Thank you so much for all the wonderful reviews. They've been pouring in lately and all I can say is that you guys give me the desire to keep this story alive, which I was going to leave dead and burried a few months back.

Anywho, on with the next chapter!

Chapter 14 - - "Sorry, We're Closed"

He had one thought the entire ride to the Crashdown, Liz. The second he hung up the phone he became detached from this world. He had thought that all the alien mumbo jumbo was all over, that he could finally move on with his life and be normal, well as normal as any person could be with altered DNA. Now Liz was dying and no one knew what was going on. "For the love of Buddha what was happening."

Alex's BMW slams to a halt in front of the Crashdown, jolting Kyle from his thoughts. Both he and Alex rush out of the vehicle and towards the restaurant. The door has the "Sorry, We're Closed" hang on it. He pushes open the glass doors, which have been covered in bed sheets, and freezes at the sight before him. At one of the far booths sat a very pale Phillip and Diane Evans. Diane looked like she was on the verge of a breakdown as Philip tried to comfort her. He looked just as bad, especially with the blood on his rolled sleeves.

As his eyes continued to scan the diner his uneasiness continued. The usually meticulously clean floor was now covered in used medical cloths, opened packages, empty blood bags, bloody shoe prints, surgical gloves and other used medical supplies he had only scene when the Bears medical staff had to stitch up their players. Moving from the floor he spots his father, shirtless and hunched over the counter, looking exhausted and lost. His skin was coated in dried blood and his eyes were sunken in. Finally he forced himself to look at the girl in question.

Never before had he taken so long to look at someone. On the field he sees broken bones and blood all the time, especially where Grossman was concerned, but this very second he couldn't bear to look at his long time friend in this state. When he finally looked at her, he wished she hadn't.

Her normally beautiful Olive skin was bright white and marred with dried blood and stomach churning stitches. If Frankenstein's monster had seen how she looked, he would probably toss his scones. Her eyes were closed and outlined with dark circles. The counter she was lying on was dripping with blood. In fact blood was slowly streaming down the side of the counter to the floor. Yet what scared him the most was how eerily still she was.

"Please don't say she's dead," Alex asks almost begging towards Jim. Jim slowly looks up with eyes full of pain, "No, she's not." Both he and Alex released a breath that neither one of them had realized they were holding in.

"Without proper medical attention, she won't live much longer," interrupts Amy's blunt response. She was exiting the kitchen with a wet cloth. Her usually beautiful blonde hair was stained with crimson as was her clothes. She looked haggard, which seemed to be a running theme with the group.

Kyle stares at his dad. "What happened?"

Jim shakes his head again. "We don't know son. We found her in her room, bleeding from everywhere. We've tried everything . . . Amy. . tried so hard. . ." Jim's voice begins to break as tears begin to fall from his eyes.

Kyle quickly wraps his arms around his father's chilled body. So tragic, a son holding his crying father in his arms. Tears were beginning to fall from his eyes.

Alex looks at the men and then to the counter. Slowly he makes his way in. Kyle looks up and notices the movement, but doesn't stop him. Alex's hands begin to shake as he pushes the small swinging door that separates the counter from the front of the diner. Kyle could see that the horrific smell of blood that seemed to permeate in the air was getting to Alex, hell it was getting to him too. The taste of bile was filling his mouth at the sight of his best friend lying half naked, broken and dying on the counter of her restaurant.

Blood seemed to be everywhere; on the counter, the floors, the dishes, and even the soda tower. It was like building itself had been bleeding. One thought kept running through his mind as he held his tired father, "How could someone lose this much blood and still be alive?"

He could see Alex quickly scan diner and take in the disaster that it was. Chairs were turned over, obviously from the four adults who were trying desperately to save Liz's life. In the corner over the diner a defeated looking Amy slumped down against the wall. Alex continued his approach to Liz's body. He stops and stares down at her, his body beginning to tremble. "She looks so peaceful, even with all the pain," he whispers.

"I gave her morphine for the pain," Alex and himself both turn and look at Amy. "I know I shouldn't have, but her screaming was unbearable."

Shock played across Alex's usually goofy face. "She was awake, with all this blood loss?"

Amy sighs, "Phil was able to get us medical supplies, including blood. Well actually a lot of blood." Everyone remained quiet as they looked at Liz. "She woke up a few minutes ago. She woke up screaming Michael's name, saying she failed them, that they were all dead. Then she just started screaming because of the pain. I'll never forget that scream, it was inhuman," Amy says softly as she looks at her hands.

He sees Alex turn back to Liz and move a strand of hair out of her face. "I managed to stop the bleeding from the wounds. She won't clot for some reason." Amy pauses as her voice beings to break. "I can't stop the internal bleeding. I don't know how too. I'm running out of medical supplies. I used up everything, but if she doesn't get help soon. . ." her voice breaks as tears begin to fall down her cheeks. Alex shakily makes his way over to her and wraps an arm around her, Amy's sobs shaking them both.

"I tried Alex, god I tried so hard and I feel like it was all for nothing. I can't save her."

Alex pulls her closer, "Shhhhh, you did all you could." Kyle could see the tears were welling in his friend's eyes. His father slips out of his embrace and makes his way to Amy. Alex looks up at the man and moves to the side so Jim could embrace her. "You did good Amy. You did good," Jim whispers as he rocks her body to calm her as Amy's hand clutch onto Jim's forearms for dear life.

Alex stands and walks over to Kyle. He grabs Kyle by the shoulders and looks him in the eyes, "Kyle"

Kyle's eyes well as more tears begin to fall. He wraps his arms around Alex and both boys hold each other. "We can't lose her Alex. We can't. . "

Alex only nods and the boys separate. Jim looks up from Amy to Kyle, "Son, I know I'm asking a lot of you to do this, but you maybe our only. . ."

Kyle cuts him off, wiping the tears from his eyes. "Dad, I know."

Amy, Diane and Phillip look at Kyle confused. "Only thing is, I've never healed wounds this bad before."

Amy shakes her head, "I don't understand."

Kyle shakes his head, "I've never actually done it to anyone but myself. I've fixed small sprains, cuts, bruises and even once that broken ankle I received in the playoffs, but never tried it on anyone else, especially with injuries like these."

Phillip looks at Kyle, "Are you like my son? Are you an alien?" Kyle shakes his head. "No, I'm a changed human. Both Liz and I are. Your son healed us and brought us back to life, but in doing so altered our DNA and molecular cells. At least that's how Liz explains it. Giving us these abilities. It's just Liz and I agreed to never use them without the others. They don't even know we have them."

"If Max healed you and Liz. What if what's happening to Liz is a side effect of that? What if the human body reacts this way to alien cells?" Diane speaks, for the first time all night. Kyle's eyes go wide with fear. Could that be what's happening? If so could that mean he was next?

"Could that mean it will happen to you too?" Diane asks.

"I. . . I. . .don't. . ." Kyle responds only to be cut off by Alex. "Look we don't know what's happening to Liz. The only one who knows that is Liz. So instead of asking what's what, let's just worry about healing her first."

Kyle snaps out of his stupor, "Right."

Suddenly Liz's body begins to shake again. Amy jumps, "Shit, she's seizing. She doesn't have much time left. If you're going to heal her, do it now!"

Kyle rushes to Liz's side. He places one hand on Liz's forehead and the other on her stomach.

"Wait, this gash on her stomach is the exact spot where Max healed her," Kyle whispers. Jim and Alex exchange worried glances. Could this be because of Max?

Suddenly Kyle begins to feel the familiar warm touch of his powers as he focuses on Liz. His forehead beings to wrinkle and small grunts exit his mouth. Healing her was causing him pain. He felt so cold and drained already. Then suddenly he was wracked with the flashes of the earlier events.

Flash

Liz reacting to the premonition.

Flash

Liz experiencing each vision.

Flash

Liz grabbing the picture and astral projecting herself.

The images speed up to the point where they blur together. He can only feel pain as they seem to speed up even more until it stops on one last image, A ragged and older Michael looking straight ahead with a weird looking creature holding some sort of sword behind him.

Kyle's eyes snap open and he whispers out "Holy shit." Then his eye's roll up into his head as his knees buckles causing him to fall to the floor.

"Kyle!" Jim yells and shakily rushes to his fallen son. Phillip and Diane are quickly there with Jim to help regain consciousness. As the group helps Kyle, Alex and Amy slowly approach Liz's still form. They look at the area that had once held the large gash only to find it completely healed, as were her other wounds. Alex and Amy smile wide.

"He did it!" Amy yells and joins Jim at Kyle's side. Alex stays behind and stares at Liz, his smile fading. Something wasn't right.

On the floor Kyle's eyes begin to open. He felt drained. What had she done to herself and why did she do it? What was going on with Michael? He tries to speak but finds he doesn't have the energy to. It felt as if he was a cd player that's battery was slowly dying. His vision was blurry at best and everyone's voices where slow and drawn out.

"Kyyyyyyllllllle? Arrrrreeeeee yyooooouuu ooookkkkk?" came his dad's voice.

Kyle shakes his head. What was going on with him? He felt so cold, especially his hand. It felt like it was being burned by ice. He looks down at it and sees Liz's blood. What a minute, healing never left blood behind? He weakly reaches out for a rag and wipes the blood on it. Suddenly green energy begins to move from Kyle's hand and up his arm. It hurt like hell, but also felt energizing. It began to cover his whole body. The pain caused him to shut his eyes.

Jim was worried. "Kyle? What's going on with you?" Jim notices something glowing on Kyle's chest. He rips open his son's button up shirt and exposes his chest. On his chest was a glowing green hand print. It was the area where Max had healed him. Kyle looks down to see the glow. Oh god! Was it happening to him? Before he could ask anymore question to himself, all the green energy moved to the hand print at once, which glowed a bright white, and filed the room with light. Everyone covered their eyes from its intensity. Just as quickly as it came, it vanished. The room returned to the dim light.

After the energy flowed to spot of healing, Kyle shot up breathing heavily. He felt reenergized, like he did before he tried to heal Liz.

"Holy shit! What just happened?" he asks. Jim looks worriedly at him, "I don't know, but you did it son. You healed her!" Kyle smiles a small smile.

Alex stares at Liz's face. Her eye brows contort in pain and sweat was being to form on her forehead. Kyle could tell by his friends face that something was definitely not right. "Ummm, guys. Something's not right."

Alex's eyes go wide as Liz's stomach begins to change. The wound that vanished was slowly beginning to reform. Her skin separates and blood begins to flow from the wound once more.

"Oh shit! She's bleeding again!" Alex yells.

The group jumps up. "Oh god! It's reversing! She's going to bleed out," Amy yells. Liz's body begins to shake once more. Amy places her hand on Liz's stomach, to keep pressure on the wound.

Liz breathes in loudly and exhales as her whole body goes limp. Amy places her fingers on her pulse. "Oh no... no. .no. . no. . no. Oh god!" Amy yells as she begins to give mouth to mouth. Jim places his hands on Liz's wound as Amy tries to revive her. Amy begins to pump Liz's chest, trying desperately to give her life.

"Come on Liz! Don't you dare leave us," Amy pleads. Everyone watches solemly. "I'm not going to let you die Liz!"

Amy's arms begin to slow down as she weakly pumps. Her eyes begin to flutter as her legs give out, similar to Kyle's. Phillip quickly catches her before she hits the ground. "Amy!" Jim yells as he quickly takes her place and begins CPR. Kyle jumps up and takes his father's place by placing his hands on her stomach. He places his hand on her wound and tries to heal her once more, only to find that his powers were still too drained.

"Come on Liz!" Jim yells and repeats the process once more. Kyle's legs begin to shake, forcing him to back away from Liz and sit in a chair. Alex quickly takes his place, placing his hand on her wound.

Jim feverously tries to revive her. It wasn't working. He had been trying to bring her back for several minutes while fighting the urge to pass out. "Jim." Diane says weakly and Jim stops, realizing what she meant. It was no use; the glue to the group was gone. Liz Parker was dead.