CHAPTER 21

Beetlejuice and Lydia walked along a vacant beach together in the peace of a beautiful summer evening. The ocean was placid, its calm waves lapping ever so softly at the shore, and the sky was like a canvas that had been splashed with all the warmest colours; a work of fine art painted by the setting sun. High above their heads, seagulls lazily rode the gentle breeze with tranquil abandon, while smaller shore birds skittered across the warm sand at their feet like a group of tiny, feathered dancers. It was all too disgusting for BJ, but he was with his best friend, and that made everything okay.

Lydia was happy. It had been a long time since Beetlejuice had seen her smiling so much. She even looked younger, somehow; more like she had when they met. She ran ahead of him every now and then, searching for crabs and other fascinating sea creatures that inhabited the tide pools. He cracked jokes about eating every strange critter she found, and commented that the especially ugly ones resembled some of his relatives. Her laughter was music to his ears. It seemed like ages since she'd found him so funny, and nothing made him happier than making her laugh. In light of her obvious joy, he discovered that he, too, was smiling and laughing more than he had for an eternity.

With not a single other soul in sight in this marvellously surreal scene, the two friends were engrossed in their own private, little world of unspoiled serenity. The beach seemed to stretch on forever, offering them an infinite supply of peace and wonder, and keeping them free from the interference of others. It felt, for once, like all was right in their personal corner of the universe.

And then it all changed.

The sky darkened as clouds moved in at an unnatural pace, and the water started to churn. The warm sea air became tainted with the chill of a rising wind that tugged with growing ferocity at their hair and clothing. Above the roar of each increasingly powerful gust, Beetlejuice began to hear an odd hissing sound that seemed to emanate from all directions at once. He jammed his fingers in his ears and drilled them around in circles a few times, thinking his hearing must be at fault. However, as the ocean roiled and became only more agitated by the wind, the strange noise grew in volume right along with it, and the dead man felt his chilled blood go even colder. It sounded as if a million whispering voices were all speaking at the same time, overlapping one another and jumbled together like a bag of angry bees.

Was Lydia hearing this, too? She seemed neither aware of the noise nor the total change in atmosphere as she proceeded to explore another pool up ahead. She didn't even appear to notice the dark waves that were now rushing up to cover her feet... rising to her knees... encircling her waist...

Beetlejuice shouted to her, but she showed no sign she'd heard. He started to move toward her, intent on getting her out of the rapidly rising water, but as he did, something seized him and held him firmly to the spot. Eyes wide, he looked down and felt a surge of terror as he saw his body encased in the darkness of a frighteningly familiar, sourceless shadow. Like a hideous, intangible snake, it slithered all over his form, wrapping him in tight, invisible coils and squeezing the afterlife out of him. As he struggled in vain against the absolutely ruthless power, the legion of whispers switched from the din of infinite indistinct conversations to a barrage of harsh laughter that rattled around his skull and shook him to the core.

With his strength draining, BJ fixed his desperate gaze on Lydia once more. The water was up to her chest now, and still she appeared impossibly oblivious. Fearing for both himself and his best friend, the ghost watched in hopeless horror as a single wave slowly arched up like the back of an aggressive cat beside her, displaying what he perceived as a consciousness of its own. He tried again to break free, to get to Lydia and save her, but the shadow's hold was like a vise and it never wavered. Completely powerless, he could only look on as the sentient wave suddenly shot forward, reaching for his friend with long, greedy, liquid fingers and swiftly snatched the girl up, dragging her beneath the surface and out of sight forever.

"LYDIAAAAA!"

"Beetlejuice, you're dreaming."

His eyes opened at the sound of Lydia's voice. He was sitting up in bed. Lydia's bed. She was standing beside it, next to him. Reality came flooding back.

The ghost let out a tremendously relieved sigh. "Oh, babes..." he moaned, feeling a trickle of cold sweat roll down his back. "I just had the most horrible nightmare... There was sunshine, and birds, and fresh air..." he covered his face with his hands, "it was awful!"

She patted him on the shoulder. "I know," she said. "But it's over now. It's all over."

"Yeah," he breathed, dropping his head forward wearily. "I don't know how much more of this I can take, Lyds. I really don't. The stress is killin' me... again."

"It doesn't matter anymore," she told him, her voice so calm it sounded peculiar. "It's finished. You're through."

He paused, puzzled at her odd choice of words, then raised his head to look at her. "I am?"

Lydia nodded, but her face was a mask of expressionless indifference. BJ had never seen her look this way before. It confused and alarmed him.

"Babes?"

The very next second, something slammed into his chest like a speeding train. He didn't even have time to process the fact that anything had happened before all the breath left his body, along with all his energy. Mouth agape from both shock and sudden overwhelming weakness, he slowly lowered his gaze and perceived the slim, pale form of Lydia's extended arm, her hand still buried deep in his ribcage. In a rigid stupor, he could only watch as she pulled back agonizingly slow, withdrawing her hand from his body and taking what he recognized as his own dead heart with it.

More horrified than he ever thought possible, and so painfully sapped of his strength, he forced himself to look up and meet his friend's eyes, searching for some sort of explanation. She stared back at him with that same cold, indifferent mask. There was no trace of emotion. No sign of the warm, caring personality he so greatly adored. He felt he was looking at a stranger.

"Lydia," he rasped, "...why?" although he wasn't sure if he was asking why she'd done it or why it seemed to be destroying him.

"Because we can't do this anymore," she said, her tone callous and so un-Lydia-like, it was more like a very poor imitation of the voice BJ knew so well. "YOU can't. And I can't."

She looked down and he followed her gaze. Clutched in her slender fingers as if by the talons of a predatory bird, his heart slowly drained of all colour, becoming a miserable, ashen grey before their eyes. They watched together, Beetlejuice mesmerized and Lydia without care, as it suddenly began to wilt and quickly shrivelled up to nothing but a mummified shell in a mere few seconds, resembling a handful of dry leaves. Lydia lifted the poor, withered thing near to her face and examined it closely, turning its ugly, contorted form in the light several times as she peered at it from different angles with detached curiosity. She seemed to regard it like a scientist that spent years testing on animals, coldly objective and numb to the suffering of the subject.

Then, without warning, she closed her fist around it.

Beetlejuice could only manage a pained wheeze as he both saw and felt his heart crumble to dust in her grasp. He watched as tiny, disintegrated fragments spilled from between Lydia's fingers, pouring like fine sand to the floor.

Weak and feeling for all the world like he was dying for the second time, he raised a badly trembling arm and reached out to her, begging for something of which he wasn't even certain. Was he asking for the heart back? For help? For the slightest shred of compassion from the person he thought was his best friend? It didn't matter. Lydia was unmoved. She just stared at him without feeling, as if he were no more than a blank sheet of paper.

In that moment, the ghost suddenly didn't care if he was facing his own destruction. Existence was meaningless if Lydia no longer cared for him. There was no point in fighting. With a breathless whimper, he let the weakness consume him and allowed himself to fall back on the bed, welcoming the end with hopeless resignation.

But then, Lydia was leaning over him. Her eyes were dead, but her lips were moving.

"You're still dreaming," she said flatly.

BJ stared up at her, barely comprehending.

"Wake up, Beej," she said with just a touch more emotion.

His head was swimming. There was a buzzing in his ears. He couldn't move.

"Beetlejuice, wake up!"

His whole body jerked and the scene vanished as he snapped back to reality with a cry of surprise. He wasn't lying on Lydia's bed, but rather on the floor with a pillow beneath his head. She was kneeling beside him, her hand still on his shoulder where she'd obviously been shaking him.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," she said, sounding completely like her warm-hearted self. "You were making a lot of noise in your sleep. You sounded upset, so I thought I better wake you. Are you okay?"

The ghost was so relieved, he could have cried. Instead, he heaved a mammoth sigh and immediately sat up to pull her into a hug. Lydia was a bit taken aback by the action. There was a sense of desperation about the embrace that was unusual. He said nothing, but squeezed her tight and then quickly sat back with another weary exhale, eyes averted.

After a few moments of silence, the girl asked again, "Beetlejuice, are you okay?"

He chewed his bottom lip, reluctant to speak. What was he supposed to say? The truth was he hadn't been 'okay' for a long time. Lydia already knew that. Part of him wondered why she would ask such a dumb question.

"Yeah, sure," he said at last. "Fine, babes."

"What was it?" she asked, curious and concerned.

"Oh, nothin'," he told her. "Just, uh... I was dreamin' about how my mom used to force me to have a bath. That's all."

Lydia watched him draw his knees up and wrap his arms around them. He still wouldn't look her in the eye. She knew he wasn't telling the truth.

"You're a poor liar, ya know," she informed him in a matter-of-fact sort of way.

That made him look at her. "No need to insult me," he said, but there was no fire in his words.

She placed a comforting hand on his back. "If you don't wanna talk about it, it's okay," she said gently. "Sometimes it helps, though. A lot of nightmares seem sillier and not nearly as scary when you get them out in the open."

"Not mine," he murmured, barely above a whisper.

She gave him a rather sad, sympathetic expression. "Well... I guess living in The Neitherworld could certainly make for a wilder imagination," she admitted. "I've read that you shouldn't take dreams literally, though. They're more symbolic of things that are on your mind."

BJ rolled his eyes. "Thank you, Dr. Void," he grumbled. Then he looked around. "Speakin' of which..."

"Oh, yeah," said his friend. "Before he left, he asked me to tell you his bill is actually covered by the system, I guess because his diagnosis is to be used in your legal defense, so you don't owe him any money."

The ghoul brightened a bit at this. "Best news I've heard in... uh... however long I've been layin' on the floor."

"All day," Lydia filled him in. "You were exhausted, so I just let you sleep where you were. I got some rest, too. Boy, did I need it."

She moved out of the way as he stretched out and stiffly began to stand. There was a loud crack and he grunted as his hands flew to his back. Face screwed up in pain, he gave her a look.

"Sorry," she said, wincing on his behalf. "I thought the pillow would help."

The phone rang and made them both jump. Beetlejuice scrunched his eyes shut and stifled a yell as the movement didn't do his back any favours. Lydia hissed through her teeth in sympathy before she went to answer it.

"Hello?... Oh, hi, Sean..."

The ghost growled to himself. Of course, it was Mouldy. Who else? This probably meant another evening spent alone. He rubbed at his sore back, then slowly straightened it. Satisfied that he could move, he sauntered over and leaned against the wall next to his friend, just to be an annoying presence.

"Yeah?... Oh, that's cool," she was saying. "Uh huh... Beetlejuice? He's right here, actually." She paused, then spoke to BJ directly, "Sean says hi, Beej."

Beetlejuice wrinkled his nose in disdain, then belched loudly at the phone, making Lydia cover the mouthpiece as she recoiled.

"He, uh... sends his regards, Sean," she said, avoiding the cloud of bad breath.

Her companion snorted.

She continued her conversation. "So, what's up?... Oh, really?... Ha, ha! Wow!... No, I'd say it was a good idea. I'd have done the same thing... Yeah, I think so, too... Mm hmm... Well, yeah, exactly..."

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught her paranormal pal pulling faces and making yapping motions with his hand. She turned her back on him, trying to pretend he wasn't there so she could focus on what her boyfriend was saying. Ever the pest and not one to be ignored, BJ changed his head into Sean's and leaned over her shoulder, lips flapping in silent mockery of the boy on the other end of the phone. Lydia never missed a beat as she reached up to grab his nose and yanked on it, making it stretch like an elastic band. Beetlejuice hardly had time to protest before she let go and it snapped back in his face.

"OW!" he yelped.

"What was what?" Lydia said into the phone. "That? Oh, nothing. I, um, stubbed my toe... No, it's fine."

"Hmph!" said BJ indignantly, holding a hand over his nose.

Lydia kept talking. "Uh huh... Yep... Oh?... That sounds really cool... Oh, yeah, I've wanted to see that one. When did you plan on going?... Tonight?"

Still shielding his nose, the dead man sighed as he listened. This was it. Lydia was going out, just as he'd suspected. Probably to a movie, by the sound of it.

"Well, gee, normally I'd say yes, Sean, but I actually planned on staying home tonight."

Beetlejuice sucked in a sharp breath of surprise and choked on his own saliva. The girl turned around and thumped him on the back as she continued.

"Yeah, I haven't had much sleep and I'm really not feeling the best," she said over the racket of his coughing and sputtering. "Uh, well, it's a long story... Yeah... It was a nice idea, though. Next time I'll go with you."

BJ could hardly believe his ears. She was turning down a date with Mouldy to stay home with HIM? Maybe he was still dreaming. He hacked really hard and brought up something that looked like the leg of a giant grasshopper. Lydia gagged as he picked it up and stuck it in his pocket for later.

"Ewww!" she exclaimed. "What? No, not you, Sean! It was... well, never mind... Yep... Uh huh... Well, thanks for asking me... Okay... Talk to you tomorrow... You, too... Bye."

She hung up and the ghost stared at her like she was crazy.

"What's THAT look for?" she asked.

He reached over and rested his wrist against her forehead. "Nope, no fever," he said. "Didja hit your head or somethin', babes?"

Lydia laughed. "No, silly. What makes you say that?"

"Oh, I dunno," he said sarcastically. "Maybe the fact that ya turned down what was probably another exciting date just to stay cooped up here? In the boring, old house? With boring, old ME?"

"You're not boring," she said, placing her hands on her hips. "And did you really think I'd leave you alone after what happened last night?"

He shrugged. "Why not? I CAN take care of myself, ya know. Ya don't hafta stay here and babysit me. It's not like I'm a dog ya gotta let outside to do its business every couple of hours." He turned into a sharp-dressed collie sitting at a desk stacked with papers and other office supplies.

"I know that," said Lydia as he returned to normal. "I'm not babysitting you. I'm keeping you company. Besides, how could I go out and have any fun when I'd be worrying about you here all alone with that creepy shadow stalking you?"

Beetlejuice shivered at the mere mention of it. Not only did the actual terrifying events replay in his mind, but also his nightmare. He stuffed his hands in his pockets in an effort to hide the tremors, but his friend caught the unsteady movements.

"There, see?" she pointed at him. "You're as worried about it as I am."

"Bah," he stuck his nose in the air. "I ain't afraid of no shadow."

No sooner had the words left his mouth when a black shape appeared at his feet, sending him rocketing to the ceiling with a scream.

Lydia bent down to scoop up her cat. "It's just Percy!" she called up to the frightened ghoul. "Come down from there!"

"What if it isn't?!" he whined, clinging to the light fixture and shaking like a leaf. "What if it's a shadow in a cat costume?! Or... oh, no... What if YOU'RE a shadow in a Lydia costume?!"

"Okay, now you're just being paranoid," she said.

He eyed her suspiciously. "Oh, suuuuurrre! That's exactly what a shadow would want me to think!"

She put the cat down and folded her arms. "Would a shadow tell you you're being a goofball?" she asked, cocking an eyebrow.

BJ thought that over. "It might," he said.

She rolled her eyes. "Get down from there, Beetlejuice."

He obeyed, albeit after a moment's hesitation, and floated back down beside her. Lydia could see he was still trembling, and she was surprised to have him pull away when she reached out to touch his hand.

"Whoa, you need to relax," she told him, keeping her voice even and calm.

Somehow that didn't make him feel any better. It reminded him too much of her deathly calm tone from the dream. He crossed his arms over his chest, subconsciously protecting his heart, and tried to maintain his composure despite the army of chills parading along his spine. Lydia eyed him with an expression that looked something like pity, which only made him feel sick to his stomach. He didn't want to be pitied. He wanted to be 'the ghost with the most', powerful and untouchable like he'd always been... or at least how he'd always been before this whole downward spiral began.

Highly aware of her best friend's discomfort, Lydia said, "I think it's time to start turning some lights on. It won't be dark for a couple hours, but it would certainly make ME feel better."

She flicked on her bedroom light as she exited the room to begin flipping switches and turning on lamps all over the house. BJ stayed where he was, hovering on the spot and frowning as he uncrossed his arms and looked at his shaking hands. He grabbed his left wrist, hoping to still the involuntary movement that betrayed his fear, but the tremors travelled up his arms and made his teeth chatter. Frustrated, he jammed his hands back in his pockets and poked his head out into the hall. As the entire house became flooded with artificial light, he was surprised to find he did feel somewhat more at ease, and inwardly he thanked his friend.

"That's better," she said when she came back up the stairs.

"Your parents won't think so when they see the light bill," said the ghost, sounding more like himself. "Not that I care," he added with a snort.

"I'll pay for it when I get a job," Lydia said simply.

Beetlejuice actually threw back his head and laughed at that. "AAAH, ha, ha, haaa! Gee, babes! For a moment there, you actually sounded serious! Pfft!"

The girl never cracked a smile. "I am serious," she stated solemnly. "My parents have been good to me, and it's only right that I help out when I can. After I get my driver's license, I plan to apply for a part-time job at the florist's shop in town."

BJ stopped smiling and looked a tad ill. "The one with the rainbow of daisies painted on the window?" he asked.

"Yeah."

"That's disgusting."

She put her hands on her hips. "No, it isn't," she said. "It's a good place to work. And I'll be able to learn more about different kinds of flowers and hopefully get to try my hand at some creative arrangements. Or would you prefer I work over at Barney's Burger Barn instead?"

"Burger Barn! Burger Barn! Burger Barn!" he chanted.

"THAT'S disgusting," said Lydia.

Beetlejuice beamed. "Heh, heh... sure is!" he agreed. "They feed more rats than customers, and the fries smell like that special kind of toe jam you get when ya wear rubber boots with no socks!" He nudged her gently with his elbow, "Ya know I love it!"

Lydia couldn't help but find that amusing. "You would!" she giggled, relieved that he'd stopped shying away from her. "And speaking of food... although, I wouldn't call any of THAT edible... how about we get something to eat? I was thinking we could watch a movie or something afterwards. Mom and Dad won't be home until tomorrow morning, so the living room is ours all night. We could even have a movie marathon if you feel like it."

"Sounds okay to me," he said, not really caring what they did as long as they did it together. He hadn't wanted to spend the night in her bedroom with the dresser mirror close by, anyway.

"Great," said his friend. "I'll even cook."

BJ bit his lip. "Ummm... are ya sure ya wanna go to all that trouble?" he asked. "I can just go find some bugs under a rock... or scrape somethin' off the bottom of my shoes... or..."

"Beetlejuice," the way she said his name made him nervous, "are you afraid of my cooking?"

"Who, ME?" he pretended to be shocked. "Whatever do you MEAN, Lyds? I'm just tryin' to save ya some work, is all. You know what a considerate guy I am. Wouldn't wanna be a bother to ya."

"Oh, noooo, not you," Lydia groaned sarcastically. "Take a chance on me, Beej. I've learned a few things since the last time I cooked anything for you.

"Aw, I dunno, babes..."

"I'll let you add any gross ingredients you waaaant," she sang, "... to your own, of course."

"Well... okay," he gave in. "Ya twisted my arm." His right arm contorted into a corkscrew shape.

His best friend laughed. "You've done that joke before, silly."

"Hey, I can do the same joke twice," he told her. "Besides, a classic never dies. Unless it's me. Ha!"

They went to the kitchen and spent the next hour chatting and laughing while Lydia prepared homestyle macaroni and cheese. In place of one of the three kinds of cheese she used, Beetlejuice suggested bat barf for his own. The girl was disgusted, but she obliged when he was quickly able to produce the necessary ingredient. She didn't bother asking how, and she was VERY happy they were using separate dishes.

After dinner, which BJ had to admit was delicious, they camped out on the couch and watched several of Lydia's favourite Boris To Death films. Apart from the fact that he still thought Boris was a complete hack, BJ had a good time and grew very comfortable as the night progressed. The darkness outside seemed to be of little threat in the well-lit home, and the interaction between the two friends was exactly as it had been pre-Mouldboy. For those few hours spent engrossed in the comfort of each other's presence, things felt right again and troubles were temporarily forgotten. It was just like old times.

It wasn't until a crack of thunder shook the house, that Lydia found herself startled from a nap she hadn't planned on taking. Lifting her head from where it had fallen sideways against Beetlejuice's shoulder, she found her ghoulish pal had also drifted off, his own head flopping to the side from being propped awkwardly against hers when she moved. Apparently, they were both still more exhausted from the previous night than either of them had realized.

Mind still foggy, Lydia listened to the sound of pelting rain as it struck the windows with each gust of a rather strong wind. A flash of lightning, followed by another loud crack, was enough to get her thinking clearly again. Right now, a storm was definitely not something they welcomed. If the power went out...

She grabbed the lapels of her friend's jacket and shook him. "BJ, wake up," she commanded, trying not to sound too worried so as not to frighten him. "There's a storm."

He mumbled something unintelligible, then lifted his head. "Mmwhat?"

"There's a storm," she repeated. "You know... rain, wind, thunder and lightning?"

"Great," he slurred, bleary eyed. "Wake me when they play Shining Star."

"No, Beetlejuice! Not Earth, Wind & Fire!" she corrected him urgently. "It's a thunderstorm! You have to get up! We might lose our-"

KABOOM! The lights went out.

"... power," she finished, her voice small in the sudden darkness.

Lydia felt rather than saw Beetlejuice sit up straight as an arrow from his formerly slouched position.

"Uh oh," he said into the black.

"Yeah," she agreed. "Uh oh."

The rain beat against the windows like an ill-timed applause.

"Okay, okay, okay, no need to panic," the dead man uttered quickly. "I think I can shed some light on the situation."

With those words, he turned into a single candle in a holder that appeared in Lydia's hand. The immediate vicinity was lit once more, but most of the room was still plastered in shadow.

The girl didn't look particularly relieved. "Couldn't you, uh, do a little better than that?" she asked, fear creeping into her voice.

"I'm a little disappointed, myself," the candle admitted, just before it changed back into BJ and the room went completely dark for the second time. "It must be my nerves gettin' to me, babes! What're we gonna DO?!"

Lydia reached out sightlessly and grabbed his arm, not wanting to lose contact. "You have to calm down and concentrate!" she told him, sounding more panicked than she'd hoped. "Try to relax and pretend things are normal!"

"Yehck!" he gagged. "I hate normal!"

"Then pretend things are ABnormal! Whatever makes you comfortable so that your powers will work! You KNOW what I mean! This is no time to balk at semantics!"

"Hey, I'm no chicken!"

"What?!"

"Bawk, bawk, bawk!"

"Beetlejuice!"

"I'm just tryin' to pretend like things are... ugh... normal! You could be gettin' out the emergency candles, ya know!"

"I left them upstairs, remember?!"

"Oh, great, Lydia! Reeeaaal great!"

Lightning flashed again, just long enough for them to catch a clear glimpse of the far wall. To their mutual horror, a shadow was splashed across it. A shadow that didn't belong. It was too late.

They screamed in unison and the clap of thunder that followed the flash drowned out their cries. Beetlejuice pulled Lydia into his arms and tried to fly, but he only made it a few feet before his magic failed him. He floundered in the air, yelling for all he was worth, just before they dropped to the floor hard, hitting it one right after the other. There was no time to be in pain, however, and they both scrambled to get up, adrenaline fuelling their clumsy efforts.

Lydia was the first to right herself, and she fumbled for her friend, catching a handful of his hair before she managed to hook his collar and tried to yank him up. She felt him start to rise and move with her, but their progress was abruptly halted and completely reversed when he was suddenly hauled the other way by a force much stronger than the teen girl. She didn't have to see what was happening to know the shadow had grabbed him.

"NO!" she shouted at the unseen demon. "YOU CAN'T HAVE HIM!"

She pulled with all her might, fighting to prevent herself from being dragged right along with her companion. Her grip on the collar of his jacket was slipping, but she couldn't let go to try and find a better hold. It was only by luck that Beetlejuice's hand shot up in the nick of time and seized her arm, maintaining the hold for her and giving her something else to latch onto.

"LYDIA, DON'T LET GO!" he pleaded, cleaving her heart in two. "DON'T LET IT-" the words were choked off before he could finish, inciting her to fight even harder.

"I won't!" she grunted as she strained against the opposing power. "I won't let it take you!"

A new voice hissed through the black, seemingly right in her ear, and made Lydia's blood run cold, "Ssssstay out of this, child! You're in the way!"

"Forget it!" she growled back at it boldly. "I'm not letting go! For anything!"

"Ssssstupid girl! Let go now, or we'll take YOU, as well!"

She gritted her teeth. "GET STUFFED!" she snarled.

"Fool," it said. "Then come along for the ride."

There was suddenly no hope of fighting the insurmountable force as it grew far stronger than Lydia and Beetlejuice could have ever hoped to be combined. The girl screamed as she was dragged across the room like no more than a rag doll, knocking into furniture and toppling over breakables that crashed behind her in the dark. They were pulled all the way to the stairs and immediately began to ascend, bumping against each step as the shadow hauled them up to Lydia's room.

Lightning danced across the sky outside, and the dresser mirror reflected it as they passed through the bedroom door. Lydia's hands clamped tighter around BJ's sleeve, and his fingers dug into her arm with bruising strength. In that fraction of a second, an unspoken message was shared between them; an assurance to one another that, no matter what happened, they would not let go.

As the thunder roared in accordance with the last flash, they disappeared through the glass, their terrified cries cut short as they were swallowed up by the next world. Only the sound of rain filled the subsequent void, pattering against the windows of the empty bedroom like an appreciative audience.