by one, they were full with glee as they were rejuvenated and healed by the holy water.

Gavin realized that people can be protected from disease and evil if they're exposed...at least for the moment since Pestilence and War gave Team Witness the slip.

After succumbing to the brief, sudden yellow fever, Jake decided to get himself a drink. Alex went with him and she assured him that they'll defeat Logan and his associates together, as long as he could keep his head on. Jake was a bit relieved by the pun of Headless. While at the sink outside the library, something was odd and smelt bitter. The water was not the same, as the faucet ran a dark amber liquid. He thought what was wrong with it.

Ichabod approached the agents just as thirsty and even he noticed the rancid odor. He gave him the glass and took a gander. "It just came from the sink," Jake said. "I'm not sure how the reservoir would be defected this quickly."

"If that's the case, then it'll eventually affect the water supply here, and later throughout the nation's." Alex voiced her concern.

"Only one third of the planet's water would turn brown and bitter. And a great star will fall as the angel sounds the third trumpet."

"What is it?" Alex queried.

"...Wormwood." he let out a husky whisper. "The Great Tribulation continues..." He gazed into the cup for a long period of time.

Even though War and Pestilence have scampered, the world really was at a greater stake now.

A/N: Much like Gospodor, I've been using another reference from the non-canon fic, Darkness Rising, in this case the church. In case you don't know, this was Gavin's first time being in one, and...I'm not religious, much like him.

Fight 2 (FFIV) from Dissidia will play as the team wipes out the oncoming abominations who actually happen to be from the most infamous, grotesque animated series I've ever seen; case in point, the Brother's Grunt. I never knew this nightmare fuel from MTV ever existed! Also "Got a Skulltula" from Ocarina of Time would sound when Jake gave the go ahead. "Cloud Smiles" from Advent Children would play as the Indian kid gets baptized and cleansed, like the others.

The Logan that Gavin admired was actually none other than a YouTuber that I really like, Fawful's Minion, aka Logan Atkins.

The idea of using holy water as a weapon and a disease cleanser was actually based off of Season 1's episode, "John Doe;" in Roanoke, Abbie discovered this and since she, Ichabod, and the lost boy Thomas were submerged in a well, Pestilence dissipated above them. Which meant the boy and the colony were saved from Pestilence's infestation and the well was holy. So, the agents and Ichabod decided to use it against him, while Molly and Jake had the plan to use holy water in super soakers.

The technique that Gavin just came across was based on the Quake move made by Fox's staff from my all-time favorite installment, Starfox Adventures.

Also, there was a scene where baptism was used in order to cure the doomed refugees; this was inspired by a scenario from "FFVII: Advent Children." Instead of reversing the Geostigma, it was the perfect way to cure the escapees from illness instead of spreading throughout the Vault.

Missy was yet another Sacrificial Lamb for the story, as well as having her Death in the Limelight. Seriously, I hardly remember her, other than being known as Jake's girlfriend; I hated her as she was expendable, has a bad purpose to the plot, has no point on being there in the first place, as well as being a roadblock in Jake's relationship with Alex. In all hindsight, they are the true pairing.

Once again, I'm sorry if the fic is confusing, intermixing the Tribulations. Another chapter is done, and I believe that I'll be working on Famine next. See ya, Sleepy Heads. :)